Argumentative Research Paper

1. Argumentative Research Paper Coach Alexander

2. How to Create a Powerful Argumentative Essay Outline If you distill your argumentative essay outline down to its basics, you’ll find that it’s made of four main sections: • Intro • Developing Your Argument • Refuting Opponents’ Arguments • Conclusion That’s not so bad! There’s really nothing to be afraid of.

3. Here’s how your argumentative essay outline would look if you turned it into a pretty picture:

4. Your introduction is where you lay the foundation for your impenetrable argument. It’s made up of a hook, background information, and a thesis statement.1. Hook. Your first sentence is comprised of a “hook.” Don’t know what a hook is? A hook is a sentence that grabs your reader’s attention just like a good Jackie Chan movie grabs the attention of a martial arts fan.Let’s say I’m writing an argumentative essay about why American people should start eating insects.My hook could be, “For those interested in improving their diets and the environment, say ‘goodbye’ to eating chicken, fish, and beef and ‘hello’ to eating silk worms, crickets, and caterpillars.” Argumentative Essay Outline Section 1: Your Intro

5. 2. Background information. The next part of your intro is dedicated to offering some detailed background information on your topic.Try answering the following questions:What is the issue at hand? Who cares? Where is this issue prevalent? Why is it important?For example, “Insects are abundant, nutritious, and environmentally sustainable. Currently, people in the United States shun the idea of eating insects as part of their diets, favoring instead less nutritious and environmentally destructive food options, such as beef and pork. The UN recently issued a statement calling for more world citizens to embrace the many benefits of eating insects.”

6. 3. Thesis. Your thesis typically makes up the last sentence of your intro paragraph. This is where you clearly state your position on the topic and give a reason for your stance.For example, “A diet of insects can help fix problems related to starvation, obesity, and climate change, and therefore, United States citizens should learn to rely on a variety of insects over chicken, beef, and fish as their main source of protein and nutrition.”Notice the word “should” in my thesis statement? Using this word makes it clear I’m taking a stance on the argument.You’ll also notice that my thesis statement sets up the three claims I’m going to expand on later: a diet of insects can help fix problems related to starvation, obesity, and climate change. Thesis statements are important!

7. Still need Help?

8. Argumentative Essay Outline Section 2: Developing Your Argument

9. Now that you have filled in the general points of your topic and outlined your stance in the introduction, it’s time to develop your argument.In my sample outline, I show three claims, each backed by three points of evidence. Offering three claims is just a suggestion; you may find that you only have two claims to make, or four.The exact number of claims you choose to include doesn’t matter.

10. 1. What is a claim? A claim is a statement you make to support your argument.For example, “Bugs are highly nutritious and eating them can fix the problem of hunger and malnutrition in the United States.”Great! So I’ve made my claim. But who’s going to believe me? This is where evidence comes into play.

11. Cont. Part 2 2. What is evidence? For each claim you make, you need to provide supporting evidence. Evidence is factual information from reliable sources. • It is not personal knowledge. • For example, “Researchers at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States state that ‘Termites are rich in protein, fatty acids, and other micronutrients. Fried or dried termites contain 32–38 percent proteins.’“ • My outline shows three pieces of evidence to support each claim, but you may find that each claim doesn’t necessarily have three pieces of evidence to back it. Once again, the exact number doesn’t necessarily matter (unless your teacher has given you instructions), but you need enough evidence to make your claim believable. • Once you have gathered your evidence to support your claims, it’s time to add the next important element of your argumentative essay outline: refuting your opponents’ arguments. • Let’s talk about that now.

