Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Managing Sources in Microsoft Word

By the time you start writing your research paper, you've probably collected most of your sources. If you're typing in Microsoft Word 2007 or Word 2010, you can organize and manage your various sources easily.

Before you get too entrenched in your writing, you should enter all of your source information into your "manage sources" section of Word. To do this, you simply select the References tab which is located at the top of the page. Then select the style (MLA, for example).

You'll see Manage Sources on the menu. Select that, and then select New. You will be prompted to input all the information (title, author, publishing company) for one source. When you're done with each source, select OK. Continue adding your sources until you've entered them all.

Once you've entered your sources, you will be able to insert in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliography entries with one click!


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Are You Headed for Burnout?

When your body and mind are constantly under pressure to do something or to be somewhere, you can develop mental and physical fatigue. The condition sometimes reaches the point that the individual feels resentful and hopeless when it comes to reaching a goal, like graduation or getting into college.

There are fifteen questions.


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Managing Multiple Projects

Many students are working on several big end-of-year projects this month. Some of those students will find that they have two or more due dates falling on the very same week--and that situation can create a real time management headache!

The trick to managing several projects is practicing good task management. In other words, you should manage your time by breaking down your big projects into small tasks, writing them down in lists, and managing them on a strict timeline.

To make this work, you must be sure to include every step for every project, whether it's shopping for model supplies or entering sources into your list of works cited. It might help to plan backward. Even when two projects are very different, you will probably find some similar jobs that can be combined.

Once you've made a big list of tasks, then you allot a time for each of those tasks, and stick rigidly to your plan. You will find that this method cuts down the stress factor considerably. You won't worry about forgetting things or missing deadlines, because everything has a proper time and place.

And when you don't stress over everything you're not doing at any given moment, you can concentrate on each individual task at hand, and you'll find that you do a much better job all around.


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Research Paper Basics

A research paper is an investigative report, of sorts. It is a question that is answered through exploration of a problem or an original idea that sheds new light on a known topic. When a student writes a research paper, he or she collects information about a specific issue or topic, analyzes the information, and presents all the collected information in a report.

Why Do Students Dread Research Papers?

Research papers take time. A research paper is not merely a writing assignment; it is an action assignment. There are many steps to writing a research paper, and the actions involved are:

What Is a Thesis?

The thesis is a central message that is summed up in a sentence. This thesis tells the purpose of the paper - whether it is answering a question or making a new point. The thesis statement usually goes at the end of the introductory paragraph.

What Does a Thesis Statement Look Like?

A thesis in a history paper might look like this:

In Colonial Georgia, it was not poverty that caused citizens to abandon young settlements and flee to Charleston, but the insecurity that citizens felt from living so close to Spanish Florida.

This is a bold statement that requires some proof. The student would need to provide quotes from early Georgia and other evidence to argue this thesis.

What Does a Research Paper Look Like?

The research paper might look like one long essay or it could look different - it could be divided into sections; this all depends on the type of study being conducted. A research paper in science will look different from a research paper in literature.

Papers that are written for a science class will often involve reporting on an experiment a student has conducted or a problem the student has solved. For this reason, the paper might contain sections that are divided by headings and subheadings, like Abstract, Method, Materials, and more.

In contrast, a literature paper is more likely to address a theory about a certain author's point of view, or describe a comparison of two pieces of literature. This type of paper would more likely take the form of one long essay and contain a list of references on the last page.

Your instructor will let you know which style of writing you should use.

What Is a Style of Writing?

There are very specific rules for writing and formatting papers, according to the style. One common style is the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style, which is used for literature and some social sciences.

Another is American Psychological Association (APA) Style, and that style is used in the social and behavioral sciences.

Turabian Style is used for writing history papers, although high school teachers my require MLA for history assignments.

Students may not encounter Turabian or APA style requirements until college.

The Scientific Journal Style is often used for assignments in the natural sciences.

You will find details about writing and formatting your paper in a "style guide." The guide will give details like:

  • How to format your title page (if you need a title page)
  • Where to place the page numbers
  • How to cite your sources
  • How and when to use appendices
  • How and when to use images
  • How to format the list of sources

What Does It Mean to "Cite Sources?"

