Writing a Research Paper

In this lesson, you’ll practice skills for

writing a research paper. A research paper
is an essay that presents an argument or
analyzes a point of view. The argument or
the analysis is supported by research
sources.
essays. It
The structure of the paper is similar to other

includes an introduction, body, and

conclusion. While writing, you’ll use a
common writing process. This process
follows these steps:
1. brainstorm

2. outline

3. draft

4. review

5. revise

6. edit (proofread)

7. publish




























 In the next activity, you’ll learn about the

writing prompt for your paper. Then
you’llfind research sources and prepare an
outline for your paper.
Writing Lab
Once you've written an outline, you can move on to writing your research
paper.

In this section, you’ll write an introduction of

150 to 200 words. The paragraph will be
based on the writing prompt from the
activity you just completed. You’ll use this
introduction paragraph later to practice the
revising and editing process.
Revising a Research Paper
Once your paper is written, you need to
revise it.Revising is a way for you to
improve the quality of your writing. It also
helps you improve your paper’s
organization and the flow of your ideas.

The revision step can focus on a section or

the entire paper. You may need to revise
your paper more than once. The goal is to
end up with a polished final paper.
During revision, look closely at your thesis
statement, ideas, and supporting
details. You may find that you need to
rethink and rewrite parts of the paper to
improve it.
Let's look at some questions you can ask while revising your paper.

Is a strong thesis statement clearly stated in the introduction paragraph?

Here are some examples:

Weak thesis: Christopher Columbus made a big impact on the world.

Strong thesis: Christopher Columbus made a lasting impact on the

world by launching an age of exploration and inspiring Europeans to
settle in America.

Do the body paragraphs support the thesis statement?

Read these sample body paragraphs:

Christopher Columbus was not the first

European to reach North America. The
Viking Leif Eriksson came to

 Newfoundland, Canada, 500 years

before Columbus. However, Columbus’s
voyage had the biggest impact on
human history.
Columbus claimed land and gold in the
name of the king and queen of
Spain. Unfortunately, he did this by
ruthlessly killing and enslaving American
Indians.Yet his voyage would soon
create a lot of European interest in the
New World.
The printing press spread the news of
Columbus’s voyages all over
Europe. Britain, France, and Portugal
began sending their own explorers to the
New World. In this way, Columbus
opened the way for European nations to
settle in America.
Does the conclusion paragraph clearly
restate the thesis statement? Does it
summarize the information in the body
paragraphs?

 Read this sample conclusion:

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed

the ocean for the New World. In doing
so, he made a lasting impact on the
world. Christopher Columbus started an
age of exploration and inspired
Europeans to settle in America. This
series of events eventually led to the
creation of the United States and more. It
all began with Columbus’s journey on
with Pinta, Niña, andSanta Maria.
After reviewing the organization of your paper, look closely at each
paragraph and ask these questions:

• Are the ideas within each paragraph and throughout the paper
organized logically?

• Are transition words, phrases, or

sentences used?Using transitions helps
link ideas.
Look at these examples:









 I went to see my teacher for extra

No transitions:

help.I got there. My teacher was on the

phone. The principal walked in.
, I went to see my teacher for
Transitions: Yesterday

extra help. When I got there, my teacher was

on the phone. Just then, the principal walked in.
Editing a Research Paper
In the writing process, the editing stage is
the time to proofread your paper for
errors. This stage happens after you’ve
made major revisions to your paper.
Editing focuses on the problems within
sentences.Capitalization, punctuation,
grammar, and spelling are a few of the
issues that a writer or reviewer should look
for during the editing process.
During the editing process, pay close attention to capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling.

Capitalization
Check to make sure you have capitalized the beginning of every sentence.

 Also make sure you capitalize all proper

nouns. Proper nouns are names of specific
people, places, and things.Abraham
Lincoln, Montana, and Statue of Liberty are
examples of proper nouns.
Here’s an example:

Incorrect: The other day, I saw an elephant namedhugo ride his bike
to school.

Correct: The other day, I saw an elephant namedHugo ride his

bike to school.

