Thesis Statement and Outline of Research Paper

Submit your proposed thesis statement with an outline of the body of the paper?the review of the literature?that provides the support for your thesis statement. You should generally have three main headings in the body of your paper, which are indicated in your thesis statement. List supporting points for each heading, identifying the source(s) for those points.

Example outline :

Thesis statement

I-Intro

a- Research question

1- Background

b-Thesis

c-Purpose

d-Methodology

II- Literature review ( which is the history)

a- What is ....

b-...

c-....

III- Discussion

a- My thoughts

b- Strengths of research

c-What else could be ...

IV- Conclusion

a-Restate research

b- Restate thesis

c- Was your thesis supported

d- Concluding thoughts prepare to respond to this case, please follow the above guidelines

RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS Research Paper Preparation Skills Of the total set of competencies that a Bachelor of Arts degree represents, some are best developed through formal coursework and others through experiential activities or fieldwork. A research paper achieves some objectives better than other types of learning experiences and so is a requisite skill in your Ottawa University program. A research paper allows you to 1) develop your skills in comprehending scholarly, academic writing, 2) demonstrate your ability to integrate knowledge, and 3) prepare a clear and carefully reasoned analysis of an important issue. Writing a research paper will be one of the most challenging and useful academic experiences you will have. The task requires understanding, clarity, organization, discipline, and perseverance. Your Ottawa University instructors want to help you succeed in this learning process. Many of your courses will require research and writing in your particular discipline. Your final course, Global Issues in the Liberal Arts, will require a research paper that integrates knowledge and perspectives gained throughout your coursework. For the purposes of this course, you will review and strengthen the foundational skills to develop and write a research paper. The following sections will describe the Ottawa University research paper strategy and requirements, including: Selecting and Narrowing a Research Topic Writing a Research Question The Components of a Research Paper Developing a Research Paper Outline Writing Style and Format Using APA Style for In-text Citations Using APA Style for References Page Selecting and Narrowing a Research Topic Significant, researchable issues can be found all around you. For purposes of this course, your research options include a topic of your choice within either Social/Civic or Science/Description breadth areas. You are encouraged to select a topic that truly interests you as a learning experience. It will be helpful to select a topic with which you are familiar but not so knowledgeable that the learning process is impeded. Truly objective research would encourage selection of a topic upon which you do not hold highly polarized opinions. Research topics are typically associated with large amounts of information dealing with a variety of categories, issues, theories, data, and demographics. When thinking about a research topic, the researcher should avoid over-generalizing the topic by thinking about it in broad terms. Too broad a topic will lead to information overload in a literature search. Almost all topics require narrowing, or focus. What is it you actually want to knowto researchabout a particular topic? You are looking for facts, evidence, and scholarly writing to inform you on the topic. RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS Typically, a broad research topic can be narrowed through use of a number of topic \"limiters\": subject area, specific group, specific event or category, time span, place, etc. Remember: the less you try to cover, the more in-depth you will explore. Let's explore the use of limiters in narrowing a research topic. We will start with a broad topic dealing with the issue of drug abuse. First of all, it is obvious that this issue is associated with large amounts of information. Various categories dealing with drug abuse include prescription drugs; illicit drugs; crimes associated with drug abuse; drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment; physiological effects of drug abuse; data dealing with prevalence rates and demographics correlating drug abuse with age, gender, and socioeconomic status; legalizing drugs; and the list goes on and on. Some limiters to keep in mind could be: Focusing on a specific drug or a certain category of drugs. Researching prevalence rates and demographic issues within a region, state, county, or city. Examining the cost to taxpayers in dealing with crime prevention as a result of drug abuse. Choosing a particular prevention strategy and examining its effectiveness. Examining drug abuse in association with other crimes such as theft, rape, manslaughter, physical abuse, assault, etc. Determining prevalence rates of abuse of certain drugs in high stress professions, in high schools, in colleges, or in retirement communities. Reviewing the results of current research dealing with the issue of addiction and drug abuse. Examining public policy on drug abuse and determining the proper role between the federal government versus state and local governments. Upon reviewing the above list, there are probably additional limiters that have entered your mind. Let's explore them as we develop a research question. Writing a Research Question An Ottawa University research paper can be thought of as a research-based response to a carefully crafted research question. A good research question also leads to research that is manageable in scope. Writing a research question not only serves to narrow a topic even further, but also focuses the development of the body of the research paper. There are a number of strategies for posing a research question, but for the learning purpose of this course we will eliminate \"Yes/No\" questions and direct ourselves to three options: \"What\" questions \"How\" question \"Why\" questions Will you investigate the \"whats\" of an issue, the \"hows\" of an issue, or the \"whys\" of an issue? Students often think that they must address all three in a research paper, but this is not the case. RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS Be clear about your topic and research question. A research question that is too vague will lead you off track and waste valuable time. By narrowing to one focus (what, how, or why), the more in-depth you will explore the issue you have selected. Example: Narrow even further to adolescent addiction. Now let's try a different focusa \"why\" focus. Example: \"Why would legalizing drugs increase (or decrease) rates of addiction among adolescents in this country?