Writing the Research Paper

Writing the Research Paper: A Guide for Students
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INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH PROCESS
FIVE-WEEK PLANNING CALENDAR
STAGES IN THE PROCESS OF RESEARCHING AND WRITING A PAPER

WEEK ONE
CHOOSING A TOPIC
PREPARING A LIST OF SOURCES

WEEK TWO
CARRYING OUT YOUR RESEARCH
TAKING NOTES ON RESEARCH
PLAGIARISM
THE RESEARCH INTERVIEW
OUTLINING/PLANNING IDEAS

WEEK THREE: WRITING A DRAFT

WEEK FOUR: REVISING A DRAFT

WEEK FIVE: PROOFREADING

DOCUMENTING SOURCES
DOCUMENTING SOURCES WITHIN THE BODY OF THE PAPER

DOCUMENTING SOURCES FOR A LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED
BOOKS
PERIODICAL AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
INTERVIEWS AND OTHER SOURCES
ELECTRONIC SOURCES

LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED

INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Writing a research paper is a process that consists of many different stages. Although the stages are described in this guide as a series of separate steps, it is likely that you will find yourself working on more than one stage at the same time. It is also likely that you will find it necessary to return to an earlier stage at some point in the process.

During the research process you will:
· Choose a suitable topic, or find a particular approach to an assigned topic.
· Limit the scope of your topic to manageable dimensions.
· Locate materials for your research.
o Compile information from the library’s resources.
o Compile information from other sources, such as the Internet, on-site visits, and personal interviews, as well as materials from companies, government agencies, and the media.
· Assess the information you have found.
· Take notes and copy quotations as you read and assess.
· List and document the information sources you use for your paper (called a “List of Works Consulted”) so your readers can check your facts and trace the development of your ideas.
· Incorporate your information and ideas into your written work.
o Write a draft that presents an informed point of view, supported by evidence from a variety of sources.
o Revise your draft.

Remember to allow yourself enough time to process your ideas, organize your research, and edit your draft. In other words, begin your research work as soon as you receive your assignment and pace yourself throughout the process. The most common problem students refer to when turning in their research papers is a problem that they brought about themselves—leaving too much work for the last minute. Even if you have had success in the past in last-minute writing, you are unlikely to reproduce such success in a longer piece of work, such as this research paper. Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, and presenting ideas take time to do well.

Following is an example of a five-week planning calendar you can use to guide yourself through the research paper writing process. Your instructors may modify this plan to meet the needs of specific course assignments.

The calendar presents an overview to the process. Each stage in the calendar is explained further in this guidebook.

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Five-Week Planning Calendar

Week One -- Identifying a Significant Topic and Beginning to Prepare a List of Sources

Choose a subject that is timely and significant, and begin exploring different sources of information about it. Write a brief paragraph describing your topic idea. Begin to compile a list of potential research sources.

Week Two –- Conducting Research, Taking Notes, and Outlining Ideas

Research your topic, taking notes as you proceed, and write a preliminary outline or informal plan of the structure for your paper.

Week Three -- Writing a Draft

Prepare a word-processed rough draft. Begin to prepare a working “List of Works Consulted.” You can get feedback on the organization and presentation of your ideas in this rough draft by visiting the Academic Skills Tutoring Center, which offers a walk-in writing service. Check in Room A608B to find out the open hours for each semester (212-217-7865).

Week Four -- Revising a Draft and Documenting Sources

Review, rethink, and reconsider your earlier drafts and preliminary “List of Works Consulted,” being sure to save your notes and draft revisions as you go along. Be prepared to submit a copy of your original draft with revisions marked or a portion of the paper that has been revised. You can get additional assistance with revising and editing at the Academic Skills Tutoring Center, although you should not expect the Center staff to proofread your work for you. (See Week Three above for contact information).

Week Five -- Proofreading

Edit the revised draft for final corrections before submitting your final draft.

