Expository Writing

Lecture-9

Research Writing
 Topics

 Research Writing

 Gather Information

 Organization

 Cite Sources

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 The Research Essay
• When preparing a new meal, you may follow the recipe
of an experienced chef and add your own touches.

• In the same way, when you write a research essay, you

cite other people’s ideas and combine them with your
own to make a more convincing paper.

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 Supporting Details
Match the word in Column A with a word that has a similar
purpose or meaning in Column B.

MLA /Chicago Footnote

Works Cited Plagiarism

Copying Indirect quotation

In-text Citation APA

Paraphrase Bibliography

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 Planning
Plan a research essay

• Conducting research means looking for information

that will help you better understand a subject
• Knowing how to locate, evaluate, and use information
from other sources is valuable
• It is also crucial in college writing because, in many of
your assignments, you are expected to include
information from outside sources

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 Planning
Determining Your Topic
• In some courses, your instructor will ask you to write a
research paper about a specific topic.
• However, if you are not assigned one, you will need to
think about issues related to your field of study or to
your personal interests.
• The scope of your topic should match the size of the
assignment.
• Longer essays may have a broader topic, but a short
research essay (of three or four pages) must have a
rather narrow focus.

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 Planning
Finding a Guiding Research Question
• The point of a research essay is not simply to collect
information and summarize it.

• Gather information that relates directly to your guiding

research question.

• To help you determine your central question, brainstorm

a list of questions that you would like your research to
answer.

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 Activity
Finding Possible Research Questions
Environmental Changes

• Find a guiding research question that can become the

focus of the essay

• Choose one sub-topic under Environmental Changes.

• Brainstorm 3 possible research questions that could

guide an expository essay on that sub-topic.

• Think about how/why/what questions – Explanation

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 Activity- Solution
Sub-topics

Environment change
Deforestation
Pollution

Guideline
• What causes this change?
• Who is affected, and how?
• What are the consequences?
• What are the responses or solutions?

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 Activity- Solution
• How is climate change affecting agriculture in Pakistan?

• What are the main causes of deforestation in Pakistan?

• How does urban air pollution impact children’s health?

• What are the effects of melting glaciers on global sea

levels?

• How is rising ocean temperature affecting marine life?

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 Activity- Solution
• How have human activities contributed to recent
environmental changes?

• What are the long-term effects of global environmental

change on ecosystems?

• How is climate change influencing weather patterns

across South Asia?

• How does climate change affect food security in

developing countries?

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 Gathering Information
Gather information.
• Once you know what information you seek, you can
begin gathering ideas, facts, quotations, anecdotes, and
examples about the research topic you have chosen.
• Before you begin to gather information, consider how to
find it and how to sort the valid information from the
questionable information
Consulting Library Based Resources
Searching the Internet
• Choose your key word
• Use quotation marks to limit the search
Use Academic Search Engines: Google Scholar & Sci Hub

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 Conducting Interviews or Surveys
• You can support your research essay with information
from an interview.
• Speak to an expert in the field or someone who is
directly affected by an issue.
• Remember to plan the interview before you meet the
person and list key questions that you would like
answered.
• Include the person’s complete name and qualifications
in your research notes.
• Another source of information can be a survey, which is
an assessment of the views of many people.

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 Conducting Interviews or Surveys
When you plan your survey, follow some basic guidelines:

• Determine your goal. What do you want to discover?

