Writing A Research Essay Workshop

Presented by the Southeast Campus Writing Center

 Steps to Writing a Research Essay

 Select a topic.
 Research your topic. Start by searching the library catalog and subscription
databases. Also, librarians can assist you in researching information about your
topic.
 Read the information you find, highlighting or writing down points that are relevant
to your topic. If you take notes or fill out index cards, be sure to include author
names and the page numbers.
 Formulate your ideas and write a thesis statement.
 Create an outline that divides your thesis into topics.
 Using your outline as a guide, begin writing your essay. Use quotations and
paraphrased material from your research to support your thesis and topic sentences.
Always cite your sources, even if you put the information in your own words.
 Create a Works Cited page, a list of the sources used in the essay. You can take this
step before you begin to write the essay. Do not include a source on your Works
Cited page if you have not used that source in your essay.
 Proofread your work carefully. Use the “MLA Research Essay Checklist” in this
packet to check for common mechanical and/or formatting errors.
 Ask someone else to read your essay. Do they understand the point you are trying
to make? Can they find any grammatical errors or unclear sentences?
 Formatting your Essay
 Before you begin typing the essay, follow the steps below.

 Double-space your entire essay, including your heading. Some instructors may
specify single-spacing for your heading. To change the line spacing follow these
steps:
 Click on Home (on the tool bar)
 Click on next to Paragraph
 Under Line Spacing, click on Double
 Click OK
 MLA guidelines specify one-inch margins all the way around. Set your margins by
following these steps:
 Click on Page Layout (on the tool bar)
 Click on Margins
 Double chick on Normal for 1” margins
 Your last name and the page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of
every page of your research essay, including the Works Cited page(s).
 Click on Insert (on the tool bar)
 Click on Page Number
 Choose Top of Page
 Choose plain Number 3- page number will insert
 Type your last name and hit the space bar once
 Double click below the dashed line to exit
 Techniques for Writing an Effective Introduction

 The purpose of an introduction is to announce the narrowed

topic of your essay, to present your thesis statement, to
interest your reader, and to provide relevant background
information.

 The first sentence should grab the audience’s attention.

 Pose a provocative or intriguing question
 Begin with a statement that encourages your readers to continue
reading
 Use shocking facts or statistics that focus attention on your topic
 State a common misconception about your topic

Notes: The source and the following essay samples are from Kathleen McWhorter’s Successful
College Writing, 3rd edition, 2006. p. 132-135.
 More Techniques for Writing
an Effective Introduction
 After the first “attention” sentence, the next sentences should move the
audience from general to specific information about your topic.

 The last sentence of the introduction should be your thesis statement.

 Introduction in Literary Analysis:

 In a literary analysis, the introduction should engage readers.
For example, to engage your readers’ interest, you might include a comment
on the universality of a character or theme, or briefly state your response to the
theme.

 State the full name of the author and complete title.

 State your thesis, and suggest why your analysis of the work is
useful or important.
 Samples of Writing an Introduction
• Ask a provocative or disturbing question.
Should health insurance companies pay for more than one stay in a drug
rehabilitation center? Should health insurance companies continue to pay for rehab
services when patients consciously and consistently put themselves back into
danger by using drugs again?

• Begin with a story or anecdote.

I used to believe that it was possible to stop smoking by simply quitting cold turkey.
When I tried this approach, I soon realized that quitting was not so simple. When I
did not smoke for even a short time, I became so uncomfortable that I started again
just to alleviate the discomfort. I realized then that in order to quit smoking, I would
need a practical solution that would overcome my cravings.

• Make a comparison.
The process a researcher uses to locate a specific piece of information in the library
is similar to the process an investigator follows in tracking a criminal; both use a
series of questions and follow clues to accomplish their task.
• Cite a little-known or shocking fact or statistic.
Between 1963 and 1993, there was a 26 percent increase in the number
of college students who admitted copying academic work from another
student. This increase suggests that students’ attitude toward cheating
changed dramatically during that thirty-year period.

• Move from general to specific.

The First Amendment is the basis for several cherished rights in the
United States, and free speech is among them. Therefore, it would seen
unlawful – even anti-American – for a disc jockey to be fired for
expressing his or her views on the radio, regardless of whether those
views are unpopular or offensive.

• State a commonly held misconception or a position that you

oppose.
Many people have the mistaken notion that only homosexuals and drug
users are in danger of contracting AIDS. In fact, many heterosexuals also
suffer from this debilitating disease. Furthermore, the number of
heterosexuals who test HIV-positive has increased substantially over the
past decade. It is time the American public became better informed about
the prevention and treatment of AIDS.
• Describe a hypothetical situation.
Suppose you were in a serious car accident and became
unconscious. Suppose further that you slipped into a coma, with little
hope for recovery. Unless you had a prewritten health-care proxy that
designated someone familiar with your wishes to act on your behalf,
your fate would be left in the hands of medical doctors who knew
nothing about you or your preferences for treatment.