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STAGES IN THE PROCESS OF RESEARCHING AND WRITING A PAPER

WEEK ONE: CHOOSING A TOPIC

If your instructor has assigned your topic, and/or you know specifically what you need to research, go directly to stage two. If you need to choose a topic and develop it, read this section.

· Identify a topic that interests you and explore different sources of information about it. To help you brainstorm, consult the library and the Internet. Your goal at this early stage is to familiarize yourself with the topic you are considering through some preliminary research at the library and through the Internet so that you gain an overview. At times, you may have to adjust your topic to the information available, or you may find your research has caused you to change your initial idea. (Check with your instructor if this happens.)

For a thorough discussion of the FIT Library’s organization and how to access its holdings, see the booklet “How to Do Research,” available on the 4th floor near the Reference Desk. Here, however, are some strategies to maximize your first library visit. To find books and non-print sources for your paper, use StyleCat, the Library’s online catalog. Use periodical indexes to find magazine and newspaper articles on your topic. Consult a librarian at the Reference Desk (Library, 4th floor, 212-217-5590) to help you form a plan for your research. To maximize the help the librarians can give you, be sure to bring any class assignment sheets and other information you received from your classroom instructor.

The Library compiles Information Bulletins, Internet Guides, and Bibliographies to describe library resources and services. Copies for you to take are available in the Library on the 4th floor near the Reference Desk or on the 5th and 6th floors near the services they describe. They are also available on line at the library (http:/www3.fitnyc.edu/library) under “Select Research Guides.”

· Find several articles, sections in books, and/or material on CD-ROM or the Internet on your subject and review them. As you read, you should work towards developing a thesis (a sentence or two that reflects your approach to that topic) to guide you through the other stages in the research process. Putting the authors' ideas into your own words (paraphrasing) will help you to understand the extent and limits of your topic and how you might approach it.

· After reading each article or section, summarize what the article or section communicated to you, noting direct quotations and statistics you might wish to use. Document your sources for later use. (See next stage.)

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PREPARING A LIST OF SOURCES

· Begin to compile a “List of Works Consulted." At this early time, you should be collecting as much relevant material as you can find, without worrying about exactly how you'll use it in your report. Consult the resources of the Library and other sources you think might help, such as the Internet and material from a company, government agencies, or the media. You might also find information from on-site visits. Document all of your sources carefully now, to save time later. (See "Documenting Sources" on pp. 10-15 of this Guide to check on the information you need to include in your “List of Works Consulted.”)

· Consider conducting an interview as part of your research. If you are considering an interview with someone from industry, check first with your instructor. However, interviewing professors and other people you already know who may also be considered authorities in their fields is fine.

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WEEK TWO: CARRYING OUT YOUR RESEARCH

· Week One required you to do preliminary research in order to orient yourself about your topic, but “finding the resources that will enable you to carry out your research involves more than quickly surfing the Net or glancing at a few books or periodicals. To do thorough research, you cannot stop with a handful of books or articles picked up on one visit to the library or [brief visits to] the Web. Resources often involve a diversity of media—print, electronic, audiovisual, Internet—located in a variety of places.... Doing quality research means exploring a range of opinions and not settling for quick, superficial answers. You will have to locate the most pertinent information to prove you have conscientiously investigated your topic” (Kolin 315).

· Refer to the booklet, “How to Do Research in the Library and Beyond: A Guide for Students” in the Library, available on the 4th floor of the Library, for specific information on using the library. See also the FIT Library website http:/www3.fitnyc.edu/library, which provides online information such as Library hours and policies as well as many of the FIT Library publications including Information Bulletins, Internet Guides, and Bibliographies. There is also a link to StyleCat, the Library’s online catalog, and to the Digital Library, the Library’s collection of subscription on-line data bases.

· Internet research strategies, using general search engines, such as AltaVista, Google, Ixquick, and Yahoo, are discussed in “How to Do Research” as well.