12. Argumentative Essay Outline Section 3: Refuting Opponents’ Arguments

13. Cont. Section 3 • In this section, you state your opponents’ views and then offer a rebuttal. • For example, “Opponents of insect eating from the Beef Council of America say that it is too difficult and time consuming to catch crickets, so it is not easy to gather enough food for a meal, where as a cow is large and contains a lot of meat for many meals.” • We know the Beef Council just wants us to keep eating McD’s hamburgers and skip the cricket soup. (By the way—I just made that up. The Beef Council did not say that. In your essay, make sure to use real facts.) • Now it’s time to set the opponents straight with a refutation that is full of hard evidence and that will bring them to their knees. • For example, “According to researchers Cerritos and Cano-Santana, the best time to harvest crickets is to catch them in the hour just before sunrise when they are least active. What’s more, it is easy to develop the infrastructure to farm crickets in a way that is more sustainable than cattle farming.” • Booyah! The Beef Council has been served (crickets). • Once you have refuted your opponents’ viewpoints, it’s time to sail to the finish line with your conclusion.

14. Argumentative Essay Outline Section 4: Conclusion • In your conclusion, you are going to accomplish two important tasks. • 1. Restate the importance of your issue. Similar to what you did in your introduction, you want to restate why this topic is critical. • For example, “Simply by incorporating insects into their diets, U.S. citizens can improve the sustainability and nutrition of the American diet.”

15. Cont. w/ Conclusion • 2. Paint a picture of the world if your argument is (or is not) implemented. In the final part of your conclusion, make your audience think about the ramifications of your argument. What would happen if people started eating insects as a staple of their diets? • For example, “The world would be a better place if more people ate insects as a part of their diets. Fewer people would go hungry, more people would get the vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients they need to live healthy lifestyles, and our planet would be relieved of the burden of an unsustainable food system. • Closing with a clear picture of the world as you would like it to be can leave your reader convinced that your argument is valid.

16. Argumentative Outline Guide • 1) Intro • a) Hook • b) Background information • c) Thesis • 2) Develop Your Argument • a) Make a claim 1 • i) Evidence 1a • ii) Evidence 1b • iii)Evidence 1c • b) Make a claim 2 • i) Evidence 2a • ii) Evidence 2b • iii) Evidence 2c • c) Make a claim 3 • i) Evidence 3a • ii) Evidence 3b • iii)Evidence 3c • 3) Refuting Opponents’ Arguments • a) Opposing view 1 • i) Refutation 1 • b) Opposing view 2 • i) Refutation 2 • 4) Conclusion • a) Restate the importance of your issue • b) Paint a picture of the world depicting what would happen if your argument is (or is not) implemented

17. Argumentative Essay OUtline Sample Outline Animal Testing 1) Intro a) Hook How many times must we betray our best friend? b) Background information Some believe there is no other way to ensure that human medications and consumer products will be both safe and effective besides with animal testing. The animals that are used for testing are especially bred for the purpose, and are not part of nature or the natural ecosystem. For the most part, they are treated as humanely as possible, and where/when necessary, terminated as quickly and painlessly as possible. However, why have animal testing when there is a viable alternative. c) ThesisAnimal testing should be banned due to the harm that it causes animals and because cheaper effective alternative methods exist. 2) Develop Your Argument a) Make a claim 1 Harmful to Animals i) Evidence 1a Skin Conditions ii) Evidence 1b Blindness iii)Evidence 1c Premature Death b) Make a claim 2 Alternative Methods are effective i) Evidence 2a Testing on Cadavers ii) Evidence 2b Computer Model Simulations iii) Evidence 2c Testing on Human Cells/ Embryos c) Make a claim 3 More Expensive i) Evidence 3a Vet Care ii) Evidence 3b Food Bill iii)Evidence 3c Housing Bill 3) Refuting Opponents’ Arguments a) Opposing view 1: Not as effective i) Refutation 1: Effective enough and ethical b) Opposing view 2 i) Refutation 2 4) Conclusion a) Restate the importance of your issue b) Paint a picture of the world depicting what would happen if your argument is (or is not) implemented • 1) Intro • a) Hook • b) Background information • c) Thesis • 2) Develop Your Argument • a) Make a claim 1 • i) Evidence 1a • ii) Evidence 1b • iii)Evidence 1c • b) Make a claim 2 • i) Evidence 2a • ii) Evidence 2b • iii) Evidence 2c • c) Make a claim 3 • i) Evidence 3a • ii) Evidence 3b • iii)Evidence 3c • 3) Refuting Opponents’ Arguments • a) Opposing view 1 • i) Refutation 1 • b) Opposing view 2 • i) Refutation 2 • 4) Conclusion • a) Restate the importance of your issue • b) Paint a picture of the world depicting what would happen if your argument is (or is not) implemented

