Writing a Research Paper

STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC

Choose a topic which interests and challenges you. Your attitude towards the topic may well determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm you put into your research. Focus on a limited aspect, e.g. narrow it down from “Religion” to “World Religion” to “Buddhism”.

Select a subject you can manage. Avoid subjects that are too technical, learned, or specialized. Avoid topics that have only a very narrow range of source materials.

STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION

Surf the Net.

For general or background information, check out useful URLs, general information online, almanacs or encyclopedias online such as Britannica, or Encarta, etc. Use Search Engines and other search tools as a starting point.

To find books in the Library use the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog).

Check out online resources, Web based information services, or special resource materials on CDs.

As you gather your resources, jot down full bibliographical information (author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page numbers, URLs, creation or modification dates on Web pages, and your date of access) on your work sheet, printout, or enter the information on your laptop or desktop computer for later retrieval. If printing from the Internet, it is wise to set up the browser to print the URL and date of access for every page.

Remember that an article without bibliographical information is useless since you cannot cite its source.

STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS

Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement down in one sentence. Your thesis statement is like a declaration of your belief. The main portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief.

STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE

All points must relate to the same major topic that you first mentioned in your capital Roman numeral. 

The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic carefully and organize it logically before you start writing. A good outline is the most important step in writing a good paper. Check your outline to make sure that the points covered flow logically from one to the other. Include in your outline an INTRODUCTION, a BODY, and a CONCLUSION. Make the first outline tentative.

INTRODUCTION – State your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you plan to approach your topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison, or an analysis of a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic.

BODY – This is where you present your arguments to support your thesis statement. Remember the Rule of 3, i.e. find 3 supporting arguments for each position you take. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and end with the strongest argument for your final point.

CONCLUSION – Restate or reword your thesis. Summarize your arguments. Explain why you have come to this particular conclusion.

STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES

Organize all the information you have gathered according to your outline. Critically analyze your research data. Using the best available sources, check for accuracy and verify that the information is factual, up-to-date, and correct. Opposing views should also be noted if they help to support your thesis. This is the most important stage in writing a research paper.

Do not include any information that is not relevant to your topic, and do not include information that you do not understand. Make sure the information that you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own words, if possible. Plagiarism is definitely out of the question. 

Group your notes following the outline codes you have assigned to your notes, e.g., IA2, IA3, IA4, etc. This method will enable you to quickly put all your resources in the right place as you organize your notes according to your outline.

STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT

Start with the first topic in your outline. Read all the relevant notes you have gathered that have been marked, e.g. with the capital Roman numeral I.

Summarize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you plan to use in your essay. Use a technique that suits you, e.g. write summaries, paraphrases or quotations on note cards, or separate sheets of lined paper. Mark each card or sheet of paper clearly with your outline code or reference, e.g., IB2a or IIC, etc.

Put all your note cards or paper in the order of your outline, e.g. IA, IB, IC. If using a word processor, create meaningful filenames that match your outline codes for easy cut and paste as you type up your final paper, e.g. cut first Introduction paragraph and paste it to IA.

STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT

Read your paper for any content errors. Double check the facts and figures. Arrange and rearrange ideas to follow your outline. Reorganize your outline if necessary, but always keep the purpose of your paper and your readers in mind.

CHECKLIST ONE:

1. Is my thesis statement concise and clear?
2. Did I follow my outline? Did I miss anything?
3. Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence?
4. Are all sources properly cited to ensure that I am not plagiarizing?
5. Have I proved my thesis with strong supporting arguments?

Re-read your paper for grammatical errors. Use a dictionary or a thesaurus as needed. Do a spell check. Correct all errors that you can spot and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of your ability. Get someone else to read it over. Sometimes a second pair of eyes can see mistakes that you missed

CHECKLIST TWO:

1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence?
2. Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples?
3. Any run-on or unfinished sentences?
4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words?
5. Varying lengths of sentences?
6. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next?
7. Any spelling or grammatical errors?
8. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation?
9. Are all my citations accurate and in correct format?
10. Did I avoid using contractions? Use “cannot” instead of “can’t”, “do not” instead of “don’t”?
11. Did I use third person as much as possible? Avoid using phrases such as “I think”, “I guess”, “I suppose”
12. Have I made my points clear and interesting but remained objective?
13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper?

STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER

All formal reports or essays should be typewritten and printed, preferably on a good quality printer.

Read the assignment sheet again to be sure that you understand fully what is expected of you, and that your essay meets the requirements as specified by your teacher. Know how your essay will be evaluated. Proofread final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation, missing or duplicated words. Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is clean, tidy, neat, and attractive.

 

She is the prison where I am Free…

A withered flower I did once touch
Afraid to feel one yet again
Like a slain gladiator, my heart yet mourns
Afraid 2 welcome spring again

Eyes yet longing 2 see d red sun
Omnipotent I wish 2 be
The heart of dat girl I wish 2 touch
In her mind I wish 2 be

Like water, so pure, quenches all thirsts
Help me this time; this soul is all lost
To step onto those steps or another heart
By my life this time I wud pay the cost

The rich beggar is more happy
I’m yet poor nd poorer do I get
No gem I saw ever so bright
Onto her trust I wish 2 pet

Till ages 2 come I know not what I’ll be
Till ages b4 I know not what I was
From shadows and dust I searched 4 a light
In love so true I hope lies the cause

Like the tailor, I weave a web of lines
But is it enough to get 2 her shrine
She is all above, with her lotus feet
To touch them, I commit the crime

Falling in a bottomless pit was better
Than wen I fell for her
Even Caesar never had d fall
That one falls wen he is in love

Drunken, I now roam about
Questioning the existence of “bond”
The things I feel & wish to be mutual
The world asks me 2 hold on

Onto those black whips I’m still amazed
Those eyes that look straight into me
Blinding the path are these dull lights
She is the prison where I am free…

HCL – The World’s Most Modern Management

HCL Technologies is empowering its employees and pointing the way to the future of business.

“I have seen the future of management, and it is Indian“, says David Kirkpatrick, Fortune senior editor.

Vineet Nayar, president of India’s 30,000-employee HCL Technologies, is creating an IT outsourcing firm where, he says, employees come first and customers second.

Every employee rates their boss, their boss’ boss, and any three other company managers they choose, on 18 questions using a 1-5 scale. Such 360-degree evaluations are not uncommon, but at HCL all results are posted online for every employee to see.

That’s un-heard-of!

And that’s not all. Every HCL employee can at any time create an electronic “ticket” to flag anything they think requires action in the company. Explains Nayar, “It can be ‘I have a problem with my bonus,’ or ‘My seat is not working,’ or ‘My boss sucks.’”

The ticket is routed to a manager for resolution. In addition, every employee can post a question or comment on any subject in a public process called “U and I.” About 400 come in each month, and questions and answers are all posted on the intranet.

You can’t become a manager at HCL until you’ve passed a group of courses that include negotiation skills, presentation skills, account management, and what they call “expectation management” – dealing with the expectations of both customers and employees.

Nayar is also looking to solve a problem that looms large for Indian IT companies these days: Attrition.

The best employees are increasingly the hardest to retain. Nayar wants anyone who leaves for a job elsewhere to end up frustrated. Early signs suggest his bold strategy is working.

Nayar has only been president for a year, a tumultuous one in which most of these innovations have been implemented. But in that time the attrition rate has dropped in half, he says; the stock more than doubled – HCL Technologies’ market cap is $4.2 billion. (The company is mostly owned by a holding company which also owns HCL Infosystems, India’s largest PC-maker.) Revenues last year grew 34 percent to $764 million. HCL’s innovations are not only managerial. The company aims to become a strategic partner with customers by also working with them on business process management and by managing infrastructure remotely, a business it pioneered in India, says Nayar. It has succeeded with AMD, a marquee customer for which it does all those things.In engineering all this innovation, Nayar’s humility appears to be a potent managerial asset. A few weeks back, he wrote a letter to the company’s employees marking the anniversary of his taking the job (He worked his way up over 21 years.). “Please excuse me if I stepped on any toes or hurt any feelings in trying to hurry the transformation agenda,” he wrote. “I am here as long as I have your support and confidence.”

Don’t you wish more managers had the strength to speak like that?

 

Source: The Fortune Magazine

 

 

New Cricket Rules?

