Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Let's Get Started....... Narrow your topic. Broad: NASA Space Program Narrow: The NASA space program has lived up to its original objectives.* Find keywords that describe the information you need (names, people. events, etc) Use these keywords for locating information in the library catalog, electronic databases, and on the Internet. Keywords:  NASA, space program, space exploration, space flight *Lamm, Kathryn. 10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Reports and Speeches. 3rd. ed. New York: McMillan, 1991.

 

ASSIGNMENT

RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES


1. Your research paper wiill be of 6-8 pages long excluding cover page, acknowledgments page, outline and works cited page). It will be on any topic of interest to you.

2. Read pages 127-177 in handbook, Quick Access BEFORE you start work on the paper for information on how to write a research paper. You will need to do some preliminary research to help you narrow the focus of your paper. Obviously, one of your tasks is to get a very narrow focus for whatever subject you decide to research. (See handbook, pages 127-130).

3. Decide on a subject, narrow the focus, and submit the following to me by Tuesday, February 10:
. a one paragraph explanation of why you have decided to research your chosen subject
. a Working Bibliography (list of print, On-line, and electronic sources on your topic. See page 136 in handbook).
. a task completion schedule (see page 131 in handbook)

4. Submit a Formal Outline for your paper (handbook page 26), including completely stated THESIS (handbook page 24) by Tuesday, February 24 (See Handbook pages 22 & 23 for Outline format)

5. You will also use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style of documentation and at least 6 sources (primary and secondary ): 3 PRINT and 3 ON-LINE (computer).

6. The final product should consist of a Title page, an acknowledgments page, an outline page, the body of the research, Endnote (if necessary) and a Works Cited page (see sample Research paper in handbook, pages 213-233 for correct format foreach of these). In addition, read the Appendix in the Patterns for College Writing textbook, "Writing a Research Paper" (pages 707-735).

7. The research paper itself should consist of an Introduction with clearly stated thesis (handbook page 24); Body or developmental paragraphs, and Conclusion.

8. The complete, next-to-final draft of the paper (TYPED, including everything from Cover Page to Works Cited Page) is due for a peer review by Tuesday, APRIL 13. This draft must include EVERYTHING, from cover page to works cited page to receive any points at all. To receive the allocated 100 points for this draft, you must have ALL the parts completed.

9. The final draft of the paper is due Tuesday, APRIL 20.

Be sure to check in with me at each stage of the major steps in the process: Finding and limiting your topic; Making a Working bibliography; Developing a thesis statement; Creating a structure (Outline); Drafting the paper; Revising the paper; Preparing and Proofreading the final manuscript.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Cheryl Mansfield-Egans, of the Montgomery College library, for helping me locate information on the Internet and John Jacobs and Jane Cleaver, for providing excellent feedback on my drafts. Their feedback allowed me to greatly improve the paper. I would also like to thank my family for being very supportive of me and for giving me the encouragement I needed at the times when I felt like giving up on the whole project. And, finally, I would like to thank my best friend, Sharon, for helping me decide on a topic for research and for getting me started. I most certainly could not have completed this project without the assistance of these wonderful people, and I sincerely thank them all.


RESEARCH PROJECT PLAN


Date Complete By:___________________:


STARTING A RESEARCH PROJECT

______________ 1. Set up my research log

______________ 2. Choose a suitable topic

______________ 3. Draft my research question

________________________________________________________________________

FINDING AND EVALUATING SOURCES

______________ 4. Decide what documentation style to use (MLA)

______________ 5. Decide the kinds of research I need to do:

• Field research
• Library sourcesc
• Online sources

______________ 6. Locate and evaluate sources

______________7. Take Notes

______________8. Draft a preliminary thesis statement

______________9. Outline, as required

_______________________________________________________________________________________

WRITING THE RESEARCH PAPER

_____________ 10. Drafting my paper

_____________ 11. Document correctly

_____________ 12. Revise the paper

_____________ 13. Edit and proofread the paper


February 24 : Formal Outline Due
April 13: Next-to-Final Draft Due
April 20: Final Paper Due


Each segment marked off by a horizontal line will occupy roughly one-quarter of the total time. The most unpredictable segments are the first two, so it's wise to get started early enough to accommodate the unexpected. All page numbers are cited from the Quick Access handbook, 4e, unless otherwise stated.

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BOOKS

Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Access the library Resouces....   Apply online for an NHMCCD library card.   Use your card number to: Borrow books at NHMCCD and Montgomery County libraries Request a book to be held for you at an NHMCCD library Access databases from home. The catalog is online at librarycatalog.nhmccd.edu/. Online books are available at www.netlibrary.com. An account must be created before accessing net library ebooks. Click on the "Create an Account" link on the web site.

