-NORTH PENN
SchooIDistrict
Writing Guide
Table of Contents
Steps for Writing a Scholarly Paper . .. .... ...... .. ....... .. ......... ................. . 2
.... .. 6
Sample Bibliography Card ......... ............. .............. ......... ............. ..
Sample Note Card .. .. ..... ..... ......... ... ... ..... ....... ............. .........-..." ...u.." 6
. . . ..... ...
Sample outline . .. ... ... .... ..... . ....... ... ...... ...... .. ........... .... .u... ..... .. ..
7
. ...... 8 _
Sample Page .. ....... .. .. . .......... .. . ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... . ................ ......... .....
. ........ . 9
Sample Works Cited Entries .. ... ...... .... ........ ........ . . ......... .. .... . ....
This guide was prepared by North Penn School District teachers
to assist students as they develop their research papers forinall
subject areas. Students are encouraged to keep the guide a
notebook for handy reference.
Steps For Writing A Scholarly Paper
Step 1 :
1 .1 .
1 .2 .
Step 2:
2.1 .
2.2.
2.3.
Step 3:
3 .1 .
3.2.
3.3.
Step 4:
4 .1 .
4 .2 .
4.3_
4.4.
4.5.
4 .6.
Step 5 :
5.1 .
5.2.
5 .3.
Step 6:
6.16.2 .
6.3 .
6.4 .
6.5.
Limiting Your Topic
Do preliminary research to evaluate your assigned topic .
Limit your topic to focus on a specific aspect of the subject you want to explore fully .
Preparing a Working outline
Develop a list of questions related to your sharpfy focused purpose or thesis
statement . Group these questions into several major categories .
Rewrite these categories as major outline headings . Arrange the questions under the
appropriate headings .
Add, delete or rearrange these major headings as you continue gathering information .
Developing a Working Bibliography
Prepare a list of tentative sources for researching your narrowed topic .
Record each possible source on a 3x5 card using appropriate bibliographical form .
The working bibliography will eventually be the source of the list of works cited that
appears at the end of the research paper . Bibliographical format and works cited
format (see Step 9) are the same.
See Sample Bibliography Card in Appendix.
Taking Notes
Gather and record all pertinent information from your sources .
Use a separate index card for each specific notation related to your preliminary
outline subheadings .
Summarize the information if you want to record the general idea of large amounts
of material.
Paraphrase or restate in your own words detailed notes on specific passages of your
material .
Quote directly when you-feei the origifral wording is especially effective in making your
point. Transcribe", . . material word for word, comma for comma" (Gibaldi MLA
Handbook 25) .
See Sample Note Card in Appendix.
Finalizing Your Thesis Statement
Review your notes and working outline to make needed revisions to your thesis
statement.
Consider your specific purpose and audience when shaping your final
thesis
Make sure your thesis statement reflects the unity and iogicai progression of
your paper.
Preparing the Final outline
Review your notes to determine their usefulness in supporting your thesis .
Use only the notes relevant to your purpose_
Revise your working outline to logically present your accumulated research .
Develop a final outline in appropriate parallel form
See Sample Outline in Appendix .
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Step 7:
Writing the Rough Draft
Step 8:
Documenting Sources
7 .1 .
7.2.
8_1 .
Construct paragraphs to your draft to reflect the logical divisions in your final outline .
Double-space your rough draft .
Incorporate research into your text.
8 .1 .1 .
8.1 .2
8_1 .3_
8.1 .4 .
8.1 .5.
Document all borrowed materials, whether quoting directly, paraphrasing
or summarizing .
Write a lead-in statement introducing the material and, if needed, a followup statement when quoting, paraphrasing or summarizing sources_ Fit
your lead-in and follow-up statements smoothly into your writing,
indicating your reason for using the documented material .
Use quotations selectively and keep them as brief as possible .
Provide your own comment or explanation inside the quotation within
square brackets if your quotation needs further clarification .