· If your research requires you to visit another library, you can request a METRO referral pass from a reference librarian at the Reference Desk on the 4th Floor.

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TAKING NOTES ON RESEARCH

There are three methods of note-taking:

· Summarize the main points in cases where you want to recall the general idea of a great deal of material.

· Paraphrase (restate the author's ideas, interpretations, and facts, using your own words) in cases where you want detailed notes but the exact wording isn't essential.

· Quote directly when you believe that the wording of a phrase, sentence or passage might be effectively used. Be sure to write the direct quotation exactly as it appears: spelling, even commas are essential. Also, be sure to put quotation marks around the direct quotation in your notes, so you won't confuse the quoted material with summarized or paraphrased material.

Remember to be accurate when you take notes. Accuracy is crucial when you work with direct quotations, but it is also required in the notes you take that paraphrase or summarize another writer's ideas, interpretations, and research.

PLAGIARISM

In all three cases—quotations, paraphrases, and summarizations— you must acknowledge your source. This accuracy will help you avoid the serious problem of plagiarism. Plagiarism is the failure to cite sources properly or using another person’s ideas or words in your writing without acknowledgement or documentation of the source. Plagiarism may result in severe penalties, and you must guard against it by taking careful notes.

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THE RESEARCH INTERVIEW

One of the best sources of research is an expert. An expert is someone who has had significant training and/or experience in a field of study, and who is willing to report information. The best method to obtain information from an expert is to conduct an information-gathering interview.

Requesting the Interview

· Select the person you want to interview. Research the person before requesting the interview to determine if (s)he is an expert according to the criteria described above. Look for major or most recent accomplishments. Look in relevant sources for this information, such as biographical directories and articles.
· Telephone for an appointment. Identify the purpose of your request and explain that you would like a brief interview. State the amount of time the interview should involve. State the times you are available, but be flexible. When a face-to-face interview is not possible, suggest calling at a convenient time and conducting the interview over the telephone.

Planning the Interview

When preparing the interview questions, keep the following guidelines in mind:

· Design the questions to make the best use of the time available for the interview.

· Design open questions that require more than yes-no answers.

· Organize your questions from the most to the least important. You never know when you might run out of time.

Conducting the Interview

· Begin by thanking the expert for taking the time to talk with you. State the purpose of the interview again.

· Ask permission to tape record the interview. Professional interviewers often tape record information-gathering interviews. This enables you to listen more effectively and to respond to the interviewee more spontaneously than if you were taking detailed notes. Later, you can listen to the recording to obtain specific quotations and verify information. But ask permission first.

· Ask open questions. This allows the person to discuss issues. Closed questions require only a single-word answer or minimal response, such as "yes" or "no." Open questions are broad and not restrictive; they indicate a general topic and allow the person to respond freely.

· Ask your most important questions first.

· Listen actively. Active listening will allow you to ask questions that arise from the expert's comments (unplanned questions).

· Stay within the time frame provided for the interview.

· Conclude the interview by summarizing the information gathered in the interview and thanking the expert.

After the Interview

After the interview is completed, send a brief note to thank the expert. You may want to enclose a copy of your speech or paper that includes the information from the interview. Highlight the sections reflecting the information gained from the interview.

OUTLINING/PLANNING IDEAS

Like the research process itself, outlining should go through stages of development, so don’t be concerned if your first one is sketchy or uneven. It does not have to be formal (with Roman and Arabic numerals), unless your instructor has assigned a formal outline. If that is not your assignment, you should still create a working outline. You can use your first outline to discover key relationships about major points and supporting ideas and the different ways to develop them.

By beginning to outline/plan in Week Two, you will allow yourself enough time to leave it for a while and gain some objectivity when you next pick it up to revise it by developing some points, deleting others, and reorganizing the outline in general.

Word processing your outline will make it easier for you to make changes as you continue to research and revise your drafts. Save your individual drafts to show progress on your work. Your instructor may ask to see the written stages of your project.

