ENGLISH I RESEARCH PAPER

I. Choose your topic: the life and works of an author or poet. Since we study
American Literature, your author will be American origin. I encourage you to
study an author whose work you have read. FIRST JOB IS TO MAKE SURE
THERE IS ENOUGH MATERIAL FOR YOUR PAPER.

II. Requirements for this paper:

350-550 words
A. 2 sources
a. World Book
b. Magill’s Survey of American Literature
c. Biography of American Writers
d. Great American Writers (20th Century)
B. TYPED final draft

III. Supplies:
A. Highlighter
B. Pack (50+) index cards (Preferably 3 x 5)
C. Rubber bands and/or paper clips
D. Money for copies

IV. Deadlines
A. Topic Selection
B. 2 Source Cards with Copies of ALL sources
C. Preliminary Outline with Thesis
D. Notecards (30)
E. Title Page and Works Cited Page
F. Rough Draft
G. Final Draft

Creating Source Cards:

First, survey a source to see if it has material relevant to your paper. Once you
are sure you will use it, you are ready to create a source card. Decide what category the
source fits, and look at the examples to see how to document it.

Required on source cards: Number code (upper right corner)

Source Information
Your name (on back of card)
Location (lower left corner)
Creating a Preliminary Outline

Based on your quick look at reference materials and your own thoughts about
what you hope to learn in your paper, you next create a preliminary outline. At the top of
this outline will be a thesis statement.
Outlining is an important skill. There are rules of dividing and subdividing that
make perfect sense and cannot be ignored.

RULE ONE: Our outlines will contain topics, not complete sentences.

RULE TWO: A large topic can be subdivided. You are required to subdivide one
major heading and one minor heading in your outline. However, remember there is never
a need for ONE subdivision. That is, there is never an “A” without a “B”.

Remember that it must have a thesis and four or five major headings. Also, one
major heading must be divided into smaller topics (headed A, B, and C) and of the
subtopics must be subdivided (headed 1, 2, and 3).

Notetaking

Use the headings on your preliminary outline as your headings on your notecards.
If you find some information you would like to use that is not part of your preliminary
outline, change the preliminary outline immediately.

Required on notecards: Topic (upper left)

Source number (upper right)
Page number (top line under topic)
Notes, in your own words, in phrases
Your name (on back)
 GETTING STARTED

Once you have four sources a preliminary outline, you are ready to start.

1. Write a source card for source 1

2. Skim over the information in source 1. Look over its main headings. Does it
present information you did not put into your preliminary outline? If so, and if it is
something you want to include in your paper, add a heading to your preliminary outline
now. It may be a new major heading or a subheading.

3. Begin to take notes. Go through your preliminary outline and find information for
each category you can. The headings on your notecards should match a heading in your
preliminary outline.

4. Think about what you are doing when you take notes. Don’t write something you
have already written. DO write sentence fragments and put the author’s words into your
own words.

5. Remember you are going to have to give credit for any information that is not
general knowledge, so be sure to put the page number at the bottom of the note card and
the source number at the top of the note card.

6. Try to get all the material out of one source before going to another source.
 WRITING THE ROUGH DRAFT

Writing the Introduction

Include your thesis statement in the opening paragraph. The write two or three
general statements about your subject that will be explained in some detail later in the
paper. If you found a good quote about your topic, you might want to use it in the
opening paragraph. If you do, you will have to document it at the end of the paragraph.

Writing the Body

We will hand-write a rough copy. Use your preliminary outline to guide you.
Sort your note cards according to your outline and put numbers on the backs of them to
show what order you’ll use them in. Then compile the facts you learned into sentences of
your own. Be sure your sentences sound like your writing, not that of an encyclopedia.
Plagiarism is illegal and will not be tolerated.

Writing the Conclusion

Like the introduction, the conclusion is your own creation, not facts from another
source. It should summarize the importance of your career. Three or four sentences will
suffice for the conclusion.
 RESEARCH PAPER TYPING GUIDELINES

1. Font: The entire should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font in black ink
only on white paper only.

2. Spacing: Before beginning, format the computer to double space throughout.

3. Margins: A one-inch margin at the top, bottom and sides is required in the body of the
paper.

4. Title page should be typed: title will be centered in all capital letters with no
quotation marks, a third of the way day the page. Student information will be centered in
regular font, not all capitals, two thirds of the way down the page. NO PICTURES OR
ARTISTIC SCRIPT.

5. Outline page will appear next. Remember it is to be double spaced. At the top, type
the title “OUTLINE” in all capitals. Next type the thesis statement. Then type the
outline. Look at your research paper information packet for an example. Many students
lose points unnecessarily on the outline page. Pay attention to details.

6. Page One set-up should be identical to the one we did in class. Reminders:
a. Page numbers start here and should be a half-inch down (line 3 or 4)
Computers will put the page number on line 7 if you don’t enter a command in “Headers
and Footers” to prevent this!

b. Reminders for page one:

* Type your last name and numeral 1 on the right margin for your page
number. Do NOT type the word “Page”.
* Double space and write your own name on the left margin. Continue to
double space and type the student information just as you did on your title page.
* After the student information, double space and type the title of your
paper in regular font, not all capitals.
* Double space and begin the body of the paper.

7. Works Cited page also needs a page number and is double spaced. No numbers are
required in front of sources. Title this page “WORKS CITED”

8. Final product: Report covers are not required.

You will be turning in the rough draft, copies of sources, note cards,
and source cards. DO NOT THROW ANYTHING AWAY.

9. Getting full credit: Plan ahead! Computers and printers seem to break down just
when we need them most. Have a back-up plan; i.e., maybe a friend will allow you to e-
mail your paper to them and print it for you if you have trouble. Late papers lose points;
no exceptions.
 FINAL OUTLINE RULES

1. Outline page starts with the paper’s title centered in all capitals at the top margin.

2. Double space and type the word “Thesis” followed by a colon. Then type the thesis
statement of the paper.

3. Use Roman numerals for main headings; use capitals letters for subheadings; use
Arabic (normal) numerals for smaller subheadings.

4. You must have four or five main headings.

5. At least one main headings must be subdivided. (A, B, etc.)

6. You must have something subdivided into smaller subheadings (1,2, etc.).

7. Use topics only (no sentences and no periods at the end of lines).

8. Capitalize the first word only, along with any proper nouns.

9. Double space throughout.

10. See the next page for a sample final outline.

 AUTHOR’S NAME

Thesis:

I. Introduction

II. Main Heading

A. Subheading

B. Subheading

III. Main Heading

A. Subheading

B. Subheading

1. Smaller subheading

2. Smaller subheading

IV. Main Heading

V. Conclusion
AMERICAN AUTHORS

Maya Angelou
James Baldwin
Gwendolyn Brooks
Pearl S. Buck
Truman Capote
James Fenimore Cooper
E.E. Cummings
Emily Dickinson
Paul Laurence Dunbar
William Faulkner
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Robert Frost
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ernest Hemingway
Langston Hughes
Zora Neale Hurston
Jack London
Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Allen Poe
Carl Sandburg
John Steinbeck
Alice Walker
Tennessee Williams
Richard Wright
Toni Morrison
Sinclair Lewis
Saul Bellow
Name _______________________ Period _________

ROUGH DRAFT SCORING GUIDE

______ Format (25 pts)

Page one setup
Parenthetical references
Outline

_____ Organization (25 pts)

Following outline
Matching note cards

_____ Length (25 pts.)

1 pt per 10 missing words

_____ Originality (25 pts)

Introduction
Body of paper
Conclusion

Score ____________