After watching the Sydney Test Match between India & Australia, someone has written some rules that have to be incorporated by ICC to give the other teams a perfect clarification:

(1) Ricky Ponting – (THE TRULY GENUINE CRICKETER OF THE CRICKET ERA AND WHOSE INTEGRITY SHOULD NOT BE DOUBTED) should be considered as the FOURTH UMPIRE. As per the new rules, FOURTH UMPIRE decision is final and will over ride any decisions taken by any other umpires. ON-FIELD umpires can seek the assistance of RICKY PONTING even if he is not on the field. This rule is to be made, so that every team should understand the importance of the FOURTH UMPIRE.

(2) While AUSTRALIAN TEAM is bowling, If the ball flies anywhere close to the AUSTRALIAN FIELDER(WITHIN 5 meter distance), the batsman is to be considered OUT irrelevant of whether the catch was taken cleanly or grassed. Any decision for further clarification should be seeked from the FOURTH UMPIRE. This is made to ensure that the cricket is played with SPORTIVE SPIRIT by all the teams.

(3) While BATTING, AUSTRALIAN players will wait for the ON-FIELD UMPIRE decisions only (even if the catch goes to the FIFTH SLIP as the ball might not have touched the bat). Each AUSTRALIAN batsman has to be out FOUR TIMES (minimum) before he can return to the pavilion. In case of THE CRICKETER WITH INTEGRITY, this can be higher.

(4) UMPIRES should consider a huge bonus if an AUSTRALIAN player scores a century. Any wrong decisions can be ignored as they will be paid huge bonus and will receive the backing of the AUSTRALIAN team and board.

(5) All AUSTRALIAN players are eligible to keep commenting about all players on the field and the OPPONENT TEAM should never comment as they will be spoiling the spirit of the AUSTRALIAN team. Any comments made in any other language are to be considered as RACIALISM only.

(6) MATCH REFREE decisions will be taken purely on the AUSTRALIAN TEAM advice only. Player views from the other teams decisions will not be considered for hearing. MATCH REFREES are to be given huge bonus if this rule is implemented.

(7) NO VISITING TEAM should plan to win in AUSTRALIA. This is to ensure that the sportive spirit of CRICKET is maintained.

(8) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: If any bowler gets RICKY PONTING – “THE UNDISPUTED CRICKETER WITH INTEGTIRY IN THE GAME OF CRICKET” more than twice in a series, he will be banned for the REST OF THE SERIES. This is to ensure that the best batsman/Captain will be played to break records and create history in the game of CRICKET.

(9) Efforts are already in progress to request eminent AUSTRALIAN players such as RICKY PONTING, GLENN McGRATH, DEAN JONES, BRAD HOGG, MICHAEL SLATER, SHANE WARNE and GREG CHAPPEL to publish a book named ‘CRICKETING ETHICS’ which illustrates guidelines on how the AUSTRALIANS contributed to hold the game in HIGH RESPECT. Hopefully this book will serve as a HOLYBOOK for all the aspiring cricketers amongst the younger generation, for that matter not only cricketers but for the entire younger generation, in order to STRENGTHEN THEIR VALUES and emboldening THEIR INTEGRITY, ONENESS – BROTHERLIHOOD and INDISCRIMINATION and to lead life at the highest SPIRITUAL LEVEL. This is going to be the new moral science text book for all the primary school students.

AIMK Zoooooooming Ahead>>>

This goes out to all my fellow AIMKians. The time when I joined the college in the MBA-9 Batch, the college didn’t have too much of a respectable image among great names like IIMC, XIMB and IISWBM. Then, with the help of many of our seniors, we did a lot of changes. We carried out State-wide events, participated in All-India level Management contests, won prizes in almost all the activities in which we participated.

Those 2 years were the time when we genuinely wanted our college to come to the forefront in line with great institutes like IIM Calcutta, XIM Bhubaneshwar and IISWBM. In other words, we just wanted to make a mark in the Eastern India, if not on the whole India. Thanks to our Students’ Council members who had made a mountain look like a pebble. And, the results are quite handsome.

Perhaps none of us had expected such a result in just 2 years of handwork. Kudos to the present batches.

Today, we rank ahead of most of the colleges in Eastern India. Below is an analysis of a recently concluded survey by PTI:

• In terms of Living experience of the students: In this section, AIMK ranks 17th in the All India level, and is behind only IIMC (Rank: 2^nd) in Eastern India. XIMB ranks 26^th, IISWBM ranks 57^th , and ICFAI Kolkata ranks 71^st.