Sometimes a person has a title before his or her name, such as Mrs., Aunt,

. The title should also be capitalized

or President

if it comes before a name. For example,

you would capitalize “Aunt Lucy” and
“President Lincoln.”
Punctuation
Be sure to check your paper for correct end
punctuation. Here are examples of
sentences that use different types of end
punctuation:



 interrogative sentence
Would you like to have dinner with me?

declarative sentence
I have soccer practice this afternoon.

exclamatory sentence

Hooray! We're done with school!

imperative sentence

Please meet me for lunch.

Spelling
Do not depend on computer spell checker
programs to find all spelling errors. For
example, some words are
homophones. They may sound the same
but are spelled differently. Here are some
common homophones that a spell checker
might not catch:

• to / too / two

• their / there / they’re

• your / you're

Also remember these basic spelling rules as you edit:


















 • The letter i comes before e except

after c (believe,ceiling).
• Double the final consonant before adding aned, ing, er, or

other suffix that begins with a vowel.For

example, the word hot becomes hottest,
andstop becomes stopped.
• Make sure you know how to spell nouns
correctly in their singular and plural
forms. For many nouns, you just add
an s or es to make them plural. But
some nouns don’t follow this rule. For
example the singular
noun child becomes the plural
nounchildren. And the noun loaf becomes loaves.
The editing stage is also a time to look at grammar errors.

Subject-Verb Agreement
In each sentence, check that the subject
and verb agree. They both need to be either
singular or plural in a sentence. Look at this
example:

Incorrect: The students who went to the meetingwas bored.

Correct: The students who went to the meeting werebored.




Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
An antecedent is a noun or pronoun that
another pronoun refers to in a
sentence. The pronoun and antecedent
both need to be either singular or plural in a
sentence. Here are some examples:
Incorrect: The softball players raised $500 for hertrip.

Correct: The softball players raised $500 for theirtrip.

Understanding the Writing

Process
Sometimes writing can seem
overwhelming. How do you move from an
idea to a finished essay? And how do you
know when your essay is complete? It
helps to think about writing as a series of
steps. Then you can focus on one step at a
time. When you’ve gone through all the
steps, you’ll have a solid piece of writing.
All together, the steps make up the writing
process. The writing process helps you
tackle a writing assignment in a particular
order. But the process is flexible too. You
can return to earlier steps anytime you
need to.
Next, you’ll watch a video about writing. It
shows that writing is a process you practice
all the time. Writing is also something you
can improve with time.
The writing process can be broken down into seven steps:

 1. brainstorming
2. outlining
3. drafting
4. reviewing
5. revising
6. proofreading
7. publishing
As you write, you’ll do the steps in this
order. But you can also return to earlier
steps to rethink your writing.In this lesson,
you’ll go through the brainstorming,
outlining, and drafting stages. Later, you’ll
finish the rest of the writing process in the
activity for this unit.The unit activity will
guide you through the reviewing, revising,
and proofreading steps.

Types of Essays
You can use the writing process to write any
type of essay. But you’ll need to adjust the
steps of the process to work best for each
type of essay. In this lesson, we’ll focus on
writing a persuasive essay. The
term persuademeans “to convince.” So, a
persuasive essay is one that tries to

 convince readers of something. Let’s take a

look at this type of essay in contrast with
some others.
Informative Essays

An informative essay educates or informs

readers about a topic. It’s often called an
expository essay.
Here are some examples of informative essays:

• an essay about a famous invention and the person who invented it

• an essay that discusses a scientific idea, such as space exploration
• an essay about a famous person from history whom you admire
• an essay that describes a place, such as Antarctica
Narrative Essays

A narrative essay tells a true story of a

personal experience.It allows readers to
learn something about you and get to know
you better. It’s usually told from the first-
personpoint of view. Narrative essays often
include observations and details about the
people and places in the story.
Here are some examples of narrative essays:

• an essay about a time when saw the world in a new way

• an essay about one of your most memorable holiday celebrations

 • an essay about a great April Fools’ Day prank that you were involved
in
• an essay about how your pet has affected your life
Persuasive Essays

A persuasive essay is used to convince

readers to believe something or to take
action. You would write this type of essay to
persuade people to agree with your point of
view. This type of essay uses reasoning
and evidence. The evidence can include
facts, opinions from experts, and
examples. The evidence helps to persuade
readers of your way of thinking.
Here are some examples of persuasive essays:

• an essay that tries to convince teachers that students should be

allowed to bring food into the classroom
• an essay that tries to convince the school board to change its rules
about school uniforms
• an essay that tries to convince your parents to take the family to the
Grand Canyon for a vacation
• an essay that tries to convince your community to increase its
recycling efforts
The Persuasive Essay
Many persuasive essays have one or more of these common elements:

Values and beliefs: Many persuasive

essays are focused on a value or

belief. The writer either agrees or disagrees

with this value or belief. Here’s an example:
Conducting animal research is unethical.

