|
Home
> Articles
>
How to Write a Term Paper >
1
2
3
4
5
6 [Next]
 How
to Write a Term Paper
Courtesy
of Thomson Gale - www.gale.com
This guide is designed to support you as you use
electronic and print resources to:
All steps of the research process will be illustrated by examples
that follow the creation of a research paper exploring Toni Morrison's
novel Beloved. You will be able to track the development of a thesis from initial questions asked during the reading of Beloved to the documentation of material researched to develop that thesis.
First, a definition of terms:
1. Research
a. "The purpose of research is not simply to retrieve data, but to
participate in a conversation about it" (Brent 109). In addition to
being a scholarly investigation, research is a social activity intended
to create new knowledge.
b. Because your purpose is to create new
knowledge while recognizing those scholars whose existing work has
helped you in this pursuit, you are honor bound never to commit the
following academic sins:
1) Plagiarism:
Literally "kidnapping," involving the use of someone else's words as if
they were your own (Gibaldi 6). To avoid plagiarism you must document
direct quotations, paraphrases, and original ideas not your own.
2) Recycling:
Rehashing material you already know thoroughly or, without your
professor's permission, submitting a paper that you have completed for
another course.
3) Premature cognitive commitment:
Academic jargon for deciding on a thesis too soon and then seeking
information to serve that thesis rather than embarking on a genuine
search for new knowledge.
2. Literary Research
a. Literary research is your response to the questions that you
ask while experiencing the world the author or poet has created. These
questions may concern such elements as character, style, setting,
theme, or literary movement.
b. Your original text, the literary work you have studied first hand, is called the primary source.
Those works that present information as well as the opinions and ideas of other scholars are called secondary sources.
c. During literary research, you return again and again to the primary
source to choose the material you wish to discuss, or to compare and
contrast to other authors or works. You also return to the primary
source to evaluate the critical statements of literary scholars.
[Term
paper Article Index] [Next]
|
