The Research Paper
The major undertaking of the 8th Grade Project is the Research Paper. While the presentation that takes place in the Spring generally causes the most anxiety, the inception of that culminating task begins here. In the next weeks you will be writing a 3-5-page research paper that will serve as the foundation for your 8th grade project. If you have any questions please ask them as they arise, do not wait until the last minute for guidance.
In this first part of the project you will be learning the step-by-step process for formulating a research paper. You will learn the MLA format for: taking notes, developing a thesis statement, creating an outline, citing sources, creating a list of works cited, as well as writing a rough draft and final paper.
In this section of the website you will find examples and guides to see you through the 8 steps of this process. There is also a sample of all of the assignments. Each of you is capable of success on this project. Meet each deadline head on and stay organized!
The research paper should have the following criteria:
3-5 Pages
Bibliography/Work Cited Page (NOT one of the 3-5 pages)
We will discuss the specifics of the presentation portion of the 8th Grade Project after the paper is complete.
As outlined in our Seabury Hall handbook, successful completion of this project, including the research paper, is a requirement for matriculation to the Seabury Hall Upper School.
Step 1: "Speed Dating" and Reflection
During this assignment, the members of your class English section are going to share with each other some of the 8th Grade Project ideas that they have been considering. We are going to make two circles, one circle encompassed by the other. Half of the class will be on the inner circle, and half of the class will be in the outer circle. Each round will last FOUR minutes during which you and the partner you have been randomly assigned will have to share the ideas that you have and how you plan on presenting these ideas. At the end of that FOUR minutes, a bell will sound, and the members of the OUTER CIRCLE will rotate CLOCKWISE. Please know, that you will not hear everyone’s 8th Grade Project ideas, but you will get a fairly large sample of some of your classmates’ ideas.
As the Speed Dating is taking place, please take notes as you go so that you can remember some of the more interesting ideas. Tonight, I would like you to type a one-page reflection of this process. Your write-up will be based on the following questions:
Assignment - One or more pages, typed, Double-Spaced, MLA format (200 Word Minimum)
a. What are the topics that you are considering, and if any of your topics were to be approved at a later date, what would your presentation look like?
b. Name two of the most interesting ideas that you heard today?
c. What did you realize about your own topic? Is the scope too big? Are you going to have to change anything? If your project is okay as you see it, why do you think it is going to work?
d. What were some of the comments or feedback that other people shared about your topic(s)?
e. How did this exercise give you any additional perspective on your topic(s)? In other words, what else are you going to need to consider before moving forward with your project? (You can’t answer “Nothing.”)
Step 2: Prospectus
Before any final decision can be made about your topic, the 8th Grade Team would like to know some more details about your 8th Grade Project and how you see it taking shape. This is typically done at the beginning before final approval is given to your topic choice, because we want to be sure that you are fully invested in your topic moving forward.
This is as much for your benefit as for ours. In the past, we have had students who get backed into a corner with a chosen topic because they have not thought of all the potential pitfalls that they could face along the way. We would like you, as best as you can, to project yourself standing on stage in April and what you see yourself presenting.
Please answer the following prompts, typed, properly formatted, and grammatically correct. Please take as much care as you can; this is a good chance for you to convince us that your topic is worthwhile for you to explore.
Describe the topic that you plan to pursue for the 8th Grade Project. Please be as detailed as you can be. Explain what you would like to research, then what you envision your physical and presentation to look like. 50-100 words
Give a brief description of your personal interest in this project and what you expect to gain by pursuing this project. Describe how you became interested in this topic. 50-100 words
Because you will be spending essentially the rest of the school year exploring this topic, explain why this topic would be worth exploring for you. 50-100 words
Explain your vision of your final project and your presentation. 50-100 words
Describe any background details you may know that relevant to your project, no matter how trivial the details may seem. 50-100 words
There is an example of this step in the research paper HERE.
The Rubric for this step of the research Paper is HERE.
Step 3: Writing a Research Question
This assignment will take place as soon as your topic has been approved. Developing a strong research question is essential for writing a strong research paper. The answer to the research question that you develop will become the thesis statement for your whole paper. Without a research question that leads to an arguable, thesis statement, your paper cannot be strong.
Developing a Research Question
This assignment is designed to guide you through a series of steps to make sure you get your research started off well. You might want to work through this process several different times if you really can’t decide what you want to study for your 8th Grade Project. Read through this entire sheet, and then answer to the four prompts from the “assignment” section on the other side of this paper. You will turn in typed answers to those questions to Mr. Walsh. This assignment will not be graded, although you will receive feedback, which will help you complete a strong prospectus.
What is a Research Question?