18. Now back to the beginning… Let’s work on the hook of your paper. In a 1971 fight, Joe Frazier famously floored boxing champ Muhammad Ali with a strong left hook, leading to Ali’s first ever professional loss in the boxing ring. This is most definitely not the source of the word “hook” in writing, but the analogy is as solid as Frazier’s punch. No matter what type of writing project you’re getting into right now, you need a strong hook that knocks your readers’ socks off and gets their attention. When I talk about good hook sentences, I’m talking about that juicy string of words that make up the first sentence (or two) of your writing project—the words that grab your readers’ attention and don’t let go. Good hook sentences say, “Drop everything you’re doing and read me right now,” without actually coming out and just saying that.

19. Writing good hook sentences is critical in all types of writing disciplines from essays and marketing copy to novels and short stories. Hooks are even used in song lyrics. I’m sure, on more than one occasion, you’ve fallen victim to an earworm (a set of lyrics that you can’t get out of your head). That’s because you got hooked. I got the eye of the tiger… oh…um, sorry, I wasn’t listening to Katy Perry, I swear!Now, here’s the catch. There’s no single, tried and true formula to writing good hook sentences. There is no specific order of nouns, verbs, and adjectives that will get the job done. But when it comes time to KO your readers, there are Four simple steps to help you craft your perfect hook.

20. Good Hook Sentences Step 1:Identify your audience • Your hook sentence, just like the rest of your writing project, needs to speak to your specific audience. Getting the attention of a college professor is going to be a vastly different task than getting the attention of a group of stay-at-home moms, for example. Before you write your hook, ask yourself three key questions:

21. Question 1: Who is my audience?It’s important to identify your audience no matter what type of writing project you’re working on. Doing so will help you select a message that speaks to them.If you’re trying to get the attention of a bunch of middle school girls, for example, you either need to be Justin Bieber in the flesh or write a hook that is geared toward that age group.If, however, your writing project is geared toward the admissions counselors at a prestigious university, you had better get a haircut, Bieber, and write your sentence appropriately.Before setting out on this writing adventure, make note of your intended audience.

22. Do I have a Captive Audience? • This question is important because it will help you better understand the purpose of your hook. • In the case of your teacher or an admissions counselor, you pretty much have a captive audience. They are being paid to read your writing. So the intention of your hook is to keep these people from falling asleep on the job, to entice them to give you a good grade, or to convince them to admit you into their institution. • If you’re writing a blog, a book, or marketing copy, then your audience is not captive, meaning they have a choice to read your work or not. Whether your writing appears online, at the bookstore, or on a publishing agent’s desk, your work is one second away from being skipped over in favor of the next piece of writing. In this scenario, a good hook is the lifeline of your writing.

23. Good Hook Sentences Step 2—Identify the Purpose of Your WritingThe next important issue to determine is the purpose behind your writing. A good hook sentence must be consistent with your writing. You can’t just write an awesome sentence because it’s awesome, and then go off onto another topic entirely. That would just make you look like a crazy person.Good Hook Sentences For example, if you are writing an argumentative essay, your hook should reflect the strength of your argument, perhaps by stating a shocking fact. On the other hand, if you’re writing a love story, you might start off writing a sweet and romantic anecdote. And if you’re writing a frightening essay on the topic of nuclear warheads, you might select to begin with a chilling statistic.