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WEEK THREE: WRITING A DRAFT

Consult your thesis statement and read through your notes and the latest version of your outline before you begin writing. Allow for a certain amount of exploration and discovery when you write your first draft. Do not pay attention to spelling, punctuation, or transitions at this point. The first draft allows you to discover what you have learned about the subject and what more you need to research.

To avoid procrastination use one of these two strategies:
Pick a section of the outline that seems easiest or most interesting for you to write about, regardless of where it appears in the outline, and take an hour to write about it. Such writing shows you that you have something to say and helps you to overcome writer's block.
—or—
Start with your introduction and develop it first. The advantage here is that you will have a fuller picture of the rest of your paper.

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WEEK FOUR: REVISING A DRAFT

Review your draft to reexamine how well your reader will be able to understand your thinking. You may need to write several drafts before you end up with your best work. Here are some questions to ask as you revise:
· Your thesis: Does it need to be altered based on your reading and analysis? Ask yourself whether your reader will know:
What is the main idea?
Where is it in the paper?
Are there sections that might not be clear to my reader? (If so, decide whether to rephrase or relocate the main idea.)
· Your organization: Is it clear and complete? Ask yourself:
Do I have an introduction?
Is the introduction clearly related to what follows?
Do I state my main idea in the introduction?
Do I have a conclusion?
Is the conclusion clearly related to what preceded?
Do I restate my main idea in the conclusion?
Does each body paragraph have a topic sentence?
Should some body paragraphs be reorganized and/or rewritten?
· Your information: Do I need further evidence or support from other sources? Is documentation complete and accurate? Ask yourself:
What are my major supporting details?
Should I rephrase some/all of these details?
Should I add/throw out some details?
Should I reorganize the order in which I present the details?
Are all of my sources included and properly cited?

REMEMBER: All of your sources must be documented. See pp. 10-15 of this guide for specific examples of documentation.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Print out your first draft double-spaced. Make revisions on a hard copy and then transfer the changes to the computer and print out the next draft(s).
Leave ample time to revise. Let each draft "cool off" so you respond to it not as the writer, but as your reader is likely to respond.
Remember the needs of the reader (audience). Assume your reader has some basic understanding of your subject. Don't, however, assume your reader has knowledge of details or of definitions of processes and terms. Remember, you are communicating your knowledge to the reader.
Say what you want completely the first time; don't say it over and over.
Let at least one person read your final draft along with the revision criteria. You are probably so close to it that you no longer "see" it. You may want to visit the Academic Skills Tutoring Center, which offers a walk-in writing service. Check in Room A608B to find out the open hours for each semester (212-217-7865).

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WEEK FIVE: PROOFREADING

When you have finished revising your draft, print out an almost final version. At this stage, you must focus on the "mechanics" of writing: such as fragments and run-on sentences, pronoun references, subject and verb agreement, and spelling. While most word processors have spell-checking, be aware that there are many mistakes the checker will not catch (a mistakenly used word—to instead of two or too, failure to capitalize, or missing punctuation). Proofread the paper line by line. Then, after you have been away from it for awhile, read it again. Make any last minute corrections. Grammar and mechanics count in your research paper, and precision is important. No reader wants to stumble over writing that has errors.

At any stage in the process of writing your paper, you may want to consult any of the following:

FIT's Academic Skills Tutoring Center, which offers a walk-in writing service. Check in Room A608B to find out the open hours for each semester (212-217-7865). Although the staff at the Center will provide assistance in many of the stages of your research process, do not expect them to proofread your paper for you.

Your teacher, if you're taking an English class

A handbook such as the MLA Handbook. Copies are available in the college bookstore and in the Library (Reference Stacks call number LB 2369 .G53).

Remember, this paper should be based on your research, but it should go beyond only reporting other people's ideas. In other words, draw from your sources, but don't just repeat what you've read. Your job is not merely to collect information but to interpret and explain it. This is where the paper becomes your own. Examine your findings, draw your own conclusions and express your own point of view. A research paper is more than a string of quotations, paraphrases and statistics; the ideas in it should reflect your personal approach to the topic.