When you conduct research, you find evidence in books, articles, web sites, and other sources, that you will use to support your thesis. Any time you use a bit of information that you've collected, you must make a visible indication of this in your paper. You will do this with an in-text citation or a footnote. The way that you cite your source will depend on the style of writing you're using, but the citation will contain some combination of the author's name, the title of the source, and a page number.

Do I Always Need a Bibliography?

On the last page of your paper you will provide a list of all the sources you used in putting together your paper. This list can go by many names: it may be called a bibliography, a reference list, a works consulted list, or a works cited list. Your instructor will tell you which style of writing you are to use for your research paper. You will find all the details you need in your style guide for putting all the right pieces in place.

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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Listen Between the Lines

I know you've heard of reading between the lines before. That's what you do when you pick up on clues to detect a hidden meaning that is not expressed explicitly.

For example, when you are reading a novel and you come across a scene that involves a chance encounter, darting eyes, and very curt expressions, you know that there's something going on between the characters, perhaps some underlying tension from a previous encounter. You can detect this because you have some sort of life experience that enables you to pick up on the clues the author has provided.

When you take notes on a class lecture, you must learn to listen between the lines. An instructor will give you part of the story, but he or she is expecting you to fill in the "back story" with information you've picked up from your homework readings. This is why it is so important to read your assignments before you go to class!


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Algebra Order

Sometimes in math, the order in which you do certain steps matters a lot, because the order can affect your answer! This very basic overview of order in algebra can help students understand why it is important to know about the order of certain operations.

When Order Doesn't Matter

You may be surprised to know that order doesn’t matter in some cases.

Image you are going to the store to buy hot dogs, mustard, and buns. Does it matter which item you purchase first? Would it make any difference if you bought the mustard before the buns? No!

There are times in math when order doesn’t matter. Think about this long addition problem:

(6+4)+7+2+14

You can start in the back or in the middle and add those numbers in any order—but you come up with the same sum every time. If you understand this, you understand the Associative Property.

When Order Does Matter

Think back to the hot dog example from above. Image now that you are ready to assemble your picnic items into a sandwich. What if you started with mustard? That wouldn’t work, would it? You have to start with the bun!

Sometimes order does matter.

Algebra problems often contain more than one operation, which simply means they can contain a series of problems like an addition problem, a multiplication problem, and a division problem all in one.

The Order of Operations

When algebra problems contain several steps or problems, there is a very specific order in which you should work. First you solve the little problems inside the parentheses and brackets, for instance, and then you work your way outward.

This order is called the order of operations. Once you learn the rules, you’re halfway through the battle! Our Math Guide offers easy tips for remembering the correct order for working through a problem.

Hint: Be sure to study the acronyms. Once you understand this concept, you’ll find algebra much easier to understand.


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Finding Research Sources

You’ve selected a great topic and you’ve found two fabulous sources. Research is going well, and then suddenly you hit a brick wall. You discover that the resources you’ve found seem to be the only ones available on your topic.

But your teacher requires five sources! What now?

Every researcher has faced this problem: the moment when the research suddenly runs dry. This is a serious problem if you are required to use a certain number of sources for a paper. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem possible!

Finding Additional Resources

The first thing to do when your research seems to dry up is to check the bibliographies of the books you already have. Sometimes bibliographies are like gold mines of information.

You will probably discover that some of the sources used in the books are scholarly articles. Don’t be dismayed! Many articles are available online, and you may be able to find a specific article by doing a detailed Internet search.

Simply type the entire title of the article into a search engine and put quotations marks around the title. The search will either lead you to that article or it will direct you to another source (article) that quotes your original article. The other source might be just as helpful.

If you find a great article in a bibliography and it’s not available online, you can still get it with a little effort. Just go to a public library and show it to your librarian. If it’s not available on site, the librarian will probably be able to order it from another library.

Your article will be sent through the mail and should be available within a few days. This is just one more reason why it’s important to start your research early!

If That Didn’t Work

Sometimes that approach isn’t feasible. Some sources, such as autobiographies and encyclopedias, don’t have bibliographies.

These are times when it may be necessary to get a little creative. There are a few occasions when you simply cannot find specific books or articles on your topic. Time for some lateral thinking!

