Research & Summaries Question

Research paper

Map of paper instructions

5 -6 pages maximum (excluding images, block quotations, Works Cited page)

Format: MLA

• pick a research topic
• break it into parts (questions are very efficient)
• research each question (adding a reliable source at the end of each question)
• structure it in parts
• write it in parts

1. Step 1: Picking a topic. Pick something you are excited to research and learn about. (Crucial: Make sure your topic is precise).

For example: The Crisis of Maritime Plastic Pollution

Step 2: Break your topic into parts by making a list of questions. Let your curiosity guide you. Here are my questions for this model research topic:

1) When did people start to recognize plastic pollution in the oceans ?

2) Which ocean is most polluted with plastic ?

3) Which plastics are the worst ?

4) How long does it take plastic to biodegrade ?

5) Which country is the worst contributor to plastic pollution ?

6) What are two examples of how animals are affected by plastic pollution ?

3. Step 3: Research each question(one piece of research per question is fine).

Put the name of a reliable source (journal, newspaper…) at end of each question when you google it.

This simple step:

1) saves time because it immediately takes you to a reliable source

2) ensures that no one can challenge the reliability of your sources

4. STEP 4: Read and annotate and the piece of research for each question.

After doing so, I picked the 4 (now researched) questions of greatest interest to structure this 5 page paper. Think about the order in which you want to present them. Note: 4 questions is maximum for a 5 page paper

Writing the actual paper

WRITING THE RESEARCH PAPER

1. MLA format the document.

2. Choose your Paper Title:

PAGE 1 consists of 3 paragraphs that set up the body of the paper

PARA 1 length: about 8 lines. Purpose: catches the reader’s attention. Statistics, anecdotes, or block quotations work well. In the case of my topic, the growing crisis of maritime plastic pollution, I open the paper with a question which introduces a block quotation. I picked it because it overwhelms with statistics about water that clarifies the importance of healthy oceans for our continued existence . A quotation which is longer than 4 lines is separated from the text

Here is PARA 1 of this model paper. I chose to open with a question and a block quotation.

How much water is in the ocean?

It’s hard to imagine, but about 97 percent of the Earth’s

water can be found in our ocean. Of the tiny percentage

that is not in the ocean, about two percent is frozen up in

glaciers and ice caps. Less than one percent of all the

water on Earth is fresh. A tiny fraction of water exists as

water vapor in our atmosphere. According to the

, there are over 1,386,000,000 cubic

kilometers (332,519,000 cubic miles) of water on the

planet. A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one

mile on each side. Of this vast volume of water, NOAA’s

National Geophysical Data Center estimates that

1,335,000,000 cubic kilometers (321,003,271 cubic miles)

is in the ocean. That’s enough water to fill about

352,670,000,000,000,000,000 gallon-sized milk containers!

(NOAA, 2024)

PARA 2 length: about 6 lines. Purpose: It states: 1) the topic and 2) the purpose of the paper. For the topic, just state the title of your paper. Then for the purpose, explain (3-4 sentences) what motivated you to pick the topic.

PARA 3 length: about 3 to 5 lines. Purpose. This paragraph is crucial. It explains how the paper is organized. It provides you with map for the rest of the paper.

PAGE 2

PARA 4 Now you are ready to turn to the body of your paper.

Begin para 4: Now I turn to my first question: (and state your first question)

WRITE MY PAPER