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Why Do You Need this New Edition?, i
About the Author, ii
Copyright, iv
Preface, xx
Introduction. Rethinking the Research Paper, 1
Exercise 1. Collecting Golf Balls on Driving Ranges and Other Reflections, 1
Learning and Unlearning, 4
Using This Book, 4
The Exercises, 4
The Five-Week Plan, 5
Alternatives to the Five-Week Plan, 6
The Research Paper and the Research Report, 7
Discovering Your Purpose, 7
How Formal Should It Be?, 9
When “Bad” Writing Is Good, 10
Thinking Like an Academic Writer, 10
“Essaying” or Arguing?, 11
The Research Essay and Academic Writing, 13
Becoming an Authority by Using Authorities, 15
“It’s Just My Opinion”, 15
Facts Don’t Kill, 16
Exercise 2. Reflecting on “The Bothersome Beauty of Pigeons”, 17
The Question Habit, 25
Chapter 1. The First Week, 27
The Importance of Getting Curious, 27
Learning to Wonder Again, 27
Getting the Pot Boiling, 28
Exercise 1.1. Building an Interest Inventory, 29
Other Ways to Find a Topic, 33
What Is a Good Topic?, 35
Checking Out Your Tentative Topic, 35
Making the Most of an Assigned Topic, 36
Exercise 1.2. The Myth of the Boring Topic, 37
Developing a Working Knowledge, 39
Research Strategies, 40
Exercise 1.3. Seeing the Broad View, 40
The Reference Librarian: A Living Source, 46
Narrowing the Subject, 47
Circling the Lighthouse, 47
From Landscape Shots to Close-Ups, 48
Exercise 1.4. Finding the Questions, 48
Exercise 1.5. Finding the Focusing Question, 50
Exercise 1.6. Finding the Relationship, 51
Possible Purposes for a Research Assignment, 52
Exercise 1.7. Research Proposal, 53
Reading for Research, 55
Exercise 1.8. Ways of Reading to Write, 55
Reading Rhetorically, 57
Reading Like an Outsider, 58
Chapter 2. The Second Week, 61
Developing a Research Strategy, 61
Google vs. the Library, 62
A Complementary Research Strategy, 64
Find Sufficient Information by Using the Best Search Terms, 65
Controlled Language Searches Using Library of Congress Subject Headings, 65
Boolean Searching, 67
Magic Words on the World Wide Web, 68
Find Varied Sources, 70
Primary vs. Secondary Sources, 72
Objective vs. Subjective, 72
Stable or Unstable?, 73
Find Quality Sources, 73
When Was It Published?, 73
Why Journal Articles Are Better Than Magazine Articles, 74
Look for Often-Cited Authors, 75
Not All Books Are Alike, 75
Evaluating Online Sources, 76
A Key to Evaluating Internet Sources, 77
Developing Focused Knowledge, 81
What About a Thesis?, 82
Suspending Judgment?, 82
What Do You Presume?, 82
What Are You Arguing?, 83
Library Research Techniques, 85
Finding Books, 85
Understanding Call Numbers, 86
Exercise 2.1. Library Investigations, 87
Coming Up Empty-Handed?, 89
Checking Bibliographies, 89
Interlibrary Loan, 89
Finding Magazine and Journal Articles Using Online Databases, 90
Finding Newspaper Articles with Online Databases, 93
Advanced Internet Research Techniques, 94
Types of Search Engines, 95
Exercise 2.2. Research on the Internet, 96
Living Sources: Interviews and Surveys, 99
Arranging Interviews, 99
Finding Experts, 99
Finding Nonexperts Affected by Your Topic, 101
Making Contact, 101
Conducting Interviews, 102
Whom to Interview?, 102
What Questions to Ask?, 102
During the Interview, 104
Notetaking, 104
The E-Mail Interview, 105
Finding People on the Internet, 105
Making Contact by E-Mail, 106
The Discussion Board Interview, 106
Deciding What to Ask, 107
Planning Informal Surveys, 107
Defining Goals and Audience, 107
Types of Questions, 108
Survey Design, 110
