6 Chapter 1 Basic Information about the Research Paper Report paper:A summary of the theories of hypnosis Thesis paper:Hypnosis is simply another form of Pavlovian conditioning. 1f Report paper:The steps involved in passage of federal legislation. Thesis paper:Lobbyists wield disproportionate influence on federal legislation. Instructors are more likely to assign a thesis paper than a report paper,for obvious reasons:Writing a thesis paper requires you to exercise judgment,evalu- ate evidence,and construct a logical argument;writing a report paper does not. 1f Drafts of the research paper Whether your paper is a report paper or a thesis paper,experience over the years has shown that producing a good paper takes a minimum of three drafts.Many writers,your authors among them,do many drafts,umpteen at least.Three drafts, in other words,are the barest minimum. Each draft is a separate stage in the progress of the paper.The first draft should be rough and much scribbled over,and should show definite signs of the wear and tear that inevitably come with composition.If your first draft isn't beat-up,you're either a miraculous writer or one who does not under- stand a basic truth about writing:First drafts are supposed to be messy.They are supposed to show signs of major rewriting and the back-and-forth move- ment of composing.In academic circles,that movement is called recursive, meaning that the writer goes back and forth over the material in the process of finding the right words to express ideas on paper.You might write a paragraph, stop,go back to the first sentence and change it,and then add the beginning of a second paragraph before pausing to rewrite some more of the first paragraph Writers do not write as the crow flies,in a straight line,but rather as the bee does,buzzing back and forth,in fits and starts.If you find yourself writing this way,you're not being amateurish or inept;you're working exactly as writers typically do. Here is an example of a first draft of an actual student paper: means A good definition for conformity is being compliant with the standard mainstream society and expected behavior and ways of the general population.This is to say that conformity is the expected-behavior that is generally followed and -accepted- by-mainstream-society.In contrast any behavior that deviates from what is expected is considered none conformity.A nonconformist is a person who is in the-opposition-to or rejects the established known norms or customs that Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affeet the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
1f 6 Chapter 1 Basic Information about the Research Paper Report paper: A summary of the theories of hypnosis. Thesis paper: Hypnosis is simply another form of Pavlovian conditioning. Report paper: The steps involved in passage of federal legislation. Thesis paper: Lobbyists wield disproportionate infl uence on federal legislation. Instructors are more likely to assign a thesis paper than a report paper, for obvious reasons: Writing a thesis paper requires you to exercise judgment, evaluate evidence, and construct a logical argument; writing a report paper does not. 1f Drafts of the research paper Whether your paper is a report paper or a thesis paper, experience over the years has shown that producing a good paper takes a minimum of three drafts. Many writers, your authors among them, do many drafts, umpteen at least. Three drafts, in other words, are the barest minimum. Each draft is a separate stage in the progress of the paper. The fi rst draft should be rough and much scribbled over, and should show defi nite signs of the wear and tear that inevitably come with composition. If your fi rst draft isn’t beat-up, you’re either a miraculous writer or one who does not understand a basic truth about writing: First drafts are supposed to be messy. They are supposed to show signs of major rewriting and the back-and-forth movement of composing. In academic circles, that movement is called recursive, meaning that the writer goes back and forth over the material in the process of fi nding the right words to express ideas on paper. You might write a paragraph, stop, go back to the fi rst sentence and change it, and then add the beginning of a second paragraph before pausing to rewrite some more of the fi rst paragraph. Writers do not write as the crow fl ies, in a straight line, but rather as the bee does, buzzing back and forth, in fi ts and starts. If you fi nd yourself writing this way, you’re not being amateurish or inept; you’re working exactly as writers typically do. Here is an example of a fi rst draft of an actual student paper: A good defi nition for conformity is being compliant with the standard and expected behavior and ways of the general population. This is to say that conformity is the expected behavior that is generally followed and accepted by mainstream society. In contrast any behavior that deviates from what is expected is considered none conformity. A nonconformist is a person who is in the opposition to or rejects the established known norms or customs that means mainstream society Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
