Prepared by Marivi Gondola
Subject:
When a student is requested to write a research paper for a class, the teacher generally assigns the subject or topic. For example for the General Biology course the teacher could assign a student to write a research paper on Human Evolution. In order to accomplish this task the student will need to identify the key words and concepts involved in the topic.
Sometimes when the student does not have prior knowledge of the general topic it is advisable to get some general information from teachers or from professionals who may provide some highlights on the subject. It could also be helpful to start by obtaining the definitions of the main concepts or by reading a general article or book on the subject.
But when the student has to make a decision on the subject or topic, the task gets more difficult. Finding a topic that will interest you or one that is worth dedicating your time and effort is a very important step in writing a research project. When selecting a topic you must keep in mind the availability of information, your interest and the time that you will have to devote to this paper.
Thesis:
The thesis consists on the main point or objective on which you will concentrate throughout the paper. This should be derived from what the references suggest to be the “truth? about the topic. For example, in the topic “Human Evolution? the literature could suggest the writer the following:
“Modern Humans evolved from the genus Australopithecus that existed, according to the fossil record, five million years ago approximately?
Content:
The first part of the paper is the introduction but this is not necessarily the first part to be written by the researcher. The student should wait until paper is finished to find out what he should introduce. The introduction should include the thesis and/ or the objective(s) of the paper. Here the student should also give account of the type of sources where he/she has gathered information.
The “body" of the paper contains the information gathered by the student. This part demonstrates the ability of the student to organize, present and evaluate the sources and the information obtained.
The “body" should be organized in such a way that the thesis is supported or the objectives of the paper are accomplished. Here the main concepts involved should be defined clearly.
Because you must use and work with the words and ideas of others, you should understand and remember that you must be honest by not using information from others without acknowledging their work.
Avoid the following (Markman and Waddell, 1981):
1. word-for-word plagiarism
2. transposing or substituting words
3. selecting perfect sentences or phrases
Do the following:
1. use quotations or paraphrase the information
2. give the author credit in the phrase or sentence. For example: As Charles Darwin concluded on his book On the Origin of Species : ??
3. put a footnote number at the end of the paraphrase or quotation, or
4. put the author’s last name and the year of publication at the end of the passage
5. only the paraphrase could be used without quotation marks.
6. it is not necessary to quote or to footnote a well-known, generally accepted fact.
The final part of the research paper is the conclusion. In this part the student examines the value of his findings. The conclusion should be the product of the researcher personal reflection and evaluation of the information gathered by the student
Bibliography:
There are different accepted ways to write a bibliography in Science papers. However, whichever method you decide to use you need to be consistent. There are some examples below that could be of great help.
Models for magazine articles or periodical literature
1. With no author “Pleistocene Population Explosions? Science, October 1, 1993. Volume 262, pp. 27-28.
2. A magazine article with an author Gibbons, Ann. “A First Step Toward Gene Therapy for Hemophilia B?. Science, October 1, 1993. Volume 262, pp. 29-30.
Model for books
1. With one author Arms, Karen. Environmental Science. United States: Saunders College Publishing, 1994.
2. With two authors Shraer, William D. and Herbert J. Stoltze. Biology the Study of Life. United States: Prentice Hall, 1994.
3. With more than two authors Bradford, Mundy P. et al. Organic and Biological Chemistry. United States: Saunders College Publishing Company, 1993.
Format of the Final Paper:
It should be typed and 1.5 spaced, except for quotations that are more than four lines long and the bibliography. These should be double-spaced. It should have a title page, with the school name, your name, the course name and date.
Each page numbered should be located either at the bottom center or at the top center.
12 point letter size.
Length: Varies. ~2000-2500 words
Bibliography
Markman Roberta H. and Marie L. Wadell. Writing the Research Paper. United States: Barron’s Educational Series, 1981.
Evaluation Criteria for the Research Paper
The following aspects will be assessed (see guidelines for writing research papers in science):
RUBRIC
Presentation and Neatness (5 points) -legible and neatly presented -proper lettering size -correct spacing -has a front page with all the information needed -pages are numbered
Form (10points) -paper organized in order (5) -all parts are included (title, introduction, body, conclusion, bibliography) (5)
Content (Body) (40 points) -information is complete (20) -information is well-organized and the ideas follow a logical sequence (5) -main concepts involved are clearly defined or explained (10) -objectives are accomplished or thesis is strongly supported throughout the paper (5)
Introduction (10 points) -thesis or objectives are clearly presented (5) -all types of sources used are identified (5)
Use of Information (10 points) -sources are properly cited, quoted or paraphrased (5) -references are properly listed and the same form is consistently used (5)
