Argumentative Research Paper Vocabulary

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persuade or convince (v.)
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to change someone's opinion through reasoning and evidence
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claim
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an opinion stated as fact: Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all times.
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counterclaim
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an opinion stated as fact which is opposite of the claim: Michael Jordan is not the best basketball player of all times.
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opinion
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a believe or judgement
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bias/author's bias
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the attitude someone - the author - has toward a topic
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slant/author's slant
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a specific viewpoint, bias, or opinion
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TS = topic sentence
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a sentence that states the main though t of a paragraph
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SD = supporting detail
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information used to prove a point (fact, statistic, testimonial, direct quote from expert, anecdote)
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fact
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a form of information that is true and accurate
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statistic
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factual information in number form (50%, 7 of 10, a fourth of all . . . etc.
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testimonial
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a true, personal experience that proves or disproves a point
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direct quote from expert/expert quote
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a word-for-word comment from a person who is truly knowledgeable about the topic (Example: Direct quote from Yadier Molina about catching.)
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anecdote
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a true, short, interesting story about a person's life and/or experiences
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CM = comment
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a written or spoken expression of opinion or attitude
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elaborate
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to give more information about a topic; to expand or explain the topic more
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transition
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wording that moves the reader from one point to another - Transitions can be words or phrases. (Example: To begin with, next, however, on the other hand, finally, etc.)
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CS = closing sentence (in stand-alone paragraph)
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the last sentence of a paragraph; it ties back into the wording of the topic sentence and finishes the thought of the paragraph.
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CS = closing sentence (in paragraph within essay)
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the last sentence of a paragraph that moves the reader into the next paragraph; it acts as a transition sentence into the next topic/next paragraph of the essay.
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essay
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writing that includes an introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph (multi-paragraph writing) - The standard essay is five-paragraphs long (introduction, three body paragraphs, conclusion).
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thesis statement
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the sentence at the end of the introduction paragraph; it states the main point(s) of the essay
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reasoning
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logical wording used to change someone's mind
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common knowledge
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indisputable information that everyone knows: The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Fish swim in water.
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primary source
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a first-hand document or item; the original (diaries, journals, piece of clothing, original painting, lab results, actual survey responses, poem, song, film, etc.)
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secondary source
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any interpretation, analysis, summary of an original work - Secondary sources can contain direct quotes, pictures, graphics from the primary source. (example secondary sources: (paper or online) textbooks, magazine articles, commentaries, interview of the son of the queen about the queen, etc.)
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document (n.)
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a written or printed page or collection of pages
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document (v.)
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to give reference information about the source of a piece of evidence (title, author, date, etc.)
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documentation (n.)
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the written location and information of evidence used in a research paper
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citation (n.)
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the credit given to a quotation or information used in a research paper
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internal citation
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citing information inside the paragraphs of a research paper
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cite (v.)
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to state the source of information; to refer to the source by author's name, title, and/or page number
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site (n.)
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location - like a website
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parenthetical documentation
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the author's last name and /or page number written inside parentheses at the end of a sentence to show the previous information is from that specific source.
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MLA
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Modern Language Association (A group that determines rules for writing research papers.) MLA is usually used for the liberal arts - English, art, theater, philosophy, etc. Other such groups exist for science - APA, Chicago - are two examples.
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credible source
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responsible, honest, truthful origin of information - Credible websites typically have domain names that end in: .edu, .org, .net, .gov. Read at the bottom of the website to determine who created and runs the website. Notice when a website was created and when it was last updated.
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credibility
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the quality or characteristic of being honest and truthful
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periodical
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anything published at regular intervals - newspaper (daily, weekly), magazine (monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly)
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plagiarism
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the act of copying someone else's work and claiming it as your own - a form of cheating - Plagiarism can occur when the copying is word-for-word or if all or only portions of your work is undeniably similar to the original author's work
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verbatim
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word-for-word (Example sentence: Copy down the notes verbatim from the board.)
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argumentative writing
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nonfiction writing that mainly uses facts, logic, and reasoning to convince a reader (written in 3rd person POV for formal writing)
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informative/expository writing
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nonfiction writing that provides unbiased information to the reader (usually written in 3rd person POV)
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narrative writing
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nonfiction or fiction writing that tells a story - writing that tells a story (written in any POV) - memoirs, diaries, journals, short stories, novels, etc.
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