The Eight Sentence Protocol
THE EIGHT SENTENCE PROTOCOL
RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES
Essay and Argument Formulation / Introduction ProtocolThe development of an introductory paragraph is the foundation of the entire research paper. All academic writing is essay writing. An apt metaphor for the structure of a paper is the architectural design of a home. It is helpful to view this section of the paper as the foundation and the frame for the entire paper. Whatever is in the introduction is the essential blueprint for the entire realization of the paper.The paper is a communication with the reader…a discussion of a topic from an informed and passionately articulated perspective.It is to be written in the third person-formal voice.
No ‘I’ writing! Zero points will result if you do not submit IN FORMAT!The introduction is the compressed template for the entire paper-the frame of the house. What you do with the interior of the home is your own content-rich discussion that is grounded with primary and secondary research that you have researched, read, digested, and utilized into a formally developed argument.As you develop your ideas, craft the paper as a document of a full discussion of the subject with the reader. Remember to refine the paper into a performance. Read it out loud frequently for clarity and polish. Strive to engage the reader in a stimulating, thorough and thought provoking coverage of the emotion topic.
Sentence 1– Select only one of the following: Fact or statement, (question, anecdote, legend, story, quote, poetic phrase, philosophical orientation, etc. can be used for future papers), as the best way to illustrate to the reader of your subject your introduction to the subject. This is the opening to your argument-a rapport inducing strategy. Remember that this opening is the discussion starter statement or question to your entire paper or verbal debate. You must have read enough research on the chosen subject, or related subject, to be able to select which strategy is appropriate. The choice will determine how your argument will proceed.
Sentence 2– Establishing the common ground of any topic or subject is always going to be related to that which most readers will agree to as an indisputable fact or value judgment in regards to the subject. An easy way to remember how to find the common ground is to identify the historical context of the subject, country or corporation and find the general consensus-positive or negative. Develop the sentence from your research into the subject and link it concisely to the initial sentence (frame of the house) of your introduction.
Sentence 3– This section is the actual thesis/anti-thesis statement of the paper. You must select and use a connector word here as a signal to the disruption to the common ground. Remember that you are writing a research essay that is exploring an area that has been either unexplored or under evaluated. You are the knowledge constructor of this topic that you are creating. Use However, to start the sentence # 3 (Other papers can also use but; on the other hand; alternately; etc.) as the connector word signaling the disruption to the reader…that which you have chosen to identify as the undiscovered territory in this subject area. Articulate what has not been discussed adequately, discovered or anticipated thus far in the general coverage of the subject.
Sentence 4– Identify the historical past. For longer papers, describe the subject in the past, present, or future. Use one to three sentences to accomplish this section. Start the sentence with Historically,
Sentence 5– Identify the most pressing idea in the present moment regarding the subject.– This assessment or confirmation is meant to deepen the historical comprehension of the subject in this thought. After consulting your research, use your creativity and problem solving skills to generate this idea. Also consider this sentence/thought paragraph to be a deepening of the common ground. Start the sentence with Presently,
Sentence 6– Position this sentence into the future.– It is a position statement, a prediction or a vision of a conditional future. If the cost of the problem is not too severe…or if the benefit will be able to be realized. Analyze the subject with your own cultivated knowledge of the subject. Read the research over again to do this sentence. It is intended as a deeper assessment of the disruption sentence. Start the sentence with In the future,
Sentence 7– Identify the solution (resolution) to the academic problem.– The solution may not be immediately recognizable. You may decide that the solution to the problem is simply a call for further research, or a way to view the situation in a different context. Start the sentence with The solution,
Sentence 8– Wrap up the introduction with a poetic, philosophical or positioning question or statement. This leads you into your actual full paper…it has introduced your reader into what you are going to be writing about. This is a deepening of your solution/resolution. This answers sentence one.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONSTYLE SHEET FOR RESEARCH PAPERS = ALSO REFER TO OWL PURDUE!