Policies: A policy is an official way of doing

something.For example, your school
probably has a policy about how students
should dress. Some persuasive essays call
for making or changing a policy. Here’s an
example:
The US government should change its policy on immigration.

Debating an issue: Some writers start a

persuasive essay by debating both sides of
an issue. The writer then chooses a side
and tries to convince readers to agree.
The Audience

Good persuasive writers understand their

audience.They know exactly who they’re
writing for and can pinpoint the best way to
convince that particular audience.
Before writing an essay, ask yourself these questions:

 • Who is my audience? (Does your

assignment tell you? Could you have
more than one audience?)
• What is your audience’s
background? (What do they
value? What do they care about?)
• What does your audience want and need?
• What do you want your audience to think about you and the topic?
• How much does your audience know about the topic already?
Different audiences will be convinced by
different ideas.Knowing your audience will
help you choose the best ideas for your
persuasive essay.
In this lesson, you’ll write a five-
paragraph essay based on this information:
Situation: Many parents of 6th-graders feel
left out of their children’s
education. Technology such as web
cameras and the Internet could help
parents feel more involved.
Directions: Determine your opinion about
having web cameras in each
classroom. How do you feel about parents

 going online at any time to see their child in

class?
Prompt: Write an essay to convince your
principal to agree with your point of view.

Pre-writing the
Persuasive Essay
Pre-writing usually involves
brainstorming.Brainstorming is a way to get
ideas from your head down on paper. Here
are some ways that you can brainstorm:
• Freewriting: Write down your thoughts
on a topic quickly. Don’t stop to edit or
make corrections.
Pre-writing the
Persuasive Essay
Pre-writing usually involves brainstorming. Brainstorming is a way to get
ideas from your head down on paper. Here are some ways that you can
brainstorm:






 • Freewriting: Write down your thoughts on a topic quickly.

Don’t stop to edit or make corrections.

• Subject tree: Write down the main topic at the top of the
page. Write down related ideas branching off from the main topic.

• List: Organize ideas in a list using bullet points, a table, or a

chart.

• Clustering: Write the main topic in a large circle in the

middle of the page. Then surround it with groups of related ideas.

Think of

brainstorming as pouring out your ideas about the main topic. When
you brainstorm, focus on what you already know. Include any facts,
opinions, emotions, or concerns related to the topic. Don’t spend time
deciding if your ideas are good or bad. Once your thoughts are on
paper, you might start to notice areas where you don’t have enough
information. Doing research can help you fill in these missing pieces of
information.

Forming a Thesis
Every good persuasive essay must be
based on a thesis statement. A thesis
statement is usually one sentence that tells
readers what your essay will be about. It
states the main topic and your viewpoint on
that topic.A good time to craft your thesis
statement is after you’ve finished prewriting.
First, think about how you want to address
the main topic for the essay you’ll be
writing. Which side do you want to
take? Once you know your opinion, you can
work on your thesis statement.

Here are a few things to think about when writing your thesis statement:

 • Ask yourself “What am I trying to

prove?” Think about how well your
thesis statement answers this question.
• Stay away from statements such as “I
will prove . . .”or “I hope to show
you . . .” Your audience will be able to
understand your point without those
phrases.
Keep in mind that your thesis statement should meet these two
requirements:

• It should not be too narrow or too

broad. A narrow thesis statement
focuses on an idea that’s too small.A
broad statement covers an idea that’s
too big.
• You should be able to find three convincing reasons that support your
thesis.

Outlining
The next step in the writing process is
outlining. Why is it useful to outline before
you start writing? Outlining helps you
organize your ideas in a logical order.

