Research Paper – Tips (modified from Mr.

Casagrande’s Research Paper Tips)

A. Thesis statement

What? The thesis is not a description of your essay topic, a question, a statement of fact, or a
statement of opinion. The thesis must do more than announce to your reader what your paper is
about. A thesis statement is a statement that reflects what you have
concluded about a paper based on the source materials you have examined.
It is an answer to a question posed, and it is always an
arguable point.
Where? The thesis is always located at the end of the introductory paragraph. Notice, it is a
thesis statement, not a thesis sentence. It is often going to be more than one sentence.

Example 1: The essay assignment was “Discuss the role of non-violence in the Indian
independence movement. ”

Consider the following thesis statements:

 This paper is about the role of non-violence in the Indian resistance movement. This
is NOT a thesis statement. It restates the question, but does not provide your conclusion
and there is no point to be argued.

 This paper is about the methods Mohandas Gandhi used to gain independence from
Great Britain. Again, this is NOT a thesis statement for the same reasons as the previous
example.

 Why were Mohandas Gandhi ‘s methods successful in the movement to achieve

Indian independence from Great Britain? This is NOT a thesis. A thesis cannot be a
question.

 Mohandas Gandhi led the movement by which India achieved independence from
Britain. This is NOT a thesis, since it is simply a statement of fact. A fact cannot be a thesis.

 Mohandas Gandhi is my favorite political leader of the 20th century. This is NOT a
thesis- a thesis cannot be simply a statement of preference. In addition, it has neglected the
main focus of the assignment.

This IS an acceptable thesis:

 From the moment that Mohandas Gandhi decided to respond to force with acts of
civil disobedience, British rule in India was doomed. His indictment of British
colonial policy in the court of public opinion did far more damage to the British
 military than could any weapon. This is a good thesis statement because (1) it is an
answer to the essay assignment, and (2) it is an arguable point, and reflects your
conclusions based on your examination of the source material.

 Example 2: Analyze the role played by experiment and observation in William

Harvey’s On the motion of the Heart and Blood?
Acceptable thesis: Although Harvey sometimes used analogies and symbols in his
discussion of the movement of the heart and the blood, it was his careful observations, his
elegantly designed experiments, and his meticulous measurements that led him to discover
circulation.

 Example 3: Analyze the factors that brought about the fall of the Roman Empire.
Acceptable thesis: The Roman Empire gradually fell because of political instability, severe
economic problems, and a culture of corruption.

B. Topic Sentences
What? Topic Sentences are clear statements that inform the reader what the topic of the
paragraph will be. They must be aligned with the thesis statement.
Where? Topic sentences at the beginning of each body paragraph.

 Example 1: Refer to Example 3 above. A topic sentence for that essay might be:
 One of the most pressing problems of the late Empire was that of political instability.
Or
 An important cause of the fall of the Empire was due to a growing culture of
corruption among its people.
Or
 Crushing economic decline led to the fall of the Roman Empire.

C. Structure of a body paragraph

 Topic Sentence

 Reference to document example 1/explanation

 Transition

 Reference to document example 2/explanation

 Transition

 Reference to document example 3/explanation

 Sum up the paragraph in a sentence

**Please note that for this research paper you will have more references.
D. How to incorporate document references
1. As a rule, always use the author’s full name and the title of a document when discussing it. A
brief description of the author is helpful if he /she is not a well-known figure. For example, if
the document’s author was George Washington, you would not normally need to provide
background. But, if the author was a newspaper editor named William Smith, you might write:
“ William Smith, a newspaper editor, wrote that…” Every time you refer to that person again,
use their last name.
2. Quotations: you will only directly quote when (1) you cannot say it better, or (2) it would lose
meaning or emphasis . More often than not you will paraphrase the meaning of the
In both cases, you
document; that is, you will write it in your own words.

must cite your source. Failure to do so is plagiarism.

3. NEVER use full sentence quotations standing alone. Try to use only the parts of the quotation
that are necessary, and weave them into your writing.
4. Be sure to explain the relevance of the documentary reference, unless it is obvious. Be sure it
ties back into your topic sentence.
5. Do not introduce every documentary reference the same way. For example: According to
William Smith, a newspaper editor, ……..According to Bill Ayers, a member of the militia….
Proofread to make sure you are not being repetitive.
6. Never paraphrase, then follow with a long quotation of what you just paraphrased.

E. How to use transitions

1. You connect the documentary references with transitions. There are simple transitions and
complex transitions Simple transitions are words such as first, second, for instance, therefore,
moreover, etc. Complex transitions are generally more effective and lead you from one
document to the next. They explain how the documents are connected, or show how one
logically flows to the next.
2. Without transitions, your paragraph will sound like a list, which is unacceptable. You must
explain how these documents provide the evidence for your thesis.

F. General rules to remember

1. Be sure thesis is clear, at the end of the introduction, and meets the requirements above.
2. Be sure topic sentences are clear and refer to the thesis and is at the beginning of body
paragraphs.
3. The last sentence of each paragraph sums up that paragraph.
4. Use transitions to lead from one documentary reference to another.
5. Introduce documents by author (full name) and title.
6. Cite documents Chicago style (we will review this later)
7. Verb tense- use the past tense and keep it consistent.
8. Do not be repetitive in introducing documents. Similarly, do not repeat the same words or
phrases.
9. Do not refer to yourself (I). Do not refer to America as “our” country (we, us, etc.)
10. Be extremely selective in your choice of direct quotations. Keep them short, when possible,
and weave them into your writing.
11. Avoid contractions.

Example of paper using Chicago Manual Style Citations: (From Purdue)