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DOCUMENTING SOURCES

You must use notes and citations to acknowledge the sources you have used that are featured directly or indirectly in your written work. In doing this, your three goals are to: 1) “demonstrate that you have consulted experts on the subject and relied on the most current and authoritative sources to build your case persuasively,” 2) “give proper credit to the sources,” and 3) “inform readers about specific books, articles, or Web sites you used so they can find additional information or verify your facts. Incorrect or incomplete documentation means your readers will not be able to locate your sources (Kolin 374-5).

The following section is an abbreviated version of “How to Do Research In the Library and Beyond: A Guide for Students,” by Marian Weston.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL SOURCES YOU USED MUST BE DOCUMENTED. Avoid plagiarism, using another person's ideas or words in your writing without acknowledging the source. Identify every source, in every format, that you used for your research whether it provided you with ideas, facts, opinions or exact wording and paraphrasing.

The citations in this Guide are written in the style of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition) by Joseph Gibaldi. There is a copy of the MLA Handbook in the Library’s Reference Stacks, LB2369 G53 2003. Your instructor may prefer, however, a different style, such as APA or Chicago Style. The important thing to remember is to choose one style, using it consistently to document sources, both within the paper and in your “List of Works Consulted.” Consult the Library’s print Information Bulletin #11 Citing Materials: Formats for Bibliography and Footnotes or online through the Library Web page (http://www3.fitnyc.edu/library), under Research Guides, Research Tips.

DOCUMENTING SOURCES WITHIN THE BODY OF THE PAPER

Within the body of the paper, parenthetical references should appear immediately following the material (a direct quote, paraphrase or summary of information you used from someone else’s work) that you wish to document.

Each citation within the body of the paper includes the following enclosed in parentheses: the author or, if no author is given, a short form of the title (beginning with first word of title), and the page number(s) where the information was found. Place the parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence or at a logical break. Instructors of a particular course may prefer the use of footnotes or endnotes; check with your instructor.

Examples of Citations Within the Body of the Paper
· Direct quote:
Marshall Field has an extensive private label program, with five labels in men's wear alone. Store management believes that "separate and distinctive labels are the best approach to identify different categories of its men's wear offerings" (Diamond and Pintel 282).

· Summary:
K mart, which had a $35 billion retail volume in 1991, also has a wide range of private labels, featuring such lines as Jaclyn Smith, Simple Addition and the newer Basic Editions (Pogoda 4).

· Paraphrase:
The former women's department manager at Valley Stream spoke about the warmth and camaraderie among Alexander's employees, and cited herself as an example of job advancement opportunities at the store (Schemo B8).

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DOCUMENTING SOURCES IN A “LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED”

Entries for all the sources you found useful for preparing your paper must appear in a "List of Works Consulted" at the end of your paper.

The “List of Works Consulted” must include the complete citations for everything you cited parenthetically within the body of your paper. Also include other sources you used as background research but did not quote or refer to directly.

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CITATION EXAMPLES FOR A “LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED”:

BOOKS:

Single author:
Barmash, Isadore. Macy's for Sale. New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1989.

Two or three authors:
Mahoney, Tom, and Leonard Sloane. The Great Merchants: America's Foremost Retail
Institutions and the People Who Made Them Great. New and enl. ed. New York:
Harper & Row, 1974.

More than three authors:
Still, Richard R., et al. Sales Management: Decisions, Strategies, and Cases. 5th ed.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1988.

Unknown author:
The Idealizing Vision: the Art of Fashion Photography. New York: Aperture, 1991.

Statistical Fact Book: Current Information about Direct Marketing and Direct Response
Advertising. New York: Direct Marketing Association, 1992.

