Intro to Criminal Justice (CRJ 100)

3 Main Types of Research Papers You May Be Assigned:

• Argumentative
• Analytical
• Expository

Argumentative Papers will argue for or against an idea. You must support your claim with supporting evidence.

Analytical Papers explain an idea by breaking it down into simpler parts and presents the breakdown as content.

Expository Papers explains something to an audience but does not necessarily break down the content.

What should you include in a paper?

A research paper should generally include the following:

1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion
4. Works Cited

Introduction

An introduction for any type of paper will include a thesis statement. The Thesis Statement is your main idea and the most important element of the intended message of your paper. 

How do you write a thesis statement?

1. Your thesis statement should include your topic. 
2. You may include your arguments for your topic in a thesis statement.
3. You may present an opposing argument against your topic. 
4. You may want to include all three of the above elements in your thesis statement.
5. Your thesis statement should be a complete sentence.

For example: 

Your topic may be a single word or a phrase but it is not your thesis statement. You will build your thesis statement around your topic.

To build your thesis statement you may situate your topic as a position:

This thesis states you, the author's position on the topic, which by itself may not have a self explanatory position.

Another option for creating a thesis statement is to present your topic and a concession, or anticipated argument against your position. 

A thesis statement can also include the supporting reasons for your argument.

Our supporting reasons are as follows:

• coal ash is the result of fossil fuel emissions
• coal ash pollutes water systems
• coal ash is difficult to safely store and maintain

Finally you may choose to include all the above elements in your thesis statement. You would include your position, a concession, and supporting reasons.

A thesis statement may need to be reevaluated as you write to accurately reflect your position and conclusion!

The body of your paper will include supporting information along with examples from other sources. 

Based on the five-paragraph essay model your entire essay will be structured like this:

1. Paragraph 1: Introduction
2. Paragraph 2: Body
   1. Supporting Evidence 1
   2. Examples 
3. Paragraph 3: Body
   1. Supporting Evidence 2
   2. Examples
4. Paragraph 4: Body
   1. Supporting Evidence 3
   2. Examples
5. Paragraph 5: Conclusion

The body of your essay will likely have 3 paragraphs.

Each paragraph will be devoted to one supporting statement for your thesis.

Each supporting statement needs to include examples from other sources which you will then cite at the end of your essay in the "Works Cited."

Using the same example thesis statement and supporting reasons used above in section "Break it Down: Introduction" let's review how to write the body of our essay.

Our thesis statement reads: While coal is essential to US energy consumption, coal ash depositories have a negative impact on global warming trends because coal ash is difficult to store and maintain, coal ash pollutes water systems, and coal ash is the result of fossil fuel emissions.

Our supporting reasons contained in our thesis statement will be the topic of each body paragraph. 

• coal ash is difficult to store and maintain
• coal ash pollutes water systems
• coal ash is the result of fossil fuel emissions

Body: Paragraph 1

Coal ash is difficult to store and maintain.

Provide supporting evidence for this claim. Search for resources that explain how difficult coal ash is to store and the potential repercussions for inadequate storage. Summarize, paraphrase, and/or quote these sources.* Remember, this information must support your thesis statement as a whole.

Coal ash is difficult to store and maintain. According to Meegoda, Gao, Al-Joulani, and Hu (2011), the liner used in the storage of coal fly ash determines the environmental soundness of the storage system however "more than 180 coal ash dumps were either unlined or partially lined" (p. 104). 

Body: Paragraph 2

Use transitions to connect one supporting evidence statement to another. For example:

As a result,

Then follow that transition with your next supporting statement.

As a result, illegal or poorly executed storage systems of coal ash pollute water systems. 

Follow these general rules until you have exhausted your supporting evidence and examples.

Body: Paragraph 3

Since coal is essential to United States' energy consumption, coal ash is just one byproduct affecting the environment. Coal ash is produced by the burning of coal which also releases chemicals into the atmosphere. Dependence on coal, and the byproduct, coal ash, is the result of fossil fuel emissions after all, and which is used for some construction purposes serves to further debilitate reversing the trends of global warming.

*Always attribute summarized, paraphrased, and quotes information with in-text citations.

We have completed our introduction, integrated our thesis statement, and finished the body of the essay.

What now? 

You need to wrap everything up with a conclusion.

A conclusion should not repeat everything you wrote in the body of your essay.

Synthesize don't summarize the content of your essay for your conclusion. 

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary's (2018) English Language Learner definition, synthesize is a verb which means to combine (things) in order to make something new.

Summarizing your argument will not make something new. Your conclusion will need to compound your thesis, supporting evidence, and examples to demonstrate the cohesiveness of those elements.

You can also use the conclusion to ask questions that you weren't able to answer or that need further consideration. This allows future researchers who read your essay to build on, respond to, or correct your thesis.

The Works Cited section of your essay will include citations (bibliographic information) for every outside source you used. This includes information you may have summarized, paraphrased, or directly quoted. 

ALWAYS give credit to original sources.

What should a citation look like?

There are multiple types of citation styles that exist and you may use a different one for different classes.

• Modern Language Association or MLA is most commonly used for humanities classes.
• American Medical Assocation or AMA is most commonly used for medical or healthcare classes.
• American Psychological Association or APA is most commonly used in social science classes. 

A citation will look like a short paragraph of details about the article. A citation should always include author names, publication year, article title, and location. A citation will include some different information based on what type of source it is. 

For example, a print book's citation will look different from a YouTube video's citation.

When formatting the Works Cited page, make sure to organize citations alphabetically by author's last name, double-space, and format using a hanging indent.