Ex : "His [Laughing Man's] wants were few" (Salinger 61) .
Use an ellipsis when you omit a word, phrase, sentence or paragraph
from a quoted passage .
a.
Omission of one or more complete sentences
Ex: In discussing the implications of the war on the
accessibility of education for the masses, Vivian Gomick
writes, "Of these millions an enormous percentage would
ordinarily have gone into the humanities or social sciences- _ . It was exactly like a revolution" (33).
b.
Omission at the end of a sentence
Ex: Cower explains that "Many of the features suggestive
of life are associated with the carbonate deposits . . ." (190).
c.
Omission within a sentence
Ex : J.D . Salinger's "Teddy" is rich in detail : "She sprawled
forward . . . to show off her accomplishment, to isolate it from
whatever else was aboard ship" (176).
8.1 .6.
Place a prose quotation o¬ up to four typed lines in quotation marks and
incorporate it into your own text .
Ex: Dickens' opening passage in A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best
of times, it was the worst of times" (13), captures the
paradoxical nature of life in France and England .
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8.1 .7 .
Set off a prose quotation of five or more typed lines by beginning a new line and
indenting each line ten spaces from the left margin . Double space the
quotation, place an end mark before the documentation and do not use
quotation marks.
Ex: At the outset of "The Tell-Tale Heart" the narrator defends his own sanity :
True! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been
and am: but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had
sharpened my senses - not destroyed - not dulled them_ Above
all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the
heaven and in the earth, i heard many things in hell. How, then .
am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily - how calmly 1
can tell you the whole story . (Poe 203)
Ironically, the vehemence of his argument bears witness to his madness&1 .8.
8.1 .9.
Place a verse quotation of up to three lines in quotation marks and incorporate
it into your own text. Use a slash with a space on each side to separate the
lines .
Ex: Langston Hughes ponders the impact of dreams not realized : "What
happens to a dream deferred? l Does it dry up 1 like a raisin in the sun?"
(591) .
Set off verse quotations of more than three lines by beginning a new line and
indenting each line ten spaces from the left margin . Double space the
quotation, place an end mark before the documentation and do not use
quotation marks .
Ex: Can writing poetry be anything like harvesting sugar cane? Aurora Levin
Mora#es uses this metaphor to paint a vivid picture of poetry as a
process of purification :
Poetry
is something refined
in your vocabulary,
taking its place at the table
in a silver bowl : essence
of culture . (453)
8.2.
Use Parenthetical Documentation
8 .2. t .
8 .2 .2 .
Use the author's last name and a page reference to identify a quote, summary
or paraphrase from your source .
Ex : The French monarchy suffered its final defeat under the specter of
political compromise ; financial profit became increasingly less attractive
as the stability of the crown waned (Schama 288) .
In documenting Shakespearean drama, use the play's title along with the
act, scene and line numbers .
Ex: Their destinies intertwine when the young suitor lingers beneath his
lover's balcony and declares to himself the excellence of her beauty :
"But soft what light through yonder window breaks? 1 It is the east, and
Juliet is the sun" {Romeo and Juliet 2.2.2-3).
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8 .2 .3 .
If the work cited has more than three authors, give all the last names or one last
name
followed by et al .
Ex : " . . . the man in the suit" (Wellek, Warren, Smith and Bums
310-15).
Ex : or (Wellek et al . 310-15) .
8.2 .4 .
if the work is listed by title, use the title or a shortened version .
Ex : " . . by the color of the button on the hats" ("Mandarin" 16) .
8 .2 .5 .
If the list contains more than one work by the author, give the title cited or a shortened
version after the author's name .
Ex- " . . a girl in a beaver coat climbed into the bus" {Salinger Nine Stories 63}.
8_2.6 .
8 .3 .
Step 9
If you include an author's name in a sentence, do not repeat it in the parentheses .