STEPS TO RESEARCH
3.) Disruption
4.) History
5.) Present Moment
6.) Future Considerations
7.) Solution or Call for Further Research
8.) Philosophical or Poetic Conclusion
Body: Create a paragraph exploring each one of the seven sentences in the introduction.
Conclusion: Wrapping up the entire paper with a final paragraph expanding the idea in the eighth sentence.
10.) References
11.) Appendix
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BASIC FORMAT• Use heavy white bond paper• Type should be Times New Roman - 12 Font• Double-spaced on all pages• Margins should be 1” on all four sides
PAGE HEADINGS• Should be on upper right corners - first two or three words of title• Avoid windows and orphans - format paragraphs on each page• Use page breaks when necessary to avoid dangling one-to two sentences carried over• Are 1” from the right edge• Between the top edge and the first line of text on all pages except figures• Title page is # 1
SPACING• Space only once after periods, commas, colons, and semicolons
MISCELLANEOUS• Do not use• Bold• Italics• Bullets• Other fonts BE• Concise• Precise
AVOID• Flowery adjectives• Pretentious writing• Clichés• Slang• Jargon• Colloquial expressions• Biased languageSERIATION• Identify elements in a series within paragraphs or sentences with lowercase letters in parentheses• Use Arabic numeral followed by a period to separate paragraphs or steps in a procedure• Example:
All researchers are advised to:
(a) organize information in cluster notes,
(b) then restructure the information into a formal outline, and
(c) lastly, draft the paragraphs in accordance to the outline category headings• Example:• All researchers are advised to:
(a) organize information in cluster notes,
(b) then restructure the information into a formal outline, and
(c) lastly, draft the paragraphs in accordance to the outline category headings
DOUBLE SPACE• Throughout the document
PARAGRAPHS• Can be separated as a process by numerical• Indent 5 spaces, followed by a period, then one space• Allow for the second line to justify back to the outer margin• There is a process to follow in the organization of process-oriented writing that is very specific to the execution of information.
ABBREVIATIONS• Spell out the first time the term is used in text• Use the abbreviations thereafter
TENSE• Use third person for academic papers• Reserve use of “I” for personal opinion
EDITORIAL WE• For clarity, restrict use of “We”; instead use educators, humans, researchers, etc.
QUALITY• Students are responsible for the proofreading of documents• Read the paper out loud before finishing the final draft
PAPER CLIP• Do not submit in a binder or folder• Paper clip the upper left corner
MANUSCRIPT PAGES• Title page (See example at end of document)• Abstract (optional)• Table of Contents (for thesis and dissertations)• Text (starts on page 2 unless paper has an abstract)• Sections of paper are continuous• Each page header and number are on each page of the manuscript• References (on a separate page)• Appendixes (on a separate page)• Figures and Tables (on a separate page)
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE• Identification of an academic problem• Discussion of the problem (Can include history and background leading up to current situation)• Analysis of the problem (Utilize pro-con argumentation)• Identification and illustration of an alternative or solution to the problem• Application of three specific approaches to achieving the solution
(This is the concluding summarization of the paper in the form of resolutions and recommendations for a change in practice / protocol or a call for future research)
PAGE HEADER• Top right of the page followed by five spaces and the page number• Consists of one or two beginning words of title•
Page number is 1
TITLE PAGE• Page Header, page number• Running Head (optional, used for publication)• Title of the paper (centered)• Author’s name• Course # and Title• Name of the University• Faculty member’s name• Date of submission _________________________________________________________________
Type all information in 12 font•
Type in uppercase and lowercase letters•
Center the information•
Double-space each line•
Do not write “By” before the author’s name
SECTIONS
Organize the paper into sections or levels of information•
Develop the paper in three sections: Introduction, Body (Three Parts-See Above), Conclusion
HEADINGS
(Within the text of the document)t)• Do not label Introduction or the Conclusion• Label only the sections within the body of text
CITATIONS
(See handout)• Cite whenever another’s ideas are being used or referenced• When in doubt, cite• When paraphrasing (restating in your own words) list the author and year of publication in parentheses)• Or a direct quote (use quotations marks and list the author, year of publication, and the exact page number)• Follow all citations with a comma in sequence of author, year, page number)
