Using Sources in Your Writing

PART 1

Sample Research Paper American Pop Culture

Sample Research Article/Essay NYT

SAMPLE ESSAYS
One of the essays is a sample student paper, and another is an article from The New York Times news website. Both are examples of researching a topic and using sources (SOURCES = OUTSIDE INFORMATION OR IDEAS) in conveying information and ideas. Answer the following questions for EACH article.

1. What writing style, techniques, or strategies did the author use?
2. How were they effective or not effective?
3. How did the author use their sources to support their ideas?
4. What kinds of things did the author write before and after they quoted their sources?
5. Did the author always quote their sources, or did you see another way they used a source?
6. How did using the sources contribute to ethos, pathos, or logos?
7. What did you like about this essay/article and why?
8. What did you not like about this essay/article and why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART 2

What does it mean to be American?
–>What issue, idea, concept, conflict or thing gives some insight on the American identity?

Step 1– After deciding on a topic (examples: pop culture, gun violence, opportunity, free speech, etc.), research what others are saying about that topic. Think specifically about how it gives any insight on what it means to be American. Find 3 sources of information that you can use in your research paper.

Step 2– In your Writer’s Notebook, write down the following for each of your 3 sources:

1 A) Source (MLA Style Citation):
   B) Quote from source that you could possibly include in your paper:

2  A) Source (MLA Style Citation)
    B) Quote from source that you could possibly include in your paper:

3  A) Source (MLA Style Citation)
B) Quote from source that you could possibly include in your paper:
Example of a source cited in MLA format: 
Rosenberg, Alyssa. “What American pop culture tells the world.” The Washington Post. 2 December 2014. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/12/02/what-american-pop-culture-tells-the-world/?utm_term=.d19047c73db5

*Please refer to the OWL at Purdue if you need to know how to cite something in MLA format. (You can just google “OWL Purdue MLA” to find this resource.) EasyBib through Google Docs can also help you write citations in MLA format.