Day 27: Preparing the Outline

You will be able to:

-Outline their research paper in a reflective manner (given that they have completed the literature review section) and be more prepared for the write-up of the final paper.

You may be sick of outlining, but the outline you will work on today is actually a start to writing your research paper since you will actually be writing sentences and putting them in order.

Headings and Subheadings
We will review headings and subheadings at the beginning of class, but I don't want you to include the headings and subheadings until you complete your outline.

Create headings for the major parts of your paper (introduction, methods, results, discussion or maybe introduction, research, conclusion).

Create sub headings for important parts of your paper that make up the major parts. You can see an example of this in the methods section of THE SAMPLE ON ASSESSING WATER QUALITY.

Outline Requirements
1. Introduction (CARS): You need three sentences--one for each CARS movement
a. Brief background of topic
b. Identify gap in research
c. Fill in gap with your thesis statement

2. Literature Review: You need one sentence purpose for the introduction, a topic sentence for each topic in the body, and a one sentence emphasis of a need for research for the conclusion
a. Introduction--Present purpose for the literature and outline the structure
b. Body--Several paragraphs organized by topic focused on niche/related background information
c. Conclusion--Emphasize a need to fill in the gap

3. Body (your research):You need to provide a topic sentence for every body paragraph

4. Conclusion: Provide one sentence that responds to one of the following research paper types
a. Research question format--you must answer the research question
b. Argumentative format--conclude with restating your claim
c. Problem-solution--you must again present your conclusion on which is the best solution for the problem

Applying Headings and Subheadings
Now that your outline is complete, you will have the opportunity to go back and add headings and subheadings. Keep in mind that each citation style and journal has their own way to format headings and subheadings. You should choose a format appropriate for your field.

Preparing Questions
Now take some time to review your outline and prepare any questions you might have about the research paper to ask me in the individual conference.

Day 26: Abstracts

You will be able to:

-Understand the purpose of abstract of a research paper.
-Understand the types of abstract.
-Become aware of the necessity (or lack thereof) of an abstract in your discipline.
-Notice and practice the use of specific linguistic features in abstracts.

Presentations
First we will finish up presentations from the previous class.

Abstract
After presentations, we will study Abstracts. Abstracts come before the introduction and are separated from the rest of the paper in some way. Sometimes they will appear on a separate page, and sometimes they will be separated from the introduction by a line.


In groups, find the abstract in each of the sample papers below. In your groups try to identify at least one difference in structure of the abstract. Also try to find ways in which the two abstracts are similar (hint: look at verb tense).

SAMPLE 1--ECONOMICS OF FARMING
SAMPLE 2--ASSESSING WATER QUALITY

About Abstracts
To answer some basic questions about abstracts, you can follow along with this ABSTRACT POWERPOINT.

You can find some supplementary information about abstracts HERE

Abstract Analysis
Now that you have a greater understanding about abstracts, put your skills to the test with this ABSTRACT ANALYSIS task.

Working with Abstracts in Your Field
You will now have the opportunity to evaluate the use of abstracts in your field. It would be helpful for you to work in groups of similar disciplines of study, but it is not necessary.

1. Use the LIBRARY WEBPAGE to find an article in your field of study.
2. Identify the abstract in the article.
3. Identify whether the abstract is results driven or a summary.
4. Identify how tense is used in each part of the abstract.

Day 25: Presentations and IMRD

Presentations
During today's class you will present your research paper outline to the class. This should take a little bit more than an hour.

IMRD Structure
Before that, I will briefly present IMRD STRUCTURE.

You can view two sample IMRD papers below.
SAMPLE 1--ECONOMICS OF FARMING
SAMPLE 2--ASSESSING WATER QUALITY

Conferences
You can view the time slots available for individual conferences HERE. You should bring a printed copy of your completed final research paper outline to the conference along with any questions you have.

Class will be cancelled on 4/26/12 and my office hours will be cancelled on 4/25/12 and 4/27/12 for conference scheduling.

Day 24: Literature Review Workshop

Today we will work on literature reviews...IN CLASS!

First we will briefly review aspects of a literature review.

Then you will have the opportunity to work on it in class and ask questions to me or your peers.

If you finish your literature review, work on your reflection paper. If you finish both of those, then prepare for your presentation on Tuesday.

Day 23: Source Synthesis

Objectives: Students will be able to:

-Recognize the definition and purpose of source synthesis in academic writing
-Categorize ideas from different sources through the use of a grid
-Synthesize sources based on ideas rather than the author
-Review the principle of unity in when synthesizing sources

First, you will finish up sharing your outlines with your classmates.