Article in a Reference Book:
Gundersen, Joan R. “Colonial Life in America.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.
Note: Specific publication information is not required for “familiar reference books, especially that frequently appear in new editions” (Gibaldi 161).

“Fashion.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.

Mollica, Robert. “Assisted Living.” Encyclopedia of Aging. Ed. by David J. Ekerdt. 4 vols.
New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.
Note: If you used the FIT Library’s electronic version of this book, cite it as follows:
Mollica, Robert. “Assisted Living.” Encyclopedia of Aging. Ed. by David J. Ekerdt. 4 vols.
New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 10 August 2004 http://www.netlibrary.com>

Edited collection:
Dertouzos, Michael L., and Joel Moses, eds. The Computer Age: A Twenty-Year View.
Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1979.

Government document:
United States. Dept. of Labor. Employment and Training Administration. U.S. Employment
Service. Dictionary of Occupational Titles. 4th ed., rev. 1991. Washington: The Administration, 1991.

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PERIODICAL AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES:

Magazine article in weekly or biweekly magazine:
Glastris, Paul. “The New Way to Get Rich.” U.S. News & World Report 7 May 1990:26-36.

Magazine article in monthly or bimonthly magazine:
Dolnick, Edward. “What Dreams Are (Really) Made Of.” Atlantic July 1990: 41-61.

Newspaper article, unknown author:
“E-commerce Concerns Select New Agencies.” New York Times 1 June 1999, late ed.:
C12.

“A Lesson from Lancome.” Women’s Wear Daily 24 July 1992: 8.

Newspaper article with author:
Lewis, Peter H. “Digital Dressing Rooms and Other New Twists.” New York Times 22
Sept. 1999, late ed.: G4+.

Editorial:
“Stepping Backward.” Editorial. Los Angeles Times 4 July 1989, pt. 2: 6.
Note: A similar format is used for Letters to the Editor, which would be indicated by “letter” instead of “editorial” and the author’s name instead of, or before, the title.

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INTERVIEWS AND OTHER SOURCES:
For many formats other than printed materials (e.g. videos, DVDs, interviews) it is necessary to indicate the format in the citation

Videotapes, films, etc.:
The Business Plan: Your Road Map for Success. Sponsored by the U.S. Small Business
Administration. Videocassette. Bell Atlantic, 1990.

Calvin Klein: A Stylish Obsession. Videocassette. ABC News and A&E Networks, 1997.

Published or broadcast interview:
Morrison, Toni. Interview. All Things Considered. National Public Radio. WNYC, New
York. 16 Feb. 1986.

Personally conducted interview:
Note: Include a short description or affiliation if the interviewee is not well known.

Klein, Calvin. Personal interview. 22 July 2003.

Chin, Barbara. Professor of International Trade, Northwest College. Personal interview. 17
August 1999.

Silwick, Martin. CEO, Emerson Computers. Personal interview. 10 October 2000.

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ELECTRONIC SOURCES:

REMEMBER: If you use information from an electronic source, including the Internet, you must cite the source or specific web site, just as you would cite a book or magazine article that you use. Otherwise, you are committing plagiarism (using another person's ideas or words in your writing without acknowledging the source).

Although citations of electronic sources follow the same general form as printed sources, there are two notable differences.
1) Publication dates - A citation to an electronic work often requires more than one date. Include: a) the original print publication date, if available, for works that are also offered in printed format; b) the electronic publication date, if provided; c) the date you accessed the work, if source is online. Remember that information given online may change overnight and, therefore, you need to indicate the exact date that you looked at each online resource. CD-ROM citations do not need access dates. You may have up to three dates in a single citation (see Online Book example below).
2) Network address - Citations to online sources need to include the network address (e.g., URL). Accurately give the complete address, enclosed in angle brackets.

Many electronic publications do not supply all the desired information for bibliographic citations. Include in your references as much information as you can find. Below are several examples based on Section 5.9 “Citing Electronic Publications” of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition). Refer to the MLA Handbook for additional explanation and examples.