Most simply, a research question is just what it sounds like—a question whose answer you can find through research. The best 8th Grade Projects begin with genuine curiosity and wonder. Any time you begin a sentence with “I wonder why...” or “Why does...?” you are starting down a road that could lead to a good 8th Grade Project Research Question.
Are all research questions equally valid?
Some questions will get you further than others. For example, when I started to write this assignment, I asked the question above: What is a research question? I did some quick research, looking at books and academic websites to see how other people have answered that question. I was able to solidify my thinking on the subject pretty quickly. I don’t feel like I need to read more, and I certainly don’t feel any desire to write three to five pages on this question, so it probably isn’t a very good question for an 8th Grade Project Research Question. So, some things to think about as you develop your question include the following:
Interesting: Ask yourself:
Why do I care about this topic? The more direct your connection to your question is, the better it will work for you.
Having read a little bit about my question, am I hungry to read more? If not, this question won’t work well for your Research Question. If yes, you might be on to something.
Arguable: Ask yourself:
Is there a factual answer to my question? If your question can be answered simply by looking up a fact in an encyclopedia or other reference work, it won’t work as the basis for your Research Question. You don’t have to take on a major world controversy, but reasonable people should be able to disagree with you.
Answerable: Ask yourself:
Can I realistically hope to answer this question within the time I have to do this assignment?
Will resources be available? Questions that try to predict the future, or to comment on what was going on in someone’s mind, or that are vaguely stated can be impossible to answer.
Is my topic focused enough to discuss meaningfully in 3-5 pages? Let’s say your initial question is “How can we achieve peace between Israel and Palestine?” Many people have written many books on this topic; it’s unlikely that you can add anything meaningful to the discussion without further narrowing your question. On the other hand, a question such as “Why is the question of Palestinian statehood important to the peace process?” could actually work for you.
Can I learn enough this year to answer this question? If your question requires you to understand everything about quantum physics, it might be unreasonable to expect yourself to fully understand it well enough to write about it. This would be a good time to talk to someone in that field and ask them to help you carve out a doable question.
Assignment – Please type your answer to these questions.
1. What is the topic of your project?
2. Basic Short-Answer Questions – Who, What, When, and Where questions can typically be answered with short answers and are usually not considered research questions. They are very important to our research, but more for background information for our larger questions. For your chosen topic, write two of each of these types of questions: 2 Who questions, 2 What questions, 2 When questions, and 2 Where questions.
3. Research questions deal with big ideas, changes over time, different points of view, ethical issues, etc. They typically deal with How and Why, and combinations of these. For your chosen topic, write three of each of these types of questions: 3 How questions and 3 Why questions.
4. Read through each question, and see if you can sort them by similar topics or combine some questions into one. You may have some clusters of questions. See if you can combine them into one big picture, open-ended research question. Try to settle on one main question as your research question. Be sure that there is more than one reasonable question. A good thesis has a good antithesis, or other side of the argument.
There is an example of this step in the research paper HERE.
The Rubric for this step of the research Paper is HERE.
Step 4: Annotated Bibliography
Length: 75-word minimum per each source, at least 5 sources
An annotated bibliography is an alphabetized list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (a minimum of fifty of your own words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, called the annotation. The purpose of this assignment is to show me that you have done the research, have found five valuable sources, and you have considered how you will be using each of the sources you have found.
The annotated bibliography indicates the care with which the study has been conducted and is a clear reflection of what the student has learned. The sources the student chooses for their bibliography must be chosen with care.
Creating an annotated bibliography takes many skills. These include being aware of the content of each source in relation to others, carefully documenting publishing information, taking notes with page numbers for any quotations and ideas used, critically examining what is being said, its accuracy and fairness, remembering details, and putting all of this together concisely and accurately.
Step One – Research: Five Sources
You MUST use at least two Ebsco sources - Ebsco is a search engine that contains thousands and thousands of scholarly publications. This is a research engine that will be tremendously valuable to you in the duration of your career as a student. In order to access Ebsco, login to your Seabury Hall account on the website. Find the Castle Library menu, and there you will find a multitude of search engines, all powered by Ebsco.
You can only use one encyclopedia source - Also on the Castle Library menu, there is a link to our subscription to the Encyclopedia Britannica Academic (both Middle School and High School versions - use either).
Use an unlimited amount of non-Ebsco internet sources, but they must be from scholarly websites. Remember, adding “edu” to your search can help you find good sources.
As many books or scholarly magazines as you wish
You may NOT use Wikipedia as a source, but you can use it as a means to find other sources. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the Wikipedia entry and see which websites helped generate the entry, go to that site, and see if the website is useful for you.
