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The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli (1781)
The completion of the Senior Research Paper remains one of the most difficult pieces of any senior English class: it is the pinnacle of your writing at this latest point in your high school career. For this class, the Research Paper / Senior Thesis is going to be an Argumentative Paper, in which you pose a theory / stance / hypothesis / argument and then must defend it using textual evidence from a variety of sources you will use as a research base. These defenses and presentation of evidence will be composed into a cogent and organized essay, similar to others that might be required in the future, like in college courses.
Following directions in class is crucial to your success on this paper and in the learning of these skills and standards. Most of the papers or written work that you will submit in your college and/or career will be analogous to the formatting and completion of this paper. The best writers also use similar systems of writing to ensure that they are able to produce quality writing quickly and efficiently.
It is said that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, and it is also one of the best ways to finish this Research Paper: the steps of the Paper are sequential, and designed to build upon each other for a solid and thorough paper; each step helps and leads to the completion of the next step. Without a usable Research Topic, questioning the topic elements can be difficult. Without a valid Research Question, crafting a Thesis Statement is difficult. Without complete Note Cards, supporting the Thesis Statement is difficult. Without the Outline, arranging your textual support into a Rough Draft is difficult. Without a Rough and Final Draft, submitting a finalized Paper is next to impossible.
Letter of Intent > Research Question > Working Thesis > Note Cards > Outline > Rough Drafts > Final Draft
Crash Course Series - Navigating Digital Information
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtN07XYqqWSKpPrtNDiCHTzU - This excellent series is hosted and maintained by the Crash Course Youtube channel, and explores the issues, problems, and questions that arise from searching and researching information online. It also gives some helpful examples of each topic that they discuss, and tips for how to avoid using inaccurate or ineffective sources for your work. View them as you complete research on your Research Paper topic, and as you complete each Batch of your Note Cards. The world is filled with misguiding information, often from seemingly reputable sources, and you need to be able to maneuver through a lot of chaff before you reach any usable kernels.
Aristotelian Appeals to Persuasion.pdfThe art of persuasion is documented well by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. His writings on the subject detail three possible ways that an audience is persuaded. These notes detail the three methods. The Aristotelian appeals are strongest when used in conjunction with each other, but the most emphasis in your Research Paper should be given to the logos-based appeal, supported by your evidence, research, and proof.
Sample Letter of Intent - Both Options 2.pdfSelecting from the Options detailed in the Research Paper Schedule handout given in class, complete the Letter of Intent as a completely new and separate document, with your answers filled in the respective blanks. Print it out in hard copy (it should never be more than one page in length), sign it in pen, and submit it before the due date. Remember to have at least one or two backup topics, in case this initial one does not work.
Asking Correct Research Questions.pdfOnce you have chosen a specific topic to research, you must be able to ask a specific and analytical question about that topic. These lecture notes will help you be able to ask the best kind of questions for your research, which should allow for discussable and opposing answers. After you propose your question, while you research, you will be able to create an Answer: something that provides a solution to your research question and requires proof to be believed. This Answer will become your Thesis Statement.
Basic Thesis Statement Format (Online Format).pdfThe most basic of theses (plural of thesis) is a statement about a topic, a point made about the topic, and proof that the point made is valid. Use this handout to try to craft at least this most basic of theses after doing some perfunctory research about your topic.
Making Sophisticated Thesis Statements.pdfAfter crafting a Thesis Statement, as you read and research, attempt to make your thesis more sophisticated and scholarly. This handout can show some varying styles and kinds of theses and how to mold your own Thesis Statement into something worthy of your Research Paper.
Note Cards Example (NEW).pdfWhen you begin to research your topic/subject, keep in mind that you have to prove your Thesis in your paper. Select quotes or paraphrases of important sections of your reading to use in your paper as textual support or evidence. Use this Note Card Format to create a bank of note cards to keep track of each quote or fact that you want to use to support your Thesis. Make sure that you have completed each Note Card individually and completely (i.e. providing the source, page number, etc.).
Example Research Topic, Thesis, and Note Cards - Beowulf Example.pdfIf you still are having difficulty picturing how these initial elements all play into each other, use the Lecture Notes provided above as an example. The topic selected in these lecture notes is the epic of Beowulf (c. 9th cent.), and provides an excellently focused Research Question. The Thesis Statement provided gives a succinct and assertive answer to that Question. Any research needed to support that Thesis argument can be annotated in Note Cards, which will be used to craft the Outline.