Avoid Loaded Questions, 110
Avoid Vague Questions, 110
Drawbacks of Open-Ended Questions, 110
Designing Your Multiple-Choice Questions, 111
Continuum Questions, 111
Planning for Distribution, 112
Conducting Surveys, 112
Distribution, 112
The Internet Survey, 113
Chapter 3. The Third Week, 115
Writing in the Middle, 115
Becoming an Activist Notetaker, 116
Exercise 3.1. Getting a Word in Edgewise, 118
Exercise 3.2. “Say Back” to a Source, 121
Recognizing Plagiarism, 121
I Read What You Said and Borrowed It, Okay?, 122
Why Plagiarism Matters, 124
Sources Are from Mars, Notetakers Are from Venus, 125
Paraphrasing, 126
Exercise 3.3. Paraphrase Practice, 126
Summarizing, 127
Exercise 3.4. Summary Practice, 128
Quoting, 129
When to Quote, 129
Quoting Fairly, 131
Exercise 3.5. Dialogic Notetaking: Listening In, Speaking Up, 131
“Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism” by Christine Rosen, 134
Notetaking Techniques, 143
The Double-Entry Journal, 144
Other Notetaking Techniques, 153
The Research Log: A Jay Leno Approach, 153
Narrative Notetaking, 157
First Layer: Story the Source, 160
Second Layer: Rapid Summary, 160
Third Layer: Narrative of Thought, 160
Online Research Notebooks, 161
When You’re Coming Up Short: More Advanced Searching Techniques, 162
Advanced Library Searching Techniques, 163
Advanced Internet Search Techniques, 164
Thinking Outside the Box: Alternative Sources, 166
Chapter 4. The Fourth Week, 169
Getting to the Draft, 169
When the Experts Disagree, 170
Evaluating Conflicting Claims, 170
Exercise 4.1. Do Concealed Guns Reduce Crime?, 171
Exercise 4.2. Reclaiming Your Topic, 174
An Application Example, 176
Deciding Whether to Say I, 181
Getting Personal Without Being Personal, 182
Beginning at the Beginning, 182
Flashlights or Floodlights?, 183
Writing Multiple Leads, 185
Exercise 4.3. Three Ways In, 187
Deciding on a Voice, 189
Considering Purpose, Audience, Subject, and Who You Are, 190
The Differing Voices of Research, 192
Writing for Reader Interest, 193
Working the Common Ground, 194
Topics for Which Common Ground Is Hard to Find, 195
Putting People on the Page, 196
Using Case Studies, 197
Using Interviews, 197
Writing a Strong Ending, 198
Endings to Avoid, 198
Using Surprise, 200
Organizing the Draft, 201
Delayed Thesis Structure, 202
Question–Claim Structure, 204
Essaying or Arguing: An Example, 206
Writing with Sources, 207
Blending Kinds of Writing and Sources, 207
Handling Quotes, 208
Quick Tips for Controlling Quotations, 211
Grafting Quotes, 211
Sandwiching Quotes, 211
Billboarding Quotes, 212
Splicing Quotes, 213
Handling Interview Material, 214
Trusting Your Memory, 215
Citing Sources, 215
An Alternative to Colliding Footnotes, 215
I Hate These Theses to Pieces, 216
Driving Through the First Draft, 218
A Draft Is Something the Wind Blows Through, 218
Chapter 5. The Fifth Week, 221
Revising for Purpose, 221
Exercise 5.1. Wrestling with the Draft, 223
The Thesis as a Tool for Revision, 226
Exercise 5.2. Dissecting the Fish, 227
Using a Reader, 229
What You Need from a Reader, 229
Exercise 5.3. Directing the Reader’s Response, 229
Attacking the Draft, 230
Exercise 5.4. Cut-and-Paste Revision, 231
Examining the Wreckage, 232
Revising for Information, 234
Finding Quick Facts, 234
Revising for Language, 235
Listening to the Voice, 237
Avoid Sounding Glib, 237
How to Control Information, 238
Verbal Gestures, 240
Scrutinizing Paragraphs, 242
How Well Do You Integrate Sources?, 242
Is Each Paragraph Unified?, 242
Scrutinizing Sentences, 242