Step Two – Create a Citation
You can create a Modern Language Association (MLA) citation straight from any Ebsco source. It does it for you. However, if you have a source that is not from Ebsco, you should use citationmachine.net in order to generate that citation. Click the button that says “I only want to create citations,” then click the button that says “MLA,” which is the format that you are using for this paper. Choose the type of source (book, newspaper, etc.), and enter as much information as you can provide in order to create the most comprehensive citation as possible. But, here is the information that you will need:
You chose your sources from reputable sources. If the project guidelines reject Wikipedia, make sure you find a source that is professionally edited, instead.
Each source has a complete citation according to MLA guidelines, version 8.0 modeled in resources such as THE OWL AT PURDUE or in NoodleTools where you can compose your working bibliography.
Citations are listed in alphabetical order according to the first word in each citation, ignoring A, The, and An.
Font is 12 point and Times New Roman.
Paper is double-spaced, and so are the citations of the bibliography.
The first line of the citation is NOT indented on left side, but if the citation is longer than one line, subsequent lines are indented on the left. (This is called a “hanging indent” which is a term you can Google.)
Proper punctuation is applied to separate the parts of the citation.
Titles are capitalized properly. Italics are used for the names of major works such as books and databases. But titles of articles are put in “quotation marks.”
Page numbers are preceded by a p.
Volume and Issue numbers are preceded by Vol. and Issue, respectively.
What about including the URL? The latest version of MLA requires at LEAST a shortened form of the URL, but check with your teacher to see if he or she wants the entire long version of the article’s persistent link. Don’t present it as an actual hyperlink (where it turns blue, is underlined and even activates.) Instead, place the web address at the end of your citation and place it inside these marks (math teachers call the “greater than and less than” symbols). < URL >
Don’t number your list of sources down the left side. Simply put the citations in alphabetical order. The reader can count the sources if she needs to.
Step Three – Write an Annotation for Each Source, 75 Words Minimum
What criteria helps you evaluate resources? You can explain…
1. What kind of library source is this? (Different KINDS of sources are useful in DIFFERENT WAYS.) For example, it might be a…
reference source (like an article from an encyclopedia, it’s useful to get a broad overview of the topic but might lack details. As a reference source, it REFERS the researcher to ADDITIONAL carefully selected sources in a bibliography. These are often helpful in the first couple days of a project to define a focus for research.
a detailed chapter book with depth, detail, quotations… (often helpful after basic understandings have already been established… week 2+ of a project)
a short web site from an amateur or student?
primary source (originating at that time in history which makes it especially useful if used with care)
What format is it? a video, photograph, sound recording, print book, article from a database…
2. What’s the scope of the source: What’s the MAIN TOPIC of the source, and is it long, short, detailed or very brief about YOUR RESEARCH FOCUS? Is it only a paragraph long? Is it many chapters long detailing your topic?
3. Relevance: If the title doesn’t make it obvious, explain the way it relates to your research questions. For example, if it is useful to build your understanding of the historical context of your study. Here’s where you can broadly state in 1 sentence which categories of information it helps you to collect (but please do not put your actual notes here.)
4. Ease of use: How easy is the source for you to navigate, use and understand? Does it have text features that make this resource especially useful to you and easy to understand? Or what text features is it missing that would make it a much better source to you? If it comes with a citation which makes your research easier, mention so.
5. What are the sources behind the text? Can you rely upon its authors? Is it professionally published? Was it professionally selected for an educational database (or library) like Gale or Salem History because it was written and edited by subject experts who are highly educated about the topic? Or is it a website you Googled for that you need to scrutinize much more closely because it might simply be:
– open source (like Wikipedia) where mischief-makers might change the content?
– A gateway to selling products? (Does the URL end with .com instead of .edu or .gov?)
– Loaded with distracting click-bait?
– Potentially fake news?
– put online by an amateur or enthusiast that may not have a research team to check facts?
– Popular but not accurate?
– Potentially a “hoax site” or biased propaganda?
– possibly biased information? (Some .org web sites forcefully argue just ONE SIDE of a cause.)
– Infotainment that might exaggerate/dramatize in order to attract visitors?
6. Verdict: (in a sentence) state how valuable the source is compared to others you are finding, and what that means you STILL HAVE TO FIND. e.g., While strong on detail and quotes about the effects of the war, it didn’t provide any visuals to use for my documentary.
I have included three examples of Annotated Bibliography entries. For the purposes of these examples, suppose that a student wanted to do his or her 8th Grade Project on the invention of the radio. Please remember that you will have at least five (5) sources, but I have only included three (3) here. Also note that you should include your research question at the top of the page.