EXACT QUOTES - 40 WORDS OR MORE• When quotes are 40 words or more - block indent entire quote by an additional 5 spaces from the left margin• End passage with a period• After the period, enclose the author, year, and page number in parentheses. Do not use a period after the parenthesis
EXAMPLES
Do not use quotation marks• If author is part of the sentence cite (year) in parentheses• If author is not named then cite the reference at the end of the sentence inside the punctuation (APA, 2017).• Material that is directly quoted– Kennedy (2014) states, “Music is the secret to understanding the spheres of the heart.” (p. 67)• Two authors, cite in parentheses (Coombs & Cutler, 2017).• If in text line spell out As Coombs and Cutler (2014) asserted in their seminal text…• Three to five authors, cite all surnames the first time: (Jeffrey, Watson, Mark, Eilenberg, & Guerrero, 2012).• Next time this is listed identify the first name and et al: (Jeffrey et al., 2012).• Then list as the first name
REFERENCES• Start the reference page with a new page with a page header and page number• The title is centered in uppercase and lowercase• List title as “Reference” for papers listing only one reference• List title as “References” when there are more references cited• Alphabetize all entries by the last name of the first author or by the first main word of the title if there is no author• Only sources cited in the text can be listed in the reference list• Number and variety of references should match the complexity of the assignment• When citing journals, do not cite work older than five years• Use a hanging indent. First line on margin. The following lines are indented• This protocol is for papers that will not be published - First line flush left with additional lines indented 5-7 spaces (for my guidelines, indent 5 spaces)• When looking up these references as examples, go to APA Manual, pp. 194-234• List all authors with last name first• Use initials for first and middle names, with a period after each• Add a comma between each author (if there is more than one)• Use ampersand (&) before the last author’s name• Capitalize only the first word of the title, subtitle (after colon or semi-colon), and proper names of books and articles--the rest of the title begins with small letters• Capitalize all important words for the title of journals• Underline the titles of books and journals with the comma or period following (when being submitted for publication this will be set in italics)• All non-periodicals (books, brochures, government publications) require the city and state of publication• Publication information follows the title of the book• A comma separates the city and state• Use two-letter abbreviation for the state and type a colon after• Space once after the colon and type the publisher’s name• Finish the element with a period• Shorten words “Co.,” “Inc.,” and “Publishers” but retain words “Books” or “Press”• American cities not requiring a state abbreviation because they are well known for publishing are as follows:• New York, San Francisco, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles.• Example: Philadelphia• Example: Los Angeles: Sage Press or Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Publishing.• Use an abbreviation for page numbers (p. / pp.) in books and newspaper, but not other periodicals• For an extensive list of on-line sources with examples look up the web site for American Psychological Association at http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html
ONLINE REFERENCE
It is vital that you cite the exact date when you retrieve your information as sites on the web are constantly being updated, changed or eliminated• Article: Smith, K. (2017). Utopia. Business Update, 16, 78-98. Retrieved October 15, 2017 from the World Wide Web: http://www.org/utopia/html• Database accessed from the Web:• Morton, J. (2017). Music in today’s world. Music Tonight, 16, 26-47. Retrieved November 2, 2017 from UNEMBO database (Masterfile) on the World Wide Web: http://www.unembo.com• On-line magazine article with no author:
TITLE PAGE
Page Header, page number• Running Head (optional, used for publication)• Title of the paper (centered)• Author’s name• Course # and Title• Name of the University• Faculty member’s name• Date of submission
RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES
Essay and Argument Formulation / Introduction ProtocolThe development of an introductory paragraph is the foundation of the entire research paper. All academic writing is essay writing. An apt metaphor for the structure of a paper is the architectural design of a home. It is helpful to view this section of the paper as the foundation and the frame for the entire paper. Whatever is in the introduction is the essential blueprint for the entire realization of the paper.The paper is a communication with the reader…a discussion of a topic from an informed and passionately articulated perspective.It is to be written in the third person-formal voice.
