1. Purpose and Objective
2. Style
3. Format
4. Structure
a. Introduction
b. Body
c. Conclusion
Checklist
1. Purpose and Objective:
A MLA (Modern Language Association) research paper presents to your reader the results of your research, investigations, and findings on your topic. A research paper is a project that is unique to your own thoughts and analysis along with the facts, supporting materials, and ideas you have gathered from a variety of resources. The purpose of a research paper is to illustrate to your reader not only your knowledge and expertise on your topic, but also the clarity, effectiveness, and quality in which you present the information. The process of writing your research paper is only a part of the process of writing a high quality paper. Exploring and finding a topic is a critical part of the process. Without a good topic your paper will not be effective and of high quality. Remember, your paper is personal. Write about something that is interesting to you and your reader. It is also important to find a topic that is not too broad and not too limited. If you begin writing about a topic that is too broad you will find too much information and will not have the time or resources to cover everything, just as writing about a topic that is too narrow will limit you on the amount of resources available to you. Before you begin the actual writing process of your paper it is most effective to first locate and analyze relevant information and organize your thoughts. It is highly recommended that you begin your research by creating an outline for your research. An outline is for your own benefit (unless it is a requirement from your instructor as well) that will save you time and hassle while doing the actual writing of your paper. An outline can be as simple as jotting down your ideas and listing the order you want to cover your ideas in your paper, to a more detailed2. Style:
The style of a research paper should be clear and concise. The style you use to document and reference your supporting materials and research represents and communicates to your reader your understanding of your topic. A MLA research paper connects your title page, content, and works sited page in a consistent manner. When constructing your paper using the MLA style, remain consistent in this format. There are two main types of research papers, analytical and argumentative. An analytical approach uses evidence to analyze your topic. An argumentative approach uses evidence to persuade and convince your reader on a particular point of view or stance on your topic. Though there are two main approaches to writing your paper, you can use a combination of both.
3. Format:
TOPIC: Though your research paper is your final product, the process of writing and formatting your paper is very important. Before you begin be sure you have a good topic that will be interesting to you and reader and will allow you to find enough relevant supporting materials. Be sure you stay within the particular requirements of your instructor, such as the length of the paper, topic guidelines, etc.
FINDING SOURCES: After you have decided on your topic begin the research and gathering of information for your paper. Textbooks, the Internet, Journals, Magazines, Scholarly Articles are all good resources to find valuable information for your paper. Read through different resources and begin selecting the supporting materials that will best support your paper. When selecting your resources keep in mind what your thesis will be (a thesis statement is the main point of your research paper, it summarizes what your paper is on and the direction that you will take your reader). After you have selected enough resources begin to organize them so that they relate appropriately to your content.
WRITING A DRAFT: When your research is well thought out and organized it is time to begin writing your first draft. Begin the writing process of your paper by keeping in mind who your reader is and what the primary objective of your particular paper is. Consider how much information on certain parts of your topic you need to convey to your reader, how much background and explanation do they need, what will they find most interesting, controversial, etc. After you have developed your organizational plan for your research paper begin developing your thesis more thoroughly and begin writing. Remember, your first draft is only a “draft”, it does not need to be perfect and it is not your final result. Several drafts are usually done to create and develop a high quality paper. With each draft you do, fill in information with more complete detail, be sure your paper flows well, and proof for grammar and spelling. Write your paper from a third person perspective (he, she, they). When writing your draft and final paper type everything double-spaced.
RESOURCES: In academic research papers that borrow information from sources, the borrowed information – quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and any facts or ideas that are not common knowledge must be clearly documented. To document a resource within the text in a MLA research paper type the last name of the author of the source with the page number(s) the information is from in parenthesis following the text. (Some resources do not have page numbers, such as websites and one page articles) For example, (Hemmingway 28,30) or (Smith). When using a quotation of more than four lines indent the quote to offset it from the rest of the text.