Lateral thinking involves shifting your thinking pattern from the logical, sequential pattern to a pattern that shifts focus onto something less predictable. It’s simple, really.

For instance, if you are working on the biography of a not-so-famous person (which often leads to a limited number of sources), then you may need to abandon the typical step-by-step biography approach and focus on some relevant part of the person’s life in more detail.

If your person was a doctor or midwife in Victorian American, you could delve briefly into one of these topics:

  • Early medical tools
  • Sanitation issues
  • Misconceptions
  • The daily life of a typical doctor/midwife in Victorian America

If you devote a paragraph or section to one of these topics, you will find that numerous sources are available. If you decide to do this, make sure the topic fits into your thesis and doesn’t jump outside the parameters defined by your thesis sentence.

But what if you’re working on a paper for science class? The same technique will work. For instance, if your paper concerns a rare South American bug and you discover late in the game that there are only two books in the entire world that discuss this bug, you could devote a few paragraphs to “a bug’s life.”

Seriously! You could identify the predator of the bug and write a few paragraphs about the tactics the bug uses to avoid his predator. Or—you could focus on an environmental factor that affects the bug and write about the struggles the bug faces when he encounters these factors. Then one of your sources could concern the environmental factor (or the predator) and not concern the bug specifically.


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Friday, May 4, 2012

Diagramming Sentences

A noun clause can serve as a predicate nominative, as in this sentence:

The fact is you are not ready.

Note that the phrase you are not ready renames the fact.


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Do You Use Your Cell Phone for Time Management?

When I meet with college students one-on-one, I tell them to bring every syllabus they have to the meeting, and then I have them write each due date or test date in a planner. More often than not, it seems, the students will pull out a cell phone and tap in the date.

I always say that I don't care what students use for time management, as long as they use something!

But I was surprised recently, at a workshop attended by college seniors, to find that the majority of them preferred an old fashioned paper planner as a time management tool. They said that they had learned over the years that the paper version was more personal and more reliable. "My cell phone dies," one said. "And that can be costly."

That made good sense. I know from my own family experience that teens and tweens tend to forget to charge phones. So maybe the cell phone is not the best tool for setting reminders, after all!

What do you think?


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Brain Food for Finals Week

The end of the school year is approaching for many, and that means final projects and big exams are ahead. It's important to stay healthy and alert--and you can do that by avoiding foods that make you feel sleepy and thick-headed, like sodas and fatty fast foods. I think you'll be surprised to find out how much these foods can affect your mood and your energy.

While you're preparing for end-of-year projects, why not give yourself a little edge with healthier meals? Try these ideas, for a change:

It can't hurt, and it might pay off with great results.


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5 Tips for Motivation

Having a little trouble getting excited about your homework? Need a little jump start once in a while?

Actually, everybody needs a little prodding sometimes when it comes to getting work done. If you're bored with your homework, if it seems too hard, or if you don't think your homework performance really matters, you might find inspiration in these 5 tips for motivating students just like you.


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Make a Backup Copy of Your Paper

At this time of year, many students will be using word processors to work on lengthy final papers. The last thing you want to do is lose your work after you've spent hours or days laboring on a computer.

If you're working with Microsoft Word, you can use an auto-backup feature. You simply follow these steps for Microsoft 2007:

  • Click on the Microsoft Office Button in the top left corner of your screen.
  • Select Advanced on the menu to see a box appear.
  • Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
  • Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

If you're working in Microsoft 2010:

  • Click on the File tab in the top left part of your screen.
  • Select Options from the menu to see a box appear.
  • Select Advanced for a list of advanced options.
  • Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
  • Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

This creates two copies of every document you create, but if you suspect that this feature takes up too much space, you can turn it off again once the school year ends.


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In Five Chunks

Rounding out our American Presidents are: R,B,C,B,O

40. Ronald Wilson Reagan
41. George H. W. Bush
42. William J. Clinton
43. George W. Bush
44. Barack Obama

Really, bliss can be overrated.

To help you glue all the short lists together, remember the number of names in each list by remembering there are six lists.

The number of names in each list are: 8, 7, 8, 9, 7, 5. Keep practicing these small "chunks" of information and, like magic, they'll all come together as one list!


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