• Determine the age, gender, and status of the respondents
(people you will survey). For example, you might decide to
survey equal-sized groups of males and females or those
over and under twenty-five years of age.
• Decide how many people you will survey.
• Determine the type of survey you will do.
• Plan your survey questions [Open-ended or Close-ended
(yes-no) questions]

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 Complete Source Information
• Source information is easy to find in most print
publications.
Book, Magazine, Newspaper
• Author’s full name
• Title of article or chapter
• Title of book, magazine, or newspaper
• Publishing information (name of publisher and date of
publication)
• Volume and number of a series, and page numbers
used

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 Complete Source Information
Website
• Author’s full name
• Title of article
• Title of site
• Publisher of site
• Date of publication or update date that you accessed
the site
• Complete website address

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 In-Text Reference
Reference Citations in Text

 The last name of the author and the year of

publication

For example
 from theory on bounded rationality (Simon, 1945)

Works by Multiple Authors

For example
(Leiter & Maslach, 2008)

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 In-Text Reference
When a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all
authors the first time the reference occurs

For example:
(Kahneman, Knetsch, & Thaler, 2019) found …..

In all subsequent citations per paragraph, include only

the surname of the first author followed by "et al." (Latin
for "and others") and the year of publication

Kahneman, et al. (2021) found ….. OR

(Kahneman, et al. 2021) ….

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 Reference List
 References cited in the text of a research paper
must appear in a Reference List or bibliography

Order: Entries should be arranged in alphabetical order

by authors' last names.

Authors: Write out the last name and initials for all
authors of a particular work (Use an ampersand (&)
instead of “and”)

Titles: Capitalize only the first word of a title or subtitle

Pagination: Use the abbreviation p. or pp. to designate

page numbers of articles
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 Reference List
Books
References to an entire book must include the following
elements:
author(s) or editor(s), date of publication, title, place of
publication, and the name of the publisher
For example
One Author, in print

Kidder, T. (2018). The soul of a new machine. Boston:

Little, Brown & Company.

Two Authors, in print

Frank, R. H. & Bernanke, B. (2017). Principles of macro-

economics (3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
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 Reference List
Articles in Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers
References to periodical articles must include the
following elements:
author(s), date of publication, article title, journal title,
volume number, issue number, and page numbers

For example
Journal Article, one author, accessed online

Ku, G. (2018). Learning to de-escalate: The effects of

regret in escalation of commitment. Organizational
Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 105(2),
p.221-232. doi:10.1016/[Link].2007.08.002

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 Organizing the Research Assay
Organize the first draft

• For research essays, as for any other type of essay,

planning is essential.

• After you have evaluated the material that you have

gathered, decide how you will organize your material.

• Group your notes under the main points - arrange your

ideas in a logical order.

• You might choose to use spatial, chronological, or

emphatic order.

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 Organizing the Research Assay
Writing a Thesis Statement

• After taking notes, plan your thesis statement.

• Your thesis statement expresses the main focus of

your essay.

• You can convert your guiding research question into a

thesis statement.

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 Outline
Creating an Outline

• An outline or plan will help you organize your ideas.

• Write your main points, and list supporting details and

examples.

• You can mention the sources you intend to use to

support specific points.

• After looking at your preliminary outline, check if there

are any holes in your research. If necessary, do more
research to fill in those holes before writing your first
draft.

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 Using Visuals
Here are some recommendations for using visuals in an
academic research essay:

• If you are permitted to use visuals in your essay, where

you need to insert them (in the body of your essay or in an
appendix).
• Include a label above each visual to clearly identify it. For
example: Figure 1, Figure 2, or Table 1, Table 2
• Place a caption alongside or under the visual to help the
reader understand it.
• Acknowledge the source of any visual that you borrow.
• Explain in the text how the visual supports a specific
point.
For example, in the body of your paper, you might write
Figure 2 illustrates how the crime rate has fallen steadily….
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 Avoid Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words or
ideas without giving that person credit.

• The following actions are examples of plagiarism:

 Copying and pasting text from an Internet source

without using quotation marks to properly set off the
author’s words
 Using ideas from another source without citing that
source
 Making slight modifications to an author’s sentences
but presenting the work as your own
 Buying another work and presenting it as your own

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 Avoid Plagiarism
Do not plagiarize.

Plagiarism is using someone else’s work without giving

that person credit—even if you did it unintentionally.

Such an act is considered stealing and is a very serious

offense.

Always make sure that your notes contain detailed and

clear source information.