Using Active Voice, 242
Using Strong Verbs, 244
Varying Sentence Length, 244
Editing for Simplicity, 247
Exercise 5.5. Cutting Clutter, 247
Stock Phrases in Research Papers, 247
Preparing the Final Manuscript, 248
Considering “Reader-Friendly” Design, 249
Following MLA Conventions, 250
Proofreading Your Paper, 250
Proofreading on a Computer, 250
Looking Closely, 251
Exercise 5.6. Picking Off the Lint, 251
Ten Common Mistakes, 252
Using the “Find” or “Search” Function, 254
Avoiding Sexist Language, 255
Looking Back and Moving On, 256
Appendix A. Guide to MLA Style, 257
Part One: Citing Sources in Your Essay, 259
1.1. When to Cite, 259
The Common Knowledge Exception, 259
1.2. The MLA Author/Page System, 260
The Basics of Using Parenthetical Citation, 260
1.2.1. Placement of Citations, 262
1.2.2. When You Mention the Author’s Name, 264
1.2.3. When There Is No Author, 264
1.2.4. Works by the Same Author, 265
1.2.5. Indirect Sources, 266
1.2.6. Personal Interviews, 267
1.2.7. Several Sources in a Single Citation, 267
Sample Parenthetical References for Other Sources, 268
1.2.8. An Entire Work, 268
1.2.9. A Volume of a Multivolume Work, 268
1.2.10. Several Sources for a Single Passage, 268
1.2.11. A Literary Work, 269
1.2.12. An Online Source, 269
Part Two: Format, 270
2.1. The Layout, 270
2.1.1. Printing, 270
2.1.2. Margins and Spacing, 270
2.1.3. Title Page, 270
2.1.4. Pagination, 272
2.1.5. Placement of Tables, Charts, and Illustrations, 272
2.1.6. Handling Titles, 272
2.1.7. Italics and Underlinings, 273
2.1.8. Language and Style, 273
Names, 273
Ellipsis Points, 274
Quotations, 274
Part Three: Preparing the “Works Cited” Page, 275
3.1. Format, 276
Alphabetizing the List, 276
Indenting and Spacing, 276
3.2. Citing Books, 277
Title, 277
Edition, 278
Publication Place, Publisher, and Date, 278
Page Numbers, 278
Sample Book Citations, 279
3.2.1. A Book by One Author, 279
3.2.2. A Book by Two Authors, 279
3.2.3. A Book with More Than Three Authors, 279
3.2.4. Several Books by the Same Author, 279
3.2.5. An Entire Collection or Anthology, 279
3.2.6. A Work in a Collection or Anthology, 280
3.2.7. An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Prologue, 280
3.2.8. A Book with No Author, 280
3.2.9. An Encyclopedia, 281
3.2.10. A Book with an Institutional Author, 281
3.2.11. A Book with Multiple Volumes, 281
3.2.12. A Book That Is Not a First Edition, 282
3.2.13. A Book Published Before 1900, 282
3.2.14. A Translation, 283
3.2.15. Government Documents, 283
3.2.16. A Book That Was Republished, 283
3.2.17. An Online Book, 284
3.3. Citing Periodicals, 284
Author’s Name, 284
Article Title, 284
Periodical Title, 284
Volume Number, 285
Date, 285
Page Numbers, 285
Sample Periodical Citations, 286
3.3.1. A Magazine Article, 286
3.3.2. A Journal Article, 286
3.3.3. A Newspaper Article, 287
3.3.4. An Article with No Author, 288
3.3.5. An Editorial, 288
3.3.6. A Letter to the Editor, 289
3.3.7. A Review, 289
3.3.8. An Abstract, 289
3.4. Citing Nonprint and Other Sources, 290
3.4.1. An Interview, 290
3.4.2. Surveys, Questionnaires, and Case Studies, 291
3.4.3. Recordings, 291
3.4.4. Television and Radio Programs, 292
3.4.5. Films, Videotapes, and DVDs, 292
3.4.6. Artwork, 293
3.4.7. An Advertisement, 293
3.4.8. Lectures and Speeches, 293
3.4.9. Pamphlets, 294
3.5. Citing CD-ROMs and Other “Portable” Databases, 294
3.5.1. A Nonperiodical Database, 294
3.5.2. A Periodical Database, 295
3.6. Citing Online Databases, 296
Other Recent Changes by the MLA, 296
Is It Also in Print?, 297