 Outlining shows the basic structure of your

essay. It also helps you figure out how the
ideas you present are related. And it helps
you see how those ideas support your
thesis.
Most persuasive essays follow a specific
structure. This structure contains three main
parts. Each part serves its own purpose:
This first paragraph may
1. Introduction paragraph:

open with a hook, such as an interesting

fact or quotation. The hook helps to
draw in readers. The introduction also
includes background information about
the topic. It usually ends with your thesis
statement.
Body paragraphs contain
2. Body paragraphs:

the reasons to support your thesis. Your

essay will include three body
paragraphs. Each paragraph should
focus on an idea that supports your
thesis. It should also include evidence to

 prove that the idea makes sense.

This last paragraph
3. Conclusion paragraph:

briefly goes over the key ideas in your

essay. It also reminds readers why they
should support your viewpoint.

Writing Your Persuasive Essay

You’ve finished the pre-writing and outlining
steps of the writing process. Now we’ll
focus on the drafting step. Use your outline
to write the first draft of your essay. Keep in
mind that it doesn’t need to be perfect.You’ll
be able to improve it during the next steps
of the writing process. Those steps will take
place in the unit activity.
Here are some tips to think about as you begin drafting your essay:

• Start each body paragraph with a topic

sentence.This sentence will introduce
the main idea of the paragraph. As
you’ve already learned, the main idea
should support your thesis.

 • Include evidence to support the topic

sentence in each body paragraph. The
evidence can include examples,
quotations, facts, comparisons, and
opinions of experts on the topic.
• Use transition words between sentences
and paragraphs. Examples of transition
words
arehowever, moreover, since, similarly,
and finally.Transition words help readers
move smoothly from one idea to the
next.

While The teachers would feel monitored 24/7, I believe it is a great

idea to have webcams in the class rooms because Parents can see
what their kids do all day, Parents can see how their child learns, and
Parents can feel more involved in their childs education.

I believe having webcams in the classroom is a great idea. Not only

does it allow parents to be involved in their childs education but it also
allows parents to check up and see their child whenever, It also allows
for parents to see how the teacher is teaching and allows the parents
to see the lessons and their kids hands on. I think it would be a great

educational and beneficial tool that would be very successful in all

classrooms.

Daycare centers have been placing cameras in their buildings for several
years. The cameras allow parents to observe the care and education of
their children. This technology has been used for the safety of children, to
hold teachers accountable, and to allow parents to connect with their
children throughout the day. Like daycare centers, schools could also take
advantage of this technology. Parents, students, teachers, and other can
benefit from installing web cameras in the classroom. All schools should
take this step as soon as possible.

First, cameras can provide increased safety for students and teachers.
Over the last decade, there has been an increase in bullying in middle
schools. If parents were able to see the classroom, students may think
twice about their general behavior and how they treat others. With parents
watching the classroom, cases of bullying may decrease.

Revising: Why and How

Writing is a process. It involves learning about and exploring a topic
through writing.When you craft your first draft for an essay, you’re
trying to get all of your ideas down. If you take a break from your
paper and return to it with a fresh mind, you might discover problems
that you hadn’t noticed before. You could find that your thesis is weak,
that the evidence you’ve provided isn't convincing enough, or that your
writing doesn't convey what you really intended to say. These
situations call for revising your paper. The revision stage helps rid your

 paper of other inconsistencies, including a lack of connection between

your ideas, poor organization, and unnecessary information. This
stage is also a time to add details and ideas to fill in any gaps.

Think of revision as a re-vision of your paper: it gives you the

opportunity to examine your writing and your ideas critically, with fresh
eyes. Ask yourself the following questions when you’re revising a
paper:

• Is this what I really wanted to say?

• Is this worth saying? Does it help prove my thesis?
• Will my readers understand my point?

The revision stage is the time to identify major problems and make the
big changes needed to keep your paper on topic. It’s also the time to
ensure that your argument is logical and convincing to the
reader. While revising, don't look for smaller issues such as spelling
and grammatical errors. Instead, focus on big-picture problems such
as flaws in your argument, insufficient evidence or information, or poor
organization of ideas. Tackle spelling and grammar after you finish
revising, when you edit and proofread your paper.There is no right or
wrong way to go about revising a paper. Develop and practice a
process that works best for you.

