Academic search engines. Many schools and libraries subscribe to academic search engines such as EBSCO or Academic Search Premiere or InfoTrac. These search engines filter results so you only get academic sources that you can be sure are appropriate sources.
Googlescholar.com. This search engine, available to anyone, also filters results so you only get academic sources. Not every source listed is available online.
Library. Print sources from your school or public library that you can’t get online are available here. Asking a librarian for help is a great resource.
Internet search. Using a regular search engine such as google or yahoo can turn up appropriate sources, but you have to be very careful to make sure your source is appropriate for an academic research paper.
How do I tell which sources I can use?
The best sources are peer reviewed. This means that an article was written by an expert in the field, and reviewed for accuracy by other experts. You will find peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals.
Consider where the information is coming from. Is it from a respected magazine or newspaper? Is it from a journal or reference book? Avoid blogs, personal websites, or work that has not been reviewed or edited.
A source should not have an agenda or bias. Avoid sources trying to sell a product or promote a certain idea.
Websites that end in .edu or .gov are more likely to be good sources than .com, .net and .org .
What about Wikipedia? Wikipedia is not a reliable or credible academic source. If you go to the end of an article on Wikipedia, however, you will find links that could lead you to a good source.
Thesis Statements:
What is a thesis statement? A thesis statement is a guide to your paper. It tells the reader the subject matter, your argument and what to expect from the rest of the paper. Usually, the thesis statement will come somewhere in the first paragraph. Think of your first thesis as a “working thesis,” or a statement that is likely to change. Often, once you get into the body of the paper, you may discover that your thesis needs to be changed a bit as you discover more information.
Writing a good thesis statement. When you are working on your thesis statement, keep these three tips in mind:
Make sure your thesis fits the scope of the paper. The scope means how long and how in-depth the research should be. If you only have two pages, you need to keep the thesis narrow enough to cover the argument adequately.
Don’t simply give a fact or make a statement that is obvious. For example, “An eating disorder is a serious disease” is a statement most would readily agree with. This is sometimes called a “so what?” thesis.
You don’t need to start your thesis with “I believe...” or “In my opinion...” You are the author of the paper, so this is obvious to the reader. Using these types of phrases weakens the power of your statement.
Body Paragraphs:
You’ve got your topic, you’ve got your research, and you’ve got a working thesis. Now how do you put it all together? If you learn the basic building block of the body paragraphs of research papers, your job will be a lot easier. Your introduction and conclusion will probably be structured a little differently, and not every paragraph will follow this format, but it’s a good place to start. This method also helps you to get the right balance of your own words and research in the paper, which should be about half and half.
The “Research Sandwich” As a general rule, each body paragraph will comprise one or more building blocks we’ll call “research sandwiches.” This is the formula: Your own words (topic sentence with your opinion) Research (direct quote or paraphrase to back up your opinion) Your own words (analysis, summary or transition to the next topic.)
A research sandwich can stand alone as a paragraph, or you can put two or three together if the ideas are closely related to form one longer paragraph. It’s important to include smooth transitions from one “sandwich” to the next. Sometimes this can be accomplished in the concluding sentence of the sandwich, or in the next topic sentence, but be sure you think about the transition so your paper doesn’t seem to jump from topic to topic.
Introductions and Conclusions:
The introduction and conclusion are critical parts of your essay. The introduction is what grabs the reader’s attention (or not!) and makes them want to read what you have to say. The conclusion is the last impression you will leave with the reader, and the last chance to persuade the reader to see your point of view. Introductions There are many ways to begin your paper, but the main consideration is to get the reader’s attention. Sometimes your thesis statement works well enough on its own, but often you will want to start with some other type of attention-grabber before you state your thesis. Below are three ways to consider starting your essay, and an example of each. You can also see how your thesis statement might be adjusted to make the first paragraph flow smoothly. Thesis: Although researchers believe that the cause for eating disorders is complicated, media images are one of the main reasons girls develop these disorders.
1. Anecdote An anecdote is a short narrative, or story, that illustrates your point. This can be effective because the reader will want to know what happens next.
2. Interesting Information A startling statistic or other tidbit of information that will shock or surprise your reader is a great attention-grabber.
3. Overview An overview engages readers by giving them a general idea of your topic, your thesis and an idea of one of more of the main points in the essay.
Conclusions Help! How do I end this thing? Sometimes students find the conclusion to be the hardest part of the essay. The worst thing you can do is just re-state the introduction and/or thesis statement. The best thing you can do is to make sure that your conclusion flows naturally from your introduction. In short, it should be connected, not copied. If your introduction started with a story, tell the reader how it ended. If you started with a startling statistic, refer back to that information. If you used an overview, you might want to offer some sort of solution or thought- provoking idea.
MLA Formatting:
Double space the whole paper.
Use an easily readable 12 point font, such as Times New Roman (this document uses Times New Roman).
The margins of the paper all the way around are 1 inch
Use the tab key (5 spaces) when beginning a new paragraph.
Put your last name and page number in the upper right corner of each page, 1⁄2 inch from the top of the page.
On the first page, in the upper left, one inch from the top of the page, list your name, the instructor’s name, the class and the date. The date should be in this format: 21 March 2012.
Center the title. Do not use a different, larger or bold font. Do not put extra space between the title and the text of the paper.