Long and Ugly URLs, 298
Sample Online Citations, 299
3.6.1. An Article, 299
3.6.2. An Article or Abstract in a Library Database, 299
3.6.3. An Online Book, 302
3.6.4. A Web Site or Page from a Web Site, 303
3.6.5. An Online Posting, 303
3.6.6. An E-Mail Message, 304
3.6.7. A Sound Clip or Podcast, 304
3.6.8. An Online Video, 304
3.6.9. An Interview, 305
3.6.10. A Blog Entry or Blog Comment, 305
3.6.11. An Online Image, 306
3.6.12. Synchronous Communication (MOOS, MUDS, IRCS), 306
Part Four: Student Essay in MLA Style, 307
“In Search of the Great White” by Amanda Stewart, 308
Appendix B. Guide to APA Style, 319
Part One: How the Essay Should Look, 322
1.1. The Layout, 322
1.1.1. Page Format, 322
1.1.2. Title Page, 322
1.1.3. Abstract, 322
1.1.4. Body of the Paper, 324
1.1.5. Handling Quoted Material, 325
1.1.6. References Page, 326
1.1.7. Appendix, 327
1.1.8. Notes, 327
1.1.9. Tables and Figures, 327
1.1.10. Language and Style, 328
Part Two: Citing Sources in Your Essay, 328
2.1. The APA Author/Page System, 328
2.1.1. When the Author Is Mentioned in the Text, 328
2.1.2. When the Author Isn’t Mentioned in the Text, 328
2.1.3. When to Cite Page Numbers, 329
2.1.4. A Single Work by Two or More Authors, 329
2.1.5. A Work with No Author, 330
2.1.6. Two or More Works by the Same Author, 330
2.1.7. An Institutional Author, 330
2.1.8. Multiple Works in the Same Parentheses, 331
2.1.9. Interviews, E-Mail, and Letters, 331
2.1.10. New Editions of Old Works, 332
2.1.11. A Web Site, 332
Part Three: Preparing the “References” List, 332
3.1. Order of Sources, 332
3.2. Order of Information, 333
Author, 333
Date, 333
Article or Book Title, 333
Periodical Title and Publication Information, 333
3.3. Sample References, 334
3.3.1. A Journal Article, 334
3.3.2. A Journal Article Not Paginated Continuously, 335
3.3.3. A Magazine Article, 335
3.3.4. A Newspaper Article, 335
3.3.5. A Book, 336
3.3.6. A Book or Article with More Than One Author, 336
3.3.7. A Book or Article with an Unknown Author, 336
3.3.8. An Encyclopedia Entry, 337
3.3.9. A Dictionary, 337
3.3.10. A Book with an Institutional Author, 338
3.3.11. A Book with an Editor, 338
3.3.12. A Selection in a Book with an Editor, 338
3.3.13. A Republished Work, 338
3.3.14. An Abstract, 339
3.3.15. A Source Mentioned by Another Source, 339
3.3.16. A Book Review, 340
3.3.17. A Government Document, 340
3.3.18. A Letter to the Editor, 340
3.3.19. A Published Interview, 341
3.3.20. A Film, Videotape, or Online Video, 341
3.3.21. A Television Program, 341
3.3.22. A Musical Recording, 342
3.3.23. A Computer Program, 342
3.4. Citing Electronic Sources, 342
3.4.1. An Electronic Version of an Article Also in Print, 343
3.4.2. An Article Only on the Internet, 343
3.4.3. An Electronic Text, 344
3.4.4. An Article or Abstract from a Library Database, 344
3.4.5. A Part of a Work, 345
3.4.6. An Online Journal, 345
3.4.7. A Newspaper Article, 345
3.4.8. An Entire Web Page, 346
3.4.9. An Article on a Web Site, 346
3.4.10. An Audio Podcast, 346
3.4.11. A Blog, 347
3.4.12. A Wiki, 347
3.4.13. Discussion Lists, 347
3.4.14. E-Mail, 348
Part Four: Sample Paper in APA Style, 348
“What’s Love Got to Do with It? Compatability and Marital Success” by Jennifer Suittor, 349
Appendix C. Understanding Research Assignments, 359
Analyzing the Purpose of the Assignment, 360
Argumentative Research: Open or Closed?, 361
Audience, 362
Emphasis on Formal Qualities, 363
Types of Evidence: Primary or Secondary, 365
Index, 367

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