No ‘I’ writing! Zero points will result if you do not submit IN FORMAT!The introduction is the compressed template for the entire paper-the frame of the house. What you do with the interior of the home is your own content-rich discussion that is grounded with primary and secondary research that you have researched, read, digested, and utilized into a formally developed argument.As you develop your ideas, craft the paper as a document of a full discussion of the subject with the reader. Remember to refine the paper into a performance. Read it out loud frequently for clarity and polish. Strive to engage the reader in a stimulating, thorough and thought provoking coverage of the emotion topic.
Sentence 1– Select only one of the following: Fact or statement, (question, anecdote, legend, story, quote, poetic phrase, philosophical orientation, etc. can be used for future papers), as the best way to illustrate to the reader of your subject your introduction to the subject. This is the opening to your argument-a rapport inducing strategy. Remember that this opening is the discussion starter statement or question to your entire paper or verbal debate. You must have read enough research on the chosen subject, or related subject, to be able to select which strategy is appropriate. The choice will determine how your argument will proceed.
Sentence 2– Establishing the common ground of any topic or subject is always going to be related to that which most readers will agree to as an indisputable fact or value judgment in regards to the subject. An easy way to remember how to find the common ground is to identify the historical context of the subject, country or corporation and find the general consensus-positive or negative. Develop the sentence from your research into the subject and link it concisely to the initial sentence (frame of the house) of your introduction.
Sentence 3– This section is the actual thesis/anti-thesis statement of the paper. You must select and use a connector word here as a signal to the disruption to the common ground. Remember that you are writing a research essay that is exploring an area that has been either unexplored or under evaluated. You are the knowledge constructor of this topic that you are creating. Use However, to start the sentence # 3 (Other papers can also use but; on the other hand; alternately; etc.) as the connector word signaling the disruption to the reader…that which you have chosen to identify as the undiscovered territory in this subject area. Articulate what has not been discussed adequately, discovered or anticipated thus far in the general coverage of the subject.
Sentence 4– Identify the historical past. For longer papers, describe the subject in the past, present, or future. Use one to three sentences to accomplish this section. Start the sentence with Historically,
Sentence 5– Identify the most pressing idea in the present moment regarding the subject.– This assessment or confirmation is meant to deepen the historical comprehension of the subject in this thought. After consulting your research, use your creativity and problem solving skills to generate this idea. Also consider this sentence/thought paragraph to be a deepening of the common ground. Start the sentence with Presently,
Sentence 6– Position this sentence into the future.– It is a position statement, a prediction or a vision of a conditional future. If the cost of the problem is not too severe…or if the benefit will be able to be realized. Analyze the subject with your own cultivated knowledge of the subject. Read the research over again to do this sentence. It is intended as a deeper assessment of the disruption sentence. Start the sentence with In the future,
Sentence 7– Identify the solution (resolution) to the academic problem.– The solution may not be immediately recognizable. You may decide that the solution to the problem is simply a call for further research, or a way to view the situation in a different context. Start the sentence with The solution,
Sentence 8– Wrap up the introduction with a poetic, philosophical or positioning question or statement. This leads you into your actual full paper…it has introduced your reader into what you are going to be writing about. This is a deepening of your solution/resolution. This answers sentence one.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONSTYLE SHEET FOR RESEARCH PAPERS = ALSO REFER TO OWL PURDUE!
STEPS TO RESEARCH
- Select topic. Develop hypothesis. Create the academic problem. Formulate the question.
