CITING YOUR SOURCES
When you use someone else's words or ideas, you always need to show exactly which words or ideas in your paper are
yours and which are not. If you're using someone else's words, you need to put them inside quotation marks and (except in
specific, special circumstances), you may not change them. If your source says "America," for example, you can't silently
change it to "the United States." If you're using someone else's ideas, you need to paraphrase them in your own words and
put them in your own order, entirely.
After quoting your source's words or paraphrasing its ideas, you need to connect your source's point to the rest of your
paper. If you use a direct quotation, you always have to connect it to a signal phrase. A signal phrase usually identifies
the original writer or speaker, and sometimes the original source. In fact, however, almost any words of your own can
introduce a quotation-- you'll just have to identify the source in other ways if you don't do so in the signal phrase.
According to George Will...
Senator Hatch disagrees, saying...
In The Muppet Christmas Carol, Scrooge says....
Other sources, however, argue that.....
Another researcher writing in the New England Journal of Medicine adds,
People who like frogs' legs describe them as....
A signal phrase can go in front of a quotation, after it, or even in the middle.
“Four score and seven years ago,” Abraham Lincoln said, “our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,
conceived in liberty.”
“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty,” said
Abraham Lincoln.
Once you've worked the quotation and signal phrase into your paper, you need to show where those words or ideas came
from. One way to do this is to work all the relevant information into your signal phrase or a nearby sentence, in what is
called informal citation:
In his column "Will Fight For Oil" in the February 24, 2006 issue of The New York Times, Ted Koppel observes that....
More often, however, you’ll use one of several methods of formal citation. Some of these styles, like the APA and MLA
styles, ask you to put parentheses after your quotations containing cues to their sources; others, like the Chicago and AMA
styles, use numbers instead. Every style is different. What most styles have in common, however, is a two-part way of
helping a reader find the writer's sources: notes or parentheses, called in-text citations, point the reader towards the right
entry on a reference list (sometimes called a "bibliography" or "works cited" section) that lists all the information the
writer has about each source.
MLA STYLE
Doris Graber suggests that “media
are most influential in areas in
which the audience knows least”
(210).
Alice Park reports that “the U.S.
currently enjoys the highest
immunization rate ever.”
Graber, Doris A. Mass Media & American
Politics. 6th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press,
2002. Print.
Park, Alice. “How Safe Are Vaccines?”
Time. Time Magazine, 21 May 2008. Web.
18 March 2011.
Narrative Research Essay Assignment
Assignment Description
The research narrative is an essay that conveys the "story" of your research project to date and helps you
build your final research paper. The research narrative is similar in some respects to an annotated bibliography and
"review of literature": in other words, it involves an evaluation of sources, and calls for formal documentation in MLA
style (in-text citations and a "Works Cited" list).
However, think of the research narrative as a personal essay as well. Its overriding goal is to tell a
compelling "story" of your research project to date, from its conception, through the research that you have completed, to
its current status.
Here is the “outline” for your paper. You may find that having this sort of structure is helpful in continuing through your
research paper. Keep in mind the narrative should be true- or as true as you can tell it.
Narrative Organization (Opening, Middle, and End)
Opening (approximately 1 to 1.5 pages/3-5 paragraphs): Good narratives always start with a compelling presentation
of a problem or issue that draws readers into the "story." The research narrative is no different. Start by presenting the
problem or issue driving your project. Make your presentation as engaging and reader-relevant as you can. An effective
opening also should address your source of interest in and connection to the problem. The opening should state the goal of
your project and present the key question or questions that you will attempt to answer through your research.
You may also want to discuss how the problem has evolved and changed over time. Make sure you connect
your narrative to your research. This means information from what you’ve learned should be paraphrased and
incorporated into your introduction, and at least one direct citation should be included.
Middle (approximately 4 pages or more/10-18 paragraphs): The middle section of your paper will review the research
that you've done to date—in other words, analyze the value and relevance of your sources, and what you've learned or
haven't learned. To be compelling, this part of the essay needs to be more than a report. It should be detailed and probing,
and engage the reader in your inquiry by demonstrating that you are delving into the complexity of the research problem,
synthesizing complex information and different points of view. You should also incorporate the idea of your narrative
through this chunk of your assignment as well. Make your audience invested in what you have to say.
While in the “middle” section of your paper, you should also make sure you have a counter-argument and a
rebuttal. As a reminder, a counter-argument is what someone who opposes your idea may say. Sometimes, people get
hung up on this thought, because who in the heck would oppose raising money for breast cancer awareness? I’ve
certainly never seen people picketing a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk with signs that say “ALL CANCER PATIENTS
MATTER!” Instead, think about how you are trying to solve your issue. While no one is going to roll their eyes about you
trying to raise money for breast cancer awareness, they may take issue with what you plan to do with the money.
A rebuttal then allows you space to validate what someone who disagrees with you thinks, but gives you the
control to express why regardless of their opinion, your idea is still the best option.
You will also need to include an interview or a survey. (See body 5.) This interview can be done through
email, on the phone, through text, or you can even use something like a Ted Talk to shape this section of your paper. You
will also need to complete body 8.
**Take a look at the body paragraphs below (from a previous version of this outline). You don’t have to
utilize every single thing here, but you may find it useful, especially if you are struggling with the structure of your
paper.**
I.
Body 4 – (Topic: Conveys the problem today from ALL sides and aspects)
A. What are different ways people view the problem?
1. Quote / Information from Research
2. Connect Research to topic
B. How have people tried to help the problem?
1. Quote / Information from Research
2. Connect Research to topic
II.