1f Drafts of the research paper 7 ordinarily by society are ordinary followed.However,blindly accepting the conformist's traditions and fashions is often to be narrow-minded because there are many traditions that are flaws.In order for-us to be self-reliant we must ask ourselves if we agree with the standards and traditions that most of society blindly follows. accepted Still,certain norms that are conformed to are needed to maintain order;these certain norms are everyday laws and nondeviant behavior.In three works-- "Mending Wall"by Robert Frost,Antigone by Sophocles,and "Dead Man's reveal Path"by Chinua Achebe--there are varying degrees of individualism in the different characters.These characters call into question authority,tradition, and laws.This brings about the question of weather the battle is about non- conformity-vs.conformity,or individualism-vs.society's traditions and blindly- accepted-ideas. The speaker in "Mending Wall"is a New England farmer whose neighbor believes that "good fences make good neighbors."Whenever part of his rock wall collapses,he calls his neighbor,and they jointly walk the line to repair the holes. The speaker realizes that this wall is unnecessary because "He is all pine and I am apple orchard."In other words,there are no cows to wander into each other's whose ancestors built walls;therefore,he,too,will mend a wall. territory.But the neighbor is a blind conformist Typical of first drafts,this one looks messy and scribbled over.Our point- and it cannot be made too often-is that you should not feel discouraged if your first drafts are messy.That's the way they're supposed to be.After you have cor- rected your first draft,it becomes your second draft.Here is the student's second draft as corrected: Conformity means being compliant with the standard and expected behavior of mainstream society.In contrast,any behavior that deviates from what is expected is considered none conformity.A nonconformist is a person who rejects the established norms or customs ordinarily followed by society. However,blindly accepting the conformist's traditions and fashions is often to ed be narrow-minded because there are many traditions that are flaws.In order to be self-reliant,we must ask ourselves if we agree with the standards and Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affeet the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
1f 1f Drafts of the research paper 7 are ordinary followed^ . However, blindly accepting the conformist’s traditions and fashions is often to be narrow-minded because there are many traditions that are fl aws. In order for us to be self-reliant we must ask ourselves if we agree with the standards and traditions that most of society blindly follows. Still, certain^ norms that are conformed to are needed to maintain order; these certain norms are everyday laws and nondeviant behavior. In three works-- “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, Antigone by Sophocles, and “Dead Man’s Path” by Chinua Achebe--there are varying degrees of individualism in the different characters. These characters call into question authority, tradition, and laws. This brings about the question of weather the battle is about nonconformity vs. conformity, or individualism vs. society’s traditions and blindly accepted ideas. The speaker in “Mending Wall” is a New England farmer whose neighbor believes that “good fences make good neighbors.” Whenever part of his rock wall collapses, he calls his neighbor, and they jointly walk the line to repair the holes. The speaker realizes that this wall is unnecessary because “He is all pine and I am apple orchard.” In other words, there are no cows to wander into each other’s territory. But the neighbor is a blind conformist^ Typical of fi rst drafts, this one looks messy and scribbled over. Our point— and it cannot be made too often—is that you should not feel discouraged if your fi rst drafts are messy. That’s the way they’re supposed to be. After you have corrected your fi rst draft, it becomes your second draft. Here is the student’s second draft as corrected: Conformity means being compliant with the standard and expected behavior of mainstream society. In contrast^, any behavior that deviates from what is expected is considered none conformity. A nonconformist is a person who rejects the established norms or customs ordinarily followed by society. However, blindly accepting the conformist’s traditions and fashions is often to be narrow-minded because there are many traditions that are fl aw^ s. In order to be self-reliant, we must ask ourselves if we agree with the standards and whose ancestors built walls; therefore, he, too, will mend a wall. accepted reveal /( ) ed ordinarily by society Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
Chapter 1 Basic Information about the Research Paper traditions that most of society blindly follows.Still,certain accepted norms 1f are needed to maintain order;these norms are everyday laws and nondeviant behavior.Three works--"Mending Wall"by Robert Frost,Antigone by Sopho- cles,and "Dead Man's Path"by Chinua Achebe--reveal varying degrees of individualism in the different characters.These characters call into question authority,tradition,and laws. The speaker in "Mending Wall"is a New England farmer whose neighbor believes that "good fences make good neighbors."Whenever part of the rock between the neighbors'properties together wall collapses,he calls his neighbor,and they jointly walk the line to repair the breaches holes.The speaker realizes that this wall is unnecessary because "He is all pine and I am apple orchard."In other words,there are no cows to wander into each other's territory.But the neighbor is a blind conformist whose ancestors built Like his father and grandfather before him,he holds to the traditions that well-defined walls;therefore,he,too,will mend a wall.property lines make good neighbors.He never questions the reason for such a tradition... Scheduling tip Research paper