\" (Note: Let your research guide you to your conclusions on whether legalization of drugs would increase or decrease rates of addiction. Numerous authoritative sources exist on both sides of most issues.) The Components of a Research Paper A research paper as a \"review of the literature\" is an integration of what academic scholars and experts have written on a given subject. Therefore, in writing a paper, you are not so much adding to the available information on a subject as making use of information that is already known. However, you can be original in the selection and organization of the material which you have researched, and in the conclusions which you arrive at as a result of the research. The components that are required in Ottawa University research papers are the Introduction, the Body, the Conclusion, and the References page. In simple terms, the Introduction is a brief statement to readers describing the issue to be researched and what lies ahead in the paper. The body of the paper, made up of your researched information (usually in three sections or more), integrates the information you have gathered to \"answer\" your research question. The conclusion is your brief summary, or restatement, and the conclusions that you have reached from your research. The reference list informs your readers where you obtained your information. All sources used in your research paper are documented on your References page. In addition, your instructor may require an additional Discussion section to demonstrate your critical thinking in analyzing the information available on your topic. Remember from high school English composition class: Introductiontell them what you're going to tell them Bodytell them (the body is actually your research-based answer to your research question) Conclusiontell them what you told them Referencestell them where you got what you told them Developing a Research Paper Outline In order to plan the body of your research paper into logical and clear categories, it is useful to develop a formal outline that incorporates main headings (and for longer research papers, subheadings). By planning the outline, you will develop a good sense of what issues you plan to include in your research. RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS In writing your outline make sure that your headings (and sub-headings, if necessary) are directly related to your research question. The categories in your outline are sequential to help you maintain unity in your research paper and provide you with a pre-planned path in information gathering. One important issue to keep in mind is that the outline should not be set in stone. Often when researching a topic, you may choose to revise the outline based on new information learned in the research process. However, remember to stay on focus. After going through the process of narrowing your topic, you don't want to get trapped into again trying to cover too much information based on your new discoveries from your research. You may, of course, decide to change your research question! Expanding the research question from our previous example, a corresponding outline could look like this. Research Question: Why would legalizing drugs increase (or decrease) rates of addiction among adolescents in this country? Outline: 1. Introduction 2. ______________________ 3. ______________________ 4. ______________________ 5. Discussion 6. Conclusion 7. References In your outline, and in your research paper, Section 1 is your Introduction. Section 5 will be your Discussion (if required), Section 6 your Conclusion, and Section 7 your References. What information do we need to include in Section 2 to prepare the reader for what is to follow? How about a section devoted to a brief research-based overview of adolescent addiction in this country, including statistics on prevalence rates and demographics, types of drugs, etc. Remember, this is basic overview information. You need only enough research-based, organized information to prepare your readers to understand the issue. Sections 2, 3, and 4 should be somewhat balanced in length. What information do we need to include in Section 3? We have discussed adolescent drug addiction, but we have not yet provided the reader with information on the issue of drug legalization. Section 3 may include a research-based airing of the viewpoints of scholars and professionals who are pro-legalization of drugs. (The argument against legalization does not relate to this particular research question and so is unnecessary in this research paper). Finally, in Section 4, you are ready to write your research-based answer to the research question tying information from both Sections 2 and 3 together. What do professionals from journal articles and other sources say about why legalization of drugs would increase (or decrease) rates of addiction among adolescents in this country? Remember, focus on the whys. Do not be RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS tempted to stray to \"what\" happens to adolescent addicts or \"what\" could be done to help them. Based on the research question, these issues are beyond the scope of this paper. Your final outline may look something like this: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Introduction An Overview of the Problem of Adolescent Drug Addiction in the U.S. The Argument for the Legalization of Drugs Why the Legalization of Drugs Would Increase (or Decrease) the Rates of Addiction among