Writing a Literary Research Paper: Step by Step

Getting Started…

It’s common for students to feel anxiety when confronting such a daunting task. However, with the proper mindset and a strong work ethic, writing a research paper can be a manageable task – it can even be a rewarding task – once you feel you have control over the assignment.

1. Choose your primary source.

What is a primary source? A primary source is the main piece of literature (book, play, collection of poems or short stories) that you’ll be writing about and researching for your paper.

One of the most important things you want to consider before tackling a literary research paper is choosing something that is high interest as well as literary and something that you’ll enjoy reading. This will make the process of finding literary criticism easier for you as you progress.

Your teacher is probably your best guide in terms of offering advice about which literature would appeal to you.

2. Read the primary source.

It is most important to do a thorough reading of the primary source before you delve into the research paper. This means that you should not be using Spark Notes or other cheap imitations in lieu of reading the primary text. It is, however, a wise idea to use these supplementary resources – either during or after reading the text - as these will offer you more insight and perspective into your literary work.

3. Read the secondary sources.

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What are secondary sources? Secondary sources are writings about the primary source. They are also called literary criticism, critical essays or critical analyses.

One of the first steps in properly using literary criticism is being able to distinguish it from the primary source. For example, if you saw the movie Spiderman and you wanted to write a research paper on it, your primary source would be Spiderman and the secondary sources would be the movie reviews, such as Ebert and Roper’s, or any other critics who are writing about the film.

Distinguishing Primary from Secondary Sources

Primary Secondary

The Great Gatsby “Symbolism of the Green Light

in The Great Gatsby”

To Kill a Mockingbird “Atticus Finch: MoralReformer”

Romeo and Juliet “Light and Dark Imagery in Shakespeare”

Evaluating Sources

In order to have a complete understanding of your primary source, you should ideally read as many critical essays as you can.

Many writers have trouble determining the value of material and the contribution it can make to the research paper.

The following criteria should be used in evaluating a source:

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Relevancy - How well does the source support your thesis?

Authority - Is the source published or sponsored by a professional person or credible institution?

Accuracy - Does the source show evidence to support its findings?

Read as many critical essays on your primary source as you can. However, you want to make sure your time is well spent while you’re doing this. You want to choose sources that are highly credible, i.e. ones that you can use in your research paper.

Note bene: The Internet is glutted with research papers students have written but are not beneficial to you. Therefore, be highly selective when choosing your sources.

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Identifying Sources

This pyramid shows a progression of sources from the most to least reliable. Consider this when evaluating the usefulness of sources.

Wikipedia,Personal Websites (home pages)

Encyclopedia, Popular Magazines, Newspaper

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Most Reliable Sources

Least Reliable! Danger!

Scholarly Books (i.e. compilations by Harold Bloom), Biographies, Scholarly Articles, Interviews, GaleNet,InfoTrac and other library sources.

4. Formulate your thesis.

After reading as many critical sources as possible, you should have a much better understanding of the primary source and be at the point where you are able to formulate a possible thesis statement.

There may come a time when you need to refine or clarify your thesis statement, but you should have a workable thesis when you begin your research.

Development of a Good Thesis

A thesis statement is nothing more than a single sentence that states the main idea of your paper. It should make a point that you will support with a combination of your own ideas and the ideas you have drawn from your research. In other words, what is the author trying to do with what he writes? Teach you a lesson? See that the world is absurd? Terrible? Wonderful? Create a memorable character? Make you identify with a character so that you can understand your place in the world? In any event, it is an idea that could argued from different perspectives.

Look closely at the two examples of thesis statements below and note the different perspectives pursued by the writers.

Example #1: “Although Daisy Buchanan appears to be an innocent character, she is in actuality a self-absorbed manipulator who is ultimately responsible for Gatsby’s demise.”

Example #2: “Although Jay Gatsby appears to be a naive and innocent character, he actually lives a life of duplicity and manipulation, one which ultimately leads to his untimely demise.”

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In the first example, the writer argues that Daisy is responsible for the destruction of Gatsby, whereas the second writer believes it is Gatsby himself who is responsible for his own ruination.

