Research Paper Planning Sheet

  1. Topic: #____ tell what your topic is in 3 or fewer words (Notice that your topic concerns a debatable issue.)

FRACKING

  1. Thesis/Claim: You are presenting research to back up your claim about your topic. What is your belief on the issue? Phrase it as your working thesis.

Fracking should not be used to collect oil or natural gas because it’s bad for the environment.

  1. Write as many different words/phrases as you can think of as keywords for your search. Generate at least 5.

Frackingalternatives to foreign oildependence on foreign oil

oil productionnatural gas productionFossil fuel extraction

  1. List three DISCUS databases that could help you in your search.

Applied Science & TechnologyOpposing Viewpoints in ContextTOPICSearch

Points of View Reference CenterScience Reference CenterWorld Data Analyst

  1. In order to do efficient, effective research, you need to have an idea of what information you’re looking for, otherwise, you’ll end up with an “all-about” paper (expository) instead of a researched argument, which is what you’re supposed to be creating. So, write some questions about your topic that your paper should answer. If you’ve chosen your topic well, you shouldn’t have to ask basic questions like “What is (insert your topic here)?” You can add to this step after you complete step 7.
  • What does the fracking process actually do to the environment?
  • How does it affect the water table?
  • How does it affect the soil?
  • How does it affect surrounding wildlife?
  • How does it affect air quality and greenhouse gasses?
  • Can fracking really end our dependence upon foreign oil?
  • Will the resources put toward fracking take away from the resources needed/used for the development of NON-FOSSIL FUEL sources of energy?
  • What are all the possible risks of fracking?
  • What are the documented occurrences of those risks, or are we just being over-cautious?
  • Other than possibly ending dependence upon foreign oil, what advantages to this technology are there?
  • How will fracking affect the price of gas or the price of energy for one’s home? Will fracking lower the cost of energy, or is it just a new source of cheap profit for energy companies at the expense of the environment?

This is loaded language. Be careful not to use it or your reader won’t trust you as an objective authority, but rather dismiss you as a ranting radical.

6.

  • Keep a list of the sources that you find so that you can refer back to them. Locate at least 5.
  • As you search, read titles, abstracts (brief summaries), headings, and other textual cues to help you decide whether an article will be of use. Don’t just choose the first five that pop up or the five shortest, and don’t read the entire article before you find some more possibilities.
  • Generate an MLA citation for each one.
  • Tell, SPECIFICALLY, how you expect this article to be helpful.

Citation / Reason to use
I think that this will tell me all about my topic.
This article will help me answer the question
  • Can fracking really end our dependence upon foreign oil?

7.

  • Read your articles, making annotations on them as you read.
  • Once you’ve read them all, put them completely aside and fill in the following chart. If you can’t fill in the basics, then you probably don’t know enough basic information about your topic and will need to
  • If you can’t find at least three supporting points and at least two counter-arguments,
  • go back to researching and pull at least three more articles.
  • Repeat the process from step 5.

What are the main points of evidence supporting your view of the issue? You will discover this evidence in your reading on the topic, not from your personal opinions. Be sure to note the source of your information. / What are the main counter-arguments against your view of the issue? You will discover this evidence in your reading on the topic, not from your personal opinions. Be sure to note the source of your information.

TAKE NOTES

8. Now that you are better informed about your topic, you can begin to TAKE NOTES because you know what information to write down and what information to disregard.

  • You can take notes on paper cards or electronically, but both styles need the same information
  • Take notes ONLY on the topics listed in steps 5 and 7.
  • Label the note card for two things:
  • The topic the note deals with (step 5 and/or 7)
  • The number of the source from which it comes (step 6)
  • For the note, put:
  • A paraphrase of the information in your OWN words. Don’t copy the sentence structure, the paragraph order, or any key phrases. Then document the page number if it’s a print source.
  • A quote exactly as it is written, either part of the sentence or the whole sentence, with quotation marks around it, the name of the person who says the quote, AND an explanation of how this quote will help you prove your point.
  • Put notes for only one topic (step 5 and/or 7) on a card (you’ll lay the cards out later in the order you’ll use them in your paper, and you can’t put one card in two places at once).