RMR Module Overview

Research and MLA Review

Introduction

You have already learned the basics of research and MLA. Remember that in order to explain your thoughts on paper or through electronic correspondence, you will need to understand the process of writing. Without the ability to clearly express your ideas in writing, you will have trouble developing essays throughout school or even crafting an organized, simple email to your future boss. Along with good writing, you want to be able to prove your ideas are true if you make a claim. Since many sources on the Internet are not accurate, you need to know how to choose sources that are reliable. In this module, you will review the research and writing process to sharpen your skills and feel prepared to write organized, developed, and supported pieces of writing in every area of your life.

Essential Questions

1. Can I write arguments and informative essays and use evidence to support my arguments for a particular purpose or audience?
2. What factors help determine whether an Internet source is accurate or inaccurate?
3. How does organization, development, and style contribute to the strength of an argument in a piece of writing?

Key Terms

Argumentative (Persuasive) Essay: The goal of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer's point of view or recommendation.

Informative Essay: The goal of the informative essay is to educate the reader about a certain topic or define a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples.

Thesis Statement: One sentence that appears at the end of the introduction and reveals the main idea of the essay.  

Topic Sentence: A sentence that reveals what the body paragraph will be about.

Introduction Paragraph: The first paragraph of an essay that introduces the main idea of the essay and ends with the thesis statement.

Body Paragraph: The main part of your essay or paper. Each body paragraph contains a topic sentence that tells readers what the paragraph is going to be about, supporting sentences that discuss the idea or ideas in the topic sentence using examples and/or evidence to support that discussion and a concluding sentence that emphasizes the importance of the supporting examples or evaluates the connections between them.

Conclusion Paragraph: The final paragraph in the essay that provides a call to action and not a summary. The conclusion paragraph should give your readers something to think or discuss about the points in the essay.

Development Sentence: Occurs after the topic sentence in the body paragraph and provides a perspective on the topic that will allow for an understanding of the importance of the evidence that will follow--your opinion, thought, or idea regarding the topic

Evidence: All words, ideas, facts, or data from another source (other than the brain) that backs up the statements and opinions expressed--must be cited.

Analysis Sentence: Explains why the evidence is important and how it connects to the thesis--do not restate or summarize the evidence.

Conclusion Sentence: Last sentence in the paragraph that draws the body paragraph to a close.

In-Text Citation: The short version of the Source Citation that appears directly after the evidence used and refers the reader to the longer Source Citation.

Source Citation: Publication information in a specific formula for a source used for evidence in a piece of writing.

Works Cited: A list of all source citations of the sources used in a piece of writing.

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