assignments have a way of creep- ing up on you.To avoid being ambushed by an overdue assignment,start working on the paper as soon as it is assigned.Once you get started, make a schedule and stick to it. Ordinarily,as the example shows,writers make fewer and smaller changes in a second draft than in a first.But writing is nothing if not unpredictable,and many writers have found themselves in the odd position of totally rewriting a paper because they were unhappy with a second draft.The point is that the pro- cess of writing is rarely smooth,often messy,and seldom predictable;and inevi- tably it's recursive.Expect this kind of chaos when you write,and you won't be surprised. The third and final draft is the one you submit.At this stage you're likely to think that your work is done.It may not be.Even the final draft might be ripe for change.If from this discussion you get the idea that the work of writing is never really done,you would not be entirely wrong.Sooner or later,of course,every scribbler must put down the pen and turn over the goods.Still,it is common for writers,on rereading a work written many years earlier,to get the itch to write it again.That's why many professional writers make it a point never to reread their published works. Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affeet the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
1f 8 Chapter 1 Basic Information about the Research Paper traditions that most of society blindly follows. Still, certain accepted norms are needed to maintain order; these norms are everyday laws and nondeviant behavior. Three works--“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, Antigone by Sophocles, and “Dead Man’s Path” by Chinua Achebe--reveal varying degrees of individualism in the different characters. These characters call into question authority, tradition, and laws. The speaker in “Mending Wall” is a New England farmer whose neighbor believes that “good fences make good neighbors.” Whenever part of the rock wall^ collapses, he calls his neighbor, and^ they jointly walk the line to repair the holes. The speaker realizes that this wall is unnecessary because “He is all pine and I am apple orchard.” In other words, there are no cows to wander into each other’s territory. But the neighbor is a blind conformist whose ancestors built walls; therefore, he, too, will mend a wall.^ Research paper assignments have a way of creeping up on you. To avoid being ambushed by an overdue assignment, start working on the paper as soon as it is assigned. Once you get started, make a schedule and stick to it. Scheduling tip Ordinarily, as the example shows, writers make fewer and smaller changes in a second draft than in a fi rst. But writing is nothing if not unpredictable, and many writers have found themselves in the odd position of totally rewriting a paper because they were unhappy with a second draft. The point is that the process of writing is rarely smooth, often messy, and seldom predictable; and inevitably it’s recursive. Expect this kind of chaos when you write, and you won’t be surprised. The third and fi nal draft is the one you submit. At this stage you’re likely to think that your work is done. It may not be. Even the fi nal draft might be ripe for change. If from this discussion you get the idea that the work of writing is never really done, you would not be entirely wrong. Sooner or later, of course, every scribbler must put down the pen and turn over the goods. Still, it is common for writers, on rereading a work written many years earlier, to get the itch to write it again. That’s why many professional writers make it a point never to reread their published works. Like his father and grandfather before him, he holds to the traditions that well-defined property lines make good neighbors. He never questions the reason for such a tradition . . . between the neighbors’ properties together breaches Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
1g Writing the research paper:Steps and schedule 9 Here is the final draft as it was submitted to the instructor: Conformity means being compliant with the standard and expected 1g behavior of mainstream society.In contrast,any behavior that deviates from what is expected is considered nonconformity.A nonconformist is a person who rejects the established norms or customs ordinarily followed by society. However,blindly accepting the conformist's traditions and fashions is often to be narrow-minded because many traditions are flawed.In order to be self- reliant,we must ask ourselves if we agree with the standards and traditions that most of society blindly follows.Still,certain accepted norms are needed to maintain order;these norms are everyday laws and nondeviant behavior. Three works--"Mending Wall"by Robert Frost,Antigone by Sophocles,and "Dead Man's Path"by Chinua Achebe--reveal varying degrees of individual- ism in the different characters portrayed.These characters call into question authority,tradition,and laws. The speaker in "Mending Wall"is a New England farmer whose neighbor believes that "good fences make good neighbors."Whenever part of the rock wall between the neighbors'properties collapses,he calls his neighbor,and together they walk the line to repair the breaches.The speaker realizes that this wall is unnecessary because "He is all pine and I am apple orchard."In other words,there are no cows to wander into each other's terri- tory.But the neighbor is a blind conformist whose ancestors built walls;there- fore,he,too,will mend a wall.Like his father and grandfather before him,he holds to the tradition that well-defined property lines make good neighbors. He never questions the reason for such a tradition... 1g Writing the research paper:Steps and schedule It is impossible to produce a schedule that exactly matches every student's research-paper assignment.But generally there are seven distinct steps in the process,requiring you to submit at least five hand-ins over a period of five weeks. With some variations,many instructors observe this schedule: Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affeet the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