• Begin with a striking example.

The penal system is sometimes too concerned with protecting the
rights of the criminal instead of the victim. For example, during a rape
trial, the victim is often questioned about his or her sexual history by
the defense attorney. However, the prosecuting attorney is forbidden
by law to raise the question of whether the defendant has been
charged with rape in a previous trial. In fact, if the prosecution even
hints at the defendant’s sexual history, the defense can request a
mistrial.
• Offer a quotation.
As India Gandhi once said, “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist”.
This truism is important to remember whenever people communicate with
one another but particularly when they are attempting to resolve a conflict.
Both parties need to agree that there is a problem and then agree to listen
to each other with an open mind. Shaking hands is a productive way to
begin working toward a resolution.

• Begin with an intriguing statement

Recent research has shown that the color pink has a calming effect on
people. In fact, a prison detention center in western New York was recently
painted pink to make prisoners more controllable in the days following their
arrests.
 Do’s & Don’ts of Introductions

 Do not make announcements, such as “I am writing about,” “This

essay will discuss,” or “This essay talks about”.

 Keep your introduction short, one paragraph.

 Avoid statements that may create negative attitudes, like “This process
may seem over complicated, but….”

 Avoid a casual, overly familiar, overly opinionated or chatty tone.

 Be sure your topic is clear or explained adequately for your readers.

 Introducing Quoted Material
According to the MLA Handbook, “You must construct a clear,
grammatically correct sentence that allows you to introduce or
incorporate a quotation with complete accuracy” (Gibaldi 109).

Use signal phrases to introduce quotations. Some examples from

the MLA Handbook and the Writing Center are listed below.

 Shelley held a bold view: “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the
World” (794).

 Shelley thought poets “the unacknowledged legislators of the World” (794).

 “Poets,” according to Shelley, “are the unacknowledged legislators of the

World” (794).

 “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” wrote Charles Dickens
of the eighteenth century.

 Reflecting on the “incident” in Baltimore, Cullen concludes, “Of all the

things that happened there / That’s all that I remember” (11-12).
 4 Tips to Avoid Plagiarism
 Resist the temptation to look at the source
while you are summarizing or paraphrasing

 Close the book or cover the article

 Write from memory

 Then open the book or peruse the article to

check for accuracy
 Grammar Practice

 Reading is important to a lot of people in this day and age. This

paper talks about why reading is important to me. There are many
reasons why reading is important to me.

 As I stated earlier in the introduction, everyone must take

responsibility and use her voice by voting.

 Power Point has become the number one way to teach courses.
Teachers should incorporate Power Point in her classroom.

 Many good things result from eating organic hamburgers. A person

can get a healthier heart when they eat organic foods.

 Today, it is hard for many single mothers to balance employment,

education, and family. Well, most single mothers succeed, but many
do not.
 MLA Research Checklist
 Do I have one-inch margins on all sides of the page?
 Is my entire essay double-spaced, including the heading and Works Cited
page?
 Are my last name and the correct page number in the top right corner of
each page?
 Does my heading include my name, my professor’s name, the title of the
course I’m taking, and the date?
 Is the title of my essay centered on the line below my heading?
 Have I underlined or italicized the titles of all books, plays, newspapers,
journals, and magazines?
 Have I placed quotation marks around all poem, essay, and article titles?
 Does my thesis statement include an argument or point to prove?
 Do I have signal phrases introducing my quotes?
 Have I placed the period after the parenthetical citation at the end of each
sentence?
 Have I given credit to my source every time I used a quote or paraphrased
someone else’s ideas?
 Does each paragraph between the introduction and the conclusion have a
topic sentence that explains what that paragraph will be about?
 Does each topic sentence (the first sentence of each body paragraph)
relate to the idea(s) I presented in my thesis?
 For More Information
 Consult the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook
for Writers of Research Papers.

 Attend a “MLA Documentation” presentation.

 Consult your teacher during his/her office

hours.

 Make an appointment with the Writing Center,

in person or by calling 817-515-3803, 817-
515-3018, or 817-515-3815.
 Presentation Sources
For this workshop, we used examples, from the Writing Center staff
collections, Rebekah Clinkscale, Kayla Miller and seven academic book
sources:

 Communicate! By Rudolph F. Verderber and Kathleen S. Verderber.

 Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 6th ed. By Laurie G. Kirszner

and Stephen R. Mandell.

 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. 2009.

 Rules for Writers. 6th ed. By Diana Hacker. 2009.

 Successufl College Writing. 3rd ed. By Kathleen T. McWhorter. 2006.

 The Bedford Handbook. 7th ed. By Diana Hacker. 2006.

 Toni Morrison’s “Nobel Prize Lecture in Literature.” 1993.