- Organize research materials
- Decide on what additional research tools you want to use
- Coordinate all primary site investigations
- Cluster notes on topic
- Organize information into an outline
- Create Structure of paper
- Title Page (See model below)
- Paper: Introduction: 1.) Statement or Quote
3.) Disruption
4.) History
5.) Present Moment
6.) Future Considerations
7.) Solution or Call for Further Research
8.) Philosophical or Poetic Conclusion
Body: Create a paragraph exploring each one of the seven sentences in the introduction.
Conclusion: Wrapping up the entire paper with a final paragraph expanding the idea in the eighth sentence.
10.) References
11.) Appendix
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BASIC FORMAT• Use heavy white bond paper• Type should be Times New Roman - 12 Font• Double-spaced on all pages• Margins should be 1” on all four sides
PAGE HEADINGS• Should be on upper right corners - first two or three words of title• Avoid windows and orphans - format paragraphs on each page• Use page breaks when necessary to avoid dangling one-to two sentences carried over• Are 1” from the right edge• Between the top edge and the first line of text on all pages except figures• Title page is # 1
SPACING• Space only once after periods, commas, colons, and semicolons
MISCELLANEOUS• Do not use• Bold• Italics• Bullets• Other fonts BE• Concise• Precise
AVOID• Flowery adjectives• Pretentious writing• Clichés• Slang• Jargon• Colloquial expressions• Biased languageSERIATION• Identify elements in a series within paragraphs or sentences with lowercase letters in parentheses• Use Arabic numeral followed by a period to separate paragraphs or steps in a procedure• Example:
All researchers are advised to:
(a) organize information in cluster notes,
(b) then restructure the information into a formal outline, and
(c) lastly, draft the paragraphs in accordance to the outline category headings• Example:• All researchers are advised to:
(a) organize information in cluster notes,
(b) then restructure the information into a formal outline, and
(c) lastly, draft the paragraphs in accordance to the outline category headings
DOUBLE SPACE• Throughout the document
PARAGRAPHS• Can be separated as a process by numerical• Indent 5 spaces, followed by a period, then one space• Allow for the second line to justify back to the outer margin• There is a process to follow in the organization of process-oriented writing that is very specific to the execution of information.
ABBREVIATIONS• Spell out the first time the term is used in text• Use the abbreviations thereafter
TENSE• Use third person for academic papers• Reserve use of “I” for personal opinion
EDITORIAL WE• For clarity, restrict use of “We”; instead use educators, humans, researchers, etc.
QUALITY• Students are responsible for the proofreading of documents• Read the paper out loud before finishing the final draft
PAPER CLIP• Do not submit in a binder or folder• Paper clip the upper left corner
MANUSCRIPT PAGES• Title page (See example at end of document)• Abstract (optional)• Table of Contents (for thesis and dissertations)• Text (starts on page 2 unless paper has an abstract)• Sections of paper are continuous• Each page header and number are on each page of the manuscript• References (on a separate page)• Appendixes (on a separate page)• Figures and Tables (on a separate page)
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE• Identification of an academic problem• Discussion of the problem (Can include history and background leading up to current situation)• Analysis of the problem (Utilize pro-con argumentation)• Identification and illustration of an alternative or solution to the problem• Application of three specific approaches to achieving the solution
(This is the concluding summarization of the paper in the form of resolutions and recommendations for a change in practice / protocol or a call for future research)
PAGE HEADER• Top right of the page followed by five spaces and the page number• Consists of one or two beginning words of title•
Page number is 1
TITLE PAGE• Page Header, page number• Running Head (optional, used for publication)• Title of the paper (centered)• Author’s name• Course # and Title• Name of the University• Faculty member’s name• Date of submission _________________________________________________________________
Type all information in 12 font•
Type in uppercase and lowercase letters•
Center the information•
Double-space each line•
Do not write “By” before the author’s name
SECTIONS
Organize the paper into sections or levels of information•
Develop the paper in three sections: Introduction, Body (Three Parts-See Above), Conclusion
HEADINGS
(Within the text of the document)t)• Do not label Introduction or the Conclusion• Label only the sections within the body of text
