The Library and Faculty Council are co-sponsoring the 31st Annual Library Research Review Competition. Research papers written for courses taken at LaGuardia during the 2010-11 academic year may be entered into the competition by students or faculty. The deadline is June 25, 2011.
Please Note : Research papers for courses taken during the 2010 Spring Semester-- Session II may be entered into the 2010-11 Competition.
Additional Prizes!!!
First Place : iPod Nano
Second and Third Place: iPod Shuffle
For additional information, please review the flyer and application form.
Students and faculty who are interested in the Research Review Competition are also invited to visit the Research Review Competition website.
This website includes: 1) the history of the Competition, 2) links to MLA and APA online research tools, 3) promotional flyers, 4) links to previous winning research papers, 5) a search function, which includes searching by research topics, and much more!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Class Today: Research Paper Checklist
By now, most of you should have written your rough drafts and received my comments on them. During today's class, I would like you to take this time to review and revise your paper. Your final draft is due next Saturday, December 11, 2010 (both emailed and hard copies, please).
Below, please find a checklist of things to look for in your paper. This is only a tool. You do not need to do this in order; you do not need to email me your results. Figure out what works for you, and that's what I want you to be doing. If you find it helpful to read your paper to a classmate, do that. If you would prefer to focus on your conclusion on your own, that is fine, too. I just want you to spend your classtime improving your rough draft so that the final draft you give me next week is the very best research paper you can give me.
Research Paper Checklist (courtesy of the authors of your textbook):
Voice and Tone
The language used in your essay, your “voice,” is another facet of your paper that is determined by your audience and purpose. (See pages 266–267.) Following are some things to ask yourself when you revise your paper:
❐ Does the tone that I use relate to the audience and purpose of this paper?
❐ Did I use active voice?
❐ Did I eliminate the use of such words as “I” and “in my opinion”?
❐ Did I eliminate the use of slang, jargon, or inflated, overly formal language?
❐ Do I explain the use of all specific terminology or subject-specific references?
❐ Do I write with authority?
❐ Do I eliminate the use of sexist or other discriminatory language?
Introduction
Good introductions set the tone for your paper. Unfairly or not, since they are the first your reader sees of your writing, they may influence your reader more than anything else you say in the paper. Many readers, you, I am sure, included, have put aside reading very worthy essays because the introduction didn’t interest them or misinformed them about the content of the paper. Thus, it is especially important that you now review your introduction and ask yourself some questions about it. For more information about introductions, see page 203 and page 268.
❐ Is my introduction clearly written?
❐ Does my introduction serve to interest or excite my reader?
❐ Is my introduction written in a lively style?
❐ Does my introduction give the reader an accurate idea of what I will be doing?
❐ Does my introduction end with a clearly focused thesis?
Conclusion
Conclusions are your last moment alone with your reader, be he or she your teacher, a stranger, or your best friend. Thus, you want the conclusion to leave the reader thinking about your essay and the points you have made. Don’t introduce any new material in your conclusion. You have no space to develop it, and you will just confuse your reader. Use the conclusion to sum up and put what you have written in a larger context—for example, if you have written about your school, the conclusion may take the reader to the city’s schools, to the nations, and so on. For more information, see pages 207 and 271.
❐ Is the main idea of your essay clear in the conclusion?
❐ Have you succeeded in summarizing your main points?
❐ Is there a sense of completion in your conclusion?
❐ Have you checked to see that there is not any new information in your conclusion?
Evaluating Sources
As we discussed in Chapters 5 and 7, it is not enough to locate and copy sources. They must be used appropriately, punctuated correctly, and linked to the topic sentence of the paragraph through the use of transitional introductions (“sandwiching”). Check over your quotations by asking yourself the following questions:
❐ Is there a topic sentence in the paragraph?
❐ Does the writer introduce the quotation and blend it into the paragraph?
❐ Is the direct quotation put in quotation marks and punctuated correctly?
❐ Is there a clear paraphrase of the quotation?
❐ Has the writer analyzed the quoted passage and connected it to the topic sentence?
❐ Does the source have authority?
Documenting Your Sources Using MLA Style
Documenting your sources shouldn’t be difficult if you understand what you are citing and copy the form accurately. See Chapters 8 and 9 for more information on doing a Works Cited list. (Guidelines for the most recent MLA formatting can be found at http://www.mla.org.) Ask yourself the following questions to help you check your in-text documentation:
❐ Does your documentation follow all of the MLA guidelines exactly?
❐ Are the sources listed alphabetically?
❐ Are all titles correctly identified by underlining or italics or quotation marks, as shown in the appropriate model?
❐ Do you have in-text citations for all references to sources?
❐ Are all of the sources in the in-text citations listed in the Works Cited list at the end of the paper?
❐ Have you included the URLs for Internet sources?
❐ Is everything spelled correctly?
Proofreading Strategies
Here are some ways to proofread. Pick one or more when you read over your paper.
1. Take a blank piece of paper and move it slowly down the paper, from beginning to end.
2. Take a blank piece of paper and move it slowly up the paper, from the end to the beginning.
3. Read your paper aloud, slowly.
4. Read through your paper again, focusing on those areas that you know you have trouble with.
5. Read your paper to a friend.
6. Do all of the above, put your paper aside, and proofread it again a day later.
Below, please find a checklist of things to look for in your paper. This is only a tool. You do not need to do this in order; you do not need to email me your results. Figure out what works for you, and that's what I want you to be doing. If you find it helpful to read your paper to a classmate, do that. If you would prefer to focus on your conclusion on your own, that is fine, too. I just want you to spend your classtime improving your rough draft so that the final draft you give me next week is the very best research paper you can give me.
