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Welcome to the Purdue OWL News!
This is an online newsletter about happenings in the Purdue University Writing Lab and the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). We're always glad to hear from you at owlnews@owl.english.purdue.edu!
Here's our writing question of the week, brought to you by the Online Writing Lab Tutors here at Purdue.
"I am writing an MLA format research paper on amnesia and need help coming up with a thesis statement and introduction. Should the thesis statement be the first sentence on the page? What kind of question should it be? This is not an argumentative paper. Can you give me an example of a thesis?"
Here's the answer.
The thesis could be the first line of your text, and this is usually common in the scientific community. Many argue, however, for a thesis at the end of the paragraph after the introduction begins establishing a foundation for your argument. You can think of it as an upside-down triangle, starting with a general idea of the topic and working to a specific thesis. So, for example, at the end of the introductory paragraph of an essay arguing for legislation protecting a coastal wetland area from a development project, you might find the following thesis statement:
"Because it would prevent the devastating environmental effects of commercial and residential development and would protect and preserve an area of natural beauty, the state legislature should enact the proposed legislation establishing a nature preserve at the mouth of the Gullah River."
Since your topic isn't argumentative, your thesis may be best defined as an "informative thesis." Simply, this is specifically what your paper will be discussing. You would want to state unambiguously what aspects of amnesia you'll be discussing. Can you tell me what your paper is about specifically? What are you trying to accomplish by writing it?
Finally, we have a great workshop on research papers. You should check it out: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/index.html
Here's the link to the workshop's page on the thesis statement: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/thesis.html
Many of our readers write to us with questions or requests for help with their writing. Readers also write to us with suggestions about how to help people learn more about writing. In this section of the newsletter, we'll try to bring together both the people looking for help and the people who can help them.
Each week we'll publish a request for advice or information. If you have information or advice about this topic, please write to us at owlnews@owl.english.purdue.edu. Please let us know if you want us to include your name and/or your email address when we publish your information or advice. The following week, we'll publish the best information and advice that we receive in the newsletter.
Here's our request for this week.
It's back to school time for many students in the United States. What are some of your favorite tips for starting to write school assignments?
A couple of readers sent in some great suggestions . . .
Ben Petty writes: "I like to start each semester organized. I plan a schedule for each assignment. I divide up the assignment into little parts (such as come up with a topic, do an outline, go to the library, etc.) then I make my own deadlines for each part. That way I know I'm on track."
Todd Howe writes: "Last semester, I had to write a paper about a controversial topic for my English class. I didn't know what to write about, so I started reading the paper and watching the news. I found a topic that I was interested in. Then, I asked all my friends what they thought about it and got some ideas. After that, I went to the library and read as many different view points as I could - all that helped me decide what I wanted to say in my paper."
Thanks to everyone who wrote in with your suggestions! Here's our next request from some of our readers.
"How do I know when a source is a good one? I've found a lot of information on the Internet, but I don't know if I can use it in my research paper?"
Got some help for our readers? Send it to owlnews@owl.english.purdue.edu. Your advice and information about this will appear in next week's newsletter. Got a question for our readers? Send it to us at owlnews@owl.english.purdue.edu and we'll try to include it in the newsletter as soon as possible.
It's that time of year again - time for tests! Essay exams in particular can cause a lot of stress for those of us who do not write well on the spot. Essay exams can be a useful tool for a teacher since they let the students show off what they know, but they can also be overwhelming and intimidating.
We have a handout which might help you hone your in-class exam writing skills and maybe even overcome any anxiety you have about these types of tests. It covers the parts of a good essay exam, different approaches you can take, and even gives some specific examples of essay questions for your own practice.
You can find the handout here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_essay.html
There is more to the Writing Lab than tutorials. Although meeting with a tutor can be very helpful, sometimes students just want a place where they can sit and look something up on their own. We have collected an impressive number of grammar books, research guides, ESL study helps, dictionaries, etc, etc.
Students, faculty, and staff are more than welcome to come in and use any of our reference material. Sometimes the best way to learn is self-study. So if you finally want to learn how to use a semi-colon or if you've never heard of MLA style, or you want to study some strange English idioms, come by the Lab, check out a reference book, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy the quiet study-friendly atmosphere of the Writing Lab.
This fall, as always, we will have tutorials, workshops for classes, reference materials and handouts, computers and printers for student use, ESL self-study materials, bookmarks, quiet places to study, and a helpful and friendly staff. Stop by and see us and get a free Writing Lab pencil!
Thanks for reading our newsletter, and please email us any suggestions you might have! We really enjoy hearing from our readers. You can mail us at any time at owlnews@owl.english.purdue.edu. You can also email the OWL coordinator, Geoff Stacks, at coordinator@owl.english.purdue.edu and the webmaster, Erin Karper, at webmaster@owl.english.purdue.edu. (Erin and Geoff take turns writing the newsletter.)
Tell your friends about the Purdue OWL News! They can sign up to receive this newsletter by visiting http://www.topica.com/lists/purdueowlnews/.
If you want to unsubscribe from the newsletter, just visit http://www.topica.com/lists/purdueowlnews/ and follow the instructions to unsubscribe.
This newsletter is copyright (c) 2001 the Purdue University Writing Lab and Purdue University.
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