Adolescents Discussion Conclusion References The outline itself demystifies the writing process by breaking the assignment into manageable components. The outline provides a roadmap for research and sorting of information sources into the three areas designated in Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the proposed paper. What about the Introduction? Some advicewrite it last! Again, it is brief statement of the issue and a preview of what lies ahead in your paper. So, why waste time? Use your outline to guide your research. After you know the scope of your paper by writing Sections 2, 3, and 4, you will be able to write your introduction without revision. Your introduction will include your research question and thesis, a statement of the purpose of your paper, and your methodology as a review of the literature. A very brief example of an introduction: This paper explores the issue of adolescent drug addiction and the potential impact of drug legalization on rates of addiction among adolescents. As a review of the literature, this paper draws upon works from authoritative sources to explore the issue of adolescent drug addiction, the arguments in support of the legalization of drugs, and finally the potential impact of drug legalization on adolescent addiction rates. Another helpful hint: During your research question and outline phase, remain open to change. Do you need to narrow your question even more? Perhaps we could narrow our current example to the drug heroin and thereby eliminate any information on marijuana or other illegal substances. It's all part of the research process. If in our research, we decided to narrow the focus on heroin addiction, the research question, outline, body, and introduction would change accordingly. Writing Style and Format It is important to consider the perspective from which a formal research paper is presented. In informal writing, the use of first person perspective (I, me, or we) may be appropriate when communicating opinion or personal perspective. The use of second person perspective (you) is often incorporated in writing when focusing on the reader. In a formal research paper, the emphasis and focus should be placed on the research topic. The style used in formal research RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS papers should be \"third person objective\" (he, she, it, they, the research reveals, the report states, according the FBI, the Attorney General states that, etc.). When referring to yourself, in your discussion and conclusion, for example, instead of using \"I,\" you can use \"this researcher.\" For example, instead of writing \"based on my literature review, I found that . . . .\" you can state \"based on a literature review, this researcher found that . . . .\" In order to make your research paper legible and academically presentable, certain mechanics in format should be followed. The guidelines that should be adhered to in typing your research paper are: Double-space your entire document. This includes blocked quotations and your reference page. In your Paragraph function, set Spacing \"Before\" and \"After\" Paragraphs at 0 pt. In your header, insert the page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Set page margins at 1 inch on all sidestop, bottom, right, left. Indent the first word of each paragraph with a one-half inch indent. This is the standard default tab setting. Do not justify your right margin and do not break words at the end of a line. Use a font that is easy to read. Do not italicize your entire paper or use fancy fonts. Two fonts that are recommended are Times New Roman or Arial with a font size of 12. Using APA Style for In-text Citations In writing a research paper, it is essential to document all sources of information you are using and give proper credit to the originator of the selected information. Remember footnotes, endnotes, ibid, op cit? You will be pleased to know that you can forget about these obscure terms in favor of a simplified APA format for in-text citations. The reference list in your research paper will give full information on your sources, but within the text you must use only three elements: author, year, and page number. (Note: Page number is not necessary for all sources, but that will be covered later.) Let's start by extracting a paragraph from Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide by James D. Lester, published by HarperCollins (New York), copyright 1996. The selected paragraph presents a basic definition of plagiarism, a very important subject to you as a research writer. We will begin by presenting a paragraph incorporating proper in-text citation (author, year, and page number) for a direct quotation of more than 40 words. Elements of the citation are in boldface. (Note: Boldface is for illustrative purposes onlydo not use boldface in the in-text citations in your research paper.) Example 1 In defining plagiarism, Lester (1996) indicates that: RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS Fundamentally, the plagiarist offers the words or ideas of another person as his or her own. There are two types of plagiarism that are grounds for failure in a course and even dismissal from high school, college, or graduate school. The first type is the use of another student's work; this is the worst violation. The second is the flagrant, dishonest use of sources without documentation and with no remorse . . . . (p. 140) Note the three required elements in the exampleauthor(s), year, and page number(s). We introduced the quoted paragraph using the author's last name, followed by the copyright year in parentheses. You will also notice that there are no quotation marks starting or ending the paragraph. Anytime you use a direct quotation that consists of 40 words or more, you do not use quotation marks. Simply block and indent the entire quotation. The format indicates it is a direct quote. The page number(s) where the direct quotation was obtained is inserted at the end of the quotation. Use \"p.\" as the abbreviation for page and \"pp.