Name: ____________________________________________________________________________ Date: _______________ Block: _____

:
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Objective: Find a reliable, valid source that answers the following questions. Answer the questions on
the Evaluating Sources Worksheet. Then, read through the source carefully. You can write quotes
from the source on this page. Remember to put direct quotes in quotation marks! Try to completely
answer each question; youll use your answers in your essay.

Research questions (use quotes from your source in each answer!):

1. Why was this group of victims identified and singled out for persecution?
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2. What factors allowed the perpetrators to carry out their acts of genocide? What
caused the persecutions to stop?
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3. What circumstances (war? a certain government? tribal conflict?) allowed the
genocide to occur without effective opposition? Why and when did these
circumstances change?
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4. During what time frame did the genocide occur? How long did it last? From when
to when?
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The purpose of this paragraph is to give your audience to information about the causes of the genocide. You want to
describe the general situation in the country before the genocide and you want to provide information about who was
involvedthe victims and the perpetratorsas well as the social factors (government structure, war, famine, economic
issues, etc.) that contributed to the tensions between victims and perpetrators and eventually allowed the genocide to
occur. Use your answers to the questions on the opposite side of this page to draft your first paragraph.
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How to write a research paper paragraph (this formula always works!)

CDW = CLAIM + DATA + WARRANT

You make your CLAIM in the topic sentence and the second sentence of the paragraph
You use DATA to prove your point (quotation, summary, paraphrase, statistics)
Your WARRANT explains how your data proves your claim.

The Academic Research Paper Paragraph: Seven Sentences to Excellent Writing

1. Your assertion (the claim) or the topic sentence
2. You sub-assertion
this is a second sentence that narrows the idea of the topic sentence
makes it more specific
3. Research support (the data)
facts, statistics, details
quotes
ALWAYS GIVE MLA REFERENCES FOR YOUR RESEARCH SUPPORT!
4. Your discussion of the research (the warrant)
o You explain your quote or paraphrase
o You show how your evidence proves the topic sentence
o You connect your quotation to the point you are making in this paragraph
5. More research support
A second quote
6. Your discussion of the research
Every time you use a paraphrase, quote or summary, you MUST show how it proves your
topic sentence
7. Your connection of the research to the thesis statement
The concluding sentence of each paragraph shows how the evidence in this paragraph
connects to your thesis statement
****Normally, you do NOT being supporting paragraphs with a quotation. Generally you do NOT end
a paragraph with a quotation. There are exceptions, but ONLY if the discussion of the research is
already in the paragraph

1. Introduce the quote, summary, or paraphrase:

Give the source (name of person, title of web page) and a verb such as:
Writes
Suggests
Emphasizes
Claims

illustrates
reveals
asserts
proves

explains
describes
states
argues

highlights
argues
points out
notes

2. Then give the data (quote, summary, or paraphrase) with the citation in correct MLA style.
*Remember that all research must have a citation!*
Examples:

The UN Website on Illegal Immigrations describes how illegal immigrants are treated when they arrive
in Las Palmas. (UN, 2006)
Koffi Annan noted that illegal immigration has long been one of Africas most pressing problems
(Annan, 2005).
3. Add a TRANSITION:
This means / shows / reveals /highlights / indicates / clarifies
In other words,
Clearly, then
For this reason,
4. Explain now what you think of the research, why it is important, how it relates to other
points, or how it relates to your main claim.

Do not use I or YOU. We know all the opinions in the essay come from YOU.
Remember: It is your job to connect the ideas, not the readers.
You must show how the research proves the point.
Show how the research evidence relates to the topic sentence of that paragraph.