Ex :
It may be true, as Schama writes, that ". . . the consequences of the
Revolution from 1789 to the Terror were . . . socially conservative" (518) .
See Sample Page in Appendix .
Preparing a List of Works Cited
9.1 .
Start the list of works cited on a new page . The purpose of the works cited list is to indicate.
the source and to aid the reader in locating the sources of the documented text . Other names
for such listings are Bibliography (literally, "description of books") and Literature Cited.
Usually, however, the broader title Works Cited is most appropriate, since researchers often
use not only books and articles but also films, recordings and other non-print sources.
9 .2 .
Continue the page numbers of the text, typing the page number in the upper right-hand comer
one-half inch from the top (line 4) .
9.3 .
Center the title one inch from the top of the page and do not underline . Double space
between the title and the first entry.
9.4 .
Alphabetize entries by the author's last name or, if the author is unknown, by the first word in
the title other than A, An, or The .
9.5 .
Begin the entry flush with the left margin . if the entry runs more than one line, indent all
subsequent lines five spaces from the left margin .
9.6 .
Double space the entire list, both between and within entries.
9.7 .
Include as much of the following information as is available to complete your works cited
entries .
9.7 .1 .
Authors' last name, first name and initial .
9_7 .2 .
Title of book, underlined . Use a colon to separate a title and a subtitle .
9.7_3 .
Title of part of a book or journal article in quotation marks .
9.7 .4 .
Name of editor, translator or compiler .
9.7 .5 .
Edition, volume numbers, name or series .
9.7 .6 .
Place of publication, publisher's name and most recent copyright. Place a comma
and a space between the publisher and the date, and place a period after the date .
9 .7_7 .
Page numbers when research is limited to part of a work .
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9 .7 .8.
Title of electronic material if this differs from the print publication ti-ie,
using quotation marks for
part of a work and underlining for the whole.
9.7.9 .
Title of database (underlined) if this differs from the title of the electronic
material, editor's name,
edition, release or version number .
9.7 .14 . Electronic medium. More than one may be needed for multiple media :
CD-Rom, Diskette, Magnetic tape, Videodisk, Videocassette .
9.7 .11 _ Owner, repository, publication data of electronics material and/or network/service provider .
9.7.12 . Date of latest update (non-online sources) or date of access (online
sources) .
NOTE:
9_7 .13 . Availability indicates access mode (TELNET, FTP, GOPHER, E-MAIL, HTTP, etc.) and an
address ('For example, lib, dartmouth . edw .)
Few entries in a works-cited list will contain all of these items . See sample illustration (9.8) .
Arrange the
information as in the examples for citing printed text and electronic research materials .
See Samples of Works Cited Entries in Appendix
3.3
Sample Bibliography Card
Appendix
973 .702
Kir
Kirchberger, Joseph H. The Civil War and
Reconstruction- An E ewitness Histo
New York: Facts on File, 1991 .
4.6
Working Bibliography
Card Number
Sample Note Card
Slug (topic -j
from outline)
Effects of Conscience
A major effect of conscience is thought . The
operation of conscience, however, provides no directions
for that thought. 'Conscience makes demands: but it also
Working
bibliography
card number
provides no clear moral or metaphysical sense ."
Page reference
from source
This notecard is a good one because it combines
paraphrased material and a direct quotation.
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6.5.
Sample Outline
Center title
above
outline
Begin
outline at
left-hand
margin
F. Scott Fitzgerald's Use of the Valley
of Ashes in The Great Gatsb
I.
The Valley of Ashes as a representation of darker
view of life
A.
Description of the Valfey of Ashes
B.
Description of its inhabitants
1 . George Wilson
2. Myrtle Wilson
C . The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckelburg
11 . The Valley of Ashes and its relationship
to death
Write all
major topics
in parallel
form
A.
Death of Myrtle
B.
Death of Gatsby
Write each group
of subtopics in
parallel form.