Next, you'll review some how-to tips to help you fine-tune your own
revision process.

Take Breaks
After you’ve finished writing the first draft of your essay, take a
break. Putting some space between you and your paper will give you
an opportunity to recharge. Also, if you find yourself getting stuck on a

 particular spot in your paper, step away for a bit. Taking a mental
break may give you a different perspective when you return.

Is Your Topic on Target?

When you're refreshed and ready to start revising, your first task is to
look back at the original assignment. Then ask yourself a few
questions: Is my paper on topic?Does any information go off topic?

For example, suppose your paper is about feminist themes in Jane

Austen’s novels. In your draft, you’ve included thoughts on how she
uses satire in her novels. When revising, you realize that you haven’t
connected your thoughts on satire with feminist themes at all. So you
need to consider whether satire relates. If so, add information to tie
satire to your topic on feminist themes. If not, consider taking that part
out.

Consider Your Thesis

Next, reread your thesis and make sure it is strong by asking yourself
some questions:Does my thesis have a fresh, unique perspective? Or
is it too specific? Do all of my points and facts help to support my
thesis? Does any of the information in my paper contradict my thesis?

The revision process is the perfect time to make changes to your

thesis. Consider the example on feminist themes in Jane Austen’s
work.Your thesis statement must clearly tell readers why you consider
Jane Austen to be a feminist writer, and it must also indicate how you
will prove this claim. A thesis should be a specific statement. For
example, a thesis that reads "In some ways, Jane Austen’s writings

show that she might have been a feminist" does not tell the reader
your specific argument. In contrast, here is an example of a strong
thesis: "Jane Austen portrays feminist views in her novels through
strong-willed and independent heroines who decide to live their lives
on their own terms."

While writing a paper, you may discover that you no longer agree with
your original thesis, or that you have a stronger thesis in mind. For
example, you may have started writing the Jane Austen paper with the
thesis that Austen portrays her heroines as feminists. However, you
may have quoted one or more sources that give a different
perspective. These sources show that while Austen’s heroines are
independent women, they are not feminists in the modern sense of the
word. By revising your thesis, you create an even stronger thesis that
is backed up with evidence from the text.

Clearly State Your Purpose

As you review the overarching purpose of your paper, ask yourself
these questions:Does my introduction make the purpose clear?Does
My conclusion tie everything together?

The introduction should include your thesis statement. Write the thesis
using the present tense to let your readers know that the topic is open
to debate. You may write a couple of sentences stating your argument
as well as a counterargument that you will disprove later in the
paper. If you’re making the argument that Jane Austen’s heroines are
feminists, you might write the following introduction:

Jane Austen wrote at a time when society considered women

unequal to men in almost every walk of life. Her stories portray

 women who seemingly followed the social conventions and norms

of that time. Many critics, in fact, view Jane Austen’s plots and
protagonists as a result of her own conditioning and conformity in
a society dominated by men. Still, Austen rebels in her
writing.Through strong-willed and independent heroines in her
novels, Jane Austen proves that women have a right to an
education and the right to decide how to live their lives.

The conclusion should summarize the main points of your paper. It

should also convince readers that you have presented a strong
argument; and it should motivate the reader to want to know more
about your topic. The conclusion is not the time to introduce any
ideas.Instead, stick to what you have already presented in your essay.

For the essay on Jane Austen, you might write the conclusion
below.Notice how it restates the thesis on feminism in Jane Austen’s
works. It also briefly mentions the arguments for and against the
thesis and invites readers to form their own views on the topic:

While it remains debatable whether Jane Austen has a place in

the hallowed halls of feminism, it should at least be accepted that
her writing has elements of feminism in it. Her heroines, like
Elizabeth Bennet, strongly assert their disapproval of the
Georgian social conventions and rebel against it in their own
manner. Austen portrays her heroines as beings capable of
reason and aspiring to education, traits that were frowned upon in
those times. She may not have been as outspoken or aggressive
about her feminism as Mary Wollstonecraft, but Jane Austen
equally infused her writing with powerful feminist ideals.

Evidence
Check whether you’ve provided enough evidence and detail to support
your thesis. Is all of your evidence correct? Make sure that you’ve
accurately paraphrased or quoted from each source and provided the
source details, such as the title of the text and its author.

