Writing A Research Essay
The products of carefully planned
assignments (typically five to ten
pages in length) are often called
research essays. They frequently
involve persuasive (and
sometimes argumentative)
writing, intended to convince your
audience to accept your point of
view).
Stages in Writing a Research
Essay
Stage 1: Choosing and
Limiting your Topic
◊ Think about what you are interested and
what you would like to learn about. Try to do
this early in the research stage to save you
wasting time later.
◊ Don’t bite off more than you can chew (a
colloquialism…
). Decide if your
ambitions are do-able in the time alloted.
◊ Try to pick information that can make it
interesting to your audience. If it is
intersting, it is usually fairly convincing.
Stage 1 Cont’d
Consider and formulate some research
questions you want to address in the
essay. You should also answer the
following questions…
1. What do I know about this topic?
2. What else do I need to know?
3. What do I want my audience to learn
from my research?
◊
For example, you may make a
thought web like this…
Genre of the Novel
Fantasy Novels
Novels of J.R.R. Tolkien
Reasons for the success and
popularity of “The Lord of the
Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Stage 2: Making a Tentative
Thesis Statement
◊ An effective thesis should take a POSITION
on your paper that you believe your research
will prove.
◊ It is a single sentence that formulates both
the central idea of your research and your
point of view on the topic.
◊ In a sense, the thesis is your answer to the
central question or problem you have raised.
Sample Working Thesis:
It is the combined effect of the
use of language, the presence
of a wide variety of poetry and
song, the elements of heroism,
and even aspects of Tolkien’s
own character that contribute
to the legendary status of The
Lord of the Rings.
Stage Three: Retrieving
Sources of Information
◊ It is important that the primary voice in
your paper is your own, however you
need to have resources that effectively
substantiate your claims.
◊ As you conduct your research, take
notes to reconstruct the information.
Types of Resources
Primary Sources
◊ First-hand
Observations:
-discussion
-observation
-interviews
-questionnaires
Secondary Sources
◊ Library Catalogues
and Computer Files
◊ Periodical Indexes
◊ Non-Print Resources
◊ Electronic Libraries
Stage 4: Making a Tentative
Outline
◊ Place the information you have found in order
by creating an draft outline.
◊ As your research develops and grows, so will
your outline. Do not be afraid to make
changes to your work.
◊ A well-written outline gives your essay form
and direction. It is essentially the hard part,
and a substantial amount of time should be
dedicated to this step and process.
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Ex/
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Introduction:
A. The success and popularity of the trilogy TLOTR
B. Combined reasons for Tolkien’s greatness
Par. 1: Tolkien’s effective use of descriptive language
A. Vivid imager to set the story’s scenes
B. Vivid imagery to describe characters
C. Vivid imagery to establish mood
Par. 2: Tolkien’s scheme of languages (speech)
A. The Hobbits’ speech
B. The Orcs’ speech
C. The Elvish speech
Par. 3: Tolkien’s use of poetry and song
A. Heightening atmosphere and mood
B. Revealing aspects of character’s personality
C. Supplying background information
Par. 4: Tolkien’s heroic, courages characters
A. The ranger, Aragorn
B. Eomer, Marshall of the Mark
C. Gil-galad
Conclusion: Through careful analysis, however, one can see that it was not only
one of these factors, but rather a combination of all of them that has helped
ensure the success and popularity of TLOTR.
Stage 5: Reading and
Organizing Notes
◊ Evaluate your own research, as you progress,
in terms of accuracy, currency, and
usefulness.
◊ Ensure you are keeping jot-notes of your
information to assist you in integrating that
information into your paper.
◊ Organize your citations in advance so you are
not looking for them at the end of your essay.
Stage 6: Writing the First
Draft
◊ As you write, make sure that you are
incorporating parenthetical references or
embedded citations.
◊ Use MLA format in your writing format and
citations.
◊ If you find new material as you are writing,
you need to be prepared to review your
rough outline to incorporate that information
in an organized and effective manner.
Stage 7: Revising and Editing
◊ Things to consider:
Are my purpose and main idea clear?
Is my thesis statement fully developed?
Is the content of the report complete?
Does it follow the order presented in my outline?
Is each topic sentence supported by detailed facts?
Do my language and content suit my audience?
Are my title and introductory paragraph(s) interesting?
Is there a strong ending?
Have I defined all important terms?
Have I adequately answered my research questions?
Is my paper free of errors in punctuation, grammar, and usage?
How can I improve in my next research project?
Stage 8: Publishing or
Presenting the Final Draft
◊ Type assignments whenever possible
◊ Double check the format
◊ Give it a once-over to check for any
last-minute errors
Stage 9: Preparing References
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On a separate sheet of paper
MLA Format
Works Cited
Last page of essay
Alphabetical Order