Todays Agenda

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Todays Agenda

• Why do this paper?
• How do I do this paper?
• Turning your question into a thesis
• Citation

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Whats driving your paper?

• You need to choose a question about a topic that
  you truly want to have answered.
• Choose your question carefully.

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Did Cleopatra really sleep with her own brother?

• Did that capture your attention? Choosing a
  question that you want to answer will be the
  pathway to your thesis and supporting details.
• About Cleopatra Probably not, but historians
  are pretty sure her mom and dad were brother and
  sister.

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Getting Started

• Pre-write to get a footing in the topic
• Think about what you already know that you can
  contribute to this paper.
• Then use the list of sources Dr. Hendley has
  provided to wade around in the available
  information to answer your question.

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HAPPY HUNTING

• Take notes sparingly as you read and write in
  phrases dont try to write whole sentences
• Focus your reading on answering your question.
  Remember, your job is to gather information to
  make a new point, not just to copy other peoples
  words.
• Read a number of paragraphs, then summarize them
  in your own words. If a quotation strikes you as
  well said or interesting, copy it word for word
  and put quotation marks around it in your notes
• You need to recognize when you have copied
• If you get an insight of your own, as you are
  reading, stop and write about it.

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Once youve got your feet under you

• Its time to think about how to make the point
  your own.

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Writing a Thesis Statement
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A Thesis Statement is

• the anchor for your paper
• one or two sentences that make a DIRECT STATEMENT
  about the subject of the paper
• what your slant on the subject is going to be
• a debatable statement.

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A Thesis Statement is NOT

• An announcement of your intentions.
• I am going to prove to you that . . .
• A fact.
• Ancient Egypt was in the Middle East.

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Thesis

• Listing and numbering workstry it!
• While I love movies as much as ever, the
  inconvenience of going out, the temptations of
  the theater, and the behavior of some patrons are
  reasons for me to wait and rent movies on video.
• (Now you can easily divide the three sections of
  the thesis into paragraphs or groups of
  paragraphs covering each separate main idea.)

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Organize

• Get your major points in order
• Write a DRAFT of your entire paper, without
  notes, from memory
• Then you can begin to incorporate your sources
  and research into the paper
• Consult your notes. Which sources relate to your
  main points?
• Now you can write to persuade (use your facts for
  supporting details)
• FORGET fancy words and long sentences.

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Consider how your ideas fit together logically.
An alterative to outlining is mapping out the
main points.
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Example
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After getting the bones in order, you can
insert the supports.
The Plague was an inevitable product of the
system of economics and government of England.
Major Point ! Explain economic system
I have a source for this! Ill use Smith p. 99
Trade
I can use the Chartok and Yagelski sources here.
Hierarchy -- Serfdom
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Tried and true trio

• Three ways to present information from sources in
  a research paper
• DIRECT QUOTE too often overused, it should be no
  more than 15 of the paper
• Do quote memorable phrases and strong statements
  of opinion by authorities
• PARAPHRASE putting someone elses ideas in your
  own wordsin about the same number of words
• SUMMARY take a substantial amount of material
  and condense it
• Summary is not selection and copying

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What in the world is citation anyway?

• With all of the above, direct quotes,
  paraphrasing and summarizing, you should be
  using footnotes and/or endnotes
• SOURCES are CITED for 2 reasons to tell readers
  where your information comes from and to give
  credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed
  words and ideas

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THINK OF IT THIS WAY

• Your paper is YOUR intellectual property
• You research other peoples ideas (THEIR
  intellectual property) and then develop your own
  ideas about others research
• When you use your sources ideas in your paper
  with proper citation, you are legally BORROWING
• Without proper citation, this is considered
  theft, sometimes even criminal theft, in other
  words
• STEALING OR PLAGIARISM

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What in the world is citation anyway?

• AVOID dropping quotations into the text without
  warning. Instead, provide clear signal phrases
  As Kevin Hansen has noted..
• Not only do you report on what others have said
  about your topic, but you also add your opinion
  of their perspectives

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Details on footnotesFor History Departments in
particular

• www.styleease.com/
• This one will cost you 35 bucks, but basically,
  you fill in the blanks, and the citation is done
  for you.
• http//www3.wcu.edu/blethen/style.html
• This one is cheaper (free), and it gives you the
  6 basic rules of Turabian style.
• But then you have to do this ..
• Click on the link at the bottom of the page
  (Turabian Format)

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Details on footnotesFor History Departments in
particular

• This is a neat little mini-course spelling out
  for you how to cite many types of sources, both
  in the footnotes and bibliographybooks, journal
  articles, etc., right down to how many spaces to
  indentRemember, Dr. Hendley allows only one
  Internet source that has to be pre-approved.
• Lastly, go to www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite
  7.html1
• and you will see how all this fits into the body
  or end of a paper. It also shows you how to
  smoothly tie those quotes and paraphrases into
  your finished product.

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Details on intellectual property

• Paraphrasing and direct quotes
• ParaphrasingRe-state in your own words and the
  best way is to use totally different vocabulary
  than the author does
• Direct quotesYou must copy down word for
  wordchanging just one word could be construed as
  plagiarism

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Details on intellectual property

• See this website for excellent examples of each
• http//www.oneonta.edu/academics/lss
• Go to General Information on Writing link
• Then Hunter College link
• The Documented Essay/ Research Paper Guides to
• Research and Writing from Sources
• Quotation, Paraphrase Plagiarism

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Oh, yes, the duh theory!

• A good THESIS is anything a rational person could
  argue with, or against, or whatever
• Movies can be good entertainmentDUH! Whos
  going to argue with that? But what about this?
• Braveheart is the best movie ever
• Do you see?
• The deal here is that you dont announce--
• Instead you state

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Oh, yes, the duh theory!

• DONT make an ANNOUNCEMENT The subject of this
  paper is marriage--
• ARE YOU ASLEEP YET?
• DO make a STATEMENT that is arguable , perhaps
  even provocative A honeymoon is perhaps the
  worst way to begin a marriage.
• WHOA GOT YOUR ATTENTION?

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Thesis is the real deal

• Use transitional words and phrases work nicely to
  delineate those main ideas
• Meanwhile, equally important, specifically.all
  can signal an important new idea