Go through each argument or claim by assuming the reader’s point of

view. Ask yourself if you believe what you’ve written and if you can
verify the points you’ve made in the paper.

Follow a Logical Presentation

The purpose of creating an outline for a research paper is to ensure
that you present information in a logical and organized manner.Return
to the outline you created before you started writing. Check to see if
the points in your paper follow the same order as they do in the
outline. If you’ve included additional points that aren't in the outline,
make sure they're inserted in appropriate places. New information
should not harm the overall flow of ideas in your paper.

You can also create a reverse outline based on the order of

information in your finished paper. A reverse outline is an outline you
make afteryou’ve written your draft. You can then use this outline to
check if your paper flows in a logical order. Make a new outline by
creating a bullet list of the main points. For example, for the Jane
Austen paper, you would list the following elements under the
introduction section: the author’s biography in brief, the thesis
statement, and the supporting ideas. As you create an outline, you’ll
see the order in which points appear in your paper. Then you'll be able
to judge whether the information is presented logically.

Proofreading: Why and How

Once you’ve finished revising your paper, you can move on to the
editing stage. During this stage, you'll proofread your paper for
grammatical and typographical errors. Take a break before you begin
proofreading your paper. As with revising, you’ll need fresh eyes for
proofreading. Step away from your paper for a while—anywhere from
a couple of hours to a few days—before you start proofreading. Now
would be a good time to review your previously graded papers to
identify specific problem areas that you can fix while proofreading.

As in the case of revision, there is no right or wrong method for

proofreading a paper.Develop a process that works for you. Read
through the tips on the next screen to help get you started.

Choose Hard Copy or Electronic

You can proofread using either a hard copy or electronic version of
your paper. Choose the medium that works best for you. When
proofreading an electronic version, use the "track changes" feature or
different font colors to call out any changes. If you prefer proofreading
a hard copy of your paper, consider using different colored pens or
markers to mark different types of errors.You can also make
corrections or notes in the margins.

Read Your Paper Aloud

Reading out loud can help you spot errors that you might otherwise
miss when reading silently. If you stumble when reading something
out loud, chances are something is amiss. Stop and look for a way to
fix the problem. For example, if you start to run out of breath while

 reading a sentence, it could be a run-on sentence. Similarly, if you’re

reading out loud and the wording sounds choppy or awkward, then
look at those phrases or sentences to see how best to rework them.

Focus on Common Mistakes

Are there certain grammar errors or typos that you tend to make in
essays? It’s helpful to proofread your paper several times, each time
searching for a particular type of error—for example, spelling, comma
usage, or capitalization. Checking for all types of errors in a single
reading will cause you to lose focus and possibly overlook
something. For example, if writing sentence fragments rather than
complete sentences is a recurring problem for you, devote one round
of proofreading to reading each sentence carefully to make sure all of
your sentences are well-formed and grammatically correct.

Don’t Rely on Spell Checkers

Do use the spell-checker on your computer, but don’t rely on it to
catch everything.The spell-checker in your word processor cannot
catch all typos. For example, if you’ve typed she when you really
mean the, it won’t catch she as a mistake because it is an actual
word. In addition, it can’t detect certain words that you have spelled
correctly but used incorrectly, especially if they are similar-sounding
words. For example, it won’t flag site instead of cite or their instead
of there.

Two key areas to focus on when proofreading are spelling and

punctuation, including the use of colons and semicolons.

Colons

 Use a colon before an explanation or an elaboration of a concept. A

colon comes only after an independent clause. Look at this example:

It’s been raining for four days: the city’s streets are completely
flooded.

Notice that the independent clause after the colon elaborates on the
first clause. A colon can also be used before a sentence fragment, as
long as an independent clause precedes it:

Sarah had one goal: to get to the theater on time.

A colon is used after an independent clause that introduces a list:

Please follow these rules for using the gym:

• Wipe down equipment after each use.

• Return weight equipment to its proper place.
• Limit use of cardio machines to 30 minutes.

A colon also introduces a list in a sentence:

We need these items for our trip: a map, a camera, and water.

