BTH740 Research Essay 20103

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How To Write a Research Essay

Four Stages of Research

• Thesis Statement
• Research
• Writing
• Presentation

Thesis Statement

Requirements For the Final Essay

set by the instructor - what you need to know before starting to prepare the thesis statement

• number of sources
  • primary >= 2
  • secondary >= 4
  • tertiary - summarize
• length 1600-2400 words
• due date November 18 2010
• late penalties 20%
• timeline:
  • thesis statement - due October 18
  • preliminary research - due November 1
  • recording details - due November 8
  • writing - due November 22
  • publication - due November 25

Narrowing the Focus

select the topic

• sources
  • encyclopedias
  • textbooks
  • dictionaries
  • videos
• process
  • jot down ideas
  • discuss ideas
  • circle one that are of interest
  • select one from a short-list
  • select another as the alternative

Searching for Sources

create working bibliography

• questions to answer
  • are there sufficient sources
  • is each one relevant to the focus
  • are the sources diverse
  • are the sources quality sources
  • are there twice as many sources as required
• process
  • read
    • abstracts
    • conclusions
    • reviews
  • balance
    • books
    • articles
    • electronic
    • audio-visual
    • old
    • new
  • list publication details accurately

Defining the Purpose

• single sentence plus keywords
• discuss the thesis
  • discuss with two peers
  • refine the focus
  • define the scope
• pose the research question
  • sufficient sources
  • narrow enough topic
  • avoid
    • bibliographical
    • narrative
    • descriptive
    • unfounded assumptions
  • how successful not why successful
• formulate one precise sentence
• task is to answer the question <- sole purpose
• make short list of sub-tasks
• identify keywords

Submission

• thesis statement
• keywords
• bibliography

Research

Preparatory Readings

purpose: rephrase the thesis statement

• develop a fuller understanding of the topic
• read some of the shorter sources
• keep the research question in mind
• rephrase your thesis

Record Research Data

purpose: create the research note record

• maintain a well-balanced variety of source materials
• question what you read and record continuously
• read the prioritized sources carefully and in detail
• analyze and select ideas and data related to your thesis
• record all relevant information as research notes
  • for
  • against
• review other sources for context, support and opposition
• process
  • types of notes
    • direct quotations
    • personal insights
    • paraphrases
    • summarizations
  • method of documentation
    • note
    • page number
    • source number
  • major questions to keep in mind
    • does the note pertain to the thesis question
    • should I reconsider the focus
      • should I broaden the focus
      • should I narrow the focus further

Assemble and Prioritize

purpose: create a flowing argument

• assemble the notes into major groups
• arrange the notes within each group in order
• distinguish deductive, inductive, and abductive conclusions

Submission

• edited thesis statement
• prioritized note record
• outline of the argument

Writing

Outline

purpose: organize the flow

• structure
  • introduction
  • body
    • arguments
  • conclusion
• process
  • retain results that pertain to the thesis
  • create a skeleton
  • use point form

Rough Draft

purpose: compose the argument in ascending order of importance/interest

• preface
  • title
  • abstract
  • keywords
• introduction
  • context
  • purpose
  • interpretations
  • thesis statement
• body
  • each point is one paragraph
• conclusion
  • sum up supporting points
  • no new information
  • one to three paragraphs

Edit

purpose: create final draft

• check instructor's requirements
  • format
  • layout
  • 1st person or third person
  • citation style
    • MLA
    • APA
    • Chicago
    • CBE
• expression
  • argument flow
  • paragraphing
    • circle the topic sentence in each
  • clarify your points
  • read out loud - use your auditory system - fix the jumps

Presentation/Publication

• to be added later

Resources

• General
  • Seneca College Library Research Help
• Writing Labs
  • U of O - Hypergrammar
  • Owl at Purdue University
• Stylesheets
  • MLA Style
  • Nuts and Bolts MLA Style
  • Nuts and Bolts Science Style
  • Science Editors
• Classification
  • ACM Classification System