Then, when you later quote, paraphrase, or summarize

another’s work, you can cite the source.

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 Avoid Plagiarism
Be Careful:

• The Internet has made it easier to plagiarize, but it is

also easier for instructors to catch cheaters.
• To avoid plagiarism, always cite the source when you
borrow words or ideas.
Integrating Paraphrases, Summaries, and Quotations

• In a research essay, you can support your main points

with paraphrases, summaries, and integrated
quotations.

• They strengthen your research paper and make it more

forceful and convincing.

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 Avoid Plagiarism
• A paraphrase is an indirect quotation.

• It is roughly the same length as the author’s original

words.

• When you paraphrase, restate someone’s ideas using

your own words.

Summary

• A summary is another type of indirect quotation. It is

shorter than a paraphrase and includes only the main
ideas of the original work.

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 Avoid Plagiarism
Direct Quotation

• A direct quotation contains the exact words of the

speaker or writer, and it is set off with quotation marks.

• All of these strategies are valid ways to incorporate

research into your writing, as long as you give credit to
the author or speaker.

• Review examples of a paraphrase, summary, and

quotation.

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 Example
EXAMPLE Original Selection
Identity marketing is a promotional strategy whereby
consumers alter some aspects of themselves to advertise
for a branded product. A British marketing firm paid five
people to legally change their names for one year to
“Turok,” the hero of a video game series about a time-
traveling Native American who slays bionically enhanced
dinosaurs. In another case, the Internet Underground Music
Archive (IUMA) paid Kansas parents $5,000 to name their
baby boy Iuma. Body art is the most common form of
identity advertising. Air New Zealand created “cranial
billboards” in exchange for a round-trip ticket to New
Zealand; thirty Los Angeles participants shaved their heads
and walked around with an ad for the airline on their skulls.

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 Example

Some companies pay people to display more permanent

body art. The Casa Sanchez restaurant in San Francisco
gives free lunches for life to anyone who gets its logo
tattooed on his or her body. The Daytona Cubs baseball
team awards free season tickets for life to anyone who
will tattoo the Cubs logo on his or her body.

—Solomon, Michael R. Consumer Behavior. 12th ed.,

Pearson, 2016, p. 557.

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 Paraphrase
Paraphrase
In his book Consumer Behavior, Michael R. Solomon
discusses a marketing trend called identity marketing.
Citizens receive a financial incentive to promote a
company. For example, an advertising company paid
people to briefly rename themselves after a popular
game’s lead character. An online music archive offered
cash to parents who would name their baby after the
company. The most widespread form of identity
marketing occurs when people agree to have their head
shaved or their body tattooed in exchange for some
reward, such as a free flight, a lifetime supply of baseball
tickets, or unlimited free lunches.

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 Summary
Summary
Michael R. Solomon, in his book Consumer Behavior,
discusses a marketing trend called identity marketing.
Examples include some firms who pay people to adopt
the company’s name and companies who give rewards
such as free lunches or sports tickets to those who agree
to be tattooed with the business’s name (50).

Quotation
In his book Consumer Behavior, Michael R. Solomon
discusses identity marketing, which is “a promotional
strategy whereby consumers alter some aspects of
themselves to advertise for a branded product” (P._).

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 How to Summarize & Paraphrase
How to Summarize and Paraphrase
• When you paraphrase or summarize, you restate
someone’s ideas using your own words.
• The main difference between a paraphrase and a
summary is the length.
• A paraphrase can be close to the same length as the
original selection, but a summary is much shorter.

To paraphrase or summarize, do the following:

• Paraphrase if your audience needs detailed information
about the subject.

• Summarize if the audience needs to know only general

information.

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 How to Summarize & Paraphrase
How to Summarize and Paraphrase

• A summary is generally a maximum of 30 percent of the

length of the original selection.
• Restate the main ideas using your own words.
• You can keep specialized words and names of people or
places.
• However, find synonyms for other words, and use your
own sentence structure.
• Maintain the original author’s ideas and intent.
• Proofread your writing to ensure that you have
expressed the message in your own words.

