Introduction to Research Paper Writing

IntroductiontoResearchPaperWritingZhuoXinxian2010/03ReferenceBooks教育部高教司编,《高等学校毕业设计（论文）指导手册》（外语卷），高教出版社，2001。JosephGibaldi,MLAHandbookforWritersofResearchPapers(5thEdition),ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationPress,2001.GeorgeWatson,WritingaThesis,SichuanUniversityPress,2003.NigelFabbAlanDurant,HowtoWriteEssays,DissertationsandThesesinLiteraryStudies,SichuanUniversityPress,2003.BasicIdeasofResearchPaperWritingResearchpaperwritingasabasicstagetofulfilloursyllabusandrealizethegoalsforundergraduatestudiesResearchPaperasaformofexploration:Primaryresearchandsecondaryresearch---P.R.isthestudyofasubjectthroughfirsthandobservationandinvestigation.---P.R.usuallyincludesprimarysourcesofstatisticdatainitsanalyzingaliteraryorhistoricaltext,scientificexperiments,orsurveyoftheinterview.BasicIdeasofResearchPaperWriting---S.R.istheexaminationofstudiesbasedonotherpeople’sstudy.---ExamplesofS.R.arebooksandarticlesaboutpoliticalissues,historicalevents,scientificdebates,orliteraryworks.Mostacademicpapersdependatleastpartlyonsecondaryresearch.Characteristicsofbeingscholarly,scientificandcreative.BasicIdeasofResearchPaperWritingResearchpaperasaformofwriting:A.Typesofresearchpaper:TheoreticalandappliedB.Categoriesoftopics:---languageandliterature---linguistics/appliedlinguistics---culturestudiesandtranslation---internationalrelationshipandbusinessProceduresofresearchpaperwritingSelectingatopicConductingresearchModernacademiclibraryOnlinecentralinformationsystemReferenceworks:---index/bibliography/collectionofabstracts/guidestoresearch/dictionaries/encyclopedias/yearbooks/biographicalsources/statisticaldata,etc.Proceduresofresearchpaperwriting---compilingaworkingbibliography:Asyoudiscoverinformationandopinionsonyourtopic,youshouldkeeptrackofsourcesthatyoumayuseforyourpaper.Arecordofsuchsourcesiscalledaworkingbibliography.---evaluatingsources---takingnotesHowtoAvoidPlagiarismPlagiarismreferstoaformofcheatingandisusuallydefinedas“thefalseassumptionofauthorship:thewrongfulactoftakingtheproductofanotherperson’smind,andpresentingitasone’sown”.So,touseanotherperson’sideasorexpressionsinyourwritingwithoutacknowledgingthesourceistoplagiarize.Plagiarism,then,constitutesintellectualtheft.Therefore,howtoavoidithasbeenpushedtoanoticeableplaceintheacademicwriting.Youmaycertainlyuseotherperson’swordsandthoughtsinyourresearchpaper,buttheborrowedmaterialmustnotseemtobeyourowncreation.HowtoAvoidPlagiarismSuppose,forexample,thatyouwanttousethematerialinthefollowingpassage,whichappearsonpage625ofanessaybyWendyMartininthebookColumbiaLiteraryHistoryoftheUnitedStateseditedbyEmoryElliott.Theessay’stitleis“EmilyDickinson”,ThebookwaspublishedbyColumbiaUPinNewYorkin1988andtheessay’sinclusivepagesarefrom609to626.SomeofDickinson’smostpowerfulpoemsexpressherfirmlyheldconvictionthatlifecannotbefullycomprehendedwithoutanunderstandingofdeath.HowtoAvoidPlagiarismEmilyDickinsonstronglybelievedthatwecannotunderstandlifefullyunlesswealsocomprehenddeath.AsWendyMartinhassuggested,EmilyDickinsonstronglybelievedthatwecannotunderstandlifefullyunlesswealsocomprehenddeath(Martin,1988:625).HowtoAvoidPlagiarismThesourceisindicated,inaccordancewithMLAstyle,bythenameoftheauthorandbyapagereferenceinparenthesis.Thenamerefersthereadertothecorrespondingentryinthework-citedlist,whichappearsattheendofthepaper.Martin,Wendy.“EmilyDickinson”,ColumbiaLiteraryHistoryoftheUnitedStates.EmoryElliott,ed.NewYork:ColumbiaUP,1988:609–26.HowtoAvoidPlagiarismOriginalsourceEveryoneusesthewordlanguageandeverybodythesedaystalksaboutculture.“Languaculture”isareminder,Ihope,ofthenecessaryconnectionbetweenitstwoparts.(MichaelAgar,LanguageShock:UnderstandingtheCultureofConversation,NewYork:Morrow,1994:60)HowtoAvoidPlagiarismPlagiarismAttheintersectionoflanguageandcultureliesaconceptthatwemightcall“languaculture”.Thestudentcouldhaveavoidedthechargeofplagiarismbyrewordingslightlyandinsertingappropriateparentheticaldocumentation:AttheintersectionoflanguageandcultureliesaconceptthatMichaelAgarhascalled“languaculture”(Agar,1994:60)HowtoAvoidPlagiarismInbibliography:Agar,Michael.LanguageShock:UnderstandingtheCultureofConversation.NewYork:Morrow,1994.HowtoCompileaBibliographyBook:1.Author’sfullname(lastnamefirst)2.Fulltitle(includinganysubtitle)3.Edition(ifthebookisasecondorlateredition)4.Numberofthevolumeandthetotalnumberofvolumes(ifthebookisamultivolumework)5.CityofpublicationHowtoCompileaBibliography6.Shortenedformofthepublisher’sname:1).Omitarticles:a,an,the/businessabbreviations:Co.,Corp.,Inc.,Ltd./anddescriptivewords:Books,House,Press,Publishers;2).Ifthepublisher’snameincludesthenameofoneperson,citethesurnamealone:HarryN.Abrams---Abrams.Ifthepublisher’snameincludesthenamesofmorethanoneperson,citeonlythefirstofthesurnames;HowtoCompileaBibliography3).Usestandardabbreviationswheneverpossible;4).Ifthepublisher’snameiscommonlyabbreviatedwithcapitalinitiallettersandiftheabbreviationislikelytobefamiliartoyouraudience,usetheabbreviationasthepublisher’sname.7.Yearofpublicatio