C . Death of George
III . The Valley of Ashes as a contrast to Gatsby's
grand illusion
A. Contrast between the Valley and East and
West Egg
B.
Contrast between the Wilsons and the
inhabitants of East and West Egg
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8.3 .
Sample Page
Smith 3
Left
margin
1 inch
Short poetry
quotation
112 inch
Hamlet's third soliloquy reveals the despair he feels not
only because he has been forced to admit that evil exists in the
world, but also because he is apparently unable to do anything
about it. Evidently, the major force preventing Hamlet from taking
his own life is the fear of what the next life may hold : "What dreams
may come/ When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, l Must give
Right
margin
1 inch
us pause" (3 .1 .74-7fi) . Hamlet then catalogues the evils which
every man is forced to experience in life:
Long quotation-indented '! 0 spaces
without quotation
marks
For who would bear the whips and scams of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay_
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his
quietus snake
With a bare bodkin . (3 .1 .78-84)
Hamlet's consideration
of evil.and_death helps.one.understand why
he delays in avenging his father's murder . The very act of thinking,
of reflecting upon one's actions and what is right in a world filled
3 spaced
periods
with evil, leads to inaction. As D .G . James points out, "Conscience
makes demands ; but it also provides no clear moral . . sense" (44).
Conscience forces Hamlet to think about the consequences
of his actions but does not dictate righteousness . Indeed, the power
of his conscience reinforces Hamlet's dilemma (James 45).
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Ellipsis
(something
omitted)
9 .8. Illustrations of Works Cited Entries
Citing Books
One Author
Bloom, Harold . The Brontes . New York : Chelsea, 1987.
Two or More Authors
Miller, Frederic M ., Morris J_ Vogel and Allen F. Davis. Still Philadelphia : Temple
UP, 1983 .
A Book with an Anonymous Author
Beowulf. Trans_ Burton Raffel . New York: NAL, 1963 .
A Multivoiume Work
When using only one volume, state the number of the volume :
Magill, Frank N., ed. Maste Pots : C clo edia of Litera Character . Vol . 1 . New York. Salem,
1963_
When using two or more volumes in a multivolume work, state the total number of volumes .
MagiEI, Frank N ., ed. Maste Eats : C clo edia of Literary Character. 2 vols. New York: Salem,
1963.
An Introduction, Preface, Foreward, or an Afterword
Creed, Robert P. Afterword . Beowulf. New York: NA1_, 1963. 123-48 .
A Work in an Anthology (or an essay from a collection of critical essays)
Allende, Isabel . "Toad's Mouth." Trans . Margaret Sayers Peden . A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes
. Stories
from Latin America . Ed. Thomas Colchie . New York: Plume, 1992_ 83-88 .
James, D . G., `The New Doubt ." Dream of Leaming (1351) : 41-48 . Rpt. in Twentieth Centu
Hamlet. Ed. David Bevington . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 43-68.
Interpretations of
Two or More Books by the Same Author
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman . New York: Viking, 1949.
- - -_ Alf
yM Sons_ New York: Viking, 195'1 _
An Article in a Reference Book
"Balkans." The New Encyclopedia Britarinica : Macronedia. 15th .ed_, 1.994.
Trainen, Isaac N ., et al_ "Religious Directives in Medical Ethics ." Encyclopedia of Bioethics_ Ed. Warren T.
Reich . 4 vols . New York: Free, 1978.
An Edition
Hubert, Henri . The Rise of the Celts . 2nd ed . Boston : Houghton, 1957.
A Translation
Dostoevsky, Fyodor . Crime and Punishment . Trans . Michael Scamrnel. New York: Washington Square
Press, 1976A Book in a Series (should have a series name g number on the title page to be written as a series)
Kirchberger, Joe H. The Civif and Reconstruction : An Eyewitness Higo . The Eyewitness History Series. 22 .
New York: Facts on File, 1991 .
Foster, Carol D., et al. eds . Gun Control : Restricting Rights or Protectin
current topics_ Ser . 672,. Texas : Information Plus, 1993 .
