How to tell if an article is academic

1. May have a really long title
2. Multiple authors
3. Credentialed authors
4. "Boring" format - no flashy color and graphics 
5. Has an abstract
6. Formal style
7. Published in professional journal
8. Longer than a few pages (make sure yours is at least 5 pages)
9. Little if any detectable bias
10. Uses other academic articles as sources

MLA & APA format for Research History paper

Both formats:

• Double spaced
• Times New Roman 12 point font
• 1" margins
• Header at .5"

MLA: 

• Header: last name, page number, flush right. Only page number on first page.
• Title block: your name, my name, English 2020, date
• Paper title centered

Example:

Janie Doe

Shaun Roundy

English 2020

January 5, 2011

The Origins of Pig Latin: Nonsensical Fun or Political Subterfuge?

Paper starts here.

APA: 

• First-page header:
  Running head: MY PAPER TITLE                        1
• Other-pages header:
  MY PAPER TITLE                                               2
• Cover page, in upper half, centered: paper title (up to 2 lines), your name, Utah Valley University

Example: 

Running head: ORIGINS OF PIG LATIN                                             1

The Origins of Pig Latin: Nonsensical Fun or Political Subterfuge?

Janie Doe

Utah Valley University

Paper starts on next page.

How to make a great topic for 2020

Keep in mind that your final paper should show complexity, as in showing opposing viewpoints and treating all sides fairly. Show the ups and downs of whatever options you discuss. That's how you can stay away from the "report" which (in my personal definition) can be information that only has one answer.
Examples:
"How does electricity work?" - um, it's pretty well accepted so unless there's a viable new theory, avoid or modify this research question.
"How does nuclear power compare to coal power?" - better, but it's pretty common knowledge by now, so this paper wouldn't contribute much new knowledge.
"How do nuclear and other power sources compare economically?" - much better. You're making it more complex now with additional sides to compare, and by getting more specific (economical aspect), you can probably get into more depth, and that has some complexity, too - upfront costs, operational costs, and future costs.
"What are the newest energy-producing technologies?" - potentially great. I know a guy with a machine that creates more electricity than it uses. There's fascinating stuff out there. Or maybe you could mention advances in solar technology that makes it more affordable and tell how that changes the playing field. On the other hand, this could also result in a list of energy sources and not get into any interesting depth.

I hope that helps! We'll keep working on this as we go along.

Week 1: topics list/paragraph/question

For Friday/Tuesday (depending on which section you're in), bring:
A. 5 topics to pick from to research this semester (get a step ahead by writing these topics as questions).
B. 1 paragraph explaining the basic idea of your favorite of the 5 topic choices.
C. 1 research question stating what you'd like to learn in your research.

Example:
1. Is dark chocolate really that good for you?
2. Which wild plants are edible in Utah?
3. Does energy medicine really work?
4. What really makes people happy?
5. Which alternate source of energy is most promising?

Paragraph on #3: people spend a lot of money on "alternate" therapies like acupuncture, massage, reiki, and other modalities. Do they work? Do they work on some things and not others, or in some instances and not others? Many of these come from Eastern medicine which has been practiced for thousands of years, so there must be something to it, but has it been tested? Has it been proven?

Research Question: Does energy medicine work? If so, how?

Note that topic idea #2 would result in a list of plants. This is more like a report where answers can be gathered from a single source rather than an exploration where some new knowledge will be created by your paper. Also there's pretty much only one side to this question. Either something is edible or it's not. It's hard to show complexity in this issue. If you really want to write about edible plants in Utah, try widening the scope to ask something like which wild plants can be used for medicinal purposes, do they have any down sides, and such.

UVU Library How-to

Research Process:
A. Read general sources (wikipedia, etc.) to get an overview and refine your research question.
B. When you're ready to find academic sources:

1. Go to http://uvu.edu/library/
2. Click "Complete list of Databases" in the "Search for Articles" box on the left.
3. Click "Academic Search Premiere"
4. Check "Full Text" and "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals"
5. Enter search words above and click "Search"
6. Revise/refine search terms until you get results you like
7. Evaluate source for:
   a. fits your topic
   b. is scholarly (peer reviewed, credentials of author, trustworthy publication, has some depth - not just a short article, etc.)
   
8. Print out the article and RECORD BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION (author, publication, date, pages, etc.) because the URL won't last or work on other computers, etc. Want proof? Try this one: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uvu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=104&sid=fcd204ef-f129-4c5b-b3c2-40caa8d5a2d0%40sessionmgr114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=40830687 If that works, try it again in a few days!
   
9. You may also want to see if the "Complete List of Databases" includes any article databases related to your topic.
10. Just because an article appears in Academic Search Premiere or another of these databases does NOT insure that it qualifies as an academic article for this class, so double check as we discussed in class.