Poorly-Constructed Thesis Statements

- “This paper will prove/argue/suggest/indicate…” (This is a very elementary thesis statement. Your writing should be more sophisticated).

- “I will show…” (Use THIRD PERSON point of view, not FIRST. Do not use “I”)

- “The Jazz Age.” (MUCH too general. This is not a statement of opinion, argument, or position.)

- “F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of America’s best authors.” (This statement is TOTALLY opinion! It will be very difficult to support an arbitrary and biased opinion.)

- “Culture changed in the 1920s.” (Of course it did! Too FACTUAL and OBVIOUS. This will be more of a book report than an actual arguable position.) A better version: “The reckless and hedonistic lifestyle characterized by the Jazz Age is exemplified through Daisy and Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby.”

Junior Research

Paper

Senior Research

Paper

1. Poetry (American or

British)

1. Novels

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2. Two-three critical

sources

2. Three critical

sources

3. Four-five pages 3. Five- six pages

Read the primary source (poems, novel, play etc.) to gain an in-depth understanding and create a dialectical notebook.

This may seem monotonous; however, you can approach the primary source with an entirely different perspective because you’ll have stronger control over the material. By now you’ll have a better understanding of the direction of your thesis, and you will be able to find the necessary supporting evidence for your potential thesis with greater ease.

A dialectical notebook is required for the research paper in order to ensure that students have the foundation needed in order to create a thesis statement and support that statement.

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While it is important to make connections between yourself and the literature, this is not meant to be a personal or pop culture dialectical notebook. Rather, this should be more philosophical and analytical and focus on the themes of the primary source.

How to Construct a Dialectical Notebook

On the left side, parenthetically cite a significant quotation that is directly linked to your thesis.

On the right-hand side, provide a detailed analysis of the passage. Be sure to include character, character addressed and context as well as any related symbolism or theme.

Example:

Left-hand side Right-hand side

“‘You can’t repeat the past?’ [Gatsby] he criedSpeaker: Gatsby

incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” Character addressed:

(Fitzgerald 111). NickContext: After Gatsby’s initial date with Daisy, Nick accuses Gatsby of trying to recapture the past. Gatsby becomes defensive and makes this comment. Analysis: Gatsby

reveals his idealism and his inability to accept

the

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current situation with

Daisy. Gatsby delusionally

believes that through his

material wealth, he can

attain Daisy’s affections.

This relentless clinging to

the past foreshadows his

ultimate destruction.

* You are required to have 12 to 15 dialectical notebook entries from your primary source. You don’t necessarily have to take quotations from every single chapter. Your goal is to find the quotations that are most relevant to your thesis.

Note bene: The more detail you put into this, the less work you will have to put into writing your paper later on.

6. Gathering quotations from your secondary sources.

Now that you’ve successfully extracted the critical quotations from your primary source, you’re ready to move forward and find supporting evidence from your secondary sources.

Remember, you only want to choose quotations that directly support your thesis and your line of logic; therefore, choose your quotations wisely. Pull only words, phrases, lines or passages that are interesting, vivid or apt.

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For example, if a critic states that “Daisy Buchanan is a victimizer,” you must determine whether this is critical information. Is it creative? Is it original? Does it really say anything insightful about her character?

The answer to this, of course, is no. This is general information that can be placed directly in the paper without any need for a citation.

However, the following example reveals a more in-depth analysis of Daisy’s character and therefore could be considered a more reliable source of critical information. “Daisy Buchanan, though clearly a victimizer, is more so a victim of society because of the ideals forced upon her and her inability to escape the existing patriarchal hierarchy” (Depp 9).

The quotation should be lively and refreshing. It should be something innovative and creative that enhances our understanding of the literature.

7. Outlines

Having accumulated all this information, you may be asking yourself, “What do I do next?”

At this point, you must formulate an outline which will help you establish control of the paper. After doing this, you will be able to see the strengths and weaknesses of your paper.

To begin the process, consider the main arguments that support your thesis. These will ultimately become your topic sentences in your body paragraphs. Don’t forget: You are now branching away from the five-paragraph essay and will need to elaborate on your subject matter in a more detailed manner.