\" for multiple pages (e.g., pp. 140-141). Example 2 Now let's quote Lester with fewer than 40 words to see the difference. According to Lester (1996) \"the plagiarist offers the words or ideas of another person as his or her own\" (p. 140). For a quotation of fewer than 40 words, the quotation is simply a part of your text, rather than blocked and indented. You must enclose the quotation in quotation marks. Note that the period at the end of the sentence follows the page number in parentheses. Example 3 Another way of stating the above is: A fundamental definition for plagiarism is when the research writer \"offers the words or ideas of another person as his or her own\" (Lester, 1996, p. 140). In example 2 we acknowledged James Lester by incorporating author name and copyright year in the lead-in to the quotation. In example 3 we started the sentence with our own words and then added Lester's words to the sentence with the complete in-text citation in parentheses following the quotation. RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS Quote or Paraphrase? Any time you use a direct quotation, always insert the page number or numbers from which you extracted the quote. When you paraphrase an author's ideaspresent the ideas in your own wordsyou are not required to insert a page number. Although the information is in your own words, you still must acknowledge the source from which you obtained the idea. Let's try paraphrasing Lester: Plagiarism should be avoided at all costs when writing a research paper. College students run the risk of disciplinary action, even dismissal, when presenting ideas obtained from others while claiming that these ideas are their own (Lester, 1996). Because the basic ideas are Lester's, even though we presented them in our own words, we are obligated to acknowledge him through an in-text citation placed after the paraphrased content. You will note that a page number is omitted. Often our ideas are obtained from whole sections of books or journals and it would be too cumbersome to insert every page number we used to formulate the paraphrase. Use both direct quotations and paraphrases in your research paper. If how an author says something is as important as what he or she says, the exact words of the passage should be copied directly and enclosed in quotation marks with the appropriate in-text citation. If what the author says can be conveyed without the exact words, a paraphrase may be appropriate, with the appropriate in-text citation, of course. Try to limit your use of direct quotations as you work to comprehend the information in your sources and re-state and integrate it in your own words. A difficult issue confronting the research writer is that much of our personal knowledge has been obtained through our study of previous works in books and journals, and other sources such as lectures, web sites, and training, as well as our own general awareness. It sometimes becomes confusing when trying to determine what ideas are our own, versus those that have been obtained from other sources. If the information is common knowledge that you can expect the reader knows or that is readily available in many different sources, you do not need to cite a source. Constructing the Paper You, as the writer, are responsible for not only the organization and selection of material, but also for the construction of good paragraphs and sections. A few guidelines: Introduce each paragraph with a good lead sentence without use of source material. Elaborate, amplify, or corroborate with sources. Conclude each paragraph with a summary statement or a transition sentence to the next idea or series of ideas. Avoid ending a paragraph with a direct quote. RESEARCH PAPER PREPARATION SKILLS Using APA Style for References Page The final part of your research paper is the reference page. The full source information for each source cited in your text must be listed on your reference page. If you use one book, two journal articles, one newspaper, and one website, no matter how many times you have quoted or paraphrased from each, you will have a total of five sources listed on your reference page. When the reader reviews your research paper, he or she sees names, copyright dates, and page numbers. But the reference list shows the reader the types of sources you used. In our illustration, the reader would note in the text that the source presents a long-standing definition from 1996, but knows nothing else about the source except as presented from the context of the quotations and paraphrases. The reference page listing for this sourcea book by one authoris illustrated below in APA format. Lester, J. D. (1996). Writing research papers: A complete guide (8th Ed.). New York, NY: HarperCollins. Note the sequence of the components in a reference for a book: last name of author, initials, copyright year, book title (the only words capitalized in any book title or article title are the first word, the first word after a colon, and a proper noun), additional information such as edition or volume number, place of publication, and publisher. Book page numbers are not required because the pages you used are already cited in your in-text citations. When you write your research paper, you, of course, will have more than one referenced source on your Reference page. Your references must be listed in alphabetical order by author last name. APA has a specific format for referencing books (single author illustrated above, but also multiple author and edited books), journals, reports, online sources through the Internet, proceedings of meetings, unpublished works, magazines, newspapers, etc. We have covered just one type of source here. A Writer's Reference is an invaluable tool for formatting your references according to the various types. Assessing Your Learning Your research paper should be a minimum of 10 pagesfrom title page to Introduction through References. You must include in-text citations and in your reference list a minimum of eight sources, including four peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles. Develop your paper with an introduction, a three-section body corresponding with your outline, discussion and conclusion sections, and the reference section. Practice your in-text citation techniques by using both direction quotations and paraphrases