• In terms of Learning experience of the students: In this section, AIMK ranks 55th in the All India level. The other colleges in Eastern India rank as follows: ICFAI Kolkata ranks 28^th, IIMC ranks 29^th and IISWBM ranks 54^th.

• In terms of Placement experience: Here, ^{AIMK ranks 64th} in the All-India level, and is behind IIMC (1^st), and IISWBM (24^th); but still beating ICFAI Kolkata, which is at 66^th.

• In terms of Return-On-Investment: AIMK ranks 45th in the Top 100 B-Schools in India. In this section, IIMC ranks 20^th, IISWBM ranks 54^th , and ICFAI Kolkata, a distant 77^th.

• Overall Rankings: And here comes the ultimate rankings for the year 2008. AIMK ranks 44th in the Top 100. Some of the other colleges in the Eastern Region in the Top 100 are: IIMC (2^nd), XIM Bhubaneshwar (14^th), and IISWBM (34^th).

But, don’t lose heart, guys. At least, we have entered the Top 100 in this survey, and even the Top 50, Top 20 and even Top 15 in certain other surveys. Other colleges in Eastern Region have jumped ahead of AIMK only due to their high number of Foreign Placements. Now, it is the right time to tell the world: “Get out of the way – We are here to stay“. HOWZ THE JOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Data Storage – The Next Generation

All data storage in modern times are done on disc, be it a computer hard drive or a CD-R disc. Blu-ray and HD-DVD have upped the ante when it comes to the amount of data that you can hold on a disc, but at some time they will eventually become obsolete. Right now our data storage needs are currently met, but as the amount of data available continues to rise, storage technology must evolve with it. The next generation of storage technology is going to be Holographic Data Storage.

What is holographic storage?

With CD-R and DVD-R technology, data is stored on the surface of the disc as distinct magnetic or optical changes. With holographic data storage, an entire page of information is stored at once as an optical interference pattern within a thick, photosensitive optical material.

How do they do this?

This is done by intersecting two coherent laser beams, the object and reference beams, within the storage material. The object beam contains all the information needing to be stored, while the reference beam is designed to be simple to produce. The resulting interference between the beams causes chemical and/or physical changes in the photosensitive medium that the data is being stored on. Basically “burning” the information to the storage medium, this mark is called the grating. When the grating is illuminated by one of the two waves that were used to record the information, the light is refracted in a way that the other wave is reconstructed. These gratings can be stacked or superimposed in the same thick piece of media, as long as there is a distinguishing spacing or direction, allowing the stacked bits of data to be accessed independently. In addition to larger storage capabilities, holographic storage also boasts to accelerate data transfer rates to about one billion bits per second and reduce access times to just tens of microseconds.

The benefits:

1. Larger storage capacity – Some companies are developing a technology that enables the storage of between 100GB and 1TB of data. Compare this to Blu-ray and HD-DVD, which max out at 50GB. Amazing leap in the amount of data you can store on one piece of media.

2. Accelerated data transfer – The holographic data storage medium in the works boasts data transmission speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps. The new HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs clock in at 36.55Mbps, which is only a fraction of the holographic data storage transfer rate.

Well, if you’re like me, you learned quite a bit about a new technology from this short article. This new technology is quite a ways off from being accessible to the common consumer, but some companies are in the process of developing holographic data storage for the corporate sector. Technology is a strange beast, always changing, always mutating. The sky is the limit, and only time will tell where we’ll be headed after the rise and fall of this yet-to-be-seen data technology.

Top 7 Bikez of the Millenium

7. Aprillia RSV 1000R Mille

Engine : 998 cc, Power : 143 bhp, Max Speed : 281 kmph

6. Yamaha YZF R1

Engine : 1000 cc, Max Speed : 283 kmph

5. Honda CBR 1100XX Super Black Bird

Max Speed : 286 kmph

4. MV Augusta F4 1000R

Engine : 1000cc, Power : 174 bhp, Max Speed : 299 kmph

3. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14

0-100 kmph in 2.4 secs, Max Speed : 302 kmph

2. Suzuki Hayabusa GSX 1300R

Engine : 1299cc, Power : 175 bhp, Max Speed : 305 kmph

And here comes the BEST OF THE LOT :::::::::::::

1. MTT Turbine Superbike Y2K

Power : 320 bhp, Max Speed : 365 kmph, Price : $150,000