24. When identifying your purpose, ask yourself these two questions:Question 1: How do I want my audience to feel? Question 2: What do I want my Audience to take away? • Question 1: How do I want my audience to feel? • Your answer could be that you want them to feel frightened, or motivated to action, or warm and fuzzy like they have a cute puppy on their lap, or interested in your life story. • The point is to write a hook that elicits the types of feelings you want your audience to have. • Question 2: What do I want my audience to take away? • Your answer could be that you want them to be better educated on a certain topic, or that you want them to question reality, or that you want them to believe in love again. • A good hook will reflect the purpose of your writing and set the stage for how you want your audience to feel and what you want them to take away from your work.

25. Good Hook Sentences step 3: Choose your hook Wisely • Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat (not that I would know–I like my cats with skin and fur on them), there is more than one way to write a compelling hook that will grab your readers’ attention. • Here are a few of those ways: • 1. Tell a humorous anecdote. • 2. Reveal a startling fact. • 3. Give an inspirational quote.

26. Good Hook Sentences Step 4: Craft your Hook Now that you’ve considered your audience, the purpose of your work, and settled on the type of hook you want to write, it’s time to make it shine. A good hook sentence will use only the right words and will be as polished and refined as possible. Honestly, this is how you should approach writing all of your sentences, but if you only have one absolutely perfect sentence in your work, let it be your hook. One more note: even though your hook sentence is your very first sentence, it’s a good idea to write it last. By writing it last, you can better capture the tone and purpose of your entire writing project. Remember, a good hook sets up expectations about your writing, establishes your credibility as a writer, grabs your readers’ attention, and makes them eager to read your work. Good luck!

27. Let’s move on to Writing a …THESIS!

28. Have you ever watched a great film trailer and thought, “I have to see that movie!”? A good trailer gives you the basic premise of the movie, shows you the highlights, and encourages you to want to see more. A good thesis statement will accomplish the same thing. It gives readers an idea of the most important points of an essay, shows the highlights, and makes them want to read more. A well-constructed thesis serves as a lighthouse for your readers, offering them a guiding light in the stormy sea of claims and evidence that make up your argumentative essay. It will also help keep you, the writer, from getting lost in a convoluted and directionless argument. Most importantly, a good thesis statement makes a statement. After all, it’s called a thesis statement for a reason! “This is an interesting statement!” you want your reader to think, “Let’s see if this author can convince me.” Thesis Writing

29. The Thesis Statement Dissected Before I give you a blanket list of thesis statement examples, let’s run through what makes for a good thesis statement. I’ve distilled it down to four main components. 1. A good argumentative thesis is focused and not too broad. It’s important to stay focused! Don’t try to argue an overly broad topic in your essay, or you’re going to feel confused and unsure about your direction and purpose. Bad Example: Don’t write, “Eating fast food is bad and should be avoided.” This statement is too general and would be nearly impossible for you to defend. It leaves a lot of big questions to answer. Is all fast food bad? Why is it bad? Who should avoid it? Why should anyone care? Good example: Do write, “Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because the fast food diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.” In this example, I’ve narrowed my argument to the health consequences related to a diet of fast food. I’ve also chosen to focus on Americans rather than everyone in the universe. (Because, as we all know, inhabitants of the faraway planet Doublepatty 5 require the starches and fats inherent in fast food to survive).

30. 2. A good argumentative thesis is centered on a debatable topic Back in the ‘80s, teens loved to say “that’s debatable” about claims they didn’t agree with (such as “you should clean your room” and “you shouldn’t go to that movie”). This age-old, neon-colored, bangle-wearing, peg-legged wisdom holds true today—in your thesis statement. thesis statement examples Bad Example: Don’t write, “There are high numbers of homeless people living in Berkeley, California.” No one can argue for or against this statement. It’s not debatable. It’s just a fact. An argument over this non-debatable statement would go something like this: “There are lots of homeless people in Berkeley.” “Yes, there sure are a bunch of them out there.” “Yup.” As you can see, that’s not much of an argument. Good example: Do write, “Homeless people in Berkeley should be given access to services, such as regular food donations, public restrooms, and camping facilities, because it would improve life for all inhabitants of the city.” Now that’s debatable. Opponents could easily argue that homeless people in Berkeley already receive adequate services (“just look at all those luxurious sidewalks!”), or perhaps that they shouldn’t be entitled to services at all (“get a job, ya lazy loafers!”)