Once you’ve mapped out your general outline, you can determine where you will plug in the quotations from your

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primary and secondary sources. In doing so, you may realize that you have too many similar quotations in one area of your paper and not enough in others. This will show you the places where you will need to do more research.

At all times, you want to have a healthy balance of quotations. In each body paragraph, you should have at least one quotation from the primary source and at least one quotation from a secondary source.

Small quotations, or “nuggets” (aka “gems”), will further enhance your writing. Infusing smaller quotations adds to the quality of a research paper by balancing out the longer quotations. However, these smaller quotations must also be cited.

Note bene: A well-constructed outline is tantamount to a well-written research paper. If you spend your time organizing your outline, writing your paper will flow that much more easily.

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Sample Outline

Thesis: In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan is a passive-aggressive character who ultimately fails in all of her most intimate relationships.

I. Indirect introduction A. General statement about failure in society B. Introduce genre, author, title and main arguments/summary C. Thesis statement

II. Daisy’s failure as a wifeA. Superficial relationship with Tom

B. Illicit affair with Gatsby C. Difficulty with honesty

III. Daisy’s failure as a mother A. Absence as a mother figure B. Treatment of Pammy as an object

C. Selfishness of affair with Gatsby IV. Daisy’s failure as a mistress

A. Deceiving Gatsby with false hopeB. Choosing Tom over GatsbyC. Indirectly killing Gatsby

V. Daisy’s failure as a friend A. Using Jordan for companionship

B. Ignoring Jordan when Gatsby arrivesC. Abandoning Jordan for self-preservation

VI. Daisy’s failure as a relativeA. Exploits Nick’s compassionB. Abuses Nick’s trustC. Steals Nick’s innocence

VII. Universal Conclusion A. Restate thesis

B. Author statementsC. Universal statement

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* After you’ve completed this step, you can evaluate your quotations and determine which ones will be most relevant in proving your thesis.

8. Indirect Introduction

Now that you’ve completed the preliminary steps, you are now officially ready to write the research paper. Let’s start with the Indirect Introduction.

The indirect introduction should include 6-8 10 sentences.

1. General information – (3-4 sentences) This is where you introduce background information, anecdotes, quotations, epigraphs etc. Many students find it helpful to look at key words present in their thesis statement. For example, if you are discussing the theme of growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird, you might decide to talk about rites of passage, loss of innocence, etc. You can also begin with a famous quotation, song lyric, or pop culture reference. This is the only part where your writing can be slightly informal as well as subjective. However, you should strive to use “we” instead of “I” and “you” when making general comparisons.

2. Title, Author, Genre, and Summary - (2-3 sentences) The next part of the introduction should then fluently introduce the title, author, genre, and give a brief summary of the literary work that is being analyzed. (Note: This is the only place that you should include summary information).

3. Thesis Statement (1-2 sentences) The thesis statement is the controlling idea of your paper – this is what you will be proving! Sometimes students add an

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additional sentence that covers the three main areas that will be used to prove the thesis statement.

*Be sure to include transition words between divisions.

General Information

Title and Author/Summary

Thesis

Sample Indirect Introductions

Example #1:

Wealth and image. To some people, these are the most important aspects of life. However, the people who lust for wealth and image oftentimes become corrupted in their pursuit of these superficial goals. In fact, the desire for wealth and its attendant status can dramatically alter our true nature. In extreme cases, it can make them sacrifice their integrity and morality. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a character who lusts for wealth in order to build his image. Initially, Gatsby needs wealth to win the affection of Daisy Buchanan, an affluent socialite whom he continues to idolize. Consequently, he becomes involved in bootlegging and other illicit activities to become rich, because without this life of opulence, Daisy will not accept him. In doing so, however, he exposes himself as a charlatan and ultimately loses the respect of Daisy. Thus, through the character of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald demonstrates how money and power can lead to moral corruption and destruction of dreams.

