Part One
The Book Report
Part Two
The Whole Composition
I. Format
II. Outline
A. Deciding on a topic
B. Formulating a thesis
C. Collecting details
III. Types of Writing
A. Narration
1. Guidelines for effective narration
B. Description
1. Description of a person
2. Description of a place
3. Description of an object
4. Description of a scene
C. Exposition
1. Exemplification
2. Process Analysis
3. Division and Classification
4. Cause and Effect
5. Comparison and Contrast
D. Argumentation
1. From Your Argumentative Thesis
2. Focus on the Concerns and Knowledge of an Appropriate Audience
3. Tailor Evidence to the Argumentative Thesis
4. Develop Evidence with Adequate and Appropriate Support
1) Definition of important terms
2) Verifiable facts
3) Examples, including personal experience
4) Recognized authority on the subject
5) Quotations, especially from an authority
6) Statistics
5. Provide Clear and Obvious Connections
Part Three
Process of Writing a Research Paper
I. Choose a suitable topic
A. Finding a topic
B. Narrowing the topic
II. How to research
A. Exploring the library
B. Following a search strategy
1. Reference works
1) General encyclopedias
2) Specialized encyclopedias
3) Biographical references
4) Unabridged dictionaries
5) Books
6) Periodicals
7) Other sources
C. Evaluating sources for relevance and reliability
D. Preparing bibliography cards
1. How to take notes on your cards
1) Note cards that summarize
2) Note cards that paraphrase
3) Note cards that quote
4) Personal note cards
5) Alternatives to note cards
E. Reading and taking notes
III. The thesis and outline
A. Arriving at the thesis
B. Constructing a preliminary outline
1. Focusing on a hypothesis
2. Constructing a preliminary outline
IV. Expand notes into a draft, then into a paper
A. Preparing the first draft
B. Incorporating notes into the flow of a paper
V. Follow the MLA style of in-text citations
A. The MLA style
1. Author in signal phrase, page number in parentheses
2. Author and page number in parentheses
3. When to include a title
4. Unknown author
5. A work with two or more authors
6. A multi-volume work
7. A novel, a play, or a poem
8. Indirect source
9. Parenthetical citation of two or more works
B. Endnotes and footnotes
C. Spacing and punctuation
D. Preparing a list of works cited
Part Four
A Sample Research Paper
后记
英语写作自学考试大纲