The Rubric for this step of the Research Paper is HERE.
Step 5: Summary Notes
At least 30 additional notes. Simply take your annotated bibliography, eliminate the annotation that you wrote and add any notes that are necessary to complete your paper.
There are three methods of note taking from the sources you have found:
1. Summary: This is usually for really long passages where you only want to remember key points and very little detail. Summarize the main ideas in your own words.
2. Paraphrase: This is used when you want to remember both main ideas and details in a short passage. Write the author’s points in your own words.
3. Quotation: When you need the information exactly as it is printed in the source, copy information down and use quotation marks.
When creating your notes, you should try to incorporate examples of all three methods, not just sticking to one.
While sifting through your sources, it is important to take into consideration your focused Research Question, and not just write down random quotes and paraphrased facts because that is what the assignment calls for. Try to see if there are different main ideas that you can conclude, and these will be some of the main paragraphs for your papers. Lastly, you should use all of the information that you write down in some way in your paper.
Strategies for taking notes:
The advantage of this method is that the cards can be easily rearranged when you are ready to organize information for a draft. Notes also make you focus on what exactly you really want to keep.
The Rubric for this step of the Research Paper is HERE.
Step 6: Hierarchal Outline
A hierarchal outline is a list arranged to show hierarchical relationships and is a type of tree structure. It is used to present the main points or topics of a given subject, often used as a rough draft or summary of the content of a document. From this outline, you will be writing your paper. The bad news: this is a challenging assignment because you are organizing all of your research into a skeletal representation of what will become your completed research paper. The good news: once this is done, writing your rough draft will be a piece of cake!
1. Organize your note cards into different topics and see what comes out of that.
2. Through past pre-writing discussions and exercises, you should have decided what your essential question is that will be driving force for your research. It is now time to answer that question. Your answer to your essential question, based on your research, will be the focus for your paper.
3. Based on what information you have, evaluate how you want the different sections of the paper to look. Please know that based on the TYPE OF PROJECT you have chosen (from the seven possible types of projects) that each outline and paper could look different than your classmate’s paper.
4. Start to write your outline. Your outline MUST be in the topic/subtopic format, so that subordinate points follow your main points.
5. Each entry in the outline should not be a complete sentence, but rather an idea.
6. Be sure to include the information that you have paraphrased, quoted, or summarized in its appropriate place in your outline, and include the author and page number in proper MLA format.
7. Once again, you should be able to write your paper quite easily from this outline.
The following is how to mark your main points and subordinate points:
I.
A.
1.
a.
i.
(a).
(1).
And there probably will not be any need to go any further than that. Your main sections (like your introduction, three main sections, and conclusion) will all receive a Roman numeral. Any subtopics under those will be broken down based on the hierarchy of the information.
Annotated Example of the Hierarchical Outline Here
The Assignment and Rubric for this step of the Research Paper is HERE.
Step 7: Rough Draft
Once you have your Hierarchal Outline finished, your rough draft should be pretty simple to complete. You are simply taking the information that you have organized in your Hierarchal Outline, using it as a template, and writing paragraphs that will be your paper.
Mr. Walsh will be reading your rough draft thoroughly, making notes that should not be ignored when correcting for your final draft. He will be looking for a thesis statement and support in a well organized, complete, and MLA formatted 800-1100 word paper. Please know that you will also be expected to include a work cited page at the end of your paper, which is essentially the annotated bibliography without the annotations.
“What happens if I use my Hierarchal Outline to write the paper, and it comes out to less than three pages?”
You will have to do more research. The requirement is 3-5 pages. There is no way around it, so if your paper is even a little short, you will have to go back and find another source for more information to add to your paper.
“What happens if I use my Hierarchal Outline to write my paper, and it comes out to more than five pages?”
You are going to have to cut something out of your paper. Look over your outline and decide what makes sense to cut, but does not detract from you proving your thesis statement that you generated through research to answer your Research Question.
While this is not what is expected of students to turn in, some have found it helpful to see a side-by-side of the outline and what eventually becomes the rough draft:
Final Draft
The rubric will determine if you pass this portion of the 8th Grade Project or not. Every category must fall within the “4” or “3” range to be considered passing. If your paper falls short in any category, you will be asked to correct those mistakes and resubmit the paper until it is considered passing.
Please remember: This assignment is part of the 8th Grade Project and is thus your matriculation to upper school relies in part on successful completion of this paper. Do not turn this in late or incomplete. Do not wait until the last minute. Do not give a minimal effort. Do not take this lightly.
You can do this! You can do an awesome job!
There is an annotated example of this step in the research paper HERE.
The Rubric for this step of the Research Paper is HERE.