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Example #2:

The little girl wanders down the aisles of the Super Toys ‘R’ Us, dwarfed by shelves and shelves of alluring and brightly-packaged items. She reaches for one after another, carrying games and toys to her mother, asking if she can have them. Begging, whining, pleading. She complains that she needs the latest items; she has to have everything. Her greed overcomes her logic as she stares upon hundreds of dollars worth of items. Even at such a young age, the materialistic need instilled upon her by society is visible. This theme is also evident in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, in which materialism corrupts and ultimately destroys the major characters in the novel.

Example #3:

Think about living the life of an idealist and always searching for perfection and tolerating no impurities. It would be a difficult way to live; however, aren’t we all idealists in one way or another? It’s like living a dream, but think about living that dream day after day then the dream never comes true. Evidently in the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main character Jay Gatsby chooses to live his life like this. Star-struck by money, fame and wealth, Gatsby has no choice but to make everything in his life perfect. His only problem is that the world does not want to cooperate with him, for although he has achieved his material quest, he is never able to achieve his romantic ideal of capturing the affection and love of Daisy Buchanan. Consequently, because of his blind obedience to his false dreams and illusions, Gatsby ultimately ends up an idealist in a corrupt world.

Example #4:

The idea central to the American Dream is that everyone is entitled to a fair chance of achieving wealth,

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which will eventually lead to happiness. However, over time the ideal of material fulfillment has been corrupted by those who have made it an obsession to acquire material wealth. In fact, the 1920s society perfectly exemplifies this theme of material corruption. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the Roaring Twenties as the subject of his novel, The Great Gatsby. The novel is a criticism of the American Dream and idealism. This moral and material corruption is best illustrated through Jay Gatsby. His pursuit of happiness is corrupted by his want of material wealth; however, his ultimate death symbolizes not only the failure of one man but also the failure of the American Dream. Therefore, Fitzgerald uses his novel to highlight the ultimate failure of the American Dream and those willing to pursue it.

Example #5:

Throughout life, we are impacted by hundreds of people each day. Some we will remember forever; others will never cross our minds again. Many people are content to remain in the background, emerging only when forced to. However, the people who go unnoticed often have the ability to make the most dramatic difference in our lives. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the most minor character to reveal the major themes, a character who is consistently overlooked, yet ironically, has the most impact. Although she only appears once in the entire novel, Pammy Buchanan represents the major themes of corrupted morals, the low status of women, and materialism that are prominent throughout The Great Gatsby.

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9. Writing the body paragraphs.

At all times your writing should be clear and sophisticated. This means you should not be summarizing and narrating. Instead, you should be analyzing.

Reminder: In each body paragraph, you should include at least one quotation from your primary source and one quotation from a secondary source. However, a well-written essay will likely include more than one of each as well as small “nuggets”.

For each quotation, you should follow the format you learned in class – a transitional lead-in phrase introducing the quotation and a detailed explanation following each quotation. Follow the guideline below for review.

Transitional/Lead-in Phrase Guide Sheet

All quotations MUST include the following:

- a well-written transitional lead-in phrase- a properly cited quotation (M.L.A. format)- a detailed, explanatory comment

* This helps to establish clarity and fluency in your writing.

Question: Find a quotation that illustrates Mr. Hadley’s jingoism.

Example:

Mr. Hadley’s jingoism is clearly visible when he boasts to Brinker and Gene, “Your war memories will be with you forever, you’ll be asked about them a thousand times after the war is over. People will get their respect for you from that. . . . If you can say that you were up in front where

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there was some real shooting going on, then that will mean a whole lot to you in years to come” (Knowles 191). Mr. Hadley’s view of war conflicts with Gene and Brinker’s philosophy, for he believes serving in war is an act of pride, and he fails to acknowledge the other aspect of war—the destruction it brings.

(Hmmmm. . . Should this quotation be cited differently? Does it qualify as a long-form quotation—MORE than four lines when added physically/mathematically? Phew, that was certainly cutting it pretty close!!!!)

Now let’s try it using the long-form format.

Mr. Hadley’s jingoism is clearly visible when he boasts to Brinker and Gene:

You have to do what you think is the right thing,

but just make sure it’s the right thing in the long

run,

and not just for the moment. Your war memories

will

be with you forever, you’ll be asked about them a

thousand

times after the war is over. People will get their

respect for

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you from that. . . . If you can say that you were

up in front where there was some real shooting

going on, then that will

mean a whole lot to you in years to come.

