Units 5-6 Prewriting & Outline and Research

Heading Purpose

Headings are used to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer's train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered.

Quote-short example

"Educational change depends on what teachers do and think—it's as simple and complex as that" (Fullan, 2001, p. 107). According to Fullan (2001), "Educational change depends on what teachers do and think—it's as simple and complex as that" (p. 107). Page numbers not required for APA

Research process

The 4-point process is: Laying the Groundwork, Developing a Strategy, Organizing and Beginning to Write, and Finalizing

Formal outline

A formal outline is a detailed guide that shows how all your supporting ideas relate to each other and those of equal or lesser importance.

Citation format: AMA

American Medical Association: for medicine, health, and biological sciences

Compare and Contrast - specialized paragraphs

Explain how two things are alike or different.

Process analysis organizational pattern

Paragraph is used to describe how something is made or to explain the steps for how something is done

Reading for pre-writing

Reading helps in the development of ideas and topic. But critical reading is essential to the development of a topic.

Research process: Finalize the paper

References, in-text citations, grammar, spelling, flow, etc.

Topic sentence

The main idea or point of the paragraph

Citation Tips

Writer must pay careful attention to detail. Work ahead whenever possible. Get it right the first time. Use the resources available to you

Free writing

A pre-writing strategy in which the writer writes freely about any topic for a set time, usually 3 to 5 minutes

Analogies - specialized paragraphs

Analogies are used to draw comparisons between seemingly unlike people, items, places, or situations. Primarily used to help clarify a point.

Chronological organizational pattern

Arrangement presents information in time order

Research Process: Laying the Groundwork

Chose a topic, take a position, Complete the preliminary research like visiting the library, weed out irrelevant pieces, review the bibliography to determine if their writings support, contradict or disagree with your topic; Form a working thesis statement, expect it to go through several revisions as you find more facts

Reference Page

Reference entries should include the following: The name of the author(s) The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication The full title of the source For books, the city of publication For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

Writing Process steps

The five steps writing process: Prewriting Outlining the structure of ideas Writing a rough draft Revising Editing

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea, some times called the "controlling idea," because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.

Pre-writing: Idea mapping

A pre-writing strategy in which writers cluster ideas using circles, lines, and arrows to connect them together.

Problem-Solution specialized paragraphs

A problem-solution paragraph begins with a topic sentence that presents a problem and then follows with details that present a solution for the problem

Sentence outline

A sentence outline is the same as a sentence outline except you use words or phrases instead of words or phrases. Complete sentences create clarity and can advance you one step closer to a draft in the writing process.

Thesis Statement parts

A thesis statement has two parts: the subject and the treatment. The subject is your topic. The treatment is your direction and focus, like what you plan to argue, discuss, develop, or examine about your topic.

Topic outline

A topic outline is the same as a sentence outline except you use words or phrases instead of complete sentences

Citation format: APA

American Psychological Association: for education, psychology, and the social sciences

Spatial (organizational pattern)

Spatial: A paragraph using spatial organization presents details as you would naturally encounter them, such as from top to bottom or from the inside to the outside. In other words, details are presented based on their physical location

Paragraph main or key idea

The main idea should be clear and obvious to readers and is typically presented within the topic sentence.

Research purpose

The purpose is to take a position based on your thesis statement and find facts supporting your position. Your research should support your argument not make it for you.

Specific to General (organizational pattern)

The reverse of the above format is to give some examples and then summarize them with a general idea

Coherent-paragraph contents

The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development

Research process: Organizing and beginning to write your paper

The thesis or working thesis statement will help with the writing process, use the hypothesis to create a preliminary outline which will help you to stay focused; Begin writing, revising, editing

Writing organizational methods

The three common methods of organizing writing are: chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance.

Pre-writing strategies

There are many prewriting strategies, like: using experience and observations, freewriting, asking questions, brainstorming, mapping, and searching the Internet.

What is pre-writing

The writing stage process in which you transfer your abstract thoughts into more concrete ideas on paper or a screen

Citation Advantages

First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student's contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people's work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Heading format

1st level: centered, boldface, initial caps but important words capitalized. 2nd level or subsection headings: left-aligned, boldface, initial case. 3rd level: left-aligned, indented, boldface type, capitalize first letter of first word and end in a period. 4th level follows the same style used for 3rd level, but the headings are bolded and italicized. 5th level follows the same style used for 4th level, but the headings are italicized and not bolded

General to Specific (organizational pattern)

A common paragraph format is to present a general idea and then give examples

Citation format: Turabian

A common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

Asking questions

After choosing your topic ask the basic 5 W questions about it. It may create new ideas or aspects you were unaware of. All these idea-gathering techniques will help you plan for future work on your assignment.