Research Paper Outline Format (NEW).pdfOnce you have a solid bank of quotes/paraphrased facts to use as textual support for your Thesis, begin to arrange them conceptually or thematically based on the focus of each card (i.e. decide: which Thesis Point does this prove most effectively?). Once you have several piles of Note Cards (depending on Thesis Points), arrange them in the most logical order or in the order in which you wish to reveal your support. For each Note Card quote or fact, then provide at least two sentences of commentary or explanation as to why it proves that particular Thesis Point.
In this way, plan out each individual paragraph of your essay. For the Research Paper, attempt to provide at least two paragraphs per Thesis Point (in a three-point thesis). If you can achieve providing two paragraphs per Thesis Point, then you will be able to create an 8- or 9-paragraph paper with ease.
In this way, plan out each individual paragraph of your essay. For the Research Paper, attempt to provide at least two paragraphs per Thesis Point (in a three-point thesis). If you can achieve providing two paragraphs per Thesis Point, then you will be able to create an 8- or 9-paragraph paper with ease.
Quote Integration Handout.pdfAfter you create a comprehensive Outline, begin to work towards crafting a first Rough Draft. This will involve using your own prose and rhetoric in integrating your quotations and facts from your Note Cards into your writing. Using this handout, focus on the four different methods of integrating your quotations into your writing in a fluid and natural way. Using of commas and colons is a great way to make sure that you are providing the textual support needed by your audience to understand your Thesis Statement argument.
Parenthetical Citations Handout.pdfWhile crafting your Rough Draft(s), it is also imperative that you provide the correct citations for those pieces of textual evidence that you have taken from your sources. Keeping track of them on your Note Cards will help with half of the requirement. You must also provide in-text citations for each Note Card used. In class, we will be using MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style, so be sure to check how to cite each source and where to provide the citation naturally in the sentence.
MLA ReferenceSheet.pdfWhen citing sources, remember to use the in-text and works cited page style from MLA. Refer to the quick reference sheet above for commonly used citation styles, such as books, websites, and articles.
MLA Heading and Page Numbers handout.pdfWhen writing creating a Rough Draft (or in any other written assignment in the course), it is important to create working MLA-style page numbers, which involves inserting the page numbers into the upper margin of the page, not typing into the body of the document.
Introductory and Conclusion Paragraph Examples.pdfWriting an effective Introduction and Conclusion paragraph is a necessary portion of your Research Paper. An effective Introduction will whet an audience's appetite for your arguments and points, while an effective Conclusion will make sure that they have closure on the issue and hopefully leave them interested and wanting to know more about your topic. Use this handout of example paragraphs for reference while crafting your own Introduction and Conclusion paragraphs.
Example Title Page.pdfIn most formal academic situations, you will be required to provide more than a normal heading for your writings. In cases that warrant more than a normal heading, use this basic Cover Page format. In your Research Paper, you will be required to provide a Cover Page in similar fashion.
Appearance of Rhetoric handout.pdfWhen you begin to draft your first Rough Draft, keep in mind that you have a specific purpose to attain (prove your Thesis) and you have a specific audience to convince (those people reading your paper). With these things in mind, you should pay close attention your word choice and phraseology. Rhetoric, or the art of speaking, is vast in how it allows someone to appear more or less formal and more or less knowledgeable.
For this paper, you will need to establish a formal tone, as well as use formal tense (3rd person) and use formal wording. This handout will help you begin to use more sophisticated and formal language in your drafting.
For this paper, you will need to establish a formal tone, as well as use formal tense (3rd person) and use formal wording. This handout will help you begin to use more sophisticated and formal language in your drafting.
Essay Dos and Don'ts.pdfKeep in mind that, while you are creating your draft(s) of your Research Paper, you are not meant to create ONE single document and then submit it for final grading. The writing process is a continual cycle of editing (correcting spelling and grammar errors), revising (correcting errors in logic or syntax or style), and drafting (putting your argument and evidence together in an enjoyable and persuasive manner). You should have at least 2 revisions to your Draft, edited and revised by a peer. This checklist will give you some pointers and things to avoid.
Literary Thesis Presentation Format(Two Options).pdfAfter you submit your Final Draft, you may be delivering the same argument and support that you used in your written Final Draft in an oral presentation. These Lecture Notes will assist you in many different ways: your written Tone always differs from your spoken Tone; this presentation will allow you to be persuasive in a wholly different way. Remember to be engaging, concise, coherent, assertive, and relevant.
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