RESEARCH PAPER Port of Los Angeles. To write a report, you should: choose a topic that interests you decide on a purpose for your report gather information.

RESEARCH PAPER

Port of Los Angeles

To write a report, you should:

• choose a topic that interests you• decide on a purpose for your report• gather information from multiple sources• take notes, organize your notes, & write an outline• write about your purpose and main idea in a thesis

statement• present the information about your topic to your

readers in your own words• prepare a list of your sources (works cited page)

I. Prewriting

A. Choose a good topic1. Select a topic about POLA that interest you (ask, what would I like to know more about?)2. Narrow the topic so that you can cover it thoroughly

B. Narrow your topic1. Too broad – example: Port of Los Angeles2. Too narrow – ex.: Fanfare Fountains (won’t find enough facts and statistics for report)

Broad Topic

Port of Los Angeles

Narrow Topic Narrow Topic

Narrower Topic

Narrower Topic

Narrower Topic

Narrower Topic

Questions to ask to make sure you have chosen the right topic:

1. How long is my report suppose to be?2. How much information from various

sources about my topic can I find?3. What element of the general subject

interests me the most?

Reports are built on facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions.

List of sources you can use to investigate your topic:

1. reference books (i.e., encyclopedia, almanacs, atlases, and dictionaries)

2. books3. magazines4. newspapers5. pamphlets6. non-print resources (i.e., video and audio)

7. Internet sources8. computer software programs9. experts – anyone who has valued information about the topic

you are investigating

EVALUATE the INFORMATION:FACTS can be proved. Statistics and other information that can be

proved true are facts. OPINIONS cannot be proved; they are what people think about

facts. Include only the opinions of experts in your report.

BIAS sources are those that support a particular point of view. These sources only include information that supports their point of view.

INTERNET SOURCES do not always contain accurate information. To make sure the information from a site is accurate, find another source with the same information.

PRIMARY & SECONDARY SOURCES:

PRIMARY SOURCES: gives you information that has not been gathered and shaped in a certain way by someone else. Examples:

1). a person close to the topic you’re researching.

2). a real journal, a letter, or a document from the topic you’re researching.

SECONDARY SOURCES: books, magazines, articles, internet sites; sources where another writer has gathered the information and shaped it in a certain way.

RESEARCH TIP: an interview with an expert in the field that you are researching would be an EXCELLENT primary source.

CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW• Research should always include primary sources• Interviews with people who are experts in the

field of your topic are excellent sources1. Indentify an expert on your topic2. Contact him/her to schedule an interview3. Prepare interview questions ahead of time4. Effective interview questions open-ended (they

ask for more than a yes or no answer)*RESEARCH TIP: WHEN CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW USE A

NOTEBOOK, A TAPE/VOICE RECORDER OR BOTH TO HELP REMEMBER IMPORTANT POINTS

FORM A PURPOSE• Must have a purpose, or reason for writing your

research report• After reading articles on your topic choose a

purpose by:1. Write down 3 questions you hope to answer in your report2. Consider which questions will guide your research

*RESEARCH TIP: As I learn more about my topic, I may discover an element that looks more interesting than the one I originally chose. It’s not too late to change directions.

MAKE NOTE CARDS1st find sources2nd gather information• take notes on 3x5 index cards• WRITE DOWN the title and author of each source!!• After highlighting, reread article and take NOTES• TOP write the subject of the note. Later, this

heading helps organize and find information• BOTTOM write the author’s name, the title of your

source, and the page number where you found the information

MAKE NOTE CARDS• DON’T COPY WORD FOR WORD (plagiarism)• Think about what you read then write notes in

your own words• If you do copy some words/phrases from a source

USE QUOTATION MARKS• Begin a new card each time you start a new topic

or go to a new source

EXAMPLE:Helmets come in more styles, shapes, and prices than most shops can handle. As I write this, there are at least a hundred models on the market competing for your attention. Average weight is about 9 ounces though some are as light as 6 or 7 ounces.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------James C. McCullagh. Cycling for Health, Fitness, and Well-being, 182-183. New York: Dell Publishing, 1995

Helmets• different styles (this might encourage young people to wear them)• many weigh less than 10 ounces

James C. McCullagh, Cycling for Health, Fitness, and Well-being, 182-183

DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR NOTES BEFORE YOUR REPORT IS FINISHED!!!

Expository Writing• The goal of expository writing to explain or inform• FOUR APPROACHES:

1). definition 2). compare-contrast

3). process 4). cause-effect

• These four approaches can be used alone, or they can be combined in any expository piece of writing

*if using definition then it must be combined with another approach

Compare and Contrasting• When you compare two things you explain how they’re similar• When you contrast two things you explain how they’re

different• Examine your subjects/topic: first think about one topic and

list descriptive facts that go with that topic then make a list of the same kinds of facts for your other topic

• Sort what you see: Venn diagram• Organize the facts:

I). by topic (discuss first topic then second) OR II). by feature (discuss one feature and write about

both the similarities and differences for both topics) and then do the same for another feature and so on.

Explaining a Process• Choose a topic you know well (through your research)• Identify your audience (class and teacher) • Locate terms they’ll understand (define when needed)• Be clear about your purpose• Make the order clear:

gather info. through research, observations, interviews list the steps of the process in chronological order use transition words in your writing (examples: first, then, after, next, later, while, finally)

Using Cause-and-Effect Relationship

• A cause is an identifiable condition or event• An effect is something that happens as a direct result

of that condition or event• May show one cause and one effect• May explain a series of effects resulting from a single

cause• May present multiple causes and multiple effects• Sometimes a cause and its effect form part of a chain

of events (one cause may lead to an effect, and that effect may in turn change circumstances and lead to another effect)

Using Cause-and-Effect Relationship

• Organize Your Explanation:I). identify a cause and then explain its

effects ORII). Stating an effect and then discussing its

cause or causes*Once draft is completed you must review to make sure

the cause-and-effect relationships are clear**Use transition words (i.e., so, if, then, since, because,

therefore, as a result)• Using Details: facts, statistics, examples/incidents,

reasons

Expository Writing Summary• definitions• step-by-step process• comparison and contrast• cause-and-effect relationships• support explanation with facts, statistics, examples,

incidents, and reasons• use transition words/phrases

Thesis Statement• Chose a purpose for your report and write about it in

the form of a thesis statement• A sentence that tells briefly and clearly the main idea

you want your readers to understand• Tells what you want: to show, prove, or explain• Gives your report a focusThat one statement ANSWERS:1. What is your report’s purpose or main idea?2. What are some of the most important ideas you

learned in your research?3. What exactly do you want your readers to know?

HW: answer on index card1. What is your report’s purpose or main idea?2. What are some of the most important ideas you

learned in your research?3. What exactly do you want your readers to know?4. What do I want to teach others?5. What expository approach will I use?6. What is my first draft of my thesis statement? (1-

2 sentences)