1g 1g Writing the research paper: Steps and schedule 9 Here is the fi nal draft as it was submitted to the instructor: Conformity means being compliant with the standard and expected behavior of mainstream society. In contrast, any behavior that deviates from what is expected is considered nonconformity. A nonconformist is a person who rejects the established norms or customs ordinarily followed by society. However, blindly accepting the conformist’s traditions and fashions is often to be narrow-minded because many traditions are fl awed. In order to be selfreliant, we must ask ourselves if we agree with the standards and traditions that most of society blindly follows. Still, certain accepted norms are needed to maintain order; these norms are everyday laws and nondeviant behavior. Three works--“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, Antigone by Sophocles, and “Dead Man’s Path” by Chinua Achebe--reveal varying degrees of individualism in the different characters portrayed. These characters call into question authority, tradition, and laws. The speaker in “Mending Wall” is a New England farmer whose neighbor believes that “good fences make good neighbors.” Whenever part of the rock wall between the neighbors’ properties collapses, he calls his neighbor, and together they walk the line to repair the breaches. The speaker realizes that this wall is unnecessary because “He is all pine and I am apple orchard.” In other words, there are no cows to wander into each other’s territory. But the neighbor is a blind conformist whose ancestors built walls; therefore, he, too, will mend a wall. Like his father and grandfather before him, he holds to the tradition that well-defi ned property lines make good neighbors. He never questions the reason for such a tradition. . . . 1g Writing the research paper: Steps and schedule It is impossible to produce a schedule that exactly matches every student’s research-paper assignment. But generally there are seven distinct steps in the process, re quiring you to submit at least fi ve hand-ins over a period of fi ve weeks. With some variations, many instructors observe this schedule: Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
10 Chapter 1 Basic Information about the Research Paper What You Must Do What You Must Produce When It Is Due 1g 1.You must select a topic that is com- Two acceptable topics, At the end of plex enough to be researched from a one of which the instruc- the first week variety of sources but narrow enough tor will approve to be covered in 10 or so pages. 2.You must do the exploratory scan- At the end of ning and reading of sources on your the second topic. week 3.You must gather information on Notes,a thesis state- At the end of your topic and assemble it into some ment,and an outline the third week usable sequence. (APA format requires an abstract instead of an outline) 4.You must draft a thesis statement expressing the major idea behind your paper. 5.You must outline the major parts of your paper. 6.You must write a rough draft of the A rough draft of the At the end paper arguing,proving,or supporting paper of the fourth your thesis with information uncovered week by your research.You must acknowl- edge all borrowed ideas,data,and opinions. 7.You must prepare a bibliography list- The paper,complete with At the end of ing all sources used in the paper and bibliography the fifth week you must write the final draft. Copyright 2010 Cengage Leaming.All Rights Reserved.May not be copied,scanned,or duplicated,in whole or in part.Due to electronic rights,some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s)Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience.Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it
1g 10 Chapter 1 Basic Information about the Research Paper What You Must Do What You Must Produce When It Is Due 1. You must select a topic that is complex enough to be researched from a variety of sources but narrow enough to be covered in 10 or so pages. Two acceptable topics, one of which the instructor will approve At the end of the fi rst week 2. You must do the exploratory scanning and reading of sources on your topic. At the end of the second week 3. You must gather information on your topic and assemble it into some usable sequence. Notes, a thesis statement, and an outline (APA format requires an abstract instead of an outline) At the end of the third week 4. You must draft a thesis statement expressing the major idea behind your paper. 5. You must outline the major parts of your paper. 6. You must write a rough draft of the paper arguing, proving, or supporting your thesis with information uncovered by your research. You must acknowledge all borrowed ideas, data, and opinions. A rough draft of the paper At the end of the fourth week 7. You must prepare a bibliography listing all sources used in the paper and you must write the fi nal draft. The paper, complete with bibliography At the end of the fi fth week Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it