1. The Dalhousie University Writing Centre Writing a Research Paper Linda Macdonald, PhD

2. Overview Introduction to the Writing Centre The Elements of a Good Paper Key Features of Academic Writing The Writing Process Referencing Additional Resources

4. any phase of the writing process (brainstorming, developing thesis statements, crafting the final draft, revising);

5. organization and structure of your writing;

7. You will be asked to describe your assignment and identify the aspect of your writing you would like to address.

9. Key Features of Academic Writing Several key features distinguish academic writing. These features, adapted from Gillet (2011), include Accuracy– Vocabulary, facts, and figures are used accurately and are consistent with the standards of your field. Explicitness– The relationship between ideas is clarified through the use of signaling words and transitions. Complexity– Academic writing incorporates language particular to your audience and field and addresses more intricate issues than other types of texts. Formality– Academic writing should be free of contractions, slang, and abbreviations. Responsibility– You are responsible for the claims you make and for understanding the sources from which you draw. You are also responsible to the people whose work you draw on to make your claims. This responsibility is reflected in proper in-text citations and proper reference list form. Objectivity-- The emphasis of the writing is on the information you are conveying or the argument you are making rather than on you.

10. The Writing Process Steps in the writing process 1. Plan the paper (understand the assignment, time management). 2. Decide on a topic. 3. Make an outline. 4. Research the topic. 5. Repeat 3 & 4 as necessary. 6. Draft the paper. 7. Revise (re-seeing the whole paper, checking surface issues, referencing, and seeing a writing tutor).

12. Break the assignment into manageable parts and estimate how much time it would take to complete each part. Allow plenty of time for the revision stage.

14. Determine the point of view

15. Categorize the ideas (handout)

16. Understand the characteristics of the individual parts

17. Understand the relationships among the individual pieces

18. Organize these into groups according to the relationships

19. Establish an overall picture of how these groups relate to each other

21. Using Secondary Sources Some papers require you to use secondary source material as evidence for your assertions in the course of your discussion. Other papers require a literature review, which provides an analytical synthesis of key issues and themes on a topic.

25. participate in the ongoing academic dialogue;

26. establish the relationships between ideas;

27. identify points of tension in the academic dialogue;

28. identify gaps in current knowledge;

30. Steps in Creating a Literature Review 1. Define your topic and create a thesis statement. 2. Identify your sources. 3. For each of your books and/or articles, take note of the Keywords/concepts (how is the subject described), Themes (what is the author saying about the subject), Approaches (method of research), Perspectives (the theory used to understand the subject), Findings/conclusions (results of the research).

31. Steps in Creating a Literature Review 4. Consider how your sources relate to each other and to your thesis. Look for similarities, identify differences, and note omissions. 5. Structure your literature review around the themes that emerge rather than the individual sources (synthesize the material). Three themes emerge from the literature. These themes include…

32. Steps in Creating a Literature Review 6. Clearly express similarities and differences by incorporating synthesizing phrases. UnlikeSmith (2003), Jones (2005) suggests that poverty is a result of systemic failures related to the uneven distribution of wealth. Althoughtheir perspectives differ, Stone (1998) and Goldberg (2006) conclude that poverty is best redressed through increasing minimum wage. Both Morse (1998) and Stone (1998) attribute poverty to personal short-comings of individuals.

33. The Elements of a Good Paper The introduction must accomplish three tasks. It must show the reader that there is a problem or explain the context for an issue; state the thesis (point of argument or purpose) and emphasize the implications of this claim; and state your intended route or "roadmap“ (the elements of your analysis in the order you develop them). The body paragraphs develop and support your thesis. Each paragraph has a specific purpose in developing the thesis, a purpose that is presented in the topic sentence, offers evidence from primary and/or secondary sources; fits logically within the flow of the argument. The conclusion reaffirms your paper’s position; draws together the main points; emphasizes the implications of your analysis and findings, making clear your contribution to our understanding of the topic.

35. Each paragraph should offer an idea or point that supports your thesis.

37. The relationship between the elements that make up the paragraph should be explicit.

38. Sentences should flow logically.

41. create links in a chain of points (first, second, third; first, furthermore, finally; basically, similarly, as well; generally, however, therefore)

42. establish order sequentially or chronologically (after, at first, before, finallyfirst...second...third, later, meanwhile, next, then)

43. establish purpose In order to better understand this occurrence, the historical context must first be addressed. Before addressing the key issues, it is necessary to define… For lists of transition words and their uses, seehttp://www.sass.uottawa.ca/writing/kit/grammar-transitional.pdf

44. Revision Look at what you have written from the perspective of someone reading it for the first time and answering the following questions: What is the occasion for writing or the problem the paper seeks to address? What sentence contains the thesis? What sentence(s) in the introduction indicates the projected organization? How is the essay organized? Are transitions in place throughout the paper to facilitate the flow of the argument? Is the information from secondary sources synthesized and effectively used to develop the paper’s thesis? (Conversely, are the sources allowed to dominate the discussion and minimize the author’s voice?) Are there errors in the paper that inhibit the flow of the argument or limit the effectiveness of the content? Does each paragraph, each sentence, each word have a clear purpose? Does the conclusion effectively summarize the key findings, reaffirm the thesis, and emphasize the implications?

45. Referencing Use of secondary sources with proper citations and referencing demonstrates academic integrity and successful engagement in the profession. Use proper author/date in-text citation with page numbers for direct quotations. Use the style manual (APA, MLA, or Chicago, for example) appropriate for your course.

46. References and Additional Resources Gillet, A. (2011). Features of academic writing. Retrieved July 22, 2011, from www.uefap.com/writing/feature/intro.htm Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2011). Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue/owl/ Taylor, D. (n.d.). The literature review: A few tips on conducting it. Retrieved from www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review Transition words. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/writing/kit/grammar-transitional.pdf Write a literature review. (2011). Retrieved from http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/write-a-literature-review