CITATIONS
(See handout)• Cite whenever another’s ideas are being used or referenced• When in doubt, cite• When paraphrasing (restating in your own words) list the author and year of publication in parentheses)• Or a direct quote (use quotations marks and list the author, year of publication, and the exact page number)• Follow all citations with a comma in sequence of author, year, page number)
EXACT QUOTES - 40 WORDS OR MORE• When quotes are 40 words or more - block indent entire quote by an additional 5 spaces from the left margin• End passage with a period• After the period, enclose the author, year, and page number in parentheses. Do not use a period after the parenthesis
EXAMPLES
Do not use quotation marks• If author is part of the sentence cite (year) in parentheses• If author is not named then cite the reference at the end of the sentence inside the punctuation (APA, 2017).• Material that is directly quoted– Kennedy (2014) states, “Music is the secret to understanding the spheres of the heart.” (p. 67)• Two authors, cite in parentheses (Coombs & Cutler, 2017).• If in text line spell out As Coombs and Cutler (2014) asserted in their seminal text…• Three to five authors, cite all surnames the first time: (Jeffrey, Watson, Mark, Eilenberg, & Guerrero, 2012).• Next time this is listed identify the first name and et al: (Jeffrey et al., 2012).• Then list as the first name
REFERENCES• Start the reference page with a new page with a page header and page number• The title is centered in uppercase and lowercase• List title as “Reference” for papers listing only one reference• List title as “References” when there are more references cited• Alphabetize all entries by the last name of the first author or by the first main word of the title if there is no author• Only sources cited in the text can be listed in the reference list• Number and variety of references should match the complexity of the assignment• When citing journals, do not cite work older than five years• Use a hanging indent. First line on margin. The following lines are indented• This protocol is for papers that will not be published - First line flush left with additional lines indented 5-7 spaces (for my guidelines, indent 5 spaces)• When looking up these references as examples, go to APA Manual, pp. 194-234• List all authors with last name first• Use initials for first and middle names, with a period after each• Add a comma between each author (if there is more than one)• Use ampersand (&) before the last author’s name• Capitalize only the first word of the title, subtitle (after colon or semi-colon), and proper names of books and articles--the rest of the title begins with small letters• Capitalize all important words for the title of journals• Underline the titles of books and journals with the comma or period following (when being submitted for publication this will be set in italics)• All non-periodicals (books, brochures, government publications) require the city and state of publication• Publication information follows the title of the book• A comma separates the city and state• Use two-letter abbreviation for the state and type a colon after• Space once after the colon and type the publisher’s name• Finish the element with a period• Shorten words “Co.,” “Inc.,” and “Publishers” but retain words “Books” or “Press”• American cities not requiring a state abbreviation because they are well known for publishing are as follows:• New York, San Francisco, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles.• Example: Philadelphia• Example: Los Angeles: Sage Press or Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Publishing.• Use an abbreviation for page numbers (p. / pp.) in books and newspaper, but not other periodicals• For an extensive list of on-line sources with examples look up the web site for American Psychological Association at http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html
ONLINE REFERENCE
It is vital that you cite the exact date when you retrieve your information as sites on the web are constantly being updated, changed or eliminated• Article: Smith, K. (2017). Utopia. Business Update, 16, 78-98. Retrieved October 15, 2017 from the World Wide Web: http://www.org/utopia/html• Database accessed from the Web:• Morton, J. (2017). Music in today’s world. Music Tonight, 16, 26-47. Retrieved November 2, 2017 from UNEMBO database (Masterfile) on the World Wide Web: http://www.unembo.com• On-line magazine article with no author:
TITLE PAGE
Page Header, page number• Running Head (optional, used for publication)• Title of the paper (centered)• Author’s name• Course # and Title• Name of the University• Faculty member’s name• Date of submission