INTRO (approx 1 page):
*A little background on the topic. Info needed so the reader can understand and follow the argument.
*Situate yourself in the research.
*Research Question: Who is the better baseball team, Red Sox or Yankees?
*Thesis (Answer): The Boston Red Sox are a better baseball team than the New York Yankees. Although the Yankees are often perceived as the better baseball team, the Red Sox fans, ballpark, and farm system make them better than the Yankees.
*Most often, the thesis comes at the end of the first paragraph. But, successful research papers may place the thesis anywhere between the first sentence and the second page.
BODY
Section I- Red Sox Fans (2 pages)
A-Very Knowledgable
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
B-Great Attendance
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
C-Respect for Other Players
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
Section II- The Stadium (2 pages)
A-2nd Oldest in the League
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
B-Great Food & Drink
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
C-Unique Contours
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
Section III-Farm System (approx 2 pages)
A-Highly Ranked by Sports Writers
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
B-Produce Major League Players
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
C-Player Interviews
1 ___________
2 ___________
3 ___________
CHALLENGES (approx 1 page)
This is where you demonstrate your information literacy.
I realize there is research that contradicts my findings. I know that the Yankees have won more championships, and that the Yankees have had more Hall of Fame players. Some researchers feel this is significant because ________________. But, for the reasons mentioned above, my research indicates the Red Sox are better than the Yankees.
CONCLUSION (approx 1 page)
*Restate Question & Thesis.
*Restate general categories of evidence, emphasizing the most compelling.
*Maybe a future prediction.
*No new evidence or ideas in defense of your thesis.
_______________________________________________________
That’s it! 9 pages! The Paper Writes Itself! 🙂
Think of every major section (above, listed as Sections I, II, & II) as a bucket. As you do research, throw all of your evidence in one of these buckets. If there is no bucket for your evidence, don’t use it. Or, decide that you need a new, different or relabeled bucket.