We will move on to cover source synthesis. This will be especially helpful in developing your literature reviews which are due Thursday.

Begin by opening the SOURCE SYNTHESIS POWERPOINT.

You will revisit what it means to synthesize your sources, and then you will have the opportunity to evaluate the structure some excerpts from literature reviews. Review these EXAMPLES OF SOURCE SYNTHESIS. In groups try to answer these questions:
-What are the organizing principles of text A and text B?
-Which text synthesized the sources better?
-What are some characteristics that make a good source synthesis?

We will finish up with the powerpoint. You will then need to read the information in the
SAMPLE SOURCES document, and organize the information found in those sources into a GRID ORGANIZER.

Remember strategies for making your writing more clear. For each main idea that recurs among the sources, create a topic sentence that both
1) Synthesizes the literature to be discussed
2) Describes the literature to be discussed
Example 1) Much of the literature points out that whole capital punishment does not stop crime, most Americans still believe that it does stop crime.
Example 2) Not only does the literature agree that capital punishment does not stop crime, Prejean, Fitzpatrick and Marshall also suggests that capital punishment may in fact cause more crime.

Day 22: Research Paper Structure

You will be able to:
-select an outline for your final research paper
-develop the outline for your final research paper
-share the outline with your classmates

Research Paper Outlines
Today you will have the opportunity to develop an outline for your final research paper. We will first review SUGGESTED OUTLINES.

Select an Outline
You will then have the opportunity to evaluate each outline individually and decide on one to follow for your final research paper.

Developing your Outline
Once everyone has decided on their outline, you will work on developing the outline and present it to members of your group. Groups will be made according to the type of research paper you will write.

Preparation for your Oral Presentation
With the remaining time. You can make any adjustments to your outline you feel are necessary and prepare for your oral presentation. Minimally, you will need to present the information in your outline and provide a visual aid.

Homework 4: Literature Review

You will need to write a 2-3 page literature review.

Be sure to include:
1. A brief introduction that states the purpose of the literature review and presents the organization style that the body of the literature review will follow (this is separate from the CARS introduction paragraph to your essay).
2. A body that includes information from the sources that you will cite in your paper as well as in-text citations for information taken from sources.
3. A conclusion that concludes the discussion on the literature and presents a need for further study of the niche

Be sure to follow the guidelines for literature reviews presented on DAY 21.

Value
15 Homework Points
Filename
literature_firstname_lastname_1.doc
Due
4/12/12

Reflection 2: Final Research Paper Reactions

Your Writing Process
As we saw in class today, everyone has different ways of writing essays. Write a short essay (300-500 words) about your feelings towards the final research paper. Be honest in your answers please =D Things you might want to discuss include:

Body paragraph 1:
-What your plan for your paper is
Body paragraph 2:
-What parts of the research paper you feel comfortable with or confident about
Body paragraph 3:
-What parts of the research paper you feel uncomfortable with or are unsure about

Don't worry so much about grammar. Your grammar will not be assessed in this essay. You should, however, make sure you follow the appropriate FORMATTING GUIDELINES and maintain a focus on the topic of the essay.

This is to give me the opportunity to address some of the concerns you (individually or as a class) may have concerning the final research paper.

Value
10 Reflection Points
Reflection
reflection_firstname_lastname_2.doc
Due
4/12/12

Paper 3: Final Research Paper

A 7-10 page paper (2-3 pages should be the literature review), which explores the topic more in depth. This paper should be either argumentative or problem/solution, or it can seek to answer a research question you propose. The paper should be primarily an exploration and defense of your thoughts on the thesis statement, supported by research.

Please review the scoring criteria HERE.

To ensure that seven pages is equal among all students, I ask that you format your paper according to THESE GUIDELINES.

If you include pictures/diagrams/charts/tables in your final paper, the size of one of these should be less than half of one page. If the size is greater than or equal to half of one page, put it in an appendix at the end of your paper. The total amount of pictures/diagrams/charts/tables included in the text of your paper should be less than one full page. If your paper requires more pictures/diagrams/charts/tables than can fit on one page, attach additional items as an appendix.

Make sure you have all of the following pieces:
-title page
-abstract
-introduction
-literature review
-body
-conclusion
-bibliography page

File Name
final_firstname_lastname_1.doc
Due Date
Tuesday, May 1st