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Research Process

It's time now that I remind you of the "big picture" -- that is, the process as a whole and how each small assignment contributes to the final product. This what you've done so far, if you're on track:

PHASE ONE

(1) First, we read and discussed the book together.
(2) Second, you picked a topic from a long list of choices.
(3) Third, you skimmed the book for details.
(4) You took notes and cited page numbers.
(5) You created a formal outline of your paper.
(6) Finally, you wrote a draft of Paper #1.

You've completed Phase One!

General Advice:
  • A strong THESIS is necessary for a strong paper.
  • Introduce the entire paper.
  • Connect your sub-topics to the thesis.
  • Keep each paragraph focused on ONE idea.
  • Use specific details from the text(s).
  • Cite all details and examples.
  • Introduce all quotes with lead-ins.
  • Use topic/transitional sentences.
  • The conclusion should bring the paper to a graceful close, not an abrupt stop.

PHASE TWO

(1) We will learn to find secondary sources.
(2) We will search for sources.
(3) We will evaluate the sources you find.
(4) We learn how to read and annotate sources.
(5) We will talk about creating citations.
(6) We will discuss how to use the sources.
(7) You will provide an annotated bibliography.

PHASE THREE ~ I'll elaborate later on...

(1) First, I will return Paper #1 with comments.
(2) You will return to the book and revise Paper #1.
(3) By adding in the secondary sources -- which will have been organized by subtopic -- you will create Paper #2 (the big one).

So, as you can see, what you are doing now is the foundation of your research paper. By starting with the book, we've made sure your idea is original to you (i.e. not from the Internet), and having a clear focus is going to make research a lot easier.

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