Locate Books in Horizon, the Online Catalog
Do a Keyword search in Horizon to find books about your author in the four college libraries (Montgomery, Kingwood, North Harris, and Tomball) as well as the Montgomery County Public Library System. 

        Frontiers of space exploration
        The case for space : who benefits from explorations of the last frontier
        Countdown : a history of space flight
       Space shuttle : the history of the National Space Transportation System : the first 100 missions.

  Reference Books are a good starting point because they give you an overview with more broad, general information.

       Ref QB500.262 .A54 2000 Encyclopedia of Space Exploration
       Ref TL793 .L3137 2000 To Rise from Earth : An Easy-to-Understand Guide to Spaceflight
      

To find articles in books, search the library catalog using "Combination Search" button on the toolbar.
       Keywords: NASA or space program or space exploration or space flight
                      

MLA International Bibliography  indexes articles in books as well as journals.  It may be the only place to find information on some of these works.  Be sure you use the book title, not the article title when you check the library catalog or NetLibrary for the book.

NetLibrary is a good source for electronic books online.  These books may also appear with other search results in the NHMCCD Catalog.

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JOURNALS

Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Find Articles ...... To find articles in newspapers and journals, use your library card to login to the following databases. Articles not available in full text can be obtained thru interlibrary loan from another library. Plan ahead to use interlibrary loan because the turn around period can take weeks. Contact the Reference Librarians for more information.

Accessing Databases from Off-Campus

In order to access the databases from off-campus you must possess a current, valid library card. Apply online for an NHMCCD library card.  

The database links below will direct you to the Remote Patron Authentication page of the NHMCCD District Libraries:

1. Select the library that issued your card
2. Enter the barcode on the card, without spaces.

Proquest Research Library - A general database.  Use Peer Reviewed for scholarly journals.  Most recent articles are full text.

Academic Search Complete - A general database , often covers different journals than ProQuest.  Use Peer Reviewed.  Most recent articles are full text.

Biographies Plus Illustrated - A full text database with articles about the famous people.

Facts.com - A full text database with articles on a variety of subjects.

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Web Sites

Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Find Internet Sites.... People can place information onto the Web whether or not they know what they are talking about.  Because of this, the information you find on the Web may not be correct.  You can determine if you have found accurate, reliable information if you evaluate it according to the criteria below. Authority / Credibility The information should be from a knowledgeable, trained, experienced expert you can believe and trust.  Examples Credible:  Health Insurance Market Reforms    http://www.urban.org/pubs/hinsure/insure.htm Not Credible:  Dihydrogen Monoxide    http://www.dhmo.org/ Not Credible:  Clones R Us    http://www.d-b.net/dti/ Accuracy / Content The information should be free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors.  It should be factual, logically arranged, and easy to read and follow.  Sources of information should be stated or properly cited. Examples Accurate:  The Titanic Casualty Figures    http://www.anesi.com/titanic.htm Not Accurate:  Feline Reactions to Bearded Men    http://www.improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html Timeliness / Currency You should be able to easily find the dates on which the information was created, first placed on the Web, and most recently updated.  The information should not be obsolete. Examples Current:  The World Factbook    http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html Not Current:  Albania Information    gopher://gopher.umsl.edu:70/00/library/govdocs/wf93/wf1993/wf930007 Bias / Objectivity The information should be impartial and not attempt to promote an agenda.  Many advertisements are biased. Examples Biased:  RJReynolds Tobacco Holdings    http://www.rjrt.com/common/pages/IndexDefault2002.asp Not Biased:  Brain Tumor Facts and Figures    http://www.tbts.org/btfacts.htm Appropriateness The information should suit your needs and adequately cover the subject. You should be able to tell if the Web site is complete or still under construction. Examples Not Appropriate for College:  The Dr. King Timeline Page http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/pages/buckman/timeline/kingframe.html Appropriate:  Bioterrorism Information    http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/bioterrorism.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration - official site of NASA
Liftoff to Space Exploration - current news and information from the Mission Operations Laboratory, which was created to maximize the success of NASA's scientific missions.
NASA Human Spaceflight - official NASA site with news and information about space flight

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Style Guides / Plagiarism

MLA Style Guide for Print Sources| Montgomery College Library guide . Print citation examples.

MLA Style Guide for ElectronicSources| Montgomery College Library guide . Electronic citation examples.

Plagiarism | How to avoid plagiarism from Purdue University

REMEMBER, the expert on this paper is Professor Kusi-Mensah.

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