Research Paper

MU3100 - Week 2

Research Paper Guidelines

Some Basics: Source: http://www.citationmachine.net/mla/cite-a-website

How to Be a Responsible Researcher or Scholar

Putting together a research project involves searching for information, disseminating and analyzing information, collecting information, and repurposing information. Being a responsible researcher requires keeping track of the sources that were used to help develop your research project, sharing the information you borrowed in an ethical way, and giving credit to the authors of the sources you used. Doing all of these things prevents plagiarism.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of using others’ information without giving credit or acknowledging them. There are many examples of plagiarism. Completely copying another individual’s work without providing credit to the original author is a very blatant example of plagiarism. Plagiarism also occurs when another individual’s idea or concept is passed off as your own. Changing or modifying quotes, text, or any work of another individual is also plagiarism. Believe it or not, you can even plagiarize yourself! Re-using a project or paper from another class or time and saying that it is new is plagiarism. One way to prevent plagiarism is to add citations in your project where appropriate.

What is a Citation?

A citation shows the reader or viewer of your project where you found your information. Citations are included in the body of a project when you add a quote into your project. Citations are also included in the body when you’re paraphrasing another individual’s information. For our class purposes, these citations will be presented as footnotes, with a superscript number following the citation which refers to a short-hand version of the source in the bottom margin of the page. Footnotes are to be found directly after the information that was borrowed and are very brief in order to avoid becoming

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distracting while reading. You may also include additional information in the footnotes, always pointing to the source you got it from, to make your point clearer.

On average, a ten-page research paper has at least fifteen to twenty notes. Footnotes provide us with a brief idea as to where you found your information.

Complete citations are found on what is called an MLA Works Cited page, sometimes called a bibliography.

All sources that were used to develop your research project are found on the Works Cited page, listed in alphabetical order. • Complete citations are created for any quotes or paraphrased information used in

the text, as well as any sources that helped you develop your research project. Included in complete citations is the author’s name, the title, publisher, year published, page numbers, URLs, and a few other pieces of information.

More About Quotations and How to Cite a Quote

• Use quotes from outside sources to help illustrate and expand on your own points, but the majority of your paper should be your own writing and ideas.

• Include the quote exactly as you found it. It is okay to pull and use only certain words or phrases from the quote, but keep the words (spelling and capitalization) and punctuation the same. If you skip portions from the middle of the quote, indicate this with an ellipsis (…)

• It is acceptable to break up a direct quote with your own writing (You must still cite the source at the end of the sentence or thought!)

• The entire paper should be double spaced, including quotes. • Use direct quotations only when absolutely essential, either to reinforce a point or

because the author’s wording is so much better than your own. • Short quotations should be incorporated within double quotation marks directly in

the body of the essay; long quotations (used rarely) should be indented (on both right and left sides) and single spaced without any quotation marks around them.

• You are welcome to use photos and graphics in your paper, as well as interviews, class lectures, etc… as long as you cite them. • Check out this link for citing media: https://libguides.williams.edu/citing/mla#s-lg-

box-11669372 • And this link for interviews, lectures, etc: https://libguides.williams.edu/citing/mla#s-

lg-box-11669450

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Why Does it Matter?

Citing your sources is an extremely important component of your research project. It shows that you’re a responsible researcher. It also shows that you were able to locate appropriate and reputable sources that helped back up your thesis or claim. In addition, if your work ends up being posted online or in print, there is a chance that others will use your research project in their own work!

Defining Facts & Opinions

Your job when writing a Research Paper is to simply present the facts of your research in a coherent way that supports your thesis.

A fact is a statement that is true and can be verified objectively, or proven. In other words, a fact is true and correct no matter what. An opinion is a statement that holds an element of belief; it tells how someone feels about something. An opinion is not always true and cannot be proven.

Examples (from http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english/en06opin/factsheet/ en06opin-l1-f-what-is-fact-and-opinion.pdf):


• In 2010, Lionel Messi was named FIFA World Footballer of The Year.

We can check these details by looking at FIFA records. Facts are often used in conjunction with research and study. The census (a survey of the population usually conducted by a Government department) is a good example of when facts are used. These facts can be supported by information collected in the census, e.g. According to UK Government national statistics in 2004, approximately one in five people in the UK were aged under 16.