A Pamphlet
Bender, David L ed. Is the Death Penal
Peon le? Information series an
lied Unfairly? San Diego : Greenhouse Press, Inc_, 1997_
A Government Publication
United States. Department of Health and Human Services . Children Today. Washington : GPO, 1997 .
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Citing Articles in Periodicals
An Article in a Scholarly Journal with Continuous Pagination
Craner, Paul M. "New Tool for an Ancient Art : The Computer and Music." Com uteri and the
Humanities 25 (1991) : 303-13 .
An Article in a Scholarly Journal that Pages Each Issue Separately
Lisman, C. David_ "Yes, Holden Should Read these Books-" English Journal 78-4 (1989) :14-18An Article in a Newspaper
Bodley, Hal . "White Sox's Thomas measures up as best." USA Today 30 act . 1997: C 1 .
An Article in a Magazine
Bouchard, Thomas J . Jr. "Whenever the Twain Shall Meet." The Sciences Sept.loct . 1997 : 52-57 .
An Anonymous Article
"Is Pasta a Diet Buster?" Preventi on Nov . 1997: 46.
An Editorial
"Minor cost is no burden-" Editorial . USA Today 30 Oct. 1997: 14A .
A Letter to the Editor
Snyderman, Bale . Letter_ The Reporter [Lansdale, PA] 31 Oct. 1997: A:10 .
A Review
Jones Jr., Malcolm and Gey Sawhill_ "From 'Ashes' to Stardom ." Rev . of Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt .
Newsweek 25 Aug. 1997 : 19.
An Article in a Microform Collection of Articles
Dempsey, Dale_ "On the Threshold of Environmental Stress ." Dayton Daily News 10 Aug . 1997 : 14 .
Newsbank Environment 28 (1997) : fiche 62, grids A6-S.
Citing Other Sources
A Television or Radio Program
"The Big Bang." Narr- Stephen Hawkins . Stephen_Hawkirr`~ Universe. -PBS WHYY, Philadelphia-
21 Oct. 1997.
A Sound Recording (LP, Audiocassette Audiotape or Compact Disk)
Bach, Johann S . Double Concerts for 2 Violins in D Minor, Perf. Penman, Stem and Menta. New York
Phil . CBS Records, 1983.
Marsalis, Bradford. Romances for Saxophone . English Chamber Orch- Cond . Andrew Litton- Audiocassette .
CBS, 1986.
Holiday, Billie . "God Bless the Child ." Rec . 9 Dec . 1941 . The Essenceof Billte Holiday . Columbus .
1991 .
NOTE :
If you are not using a compact disc, indicate the medium before the manufacturer's name .
A Film, Slide Program or Videocassette
Biology Essentials: Classification : Bringing, Order to Diversity . Videocassette . United Learning, Inc., 1996.
The Crucible . Screenplay by Arthur Miller . Dir. Daniel Day-Lewis- Perf. Joan Allen, Winnona Ryder . Twentieth
Century Fox, 1996NOTE : If you are not citing a film, indicate the medium before the manufacturer's name.
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A Performance
Les Miserables . By Victor Hugo . Dir . John Caird and Trevor Nunn . Forrest
Theatre, Philadelphia . 8 Oct . 1991 .
A Work of Art
Cezanne, Paul . Self-portrait with Beret . 1873-1875 . St . Petersburg . Hermitage
. Cezanne : Visions of a Great
Painter by Henri Lallenmand . New York : Smithmark, 1994 . (pg . #. slide, figure, or plate
number,
whichever is relevant .)
An Interview
Croce, Pat . Telephone In terview . 10 Dec-1995,
A Cartoon
Smith, Mike . Cartoon . USA Today . 30 Oct . 1997 : 16 .