31. 3. A good argumentative thesis picks a side. Picking a side is pretty much the whole entire point of an argumentative essay. Just as you can’t root for both the Cowboys and the Texans, you can’t argue both sides of a topic in your thesis statement. Bad Example: Don’t write, “Secondhand smoke is bad and can cause heart disease and cancer; therefore, smoking should be outlawed in public places, but outlawing smoking is unfair to smokers so maybe non-smokers can just hold their breath or wear masks around smokers instead.” A wishy-washy statement like this will make your reader scratch his head in puzzlement. Are you for smoking laws or against them? Texans or Cowboys? Cowboys or Texans? Pick a side, and stick with it! Then stick up for it. Good example: Do write, “Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher prevalence of cancer and heart disease. What’s worse, people who inhale secondhand smoke are doing so without consent. For this reason, smoking in any public place should be banned.”

32. Your claims make up a critical part of building the roadmap to your argument. • It’s important to first include a summary of your claims in your thesis statement. During the course of your essay, you will back each of your claims with well-researched evidence. • Bad Example: Don’t write, “Humans should relocate to Mars.” • This statement doesn’t include any supporting claims. Why should humans move to Mars? What are the benefits of moving to a planet without oxygen or trees? • Good example: Do write, “It is too late to save earth; therefore, humans should immediately set a date for their relocation to Mars where, with proper planning, they can avoid issues of famine, war, and global warming.” • This statement includes some thought-provoking claims. The reader will wonder how the author plans to defend them. (“Famine, war, and global warming can be easily avoided on Mars? Go on…”) • Now that you understand the four main components of a good thesis statement, let me give you more thesis statement examples. 4. A good thesis makes claims that will be supported later in the paper.

33. 5 thesis statements examples Finally, I’ve come up with 5 debatable, supportable, and focused thesis statements for you to learn from. Feel free to copy these and customize them for use in your own argumentative essays. There are a couple of things to be aware of about the following examples: I have not done the research needed to support these claims. So some of the claims may not be useable once you dig into them. Be careful not to use these thesis statements word-for-word; I took them from the web word for word.

34. #1 Why Vaccinations should be Mandatory • Today, nearly 40% of American parents refuse to vaccinate their children due to a variety of unfounded fears. Vaccinations against diseases such as polio, rubella, and mumps, should be mandatory, without exception, for all children of the U.S. who wish to attend school. These vaccinations are critical to the control and eradication of deadly infectious diseases.

35. More Examples!!! #2 Government Surveillance is Harmful #3 Financial Compensation for Organ Donors People who sign up for organ donation freely give their hearts and other organs, but this free system limits the number of available donors and makes it difficult for recipients to access lifesaving transplants. Thus, organ donors should be financially compensated to produce more available organs and, at the same time, to decrease profitable, illegal organ harvesting activities in the black market. • Government surveillance programs do more harm than good because they invade civil liberties, lead innocent people to suffer unfair punishments, and ultimately fail to protect the citizens that they are designed to safeguard. For these reasons, programs such as PRISM operated by the NSA should be discontinued.