Body 5 – (Topic: Conveys the problem from a unique perspective such as an interview or survey)
A. Introduce the person / people being interviewed
B. What was said in the interview?
C. What are your thoughts about what was said? Conclusions?
III.
Body 6 – (Topic: Show opposing viewpoint on your topic)
A. What is the opposing viewpoint? What do they believe?
1. Quote / Information from Research
2. Connect Research to topic
B. Your reaction to the opposing viewpoint
IV.
Body 7 – (Discuss a chart or graph you found regarding your research)
1. Describe and explain graphic used (Important facts / data / dates / etc.)
B. Respond to the graphs. How do they contribute to your research? Your proposed solution?
1. Connect information to your thesis / project
V.
Body 8 – (Topic: Describe in detail your plan and why it will work)
A. Introduce and describe your plan for senior year
B. Why is it practical?
C. How will it help those involved, and human life in general?
End (approximately 1 page/3-4 paragraphs): The ending of the essay should provide closure for the reader—and
should include your original narrative as well. Take a look at the remaining body paragraph outlines to help you forge
ahead
I.
Body 10 – (Topic – Explain how the plan will operate. What does it require?)
A. What materials are needed?
B. How will you set it up / put it into action?
C. People to assist or contact
D. Any other requirements?
II.
Body 11 – (Topic – Defend why your plan is realistic)
III.
Body 12 – 15 (Topic – Describe the steps in detail for your action plan)
IV.
Conclusion
A. What will your plan ultimately help?
B. What do you hope your plan will accomplish?
C. Imagine the impact and create a realistic picture
D. Restate Thesis/Narrative Points
Grading Criteria (see rubric for more specific grading):
• A compelling opening that involves readers in your project, and makes an effective case for its relevance and
complexity.
• A credible and probing examination of sources that are substantial in quality and sufficient in number.
• A meaningful conclusion that projects a provisional thesis or questions that still need to be answered, and lays out needs
and objectives for further research.
• Effective in-text citations and a "Works Cited" list in correct MLA style.
• Effective writing—clear, coherent, well-edited and reader-friendly.
This paper overall will be worth 300-350 points that will be placed into the “Writing”
category of quarters 3 and 4. If you do not complete this paper, you WILL NOT pass 2nd
semester of English 11. We will be doing the majority of this paper in class, so there is
absolutely no reason why you cannot accomplish this task!
HEATH’S EXAMPLE OF THE OPENING OF A RESEARCH NARRATIVE ESSAY:
Mallory Heath
Heath
English 11
27 March 2017
Diet Soda: the Elephant in the Room
A wave of anxiety crashes over Melissa as the nurse asks her to step on the scale. She tries to think that
certainly the numbers will change this time around. She’d been restrictive in her foods, she had even started
working out three times a week. Surely her weight would reflect all that hard work. The coat she came in with
slips off her shoulders as she holds a breath for good news and steps onto the square surface in front of her.
The nurse records the number. Gives her a nod. “245. Okay Melissa, follow me.”
Disappointment slugs her in the stomach as she walks to the room around the corner. 245? On the verge
of tears, the corrosive thoughts bombard her confidence. I haven’t lost a single pound! Why am I such a failure?
As she waits for the doctor, Melissa cannot help but be cruel to herself. Here she was, thinking that by
swapping out her soda for diet soda, working out, and trying so desperately to monitor her portion size, she
would have lost some much needed weight. The frustration and insecurities she holds about her appearance and
health continue to loom over her for the rest of the day, and by the time she goes to bed, she hates herself even
more.
What Melissa, and millions of Americans just like her don’t realize, is that just because diet soda is
designed to make the consumer feel good about their choices, it doesn’t mean the product is actually good for
the consumer. Many buyers are confused by this information, seeing as the word “diet” is stamped right onto
the label. Well, the additives inside diet and sugar-free products actually make people gain more weight than
regular sugar. Perhaps if Melissa knew that “artificial sweeteners confuse our bodies and weaken the link in our
brains between sweetness and calories, [which] can lead to weight gain and cravings for sweeter and sweeter
treats” (Oaklander), she would have instead cut down on the amount of regular soda she was drinking, instead
of switching to diet.
While many aspects play into obesity, such as Melissa’s feelings of failure and disappointment, what
may contribute to her overall lack of weight loss is the sinister culprit at work here- a product Melissa and
millions of other Americans drink with the false belief that they are choosing a healthier option. This is simply
not the case. Because so many people seem to be misinformed thanks to clever and gimmicky advertising
campaigns, I’ve decided my Basha Gives Back Project will be to make sure people are informed of the
dangerous side effects of sugar-free and diet drinks. In order to reach anyone who is interested, I’ve decided to
create a podcast that will be easily accessible and convenient for anyone who is interested in listening.
***Leading into the middle section of your paper, remember to use transitions. I decided to revise
my last sentence of my intro because the way I originally wrote it made it too difficult to transition into
Body 4 of the outline. I changed it so I could transition the two ideas, narrative and research, together to
keep my paper fluent and the structure of my paper sound. ***
My mission is to make sure people are informed of the dangerous side effects of sugar-free and diet drinks by
creating a podcast that will be easily accessible for anyone who is interested in listening. people like Melissa, as
well as the general public, who may also be misinformed about the consequences of diet soda consumption.
Through my research, I have found we are a culture deeply rooted in denial. While it’s true that Melissa
and thousands like her struggle, even those who do not fight their weight are consuming chemical sweeteners at
an alarming rate. The CDC collected data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from
2009-2010, and the results show that “one-fifth of the U.S. population consumed diet drinks on a given day.” 60
million people in our country alone are consuming a product that is now known to be unhealthy and cause
weight gain.