Browne, Dik . "Hagar the Horrib ¬e .° Cartoon . The
Reporter [Lansdale PA] 31 Oct . 1997 : 22
An Advertisement
Bell Atlantic . Advertisement . CNN_ 4 Nov . 1997 .
A Lecture. a Speech, or an Address
Panofsky, Wolfang K . "Arms Control and SALT Il ."The Jessie and John Danz Lecture Series .
University of Washington, Seattle . 10 May 1979.
Published Letters
.Jack London . Letter to Sinclair Lewis 4 Oct . 1910 . Letters from Jack London . Ed . King Hendricks and living
Shepard . New York : Odyssey, 1965 . 484-5 .
Letter Received by the Author
King, Stephen . Letter to the author. 28 Sept . 1997 .
A Published Dissertation
Hubler, William Henry . Koreans in Ernl n : A Communi in Transition . Diss . Penn State U, 1977 .
Elkins Park : Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation, 1978 .
Citing Electronic Materials
See the NPHS IMC Guide to Citing Electronic Sources for more info.
In More Than One Medium
"Delphi, Treasury of the Athenians ." Perseus 1 .0 _ Interactive Sources and Studies on Ancient Greece . Ed .
Gregory Crane . CD-ROM, videodisc . New Haven : Yale UP. 1992 .
On E-Mail
Danford, Tom . "Monday Greeting ." E-Mail to Terry Craig . 13 Sept .1993 .
In a Public Online Posting
Emandes, Ken . "STS-64 Rev 138 Victor ." 18 Sept . 1994 . Online posting . Space Flight Forum, Space Shuttle
Section . CompuServe . 28 Sept-1 994 .
From an Electronic Text
Hardy, Thomas . Far from the Madding Crowd . Ed . Ronald Blythe . Harmondswerth : Penguim, 1978_
Online . Oxford Text Archive . Internet. 24 Jan . 1994A Periodically Published Database on CD-ROMs
Curry, Sheree R_ "Customizing College Courses_" Fortune 10 Oct . 1997 : 191
CD-ROM . Ebsco Publishing . Nov, 1999-
Ma azine Article Summaries .
A Nonperiodical Publication on CD-ROM
'Clinton, Bill ." Portraits of American Presidents . CD-ROM . Great Bear Technology . 1994 .
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CD-ROM with Printed Source
Linton, W. J . "King Alfred ." Claribel and Other Poems. London :
Simpkin, Marshall S Col, 1865_ 53-6t7 .
English Poet Full-Text Database . Ref. 1 . CD-ROM . Cambridge,
Eng . Chadwyak - Healey, 1992_
Online Databases
With Printed Source - Book
Shakespeare, William . Hamlet . The Works of William Shakes eare .
Ed . Arthur H_ Bulien . Stratford Town
Ed . Stratford-on-Avon . Shakespeare Head, 1919 _ Online . Dartmouth Coll
. Lib . Intemet . 26
Dec.1992_
With Printed Source -- Journal, Newsletter, Newspaper, Periodical
Porteous, Sandra . "Why Bedford Just Doesn't Want to Go ." The Daily News .
[Halifax, Nova Scotia} 39 May
'3995: 11 pars . The Daily News On-Line . Online . Intemet. 30 May 1995 .
Available HTTP : wwwl
cfn .cs.dal .ca/Greenpages/DailyNews .htm i .
Without Printed Source
Zakour, John M_ The Doomsday Brunette . 1994 . Online . Internet . 1 5 May
1995 . Available HTTP :
zeb.nysas-comell .edu/ddb .cgi/go/cl.
Without an Author
"How Green Are You?" Consumer Reports, Nov_ 1944 : 2 pars . Online . Prodigy. 10
Mar. 1995 .
"Absurdity ." Roget's Thesaurus of En fish Words and Phrases. 1911 . Roget's
Thesaurus. Online . Internet_
26 Apr . 1995 . Available HTTP : www.notredame .ac.Jp/Roget/data/497 ,
Note : The period used to end the citation is not part of the online address .
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