36. Our school’s dependence on technology has caused students to lose the ability to think independently. This dependence has caused a greater prevalence of mood disorders, memory loss, and loneliness. Educators should combat these issues by requiring students to participate in regular technology detoxes. #4 Our School is too dependent on Technology

37. Bullying has extended far beyond school and into cyberspace. Even though these acts of aggression take place outside of school boundaries, school officials should have the authority to discipline students who engage in cyberbullying without fear of reprisal. Doing so will help improve the online behavior of students and decrease incidences of cyberbully-related suicide attempts. #5 School officials’ should fight cyberbullying

38. Source Cards How to make source cards/bibliography cards.

39. Source Cards • Remember that source cards will later be alphabetized to make your works cited (bibliography) • You will make one of these when you find a source that you are going to use in your paper. • The purpose of this card is to record the bibliographic information. • Use MLA format.

40. Source #1 Farah, Mounir A., and Andrea Berens Karls. World History: The Human Experience - The Modern Era. New York: Glencoe, 2001. Bibliography Cards Remember there are different methods for citing a book, magazine, journal, etc. Make sure you use the correct format. Refer back to the handout given by Coach Alexander Make sure to label the card in the corner with a number so that you can later match your note cards to the source card.

41. Note CArds What should my note card look like?

42. Steps to writingnote Cards. Topic. Write the topic so that it is easier to group your cards later on when you are writing your paper. Put the source # so you know what bibliography card your note card corresponds with. Paraphrase info. (if you want to get a direct quote make sure you put the info in quotations) Write the page number you found the info on, so that you can easily access it again or so you can use it when quoting in your research paper.

43. NOTEcard Tips • To prevent plagiarism, close the book while you are writing your notecard—this will force you to put the information in your own words. • Write only 1 main point per card—don’t combine different topics on 1 card. • Only write down information that is related to your statement of purpose. • Write only essential words, abbreviate when possible. • Be accurate—when writing down facts and statistics, double-check your notecard against the source. • Identify direct quotes with quotation marks—and don’t forget to write down who said it! • Use ellipses points (…) when you leave out non-essential words from a quote. • Distinguish between fact and opinion, if necessary.

44. Sample of Note Cards from Text. Every notecard ALWAYS needs 4 items on it.1. Card topic—think of it as the title or main idea2. Source #--which source did you find this info in?3. Information (quoted or paraphrased)4. Page you found the information on Text from Original Source Notecard Lincoln and Douglas—views on slavery Source #3 Lincoln and Douglas both thought slavery was wrong, and they also both thought that African Americans were inferior to whites. However, Lincoln thought that African Americans were on a high enough level that slavery was definitely wrong and needed to be stopped from spreading. For Douglas, the trouble that challenging slavery would cause definitely outweighed the wrongs of slavery, since he felt that African Americans were VERY inferior. p.81 Original text from source: “In truth, Douglas did not believe that slavery was actually right, nor did Lincoln in 1858 believe that is was wrong enough to justify direct intervention in the affairs of states where it was already domesticated. Nor did Lincoln really believe more than Douglas that African Americans were entirely the social equals of white, the difference on this point between them being more of degree than substance. But differences in degrees can be critical, too. For Lincoln in 1858, African Americans were certainly the equals of whites in enough sense to make enslaving them wrong, and a wrong that should be contained wherever there was power and opportunity to contain it. For Douglas, African Americans were so far from being the equals of whites that the misfortune of their enslavement was simply not worth antagonizing half the Union, especially when half the continent was at stake.”

45. How to organize your paper using note cards. 1) Intro a) Hook b) Background information c) Thesis 2) Develop Your Argument a) Make a claim 1 i) Evidence 1a ii) Evidence 1b iii) Evidence 1c b) Make a claim 2 i) Evidence 2a ii) Evidence 2b iii) Evidence 2c c) Make a claim 3 i) Evidence 3a ii) Evidence 3b iii) Evidence 3c 3) Refuting Opponents’ Arguments a) Opposing view 1 i) Refutation 1 b) Opposing view 2 i) Refutation 2 4) Conclusion a) Restate the importance of your issue b) Paint a picture of the world depicting what would happen if your argument is (or is not) implemented • First, you will need your Research Outline. • It should look something like this