(Knowles 191)

Mr. Hadley’s view of war conflicts with Gene and Brinker’s

philosophy, for he believes serving in war is an act of pride,

yet he fails to acknowledge the other aspect of war—

destruction.

Avoid using strings of quotations; never use one quotation one right after another. In addition, never drop a quotation into your paper without first introducing it and then explaining it.

Your topic sentence should always include the characters’ names if applicable. In other words, don’t assume that the reader knows which character you’re talking about even if you’ve addressed this character already.

Be sure to use transition words to make your writing more fluid. Remember that each and every sentence you write must relate back to the support of your thesis statement.

Sample Body Paragraph:

Gatsby’s strong dedication to his illusions makes them more than simply fantasies to him; it makes them reality. Gatsby’s confession to Nick, “Can’t repeat the past! . . . Why

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of course you can!” (Fitzgerald 111), reveals his dangerous foray into his delusional microcosm. His lavish lifestyle, strong belief in his love affair with Daisy, and the idea that he can control everything with his illusions immerses him so far into his world of fantasy that James Gatz disappears and is replaced by a self-born, Jay Gatsby, a fictional figure of the imagination come to life with remarkable color and brilliance. “To Gatsby these were not illusions, they were his reality. To Gatsby, reality is what you make it to be. Gatsby didn’t have a stable reality, so in order to have anything concrete and worth living for, he had to have these illusions” (Jones 7). Even so, Gatsby’s creation of reality leaves him with an artificial world of fantasy founded on a feeble foundation, based on a small number of far stretched dreams on a hopeful seventeen-year-old. These dreams eventually fall short of Gatsby’s great expectations and lead him to failure in a puddle of his melted illusion.

10. Parenthetical Documentation/Incorporating Quotations

Quotations

Four general rules about quotations:

1. Use them selectively.2. Quote only words, phrases, lines and passages that are

particularly interesting, vivid or apt.3. Keep all quotations as short as possible. Your paper

should not be overrun with long-form quotes!4. Be careful of overquotation—it can bore your audience.

According to the MLA Handbook, there are two types of parenthetical documentation, short-form and long-form. All direct quotations, paraphrasing, and “borrowed ideas” must be parenthetically documented. This eliminates the need for end-notes or foot-notes, because the information in parentheses, in conjunction with the “Works Cited” page, will automatically indicate the source and other pertinent

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information. Remember, the entire paper is double-spaced, and there are no extra spaces included anywhere in the paper.

SHORT-FORM Parenthetical Documentation:

This documentation occurs within the text; it is not offset from the natural flow of writing. It is used only for quotations that are four typed-lines or less.

1. Usually, the author’s last name and a page reference are enough to identify the source and the specific location from which you have borrowed the material.

Example: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 182).

Note bene: The author’s last name should be enclosed in parentheses, followed by a space and the page where this quotation or idea can be found. Lastly, the period falls outside the parentheses. However, all other punctuations marks (exclamation points, question marks, etc.) precede the initial parentheses. *If you are quoting from a poem, cite the line number from the poem.

2. If the author’s name appears in the text, omit the author’s name in the parenthetical citation.

Example: Fitzgerald makes a statement about mankind, “Gatsby believe in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us” (182).

3. Remember, you do not always need to reproduce complete sentences. Sometimes you may just want to quote a word or phrase as part of your sentence. These are good examples of “nuggets”.

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Example: Daisy’s labeling of her daughter Pammy as a “beautiful, little fool” (Fitzgerald 17) reveals both her cynicism towards society and her lack of compassion towards her child.

4. The most common way to introduce a short-form quotation is with a comma or no punctuation at all (see above examples.).

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5. The most common way to introduce a long-form quotation (more than four typed lines) is with a colon.