WORKS CITED PAGE: All MLA research papers are required to have a works cited page. The following format illustrates how to construct a works cited page using MLA style with a variety of commonly used sources. List sources in alphabetical order by author. The lines following the first line of a source should be indented five to ten spaces. Center “works cited” on the page with a 1″ margin from the top
4. Structure:
a. Introduction:
TOPIC: Though your research paper is your final product, the process of writing and formatting your paper is very important. Before you begin be sure you have a good topic that will be interesting to you and reader and will allow you to find enough relevant supporting materials. Be sure you stay within the particular requirements of your instructor, such as the length of the paper, topic guidelines, etc.
FINDING SOURCES: After you have decided on your topic begin the research and gathering of information for your paper. Textbooks, the Internet, Journals, Magazines, Scholarly Articles are all good resources to find valuable information for your paper. Read through different resources and begin selecting the supporting materials that will best support your paper. When selecting your resources keep in mind what your thesis will be (a thesis statement is the main point of your research paper, it summarizes what your paper is on and the direction that you will take your reader). After you have selected enough resources begin to organize them so that they relate appropriately to your content.
WRITING A DRAFT: When your research is well thought out and organized it is time to begin writing your first draft. Begin the writing process of your paper by keeping in mind who your reader is and what the primary objective of your particular paper is. Consider how much information on certain parts of your topic you need to convey to your reader, how much background and explanation do they need, what will they find most interesting, controversial, etc. After you have developed your organizational plan for your research paper begin developing your thesis more thoroughly and begin writing. Remember, your first draft is only a “draft”, it does not need to be perfect and it is not your final result. Several drafts are usually done to create and develop a high quality paper. With each draft you do, fill in information with more complete detail, be sure your paper flows well, and proof for grammar and spelling. Write your paper from a third person perspective (he, she, they). When writing your draft and final paper type everything double-spaced.
RESOURCES: In academic research papers that borrow information from sources, the borrowed information – quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and any facts or ideas that are not common knowledge must be clearly documented. To document a resource within the text in a MLA research paper type the last name of the author of the source with the page number(s) the information is from in parenthesis following the text. (Some resources do not have page numbers, such as websites and one page articles) For example, (Hemmingway 28,30) or (Smith). When using a quotation of more than four lines indent the quote to offset it from the rest of the text.
WORKS CITED PAGE: All MLA research papers are required to have a works cited page. The following format illustrates how to construct a works cited page using MLA style with a variety of commonly used sources. List sources in alphabetical order by author. The lines following the first line of a source should be indented five to ten spaces. Center “works cited” on the page with a 1″ margin from the top
b. Body:
There are several methods to make a smooth transition into the body of your paper and from paragraph to paragraph within the body. The following are examples that work for a transition; these allow you to easily elaborate more in the paragraph:
• Start with a solid introduction sentence. The introduction sentence contains the main idea of your paragraph.
• Use an interesting example from your own experience, or illustrate something unique and special in relation to the topic.
• Site a significant or alarming statistic.
The body of your research paper contains information on the extent of the problem you are researching, the critical analysis you are conducting, and supporting information. Include information that supports your research on the extent of your topic, who is affected, to what extent and what is the future of your topic. Throughout the body of your paper work in appropriate supporting material, quotes and statistics from your resources. (Remember to document them using the MLA documentation within the text). The body of your research paper should contain approximately 60% of your
c. Conclusion:
The most effective way to transition into your conclusion is to make a clear statement summarizing the conclusion you have drawn. This statement should start the first paragraph of your conclusion and contain the main point on what was found, revealed, etc. The conclusion of your research paper should refer back to the thesis of your paper to effectively tie everything together and bring the paper to a close. The conclusion of your research paper should contain approximately 20% of your paper’s content.
Checklist:
• Is my paper type double-spaced?• Have I met all the requirements of my instructor?• Do I have a title page?• Do I have an outline page (if required)?• Do I have a works cited page?• Have I proofed for spelling and grammar?• Have I correctly referenced each quote and resource using the author’s last name and page number in parenthesis?• Have I stayed consistent using the MLA style throughout the entire paper?• Do I have a clear thesis statement?• Does my research paper follow my thesis statement?• Have I covered all items in my outline with enough detail and support?