Unified-paragraph contents

All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea, often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph.

Topic and Sentence outlines

Both are formatted the same way: Introduction and thesis statement under roman numeral I. Use roman numerals to identify main points that develop the thesis statement. Use capital letters to divide your main points into parts. Use Arabic numerals if you need to subdivide any As, Bs, or Cs into smaller parts. End with the final roman numeral with your conclusion.

Pre-writing: Brainstorming

Brainstorming is similar to list making. Writers start with a general category and list specific that fall within that category

Cause Effect - specialized paragraphs

Cause-and-effect paragraphs point out how one thing is caused by another and are used to clarify relationship.

Citation format: Chicago

Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books

Choosing a topic

Choosing a good general topic for an assignment is an essential step. A good topic the purpose of the assignment and who type of audience the assignment is designed to reach

Thesis relatability-paragraph contents

Clearly related to the thesis: The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper

5-Step process to paragraph development

Decide on a controlling idea and a topic sentence. Explain the controlling idea Give an example or multiple examples Explain the examples Complete the paragraph idea or transition to the next paragraph

Definition - specialized paragraphs

Definition paragraphs are used to clarify key word or concepts

Description - specialized paragraphs

Description can be used to bring something to life so that the readers can get a clear impression of it.

Effective writing

Effective writing can be described as good ideas that are expressed well and arranged in the proper order.

Well developed-paragraph contents

Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph's controlling idea

Some common forms of writing

Example of writing forms are: Argument Book review Case study Comparative analysis Critique Informative essay or report Lab report Opinion essay Personal narrative Persuasive essay Proposal Research report

Examples specialized paragraphs

Examples are commonly used to clarify a point for reader

Research process: developing a research strategy

Find useful sources. There are two source types: secondary like a credible book, a journal, a newspaper article, etc. and a primary source, like an original source that has not been changed in any way. Various source types: Physical print sources like: books, magazines, journals, text books; Electronic web source is a credible tool, but avoid social media posts, Wikipedia, online journals and most .com sites; Academic database sources found through the BCCC library database (i.e. JSTOR)

Citing a Book or Article

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case where the 1st word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

In-text citation

In-text citations must provide the author or authors name and year of publication. If an author is not listed, provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material. When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

Parallelism

Maintaining the same general wording and format throughout the writing

Linkages

Once an idea is presented, the rest of the ideas in the paragraph need to be linked to that original topic. Linkages create a flow that readers/audiences can follow

Writing order

Order refers to your choice of what to present first, second, third, and so on in your writing. The order you pick closely relates to your purpose for writing that particular assignment

Research process: Take stock of your success

Organize your sources; create a log of sources to include a category, author, title, publisher, dity year, from, URL or Library call letter; Manage the sources by paraphrasing, summarizing or quotations; Know when to quote: for concision, accuracy, memorable language, authority

Working thesis statement

Preliminary thesis statement, like your rough draft

Pre-writing purpose

Prewriting is intentional but there are no set rules to follow. The purpose is to find and explore ideas so you can be prepared to write. The key to effective prewriting is to use the techniques that work best for your thinking process.

APA general style and formatting

Set all margins at 1 inch. Use double-spaced text throughout your paper. Use Times New Roman or Arial, in 10 or 12-point. Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header. Section headings and subsection headings vary depending on the level of information you are presenting.

Abstract

The abstract is a brief summary of your findings. Only used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise, about 100 - 150 words written in an objective, impersonal style. Take a just-the-facts approach, summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences

Thesis statement

The big idea or the controlling idea you want to present in the essay

Audience

The individuals or groups to whom the writer intends to address

Pre-writing Narrowing the focus

This means breaking up the topic into subtopics, or more specific points which will help you select the ones that fit the assignment and appeal to you and your audience.

Title Page

Title of the paper; Author's name; Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated. Each of above centered on a separate line one-third down the page. Header pages to include paper title in capital letters; and page number flush right.

Citation paper components

Title page; Abstract; Body, which includes: Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content; In-text citations of research sources; References page

Citation purpose

To give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired, providing basic information about your source.

Consistency

Using the same point of view and verb tense throughout the writing

Varied sentences

Varied sentences help create more interesting prose or sequence. Two key methods of varying your sentences are to use different starting techniques and to change the sentences from within.

Accidental Plagiarism

When a person does not understand how to properly quote, paraphrase, summarize, or cite the work of others being used in one's paper, resulting in the content being unintentionally attributed to the compiler and not the original author. Other reasons such as carelessness, sloppiness, procrastination or simply by oversight

Topic creation strategies

the following four pre-writing strategies can be used when deciding on a topic: Using experience and observations Reading Freewriting Asking questions