DocEssayPrewriting

 DOCUMENTED RESEARCH PAPER  FROM TOPIC TO THESIS    1) Briefly define or describe your topic. Answer the questions reporters usually ask:  Who?  What?  When?  Where?  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Why? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">How? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">2) Is your topic too broad? (e.g. war) Too narrow? (e.g. the straps on army issued gas masks are difficult to use) What are the main points you will discuss? List them in their order of importance ( try listing them from most important to least important): <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">a) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">b) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">c) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">d) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">e) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">English 12 **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Part I: Topic Analysis **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">. The first step is to analyze your topic. The word “analyze” means to break something down into its parts. A meaningful analysis identifies the parts and demonstrates how they relate to each other. Your sources may examine different aspects of your topic. What you want to try to do is to see relationships between the different sources and form them into a whole concept. Analyze your topic by thinking and writing about the following questions:

<span style="font-size: 10pt; layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">3) Give a brief explanation of any issues that make your topic arguable or controversial: <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">4) Which of these issues will you emphasize in your essay/presentation? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">5) Who would be interested in reading about this topic and why? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">6) Who will be reading this paper? (i.e. your “audience”) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; background: #d9d9d9; font-family: 'Impact','sans-serif';">RESEARCH CHECK POINT: <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> As you gather information and think about your subject, you may find that you need to refine, clarify, extend, or narrow your focus. You may need to return to an information search to account for the changes, widening or narrowing your search, or heading down a slightly different path to follow a new lead. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> 1)  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">How can I persuade my readers that my position is of merit? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> 2)   <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Do I want to emphasize the positive or negative aspects of my subject? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> 3)  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Is one aspect of my subject more important or more relevant to my audience than others? If so, what do I need or want to stress in my thesis? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> 4)   <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">If my subject is an event or thing, what caused or created it? Would understanding the cause or a precedent make it easier for my audience to understand my subject? <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> 5)  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">What effects has my subject had or is it likely to have? Are the effects important or unexpected?  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Now write your thesis statement in a declarative sentence. Identify which thesis approach you are using. <span style="font-size: 10pt; background: #d9d9d9; font-family: 'Impact','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Think <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> (don’t write) the words, “I believe....” just before you write your thesis statement. This will insure that YOU and YOUR ideas are in the paper. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">My thesis statement is: <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">(I believe)
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Part II: Thesis development **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">. The important thing is to ask questions.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Part III: Write a thesis statement **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">. The task is to refine your ideas and develop a thesis, which can be “proved” or supported by your research. Read through the following list of thesis approaches to see which fits your thinking.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">APPROACH EXAMPLE **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Chronology **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... The rise of the Imagist Movement can be traced over a period of twenty years.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Procedure **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Five steps are required to produce liquid oxygen.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Cause/Effect **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Economic factors caused deterioration in Sino-Soviet relations in 1950.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Problem **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Differing Moslem ideologies make Israeli-Palestinian peace difficult.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Solution **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... The energy crisis can be solved by solar and nuclear power.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Comparison **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Acupuncture is a better anesthetic than malothane.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Similarity **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... TV and motion picture writing are similar in several respects.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Difference **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Marriage rites differ among Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, and Western families.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Relationship **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Hemingway’s life experiences influenced his work.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Analysis **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Three major issues are related to the crisis in North Korea.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Pro... **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> Kennedy’s handling of the Cuban missile crisis was good foreign policy.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Con **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Four medical theories oppose radical mastectomy in breast cancer.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Category **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">... Several ethnic populations in American grew during the past ten years.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; background: #d9d9d9; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">RESEARCH CHECKPOINT: <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> A well-written thesis statement, usually expressed in one sentence, is the most important sentence in your entire paper. It should both summarize for your reader the position you will be arguing or topic you will be explaining and set up the **pattern of organization (usually three distinct points you will prove through evidence and analysis of that evidence) in your paper.
 * //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">A thesis sentence is not a statement of accepted fact; it is the position that needs the research/proof you will provide in your paper. //**

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">**Checklist-My thesis statement:** <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; layout-grid-mode: line; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">
 * Uses the (select from the list above) thesis approach
 * Is not too broad
 * Is not too narrow or technical
 * Can be proved with the material I have found
 * Sets up the way I will organize my discussion with three distinct points
 * Points to the conclusion I will draw
 * Is scholarly-the topic is significant and relevant in society today; no celebrities’ or presidents’ biographies please!
 * Uses 3rd person point of view (no “I’s” or “we’s” or “me’s” or “my’s” or “ours’” or “you’s” or “yours’”)