• Wayne Rooney is the best football player in the English Premier League.

Some people might think there are other players in the English Premier League who are better than Wayne Rooney. Opinions can be found in many types of writing such as a “Letter to the Editor” in a newspaper. A reader may write in with an opinion e.g. “24 hour pub licensing will ruin our community.” Another reader may write in and disagree, e.g. “24 hour licensing will stop yobbish behaviour by staggering closing hours.”

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Writers often mix fact and opinion. It is not always easy to tell whether something is based on facts that can be checked or someone’s particular viewpoint. For this reason, it is important to read with a questioning mind. Just because someone says something is true – it doesn’t mean it is true.

You are welcome to offer personal experiences within your paper in support of your thesis. But it will not count as one of your sources. In regard to stating your personal opinion in your paper—that’s unnecessary! After all, if this is your paper, it’s assumed these are your own thoughts (excepting others’ quotes you might use), right?

Title Page Don’t forget! You also need to have a title page! Generate one automatically at: http://www.citationmachine.net/title-page/new —> (Make sure you have the Style set on “Modern Language Association…”)

What Sources are Acceptable?

For the purposes of our class: • You will need 5 sources minimum, 2 of which must be either books or “print worthy” • I’m defining “print worthy” as something that could be found in print (e.g., journals,

articles from magazines or newspapers that have been printed in the past [the article itself doesn’t need to have been printed, just the established paper or magazine, like the New York Times or National Geographic])

• You are also allowed to use any of our “print worthy” texts as a “book” source, and of course any of our other readings as a regular source. • If you need the publishing information for any of our supplemental texts found on

Blackboard, just let me know.


• YOU MAY NOT USE WIKIPEDIA as a primary source!!! • Instead, look down at the bottom of your Wikipedia article at the sections below,

like: “Further Reading,” “Notes,” Sources,” or “Bibliography.” • The point is, you want to use the original source where Wikipedia got the

information.


• You are responsible for knowing the accuracy and reliability of your sources.

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• In other words, find out whether the author is qualified to write an accurate account. You must evaluate the information and interpretations presented for veracity and appropriateness.

How to Create a Footnote

In both Pages (Mac) and Word (PC) creating footnotes is easy!

� Source: http://libguides.utep.edu/c.php?g=429658&p=2930670

For more detailed instructions formatting Word and Pages:

• Formatting footnotes in Word: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Add-or- change-footnotes-or-endnotes-A58D1685-94F6-43F5-BA26-AA15AA62C6ED

• Formatting footnotes in iOS’ Pages: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH23642? locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US

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One more tip: If you refer to the same source twice (or more) in a row, you may use the term “Ibid” followed by a comma (,) and the page of the source (if different from the above footnote). • Ibid. is an abbreviation for the Latin word ibīdem, meaning "in the same place”.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibid)

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Examples of Solid Footnotes Source: Griffiths, Paul. Modern Music and After. 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2011.

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Other Important Guidelines for Formatting Your Paper

For this paper you MUST include:


• between 8-12 pages of content. • No more, no less... and not counting the Title or Works Cited pages.


• You must include your name and title on the first page of your paper (as well as on the title page)


• Again — use the MLA style for formatting citations! (MLA is used for writing about the humanities)


• Again — use FOOTNOTES, not inline citations!!


• Typed (Times New Roman or equivalent), double space; 1 inch indent for all margins


• Put PAGE NUMBERS on each page.


• Don’t forget your Title Page! • includes the title, your name, course number, instructor, and date and/or semester


• PROOFREAD your final draft before submission. Writing a research paper is a formal academic exercise; presentation and appearance form an integral part of the final product. Neatness counts. • While I am easy-going on grammar usage (etc), if I have a lot of trouble trying to

make sense of your work, I will dock points!


• Remember: The opinions and conclusions of your paper are presumed to be yours unless they are properly cited (if they are not yours and not cited, it IS plagiarism, intended or not). • Use citations and quotation marks appropriately! When in doubt, cite it (better safe

than sorry).

For more details, refer to the Rubric attached to this assignment on Blackboard, to see how many points are devoted to each formatting element.

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