New York City Challenges

Plaza College

LL61 Writing and Fundamentals of Research

Research Essay

Information Literacy Form 1: Developing a Topic through Research

Due Date: July 8, 2020

MUST BE TYPED & SAVE DOCUMENT

Name: Section:

1. The general topic for the research essay is…

2. Below, list at least subtopics.

1.

2.

3.

3. Next, research. Look at articles. Below, type one full sentence about each topic. This sentence should be in your own words. DO NOT copy and paste from a website. Be specific!

1.

2.

3.

4. Based on what you have read so far, select your top choice for your essay.

5. Now, use an internet search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) to find two reliable websites that contain information about your person and e-mail the links to your professor . Do not use non-academic sources such as Ask, About, eNotes, Wikipedia, Shmoop, Gradesaver, eHow, Answers.com, Britannica, or any other encyclopedia.

6. Print the two articles you select. Read and annotate them with highlighting or

underlining AND notes. Bring the annotated articles to class!

Evaluate Website Sources

Analyze the websites you chose, and type in the required information below. This information will be used in writing your essay, APA citation, and formatting your References page. Do not leave any questions blank!

WEB SOURCE 1

Name of Website:

Title of Specific Web Page or Article:

Author(s):

Publisher (check by copyright):

Date of Posting/Last Updating:

Full-length URL/ Permalink:

1) What criteria make this source reliable and credible? Why should we trust this website? (Answer in complete sentences.)

2) What is this source about? List what aspects of this person’s life the website explains. For example: childhood, education, first invention, marriage, etc.

3) Re-read your annotated source, and select two direct quotations you might use in your essay. These should be the most interesting, useful quotations in the article. Use a signal phrase, quotation marks, and correct APA style in-text citation. For example: Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” (as cited in Daskal, 2014).

Direct Quote #1:

Direct Quote #2:

Evaluate Website Sources

Fill out the required information below about your second website source.

WEB SOURCE 2

Name of Website:

Title of Specific Web Page or Article:

Author(s):

Publisher (check by copyright):

Date of Posting/Last Updating:

Full-length URL/ Permalink:

4) What criteria make this source reliable and credible? Why should we trust this website? (Answer in complete sentences.)

5) What is this source about? List what aspects of this person’s life the website explains. For example: childhood, education, first invention, marriage, etc.

6) Re-read your annotated source, and select two direct quotations you might use in your essay. These should be the most interesting, useful quotations in the website. Use a signal phrase, quotation marks, and correct APA style in-text citation. For example: Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” (as cited in Daskal, 2014).

Direct Quote #1:

Direct Quote #2:

Finally, plan your thesis!

Now that you have read more about your selected person, what are the three most important aspects of his or her life? These will be the three points for your thesis statement, so they should not be questions. They should be clearly and briefly stated but enough to write an entire body paragraph about. Since we are focusing on people who changed the world, your third point will probably relate to his or her legacy or impact.

Preliminary Thesis Points:

1.

2.

3.

This is one example – yours will be different!

Person: Dorothy Height

Preliminary Thesis Points:

1. Difficult childhood

2. Career in Civil Rights

3. Legacy of equal rights

Based on these three thesis points, write your preliminary thesis statement below. This must be one clear sentence that states your person and the three aspects of his or her life that you will research and write about.

Example: Although she is not as famous as some leaders, Dorothy Height should be celebrated for overcoming her difficult childhood, building a career in civil rights activism, and leaving a legacy of strong female leadership.

Thesis Statement:

-3-