Example:

Gatsby’s obsessions with image are most apparent

when Nick is initially introduced to him. Nick observes

Gatsby’s artificial mannerisms:

He smiled understandingly – much more than

understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a

quality of eternal reassurance in it that you may come

across four or five times in life. It faced – or seemed to

face – the whole external world for an instant, and then

concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in

your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted

to be understood, believed in you as you would like to

believe in yourself, and assured you that it had

precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you

hoped to convey. Precisely at that point it vanished –

and I was looking at an elegant young roughneck, a

year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of

speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he

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introduced himself I’d got a strong impression that he

was picking his words with care (Fitzgerald 48).

Clearly, Gatsby is trying to impress Nick and others but fails

because his actions are forced and contrived. Whereas

others may be easily deceived by Gatsby’s insincerity, Nick

sees through Gatsby’s transparency.

5. Be sure you are properly documenting your sources. In addition, watch those quotation marks, question marks and internal quotation marks! A quotation within a quotation requires double quotation marks on the outside and single quotation marks on the inside.

Example: “ ‘Can’t repeat the past!’ Gatsby cried, ‘Why, of

course you can!’ ” (Fitzgerald 121).

*Remember, this quotation does not end in a period and therefore requires the original punctuation, as well as the concluding period.

6. Be sure all information taken from your sources is identical to the original source. Do not take any liberties in creativity!

7. Be sure all material is directly related to your thesis statement. If a critic is primarily quoting from the original text, use the material from the primary source, since this is not critical information. The only exception is when the critic sparingly uses only a few words or excerpts from the primary text.

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Example: “The important thing to remember is that Gatsby

is as much an ideal to Daisy as she is to him. Only Gatsby

looks at her, creates her, makes her become to herself ‘in a

way that every young girl wants to be looked at some time’

” (Bloom 187-188).

8. Never leave a quotation hanging at the end of a paragraph. Always provide some final comment.

Example: In the novel, Catherine repeatedly refers to

Heathcliff in terms most often associated with nature.

Catherine describes her initial impression upon meeting

Heathcliff and sees him as “an arid wilderness of furze and

whinstone” (Bronte 12). Like Heathcliff, the minor

characters involved in Wuthering Heights are often

described as products of nature. Here, the tumultuous

passion between Heathcliff and Catherine is revealed.

9. Do not use consecutive quotations. Always provide some comment and transition between ideas.

Example: Major Barbara is “not a drama, but a discussion”

(Smith 13). As in all of Shaw’s plays, his “main fight is to

force bare thought that will evolve a sane and sensible life

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for all” (Bloom 189). In Major Barbara, Shaw reveals that

poverty is the vilest sin of man and society (Mencken 56).

Remember, if you are paraphrasing (restating the material in your own words), you do not use quotation marks to enclose your ideas. However, you must use the appropriate parenthetical citation.

10. If a pronoun seems unclear in a quotation, you may add an identification in square brackets.

Example: “Why she would hang on him [Hamlet’s father] /

As if increase of appetite had grown/ By what it fed on. . . .”

(Shakespeare 353).

*As a general rule, you should write your paper in the present tense. This will eliminate confusing tense changes and inconsistencies.

Ellipsis

1. When you wish to omit a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph from a quoted passage, use an ellipsis to replace the missing information.

Ex: In seeking causes for plagues in the Middle Ages, as

Brad Dole writes, “Medical thinking . . . stressed air as the

communicator of diseases, ignoring sanitation or visible

carriers” (121) Later, Dole explains the apparent flaw in this

argument.

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*Note the ellipsis here occurs within the sentence. As a general rule, the ellipsis within the sentences uses three periods followed by a space before and after each period.

2. When an ellipsis falls at the end of the sentence, use three spaced periods following the sentence period- that is, four periods, with no space between the first.

Ex: In seeking causes for the plagues in the Middle Ages, as Brad Dole writes, “Medical thinking, trapped in theory of astral influence, stressed air as the communicator of diseases. . . .” (123).

11. Universal conclusion

A universal conclusion is essentially the reverse of the indirect introduction. As a requirement for this paper, you will use your indirect introduction to guide you as you write your universal conclusion.

