Writing a Research Paper
COACH HATHCOCK
Choose a Topic
• Make sure you understand your assignment
- What is the length?
five paragraphs / 750 word minimum
- What type of research paper?
* Analytical– the material is summarized and
the writer analyzes it and presents his or her
conclusions
Manage your time
• Draw up a project schedule
– Avoid a time trap: A research paper is a longterm assignment. In order to see it through
successfully, you will need to plan and keep
to a schedule.
– Keep plugging away: Don’t get bogged down
in one stage of the writing process. If you
keep plugging away at your assignment, you
will be able to meet your deadline.
Choose a topic
• Choose a workable topic that meets all of the
following requirements
– Can you find enough material on the topic?
– Does the topic interest you and can you make it
interest your audience?
– Is your topic objective, not subjective? An objective
topic is factual – in a research paper you are not
writing about your opinions, experiences, family, or
feelings.
– Is the topic limited enough to be covered in the
available space?
Thesis Statement
• A good thesis statement IS NOT
– A statement of fact
– Merely the expression of a personal opinion
– A vague generalization
– A question
Thesis Statement
• A good thesis statement IS
– A declarative sentence that states clearly and
concisely the main point that the author wishes to
make.
– Usually a sentence that embodies a judgment,
evaluation, or criticism, often apparent in its use of
value terms, e.g., good, better, best, valuable,
worthwhile, desirable.
– A statement you consider significant, so that if
someone says, “So what?” you can answer that
question
Thesis Statement
• A good thesis statement MAY also
– Suggest a comparison or a contrast
– Focus primarily on the causes or effects of a
particular event, condition, or change
– Propose a solution to a problem of
recommend a policy
Thesis Statement
• An excellent thesis statement
– Is a judgment, criticism, or evaluation that
research can support
– Is NOT a statement of fact, a personal
opinion, a vague generalization, or a question
– Is a declarative statement that states the main
point of the essay
– Is something worth saying
SUPPORTING TOPICS
• To find support for your thesis statement:
– Write down the tentative thesis statement
– List as many supporting topics as you can
– Select the ones that seem the most promising
– Do preliminary reading to locate supporting
information for your major topics
– As you read, add or drop major topics,
depending on what you find
Locate Sources
• There are two types of sources – primary and
secondary
• A primary source is an original text, document,
interview, speech, or letter. It is not someone’s
comments on or analysis of a text; it is the text
itself.
• A secondary source is NOT an original text or
document; rather, it is someone’s comments or
an analysis of a primary source
Locate Sources
• Explore library sources
– Use the online catalog to locate books in the
library
– Use the reference section to find information
and sources: encyclopedias, biographical
information, atlases, almanacs, dictionaries,
quotations, specialized books
– Look for relevant newspaper and magazine
articles
– Evaluate internet sources
Internet Sources
• Evaluate internet sources carefully
– Who wrote the Web page? How qualified or
knowledgeable is the writer? Is the writer an
expert or a professional working in the area
the Web site discusses?
Internet Sources - #2
– How accurate is the information? Does the
Web page give facts or just the writer’s
opinions? Verify the given information.
– How up-to-date is the information?
– Is the information biased (slanted toward one
point of view), or are both sides of an issue
presented objectively and fairly?
Bibliography
• Record complete information for every
source you think you will use. Make a
bibliography for every source you consult.
On each, you will record the author, title,
and publishing information (place of
publication, publisher, date of publication,
researcher’s source number).
Note cards
• Use 3”x5” or 4”x6” cards
(or pieces of paper)
• Write the source number in the upperright-hand corner of the card. On each
card take notes from only one source.
• Write on only one side of each card, and
write about only one main idea. (You will
then be able to arrange and rearrange
your note cards easily according to their
main ideas.)
Note cards - #2
• Write a heading – a key word or phrase –
at the top of the note card and underline it.
The heading indicates the main idea
discussed on the note card. Usually the
heading is one of the topics you will use in
your working outline.
• Make a conscious effort to use your own
words when you take notes. Use
abbreviations and symbols.