46. How do I Organize my paper? 1) Intro a) Hook b) Background information c) Thesis 2) Develop Your Argument a) Make a claim 1 i) Evidence 1a ii) Evidence 1b iii) Evidence 1c b) Make a claim 2 i) Evidence 2a ii) Evidence 2b iii) Evidence 2c c) Make a claim 3 i) Evidence 3a ii) Evidence 3b iii) Evidence 3c 3) Refuting Opponents’ Arguments a) Opposing view 1 i) Refutation 1 b) Opposing view 2 i) Refutation 2 4) Conclusion a) Restate the importance of your issue b) Paint a picture of the world depicting what would happen if your argument is (or is not) implemented • Use notecards! (3x5 index cards) • Organize your notes to match the sections of your outline. • Color code your notes by section. Using different color notecards is a great idea to organize your cards.

47. What’s next? • After writing your notecards and putting them into groups that correspond with your outline it’s time to organize each group of cards. • Organize each group of cards in the order in which you plan to write about them in your paper. • Number your cards once they are in order. Write the number in the upper left corner. • Now you may begin writing your rough draft.

48. Check the tone • The tone of the research paper must be properly checked during research paper proofreading. This is a tricky part of the research paper writing. The research paper tone must be properly aligned. • The tone does not have to be extremely friendly, but it must be engaging. When choosing words to maintain the tone, be wary of the choice of words so as not to make avoidable errors with word selection. • Do not forget this is an official write up and the tone must be kept official even when attempting to keep it engaging. Any wrong choice of word will make the whole write-up look out of place. Look out for any tone or choice of word that seem to be out of place and replace such words with something more official. Use of grammar can also be very essential as it helps add some credence to the write-up. • Do not forget that the purpose of the research paper is to pass across a message. Make sure a communicating and engaging tone is ensured all through the process. The tone issue is more important in the introductory and the concluding aspects of the research paper. • The other parts may involve a raw display of data gathered in the course of the research work, and the issue of tone modulation may not be necessary here. Proofreading

49. #2 Heading Title • During your research paper editing, the heading must be placed on the top-left part of the page, and it must include your name and other important details. Additionally, it must include the date. The date must be written in the right format; ask for the right format so as to create uniformity with laid down rules. • The title must be very interesting. While you may be limited regarding a choice of title, you should at the same time make the best out of it. The title must give a summary of the discussion or subject matter of the research paper. All the points to be discussed must be captured in just one sentence and be presented as the title. • The title must be as short as you can make it, but it must not be too short. You should equally avoid abbreviation when writing the title; write every word in full and this will help prevent confusion of any kind on the part of the person reading the research paper. Do not forget there are times abbreviated words can have more than one meaning. #2 Heading Title • The heading must be placed on the top left must be placed on the top left part of the page, and it must include your name, date and other important details.

50. #3 Indents, Spacing, and Citations • This is yet another important consideration during proofreading. If I want to proofread my research paper properly, I will make sure the write up is double-spaced as this tends to prevent clumping together of the lines and also make the write-up very easy to read. • I will equally make sure all the paragraphs in the write-up are indented. I will ensure there is no extra space between them whatsoever. Most research papers follow the rule of double-spacing, but you can also confirm from your supervisor if there he/she prefers certain exceptions. • The citation in a top quality research paper should be clearly visible. The citation can be in-text or parenthetical, depending on what your supervisor feels is better. He/she should then be carried along while getting things done. • The citations must be perfectly fitted into the body of the write-up in a manner to give the write up the desired meaning. You should also not forget that the tone of the write-up must be maintained while writing the introductory aspect. • You are expected to understand how to input the citation in a way to maintain the tone. Make sure the citations are gotten from at least 5 sources too. • This is an among the very first thing the teacher or any one reading the research paper will see; it should, therefore, be properly implemented for the research paper to have the desired impact and approval. # 3 Indents, spacing, and citations. Make sure the write up is double spaced as this tends to prevent clumping together of the lines, paragraphs are indented and the citation is clearly visible.