The universal conclusion is divided into three major parts:

1. A restatement of the thesis (1-2 sentences) This is where you rephrase your thesis statement. Be sure to keep it brief, as you have already discussed your ideas at length in the paper. However, do remember to include the author, title, characters, etc.

2. The author’s revelation or opinion of the thesis (2 -3 sentences) This is where you assume the voice of the author and formulate 2 or 3 statements that reveal the

author’s intention/moral/message.

3. General statements regarding the universal nature of the thesis (1-2 sentences) This is where you can put your final thoughts into your thesis by creating a

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moral or message that can be applied to everyone; in other words, you are creating a universal lesson that directly reflects your thesis.

The indirect introduction is a downward facing triangle; the universal conclusion is an upright triangle. It goes from very specific to rather general.

Sample Universal Conclusions:

Example #1:

The Great Gatsby is a shockingly truthful comment on the social life of the 1920s. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the themes of corrupted morals, sexism, and materialism to create a vivid picture of the life of the upper class. These themes are revealed not only in the lives of the main characters, but also in the most minor character in the novel, Pammy Buchanan. Pammy is influenced by her parents’ frivolity and materialism, by the sexism of society, and by society’s complete lack of morals. Through Pammy Buchanan, Fitzgerald reveals the demeaning manner in which women were treated during the 1920s. For years, women have worked arduously to gain parity with males in our society; only in recent years, however, have they actually taken strides in ensuring our equality.

Example #2:

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, wealth is tainted by dishonesty. Gatsby’s questionable morals, combined with his materialistic affection of Daisy, leads him to his bitter ruination. The false image of the wealthy socialite, as created by Gatsby himself, is a reflection of the Roaring Twenties, as perceived by Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald reveals the concept of social climbing to be a worthless

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endeavor, filled with false hope and imminent destruction. Fitzgerald furthermore illustrates the idea that the acquisition of wealth is not a means to happiness. Rather, he seeks to teach us that fulfillment joy should come from spiritual satisfaction, not material goods. Sometimes in life it is far too easy to covet the possessions of others, the most valuable gifts we possess are our family and friends.

12. Works Cited

The Works Cited section of your paper should list all the works cited in your text. A citation such as (Fitzgerald 32-33) enables the reader to identify the source in the Works Cited section of your paper.

Placement:

1. The Works Cited page always appears at the end of your paper.

2. Center the title, Works Cited, using no quotation marks or underlining.

3. Begin each entry flush with the left margin.4. If a source runs more than one line, indent subsequent

lines (five spaces) from the left margin. 5. Alphabetize entries in the list of Works Cited by

author’s last name, using the letter-by-letter system. Example: MacDonald, George precedes McCullerts, John

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6. Remember, the author’s name and the title of the source is always followed by a period.

7. If you have more than one work by the same author, you do not write the author’s name twice. Instead, use three dashes followed by a period as the replacement.

Example:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Boston: Twayne,

1982.

---. Tender is the Night. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1930.

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Works Cited

Bartel, Roland. “Life and Death in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The

Great Gatsby.”

Studies in Fiction 14 (1977): 288-90.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles

Scribner and Sons.

1982.

Howard, Zelma Turner. The Rhetoric of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s

Novels. Jackson:

UP of Mississippi, 1973.

Keys, Marilyn. “The Great Gatsby: The Way of

Dispossession.” Studies in

Fiction 16 (1979): 354-56.

Saunders, James Robert. “The Great Gatsby: The Doomed

Quest of

Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatz.” Southern Literary Journal 25.1

(Fall 1992): 62-73.

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PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism may be done on purpose as a kind of shortcut or accidentally because the writer didn’t know any better. In any event, it’s a big mistake.

You need to cite: You do not need to cite:Direct quotations Your own original ideas or

opinionsOptions and ideas of others even if paraphrased (stated in your own words)

General information and common knowledge - common sense observations

Unique words or phrases from the source

Generally accepted facts

WARNING!

Teachers are aware that ready-made papers can be purchased from internet sites. We have a database of

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those sites and WE CHECK THEM. We also use sites that analyze sentence strings to check originality of papers submitted by students. See Student Handbook for he consequences of plagiarism.

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