Note cards - #3
• Enclose direct quotations in large
quotation marks. Make sure you have
quoted word for word, EXACTLY as the
author wrote it. If you wish to leave out
material, you must do so by inserting
ellipses (…) at the appropriate point.
• At the bottom of each note card, write the
page number where you found the
information
Note cards - #4
• Double check each note card to see that
you have written the source number and
page numbers. Without these the material
will be useless because you may not find
the information again.
Preliminary Outline
• This is a temporary outline
• It is a method of structuring your paper
and your search for information
• Your outline and structure will be tentative
and rough in form
• It should include some major areas of
research
• You are now ready to evaluate your note
cards
Evaluate Note Cards
• Sort your note cards into stacks having the
same heading
– Some stacks may be short, some tall. If you
have a great many cards under one heading,
perhaps you should divide them into two or
three more manageable subheadings
– Take time to reread each note card. Make
sure your headings are right. You may find
cards that might better be classified under
different headings.
Evaluate Note Cards - #2
• Evaluate your note cards
– Be selective: Do you have too much
information on one subject? Use only the
best – the most interesting, the most
pertinent, the most persuasive.
– Fill in the gaps: If there is not enough
information in some stacks go back to the
library and find more sources and take more
notes.
Write a First Draft: The Introduction
• Write an introduction that attracts your
reader’s attention and clearly indicates
what your paper will be about. Include
your thesis statement in your introduction.
Write a First Draft: The Body
• Write the body of you paper.
– Keep very careful track of your sources. Insert your
bibliography source card number after ideas or
quotations that need to be acknowledged.
– Write in the present tense. Use the past tense only to
refer to historical events.
– Each paragraph in the body should include a topic
sentence that states a main idea. The rest of the
sentences should provide supporting details.
Write a First Draft: The Conclusion
• Write a conclusion that brings your paper
to a satisfying conclusion and says
something worthwhile.
Works Cited List
• Your Works Cited list should be an
alphabetical list of all the sources you
have referred to in your paper.
• The Works Cited list should be at the end
of your research paper.
• AKA Bibliography page
Revise Draft
• You should ask yourself the following
questions when you revise your paper:
– How can I improve my word choice? Have I
used dull, trite, childish, and overworked
words? Have I used empty adverbs like
obviously, certainly, and simply? Have I
avoided clichés, e.g., last but not least?
Revise Draft - #2
– Have I chosen the best verbs for the job?
Have I used strong action verbs instead of
verbs of being, e.g., crashed instead of is
down, participates instead of is in? Have I
used active rather than passive verbs, e.g., “I
made a mistake” rather than “Mistakes were
made.”
Revise Draft - #3
• Do my sentences show variety in length
and structure?
• Do any of my sentences sound awkward
when I read them aloud?
• Do I show instead of tell, by providing vivid
descriptive details, figurative language,
examples, or anecdotes?
Revise Draft - #4
• Have I used transitions – words like
however, then, on the other hand – to
improve the coherence and flow of my
writing?
Revise Draft - #5
• Have I paid attention to the basic rules of
expository writing? Does my introductory
paragraph include a clear, concise thesis
statement and a method of development?
Do my topic sentences connect to my
thesis statement? Do my body
paragraphs support my thesis statement?
Does my conclusion remind the reader of
my thesis statement?
Revise Draft - #6
• When using borrowed material, have I
provided:
– A lead-in, identifying the speaker or situation?
– An accurate quotation?
– Follow-up, a comment or analysis of the
quotation?
Revise Draft - #7
• Have I observed the rules of grammar and
usage avoiding run-ons, fragments,
misplaced modifiers, passive voice, and
lack of agreement between subjects and
verbs, pronouns and antecedents?
• Have I paid attention to mechanics,
making sure that my capitalization and
punctuation are correct?
• Have I checked my spelling carefully?
Final Manuscript
• Use 8 ½” x 11” white paper
• Print on only one side of each piece of paper
• Use 1 inch margins a the top, bottom, and sides
of you paper
• Indent each paragraph ½ inch (5 spaces) from
the left margin
• Place your Works Cited page at the end
GOOD LUCK!!!