Online Information Database:
ApparelNet: The Online Guide for the Apparel Industry. 1998. ApparelNet, Inc. 11 July
1999 <http://www.apparel.net>.

Document within an Online Information Database:
“Reebok International Ltd.” Hoover’s Online. 1999. Hoover’s, Inc. 16 Nov. 1999
<http://www.hoovers.com/capsules/11266.html>.

“Taj Mahal.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 1999. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 17 Nov. 1999 <http://www.eb.com:180/bol/topic?eu=72843&sctn=1>.

Works from Online Subscription Services:
Use this format to cite material from an online subscription service where the network address for the accessed material is that of the service rather than the material itself. [If network address is that of the accessed material, follow other examples in this section.] Online subscription services are usually of two types: library subscription (e.g., InfoTrac) and personal subscription (e.g., America Online). See the following three examples.

Article in Periodical or Newspaper from Online Library Subscription Service:
Labich, Kenneth. “Attention Shoppers: This Man is Watching You.” Fortune 19 July 1999: 13+. General BusinessFile ASAP. Gale. Fashion Institute of Technology Library, New York. 11 Aug. 1999 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/fitsuny>.

Socha, Miles, et al. “What Price Creativity? With Wall Street a Factor, Design is ‘Public’ Affair.” WWD. 18 Feb. 1999. WWD Online. Fairchild Publications. Fashion Institute of Technology Library, New York. 23 Nov. 1999 <http://wwd.com/archive/home.htm>.

Work from Online Personal Subscription Service:
“Cloning.” BioTech’s Life and Science Dictionary. 30 June 1998. Indiana University. America Online. 4 July 1998. Path: Research and Learning; Science; Biology; Biotechnology Dictionary.

Online Professional or Personal Site:
Pitts, Richard. Home page. 17 Nov. 1999 <http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/artpitts>.

Romance Languages and Literatures Home Page. Sept. 1998. Dept. of Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago. 8 July 1999 <http://humanities.uchicago.edu/romance>.

Online Book:
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Boston: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1850. New
Bartleby Library. Ed. by Steven H. van Leeuwen. July 1999. 11 Nov. 1999 <http://www.bartleby.com/83/index.html>.
Note: Three different dates are needed and given in this citation, as mentioned in the introduction to the ELECTRONIC SOURCES section, above).

Online Government Publication:
United States. Dept. of Agriculture. Economic Research Service. NAFTA. International Agriculture and Trade Reports, Situation and Outlook Series. WRS-99-1. Coordinated by John Link and Steven Zahniser. Aug. 1999. 10 Nov. 1999. <http://www.econ.ag.gov>.

Online Posting:
Reis, Cynthia. “Scully’s Ghostly Visitors over the Years.” Online posting. 15 Nov. 1999. Alt.tv.x-files. 17 Nov. 1999 <http://www.deja.com/group/alt.tv.x-files>.

Publications on CD-ROM:
International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary. 6th ed. CD-ROM. Washington, D.C.: Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, 1995.

E-Mail Communication:
Boyle, Anthony T. “Re: Utopia.” E-mail to Daniel J. Cahill. 21 June 1997.

Good luck. Work hard and consistently. Seek help from the staff members of the Library and Tutoring Center and from your instructors. Ask questions. Remember, this is a learning experience, and you are not expected to “know it all” before you begin.

List of Works Consulted

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York:
Modern Language Association of America, 2003.

Hacker, Diana and Barbara Fister. Research and Documentation in the Electronic
Age. 3rd spiral ed. New York: Bedford St. Martins, 2002.

Kolin, Philip C. Successful Writing at Work. 7th ed. Boston, New York:
Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

Raimes, Ann. Exploring Through Writing: A Process Approach to ESL Composition.
2nd ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1998.

Trimmer, Joseph F. A Guide to MLA Documentation. Boston, New York: Houghton
Mifflin, 2003.