UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE
Writing the Introduction of Your
Research Paper
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Create an introduction paragraph that includes a thesis and a transition. 2. Revise the review of literature.
Unit Lesson Introduction to Unit VI In this course so far, you have established and researched your project; annotated and summarized your sources, linking them together in a review of the literature surrounding your topic; and constructed a logical, thoughtful outline of your final Research Paper. From this point on, the rest of the course is dedicated to writing the final Research Project.
Unit VI: Draft 2 (introduction and review of literature)
Unit VII: Draft 3 (introduction, review of literature, and body)
Unit VIII: Research Paper Final Draft (abstract, introduction, review of literature, body, and conclusion)
As has been stated before in this course, it is important to realize that the pathway to writing a paper is approaching the finished product as a process, one in which you must take one step at a time to complete. Remember the analogy of making a cake. You have gathered all of the ingredients (or, done your research), but now you have to mix those ingredients together. How you mix them together, and in what order you mix them, will determine the successfulness of the cake and, in many instances, the type of cake being made. Therefore, it is important to take a deep breath and allow yourself to be in the process of writing. Part 1: Adopting an Academic Style while Drafting Your Research Paper Chapter 22, Sections 22a-22f, of Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers No two writers have the same exact process of writing. Some writers spend time taking notes and thinking about the subject before writing. Others begin drafting immediately, composing large bodies of text that they then trim down to a manageable, controlled size. Still others construct the entire paper, and then they edit the paper one sentence at a time, working on it for just a few minutes at a time. While one of the broader objectives of this course is to teach you the method of writing an academic research paper, it is also about helping you to realize that writing is a process and that you can discover your own unique process. The following reading helps you with discovering that process. On page 471 in Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers, there is some great advice about being practical and uninhibited with your writing. Some of these concepts deserve additional attention.
Reading Assignment The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises Chapter 25: Verb Form, Sections 25a-25f Chapter 26: Verb Tenses, Sections 26a-26e Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers Chapter 22: Drafting the Paper in an Academic Style, Sections 22a-22f Chapter 23: Writing the Introduction Body, and Conclusion Section 23a Chapter 12: Nathan Thornburg, “A Case for Amnesty,” pp. 288-293 Mark Krikorian, “Not Amnesty but Attrition,” pp. 293-298
Learning Activities (Non-Graded) See information below.
EH 1020, English Composition II 2
Write what you know and feel, not what you think somebody wants to hear. Many times in academic writing, students do not think that what they have to say is interesting or that they do not have the authority to make the claims that they want to make. So they turn to “giving the teacher what he or she wants” as a way to get through the writing process. The problem with this is that most professors have read thousands of papers, and they can sense that the writing is insincere, even pretentious. That is why it is far more effective to write in such a way that you not only use appropriate language (formal but not over the top) and that you argue for what you really think about the subject. Certainly, you will be more invested in your project if you put yourself into the paper as much as possible. What you need to learn is how to include yourself in the paper without slipping into informality. It is a difficult negotiation, but if you practice it, then you can be a very successful academic writer.
Write portions of the paper when you are ready…leave blank spots on the page to remind you… Skip entire sections if you are ready to develop later paragraphs. These three items are closely related because they really have to do with an internal/personal note system that you develop for yourself. Again, this notion goes back to the idea of developing your own process of writing. Some writers use a system of brackets, and others use highlighting to make themselves notes about what they would like to include and where they would like to include them throughout the paper. However you decide to do it, you should devise a note system for your drafting process that allows you to indicate where you might return if you run out of ideas at the moment or where you know the writing needs more work. In addition, you need to feel free to skip over sections that you are not ready to deal with at the moment. Do the writing that you know you can do; then return to the places in the paper that need work.
Be conscientious about references. While the process that you develop will be yours and yours alone, you need to consider methods of operating that will enable you to be as efficient as possible. Sometimes, students write their papers without citing source information as they write; they do not include quotation marks, in-text citations, or reference list citations. They tell themselves that they will return after they have written the entire paper and do this work. The problem is that once the paper is written, it might not always be clear to you which passages are yours and which are the source’s. In conjunction, it may not be clear where direct quotes begin and end, which source the information came from, or which page the information came from. This kind of confusion can lead you to unintentionally plagiarize by omitting quotation marks, in-text citations, and/or reference list citations. Therefore, it is much better on you in the long run to cite as you write.
In addition to the information about the drafting process, you will also find conventions in this reading about other widely known, yet little discussed, features of writing for academics, including such topics as using the proper verb tense, writing in third person, using passive voice, using visuals, and avoiding sexist and bias language. Part 2: Writing the Introduction Chapter 23, Sections 23a, of Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers
Key Terms 1. Coherence 2. Conditional sentence 3. Gerund 4. Infinitive 5. Inquiry 6. Irregular verbs 7. Negotiation 8. Past participle 9. Past-tense form
10. Perfect tense 11. Persuasion 12. Present participle 13. Progressive tense 14. Regular verbs 15. Sequence of tenses 16. Tense 17. Unity
EH 1020, English Composition II 3
The introduction, like a strong thesis statement, sets the stage for the entire paper. In most effective academic papers, the introduction works like a funnel. It begins with a big, general idea, one that relates to the reader, then it filters down, becoming more and more specific with each sentence—more specific to the argument that you will present in the thesis, which is the last sentence in the paragraph, setting up the paper as an exposition of support for that thesis statement. Part 3: Unit Grammar Lesson: Verb Forms and Verb Tenses Chapters 25, Sections 25a-25f, and 26, Sections 26a-26e, of The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises
Learning Activities (Non-Graded) The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises
Exercise 25.1: Using irregular verbs, p. 215
Exercise 25.2: Distinguishing between sit/set, lie/lay, rise/raise, p. 216
Exercise 25.3: Using –s and –ed verb endings, p. 218
Exercise 25.4: Using helping verbs, p. 223
Exercise 25.5: Revising: Helping verbs plus main verbs, p. 223
Exercise 25.6: Revising: Verbs plus gerunds or infinitives, p. 225
Exercise 25.7: Revising: Verbs plus particles, p. 227
Exercise 26.1: Revising: Consistent past tense, p. 231
Exercise 26.2: Revising: Consistent present tense, p. 231
Exercise 26.3: Using correct tense sequence, p. 234
Exercise 26.4: Revising: Tense sequence with conditional sentences, p. 234
Revision and Editing Strategies Click here to access the MyCourseTools tutorial. This online tutorial provides tips for revising and improving your writing. This information will be helpful as you write your research paper for this course. MyCourseTools: http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls/pls_mycoursetools/fufillment/mct_125668 9785_csu/eng_comp_2/lesson_07/default.htm Apply What You Have Learned In this unit, your assignment is to submit the second draft of your research paper. Your submission should be as well-written as possible. This exercise will give you a chance to practice your editing and revising skills. For this activity, locate an essay or other work that you wrote in the past (if you cannot find one of your own, maybe a friend has one what he/she has written and would be willing to let you use). Edit and revise the written document using the markup techniques illustrated in the Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers textbook on pages 58-59. To refresh your memory about how to revise and edit a paper, read Chapter 4, pages 54-77. This activity is intended to give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned and practice your editing and revising skills. It is a non-graded activity, so you do not have to submit it.
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls/pls_mycoursetools/fufillment/mct_1256689785_csu/eng_comp_2/lesson_07/default.htm
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls/pls_mycoursetools/fufillment/mct_1256689785_csu/eng_comp_2/lesson_07/default.htm
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls/pls_mycoursetools/fufillment/mct_1256689785_csu/eng_com