In addition, a colon comes after the salutation in formal

communication, such as a business letter:

• Dear Mrs. Raleigh:

• Dear Speaker of the House:

Semicolons

 A semicolon joins two independent clauses. While a colon is used to

amplify an idea, a semicolon is used to express a relationship or a
contrast between two ideas. A semicolon in the middle of a sentence
makes you pause before reading the rest of the sentence.

A semicolon often links two independent clauses without using a

connector such as butor and. The semicolon indicates that the two
clauses are connected:

Jenny sat down to eat lunch; her dog begged for morsels of her
sandwich.

Sometimes a conjunction is used after a semicolon, especially when

one or both of the independent clauses includes commas or is
particularly long.

Jenny sat down to eat her lunch, hoping for some peace and
quiet; but her dog begged for morsels of her sandwich.

You can also use a semicolon before a transitional word, such

as however, therefore, or moreover, and before a transitional
expression, such as "for example" or "in addition."

Thomas plagiarized his term paper; therefore, he will fail the

class.

In addition, semicolons can separate items within in a list that already

uses commas, as in this example:

The market has red, juicy berries; plump, purple grapes; and
green, leafy lettuce.

 Spelling

In addition to evaluating your research paper for the strength of your

thesis statement and your supporting arguments, your teacher will
evaluate your paper for grammar and spelling.

Using only the spell-checker that comes with your computer’s word-
processing program won't help you catch all spelling errors. For
example, the spell-checker may not detect words that are spelled
correctly but used incorrectly. Examples of this kind of error
are red and read or here and hear. Such similar-sounding words are
called homonyms. An effective technique to spot errors is to do a
close reading of your paper. A close reading involves focusing on each
word as you read slowly.

Research papers provide opportunities to learn new words. You may

find new words during your research and use them in your
paper. Keep a dictionary handy so you can refer to spellings. Learn
more about how to check for spelling errors, including errors in
capitalization and word usage.

Peer Review and

Self-Evaluation
Revising and proofreading are effective ways of reducing errors in a
paper. But no matter how many times you review your work, you might
miss something. For example, you might not notice that a connection
between ideas is missing. Or you might not realize that you’ve made
incorrect assumptions about what your reader knows. Maybe you
didn't recognize that certain words, phrases, or sentence structures

are awkward and reduce the clarity of your writing. Having a peer
review your paper can help you identify and fix these types of errors.

Peer review is a great way to team up with others to improve your

writing skills. Helping others revise and proofread their work is
beneficial in other ways too. You'll develop collaborative skills that will
be valuable in college and in the workplace. Many university
classrooms and work environments encourage peer review to improve
learning and work performance.

In most cases, you'll participate in peer reviews as part of a class. You

and your classmates will review one another’s work, keeping in mind
the guidelines set by your teacher. Peer reviews can take place
outside of class too. You can practice collaborative reviewing at home
with a friend or a sibling.

Begin by creating a set of guidelines or a check list to streamline the

process. It will help the reviewer to have these key elements to look
for when going through your paper. If you're reviewing someone else’s
work, ask for a list of what to look for that person's paper so that you
have a focus during your review.

After you've received feedback, analyze the recommended changes

and incorporate those you think are needed. If you’re not sure about
whether to act on a particular piece of feedback, talk to your teacher
or your peer reviewer.

Next, you'll watch a video to see some dos and don’ts of peer reviews.

In a globalized world, students who learn a foreign language have an

edge over the competition in the job market. Studies have shown that
students who are proficient in a foreign language have an advantage
in their professional lives. In a 2004 survey of 581 alumni of the
American Graduate School of International Management in Arizona, a
majority of the participants believed that learning a foreign language
influenced hiring decisions at job interviews. (Grosse) As this study
indicates, familiarity with the language and culture of a foreign country
can be particularly beneficial to managers and professionals in the
financial sector. It can help them understand how a country formulates
economic and foreign policies, as well as how those policies affect
other countries. Students who learn a foreign language therefore
acquire an essential advantage in today’s globalized world.

In addition, learning a foreign language gives students an opportunity

to learn about other cultures. This knowledge improves
communication with people from different cultures and allows for a
more meaningful exchange of ideas. As a result, students get to see
the world from a different perspective. For this reason, knowledge of a
foreign language is an essential prerequisite for careers in the
diplomatic service.