It MUST also be in MLA format. I also have the outline ready for my research paper, you need to write the paper about the outline that I give you to you. Thanks. Benefits of laughter/therapeutic value of laughter 1. Introduction A. A common saying claims that laughter is the best medicine. B. Research studies have shown that laughter is an effective way of improving health. C. Laughter is a recommendable therapeutic strategy that can strengthen the immune functions, reduce stress, and facilitate the development of a general healthy lifestyle. II. Description of the Value of Therapeutic Laughter A. Laughter has the ability to strengthen the immune system as well as improve the overall health of the individual. B. Scientific studies have shown that a good belly laugh enhances the production of T-cells and the globulin immune proteins (Kreifelts, Benjamin, et al., 175). C. Laughter is also associated with the restoration of homeostasis ion bodily functions, blood oxygenation, stabilization of blood pressure, facilitation of the digestive processes, among other beneficial processes (Foot, 12). D. Additionally, numerous studies have shown that laughter result in improved heart rate and respiration and induction of body relaxation. E. Laughter also helps in body ventilation by clearing mucus plugs. III. Laughter is known to reduce stress levels. 1. Endorphins are body chemicals that are associated with drugs such as morphine and heroine and they act to minimize pain and create a sense of well-being (Fleming, 22). These chemicals are also produced during laughter which means that laughter can act to reduce body pain and stress. 2. Numerous studies have associated laughter with the improvement in pain tolerance. 3. One of the effects of stress is to increase the blood pressure but laughter is known to reduce it which means that laughter can reduce stress (Foot, 24). Hence, stress can cure various conditions that result from stress such as lack of sleep and reduced energy levels in the body. 4. The therapeutic value of laughter is evident from the fact that laughing exercises 17 face muscles in addition to stimulating the production of endorphins in the body (Warren et al., 2251). Therefore, since laughter is free, it can be considered as one of the best stress relievers. Due to its positive impacts in the reduction of stress, laughter is referred to as eustress as it opposes the actions and effects of stress. IV. Opposing side. 1. As much as numerous credible studies have recognized the therapeutic benefits of laughter, some scholars in the medical field have refuted these claims. 2. Some scientists have argued that patients suffering from various conditions do not respond better to treatment in the event of exposure to laughter which means that laughter is not a reliable or effective in therapy (Fleming, 15). V. Conclusion 1. As the paper shows, laughter has numerous therapeutic values. 2. Laughter can reduce stress levels, strengthen the immune system. 3. Additionally, laughter reduces unnecessary seriousness which can elevate stress levels in the body and diminish energy. 4. Thus, laughter has numerous therapeutic values considering its proven ability to reduce stress, improve the immune system, and encourage a general positive outlook ion the lives of individuals. That it is information from my book to help you to write the research paper. Writing a Research Project Everyday decisions often call for research and writing. In trying to choose between two jobs in different towns, for example, one person made a long list of questions to answer: Which job location had the lower cost of living? How did the two locations compare in terms of schools, cultural opportunities, major league sports, and so on? After conducting careful research, he was able to write a letter of acceptance to one place and a letter of regret to the other. In much the same way, when you are working on an academic project, there comes a time to draw the strands of your research together and articulate your conclusions in writing. Research 18 Writing a research project 08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214)_08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214).qxd 11/30/11 2:19 PM Page 208 Refine your writing plans 18a Research 209 Refine your writing plans. For almost all research writing, drafting should begin well before the deadline. There is a good reason for this: as your understanding of the subject grows and as you get responses from others, you may need to gather more information or even refine your original research question and thus do more drafting. Before you start to write, reconsider your purpose, audience, stance, and working thesis (see Chapters 5 and 7). What is your central purpose? What other purposes, if any, do you have? What is your stance toward your topic? Are you an advocate, a critic, a reporter, an observer? What audience(s) are you addressing? How much background information does your audience need? What supporting information will your readers find convincing examples? quotations from authorities? statistics? graphs, charts, or other visuals? data from your own observations or from interviews? Should your tone be that of a colleague, an expert, a student? How can you establish common ground with your readers and show them that you have considered points of view other than your own? What is your working thesis trying to establish? Will your audience accept it? Developing an explicit thesis At the drafting stage, try to develop your working thesis (see p. 63) into an explicit statement that identifies your purpose and audience as well as your topic. It might take the following form: I plan to (explain/argue/demonstrate/analyze, and so on) for an audience of that because/if . For example, David Craig developed the following explicit thesis statement: I plan to demonstrate for an audience of classmates that instant messaging seems to be a positive force in the development of youth literacy because it promotes regular contact with words, the use of written communication, and the development of an alternative form of literacy. 18a 08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214)_08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214).qxd 11/30/11 2:19 PM Page 209 210 Note that while Davids final draft (see Chapter 51) omits the explicit reference to his audience and purpose, including this information at the drafting stage helped focus his writing. Testing your thesis Although writing out an explicit thesis will often confirm your research, you may find that your hypothesis is invalid, inadequately supported, or insufficiently focused. In such cases, you need to rethink your original research question and perhaps do further research. To test your thesis, consider the following questions: 1. How can you state your thesis more precisely or more clearly? Should the wording be more specific? 2. In what ways will your thesis interest your audience? What can you do to increase that interest? 3. Will your thesis be manageable, given your limits of time and knowledge? If not, what can you do to make it more manageable? 