Owning Your Paper

Don’t just do research and then present what you have found. Any reader can do research. Have an original claim and USE the research to support it!

1. Clear thesis/claim that is YOURS: should shape the content of your paper.

2. The main points are YOURS: reasons why your reader should agree with you.

3. Use the information that you find to support YOUR claim, not to make it. Never use a quote to restate your point; use source material to support.

Mistake: Safire encourages the abolishment of the penny, stating, “The time has come to abolish the […] penny” (591).

Fix: Safire notes one of many reasons that the penny is problematic: “They cost more in employee hours […] than it would to toss them out” (591).

4. Don’t let sources take over your paper. (Common sense: No more than 1-2 sources per ¶.)

5. Do not string quotes together. Use a quote to make a point now and then, but always have your own sentences before and after quotes.

Control over your sources:

1. Every ¶ should start & end with your words.

a. State your main point in your topic sentence.

b. Use your facts to support your topic sentence.

c. Add your own reflection/analysis; connect the source material to your point; or give the reader food for thought regarding the source material.

You

Sources

You

2. Do not “dump” quotes. A sentence should never begin and end with quotes.

3. Paraphrase when possible. Quote only if the quote is from a well-known authority or is particularly striking.

4. Document your source material. (paraphrases and quotes)