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Part II Focusing Your Research Paper
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Transcript of Part II Focusing Your Research Paper
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Writing Your Research Paper
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Part IIFocusing Your Research Paper
By Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.
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Your research is finished. Congratulations!
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But don’t start writing your paper just yet.
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Good writers always start with a plan.
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Your first task is to plan the structure of your research paper.
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Here’s the plan that many instructors prefer. (Be sure, of course, to find out exactly how YOUR instructor wants your paper to be done.)
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A writing plan always begins with a thesis.
A thesis is a sentence that states your main point.
It forms the basis for your entire paper.
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The thesis does the “heavy lifting” in your research paper.
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It goes on your first page.
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Your thesis drives your paper.
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Without a thesis, all you have is a jumble of ideas.
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If you’re not sure whether you have a thesis for your paper…
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…that’s an emergency!
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You need to talk with your instructor or a librarian right away.
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Let’s try a real-life example of how a thesis works.
Imagine a teenager who wants her parents to help her buy a used car.
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Here’s what she’s saying to them:
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Her point would come across better if she organized her ideas. First she needs to state her main point (her thesis):
“I need your help to buy a used car.”
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She should support her thesis with three convincing points:
I need your help to buy a used car.
I’ve been driving for a year now without a single violation.
I’ll be more helpful at home if I have my own car.
I’ve already saved half the money I’ll need.
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And she should put her most convincing point last: “I’ll be more helpful at home if I have my own car.” (Her parents will like that idea!)
I need your help to buy a used car.
I’ve been driving for a year now without a single violation.
I’ve already saved half the money I’ll need.
I’ll be more helpful at home if I have my own car.
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You’ll learn more about supporting ideas in the next presentation, “Organizing Your Research Paper.”
Right now let’s concentrate on how to write a thesis.
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A thesis:must be a complete sentence:
Benefits of Attending Preschool XPreschools teach young children important skills. ✓must not contain two contradictory ideas:Inmates should have to work, but businesses worry
about competition from cheap inmate labor. XInmates should learn a trade in prison. ✓
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A thesis:must be a statement, not a question:
Was Reagan’s amnesty program a success? XThe US benefited from Reagan’s decision to grant
amnesty to undocumented workers. ✓must be an idea, not a fact:
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. X
The Emancipation Proclamation helped the North win the Civil War. ✓
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A thesis must be an idea that you can unpack with...
data factsexamplesproofsanecdotesquotations from
experts
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It should have a KEYWORD that will serve as the focus for the entire research paper.
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Thesis: Preschools teach important skills to young children.
Keyword: skills
Thesis: Inmates should learn a trade in prison.Keyword: trade
Thesis: The US benefited from Reagan’s decision to grant amnesty to undocumented workers.
Keyword: benefited
Thesis: The Emancipation Proclamation helped the North win the Civil War.
Keyword: win
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In the next presentation, we’re going to use this thesis to build a plan for a research paper about ragtime music:
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The keyword is changed.
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Here’s the plan for writing the paper.It features a thesis and supporting ideas.
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Notice that each supporting idea is about how ragtime CHANGED American musical history.
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You can read the entire ragtime paper free at www.ragtimeresearchpaper.com.
Please take a few minutes to look at it! You’ll see how it’s organized and how all the parts work together.
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Be sure to watch all the parts in the Writing Your Research Paper series at
www.ResearchPaperSteps.com.
I Researching Your TopicII Focusing Your Research Paper
III Organizing Your Research PaperIV Drafting Your Research Paper
V Documenting Your Sources
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If you need to sharpen your writing skills…
…go to Amazon.com for a free preview of What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.
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And remember to check out the free resources at www.WritewithJean.com.