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 How to Summarize & Paraphrase

Should I Paraphrase, Summarize, or Quote?

• In a research essay, include some quotations, but do

not overwhelm your reader with other people’s direct
speech.

• Instead, sprinkle in very short paraphrases, summaries,

and quotations, when needed, to back up your
arguments.

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 ACTIVITY
Original Selection
Although fewer Americans are smoking (down to about 25
percent from over 40 percent in the sixties), women and
teenagers are actually smoking more than before. This is
alarming news when one considers the toxic nature of
nicotine: In the 1920s and 1930s, it was used as an
insecticide and is considered to be highly toxic and fast
acting. Although the amount of nicotine in a cigarette is
low, first-time smokers often experience nausea as a result
of the toxic effects after just a few puffs. —Ciccarelli,
Saundra K. Psychology. Pearson, 2009, pp. 148–149.

Write a paraphrase
Write a summary
Write a direct quote
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 ACTIVITY 2
Original Selection
Although fewer Americans are smoking (down to about 25
percent from over 40 percent in the sixties), women and
teenagers are actually smoking more than before. This is
alarming news when one considers the toxic nature of
nicotine: In the 1920s and 1930s, it was used as an
insecticide and is considered to be highly toxic and fast
acting. Although the amount of nicotine in a cigarette is low,
first-time smokers often experience nausea as a result of the
toxic effects after just a few puffs.
—Ciccarelli, Saundra K. Psychology. Pearson, 2009, pp.
148–149.
Write a paraphrase
Write a summary
Write a direct quote

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 Identifying Plagiarism
Practice identifying plagiarism

Read the following selection, and then determine if the

paraphrase and summaries contain plagiarized
information.

Check for copied words or phrases, and also determine if

the source is properly mentioned.

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 Identifying Plagiarism
Having children can affect marital satisfaction. Studies
show that parents report lower levels of satisfaction
compared to nonparents. Mothers of infants, however,
show the greatest difference in marital contentment when
compared to women with no children at all. In general, the
data show that satisfaction for both men and women
decreases after the birth of the first child. Researchers
suggest that this is, in large part, due to conflicts that come
about from parenting and decreased levels of personal
freedom. Children demand attention and force a shift in
roles from husband/wife to father/mother. Regardless of the
form of the study, parents exhibit lower levels of a sense of
well-being while expressing more frequent negative
emotions than do peers who are without children. —Carl,
John D. Think: Social Problems. 2nd ed., Pearson, 2013, p.
219.
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 ACTIVITY
Paraphrase

In Think: Social Problems, John D. Carl writes that

parents have a lower rate of marital happiness than
couples without children. Mothers of infants show the
greatest difference in marital happiness, perhaps because
there are many conflicts that are caused by the presence
of children. For instance, children demand attention and
couples experience a shift in roles from spouses to
parents. Also, parents have decreased levels of personal
freedom. They express more frequent negative emotions
than nonparents (P. 219).
Is this an example of plagiarism?
yes _______ no _______
Why?
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 ACTIVITY
2. Summary

In Think: Social Problems, John D. Carl writes that

childless couples are actually more satisfied than those
with children. The decline in happiness may partially be
due to the stresses involved in parenting. Mothers and
fathers see their liberty eroded as they expend a lot of
time and energy taking care of their offspring (219).

Is this an example of plagiarism? yes _______ no _______

Why?

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 ACTIVITY
3. Summary

Studies show that parents do not feel as content as

nonparents, mainly because there are many stresses
involved in raising children. Mothers and fathers have a
lot of restrictions on their personal time, and their role as
spouse is taken over by the role of caretaker. Thus, they
have a more pessimistic outlook than child-free couples.

Is this an example of plagiarism? yes _______ no _______

Why?

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Thank you

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