There are two types of outlines that are
used--topic and sentence outlines. Topic
outlines are used in short essays and consist of
a few words or phrases that highlight the
major topics or subtopics that the essay will
cover. Sentence outlines are used in longer
writing projects and consist of one-sentence
summaries for each of the topics or
subtopics. This is used in term papers and will
force you to determine exactly what you
want to say. Such a sentence outline can serve
to help determine the overall validity of
the organizational scheme you have formulated
for the project.
A suitable starting point for your research is
an encyclopedia. Consult both general
and specialized types. Try to have the
reference librarian help you in your search for
source material.
One of the keys to successful research is
taking adequate notes. A useful way to do
this is to record information on 5
× 7 cards, writing on one side only so
that the cards
can later be spread out. You should fully
identify your reference source for sorting. For
books, you should indicate title, author(s),
publisher, year of publication, page where
information is found, and total number of
pages. For articles, you need to identify the
name of the periodical, title of article,
author(s), volume, issue number, date, and inclu-
sive page numbers.
Material in books that contain important
information or tables and/or charts should
be photocopied, using the library's (coin
operated) copy machine.
In cases where you copy text verbatim, you must
use quotation marks, or you
should paraphrase the text, using your own
words to summarize the author's views. If
you do not do this you will be guilty of
plagiarism--a serious academic offense.
If your topic involves an issue that has more
than one view, seek material that pre-
sents the alternative viewpoints, using the
various reference sources noted earlier. You
may need to broaden your reference heading if
you are unable to adequately secure infor-
mation under the headings you are currently
using. If the standard sources are inadequate,
you may want to make use of The New York Times
Index and/or Readers' Guide to
Periodical Literature (starting with the most
recent edition). You probably will need to
look through back issues as well as microfilm
in your search for source material. You also
may have to utilize the resources of other
libraries to acquire all of the material you need.
These include public, central municipal, and
college libraries. Universities frequently
have specialized departmental libraries that
can prove to be invaluable in your research.
To facilitate your effort, avoid repeating the
information you have already recorded.
Merely note the additional source for inclusion
in your bibliography. Any work done by
the instructor should obviously be noted in the
body of the text, if appropriate, and cer-
tainly in the bibliography. (The reason for
this should be obvious.) Avoid working on a
project with someone else, even if you have the
instructor's approval, because collabo-
ration has inherent difficulties and an
especially superior product is usually expected.
When you find that you have obtained the
information you seek and sources provide
only confirmatory data, you can begin preparing
the rough draft of your term paper.
Using a computer is strongly
recommended.
The Rough Draft
Before starting your rough draft, review your
outline and amend it as necessary. Then
arrange your research index cards according to
your outline. Number your cards in
sequence.
Make a special effort to draft the initial
paragraph so that it contains the premise of
your paper and so that it comes across in a
forceful manner. Next, you should clarify
how you intend to achieve the goal of
establishing the proposed premise.
Having defined your goals, you can now proceed
to outline your research data, using
the information from your cards to present your
ideas. When presenting an author's ideas
or providing support from one of your sources
for a statement you are making, note with
a superscript the card number containing the
reference source. At this writing phase,
place your emphasis on quality of the ideas,
rather than on the flow of the language. At
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