Research Paper Checklist (courtesy of the authors of your textbook):
Voice and Tone
The language used in your essay, your “voice,” is another facet of your paper that is determined by your audience and purpose. (See pages 266–267.) Following are some things to ask yourself when you revise your paper:
❐ Does the tone that I use relate to the audience and purpose of this paper?
❐ Did I use active voice?
❐ Did I eliminate the use of such words as “I” and “in my opinion”?
❐ Did I eliminate the use of slang, jargon, or inflated, overly formal language?
❐ Do I explain the use of all specific terminology or subject-specific references?
❐ Do I write with authority?
❐ Do I eliminate the use of sexist or other discriminatory language?
Introduction
Good introductions set the tone for your paper. Unfairly or not, since they are the first your reader sees of your writing, they may influence your reader more than anything else you say in the paper. Many readers, you, I am sure, included, have put aside reading very worthy essays because the introduction didn’t interest them or misinformed them about the content of the paper. Thus, it is especially important that you now review your introduction and ask yourself some questions about it. For more information about introductions, see page 203 and page 268.
❐ Is my introduction clearly written?
❐ Does my introduction serve to interest or excite my reader?
❐ Is my introduction written in a lively style?
❐ Does my introduction give the reader an accurate idea of what I will be doing?
❐ Does my introduction end with a clearly focused thesis?
Conclusion
Conclusions are your last moment alone with your reader, be he or she your teacher, a stranger, or your best friend. Thus, you want the conclusion to leave the reader thinking about your essay and the points you have made. Don’t introduce any new material in your conclusion. You have no space to develop it, and you will just confuse your reader. Use the conclusion to sum up and put what you have written in a larger context—for example, if you have written about your school, the conclusion may take the reader to the city’s schools, to the nations, and so on. For more information, see pages 207 and 271.
❐ Is the main idea of your essay clear in the conclusion?
❐ Have you succeeded in summarizing your main points?
❐ Is there a sense of completion in your conclusion?
❐ Have you checked to see that there is not any new information in your conclusion?
Evaluating Sources
As we discussed in Chapters 5 and 7, it is not enough to locate and copy sources. They must be used appropriately, punctuated correctly, and linked to the topic sentence of the paragraph through the use of transitional introductions (“sandwiching”). Check over your quotations by asking yourself the following questions:
❐ Is there a topic sentence in the paragraph?
❐ Does the writer introduce the quotation and blend it into the paragraph?
❐ Is the direct quotation put in quotation marks and punctuated correctly?
❐ Is there a clear paraphrase of the quotation?
❐ Has the writer analyzed the quoted passage and connected it to the topic sentence?
❐ Does the source have authority?
Documenting Your Sources Using MLA Style
Documenting your sources shouldn’t be difficult if you understand what you are citing and copy the form accurately. See Chapters 8 and 9 for more information on doing a Works Cited list. (Guidelines for the most recent MLA formatting can be found at http://www.mla.org.) Ask yourself the following questions to help you check your in-text documentation:
❐ Does your documentation follow all of the MLA guidelines exactly?
❐ Are the sources listed alphabetically?
❐ Are all titles correctly identified by underlining or italics or quotation marks, as shown in the appropriate model?
❐ Do you have in-text citations for all references to sources?
❐ Are all of the sources in the in-text citations listed in the Works Cited list at the end of the paper?
❐ Have you included the URLs for Internet sources?
❐ Is everything spelled correctly?
Proofreading Strategies
Here are some ways to proofread. Pick one or more when you read over your paper.
1. Take a blank piece of paper and move it slowly down the paper, from beginning to end.
2. Take a blank piece of paper and move it slowly up the paper, from the end to the beginning.
3. Read your paper aloud, slowly.
4. Read through your paper again, focusing on those areas that you know you have trouble with.
5. Read your paper to a friend.
6. Do all of the above, put your paper aside, and proofread it again a day later.
Friday, December 3, 2010
When You Get to Class: Human Subject Consent Forms
When doing research with human subjects, institutions of higher learning often require consent forms. Look at this sample consent form from the CUNY Graduate Center. Why do you think such a form might be required for certain kinds of research?
Research Opportunities: Fulbright Grants
If you have found that you enjoy research, you might want to consider applying for a Fulbright Grant after you complete your four-year degree. After I graduated from Fairfield University, I spent a year in South Korea on a Fulbright Grant (mine was a teaching grant, but many grants are for research). The grant paid for a lot of things—my salary, housing, and cell phone—and provided me with a lot of opportunities that I might not have had otherwise.
To see a sample of different fields of study and countries, check out this list of grantees from my university (scroll down to “Fulbright Scholars”).
The Fulbright website describes the different kinds of grants that are available. Click on “Country Summaries” to find out more.
To see a sample of different fields of study and countries, check out this list of grantees from my university (scroll down to “Fulbright Scholars”).
The Fulbright website describes the different kinds of grants that are available. Click on “Country Summaries” to find out more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)