4. What evidence from your research supports each aspect of your thesis? What additional evidence do you need? EXERCISE 18.1 Take the thesis from your current research project, and test it against the questions provided above. Make revisions if your analysis reveals weaknesses in your thesis. Considering design As you move toward producing a draft, take some time to think about how you want your research essay or project to look. What font size will you use? Should you use color? Do you plan to insert text boxes and visuals? Will you need headings and subheadings? (See Chapter 4.) Organize and draft. To group the many pieces of information that you have collected, examine your notes for connections. Figure out what might be combined with what, which notes will be more useful and which less useful, which ideas lend support to your thesis and which should be put aside, and which visuals you will definitely use. You can begin this process by grouping your notes and visuals into subject categories to identify main ideas; then try to order the categories in the most effective way. You may also want to develop a working 18b Research 18b Writing a research project 08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214)_08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214).qxd 11/30/11 2:19 PM Page 210 Organize and draft 18b Research 211 outline, storyboard, or idea map from your notes, which you can revise as you go along, or you can plot out a more detailed organization in a formal outline (7e). Begin drafting wherever you feel most confident. If you have an idea for an introduction, begin there. If you are not sure how you want to introduce the project but do know how you want to approach one point, begin with that, and return to the introduction later. Working title and introduction The title and introduction play special roles, for they set the stage for what is to come. Ideally, the title announces the subject of the research essay or project in an intriguing or memorable way. The introduction should draw readers in and provide any background they will need to understand your discussion. Here are some tips for drafting an introduction to a research essay: It is often effective to open with a question, especially your research question. Next, you might explain what you will do to answer the question. Then end with your explicit thesis statement in essence, the answer. Help readers by forecasting your main points. Establish your own credibility by revealing how you have become knowledgeable about the topic. A quotation can be a good attention-getter, but you may not want to open with a quotation if doing so will give that source too much emphasis. Conclusion A good conclusion to a research project helps readers know what they have learned. Its job is not to persuade (the body of the essay or project should already have done that) but to contribute to the overall effectiveness of your argument. Here are some strategies that may help: Refer to your thesis, and then expand to a more general conclusion that reminds readers of the significance of your discussion. If you have covered several main points, you may want to remind readers of them. Be careful, however, to provide more than a mere summary. Try to end with something that will have an impact a provocative quotation or question, a vivid image, a call for action, or a warning. But guard against sounding preachy. 08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214)_08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214).qxd 11/30/11 2:19 PM Page 211 Incorporate source materials. When you reach the point of drafting your research project, a new task awaits: weaving your source materials into your writing. The challenge is to use your sources yet remain the author to quote, paraphrase, and summarize other voices while remaining the major voice in your work. (See Chapter 17 for tips on integrating sources.) Review and get responses to your draft. Once youve completed your draft, reread it slowly. As you do so, answer the following questions, and use them as a starting point for revision: What do you now see as its purpose? How does this compare with your original purpose? Does the draft do what your assignment requires? What audience does your essay address? What is your stance toward the topic? What is your thesis? Is it clearly stated? What evidence supports your thesis? Is the evidence sufficient? Next, ask friends, classmates, and, if possible, your instructor to read and respond to your draft. Asking specific questions of your readers will result in the most helpful advice. (See Chapter 9.) 18d 18c 212 Research 18e Writing a research project To explore tools for peer review, go to Writing Resources and click on Working Online. If youre using Comment in your course, you and your classmates can take part in peer-reviewing activities online. D Revise and edit your draft. Once you get feedback, reread your draft very carefully, making notes for necessary changes and additions. Look closely at your support for your thesis, and gather additional verbal or visual information if necessary. Pay particular attention to how you have used both print and visual sources, and make sure you have full documentation for all of them. (For more detailed information on revising, see Chapter 9.) Check grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics. Consider the advice of spell checkers (22e) and grammar checkers carefully before accepting it. (For more information on editing, see 10a.) 18e 08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214)_08_LUN_66490_Pt04_(163-214).qxd 11/30/11 2:19 PM Page 212 Prepare a list of sources. Once you have your final draft and source materials in place, you are ready to prepare a list of sources. Create an entry for each source used in your essay. Then double-check your essay against your list of sources cited; be sure that you have listed every source mentioned in the in-text citations or notes and that you have not listed any sources not cited in your essay. (For guidelines on documentation styles, see Chapters 4854.) Prepare and proofread your final copy. To make sure that the final version of your essay puts your best foot forward, proofread it carefully. Work with a hard copy, since reading onscreen often leads to inaccuracies and missed typos. Proofread once for typographical and grammatical errors and once again to make sure you havent introduced new errors. (To locate examples of student writing in this book and on the Web site, see the Student Writing Directory at the back of this book.) EXERCISE : THINKING CRITICALLY Reflect on the research project you have completed. How did you go about organizing your information? What would you do to improve this process? What problems did you encounter in drafting? How did you solve these problems? How many quotations did you use, and how did you integrate them into your text? When and why did you use summaries and paraphrases? If you used any visuals, how effective were they in supporting your points? What did you learn from revising?
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