Learning to Love
the Research Paper
Or… at least learning to do it well!
Getting Started
 Finding a Topic
 Developing an Effective
Research Question
Finding a Topic
 Write about what you know.
 Whenever possible, seek out a research topic
that
1. Interests you and that you care about.
 Aim to build on
2. Knowledge that you already have.
 If the topic is assigned, try to
3. Develop an angle that will interest you,
then run the idea by your instructor.
Developing an Effective Research Question
 The best research papers begin with a question
because they help you to…
1. Find direction.
2. Narrow your scope. (*These help create
thesis)
 Be careful of questions that are too broad.
 Make sure that your question is
3. Relevant to the length of your paper.
 Most students use research questions that are not
4. Focused enough.
Too Broad:
----Why is Oprah such a famous figure
to society?
More Focused:
---- Why is Oprah considered a famous
humanitarian for her charitable work
with others?
Think about this:
 A good research paper comes from wanting to know
more about something.
 A good research paper contains
1. Facts, quotes, and
2. Statistics; however, these have to be
3. Blended into your own thoughts and ideas to be
effective.
 Research is a hard concept to master and takes much
practice, which is why you must take notes and learn the
basic
4. Foundation NOW, so you can build your skills each year from
here on up! 
Points to Remember
(About Writing a Research Paper)
 Writing a research paper is not the same as
writing a
1. Report.
 It focuses on one side or
2. Aspect only.
 Overall purpose is to
3.Prove your
4.Thesis statement through your thoughts
and ideas,
5.Supported by the research you conduct.
What Are Sources?
 A source is what you turn to for information about
your topic.
 A source can include any of the following:
 a book
 a magazine or newspaper article
 a scholarly journal article
 a film, television show, or radio program
 a web site
 a personal interview
 They generally fall under
1. print sources, non-print sources, and
2. electronic sources.
CREDIBILITY AND RELIABILITY
How do you know if a source is credible and
reliable?
When determining if you should use a source
you need to ask yourself the following:
 Who
1. wrote the information and can they be
trusted to give clear and accurate info?
 What
3. qualifications does the organization or
author possess?
 When
4. was the information published?
Is it current and relevant?
CREDIBILITY AND RELIABILITY
 Can the information be
1. verified across multiple sources?
 Is consideration given to multiple points or
only one? Does the author use
2. opinionated language?
 Is the source
3. electronic?
Is it a .com, .gov, or .edu source ?
(you have to be careful with .com sites because
they are commercial sites, which are easy for
anyone to attain and use. This is when it is
crucial to find qualifications for publishers and
authors of sites.)
EVALUATING SOURCES
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/10
3-oprah
• http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero
=Oprah_Academy07
• http://www.fembio.org/english/biography.
php/woman/biography/oprah-winfrey/
• http://oprahsangelnetwork.org/aboutus/overview
*Determine which would be appropriate to
use!
•
What is a Citation?
When you bring research (quotations, paraphrases,
facts, statistics, etc.) into your paper, you must give

credit to the source and its author (attribution.)
This is done through a

2. parenthetical in-text citation.
 Direct Quote-material pulled

3. directly from source and quoted exactly as it
appears with

4. quotation marks around
 Paraphrase-material pulled from source but
5. rephrased into your own words-does not contain
quotation marks
ATTRIBUTION

Citations must include
Attribution, which is where you give credit to the author
within the citation
REMEMBER: AUTHOR TRUMPS EVERYTHING! IF YOU HAVE AN
AUTHOR, THEIR NAME IS IMPORTANT! IF YOU DO NOT HAVE
AN AUTHOR, THEN USE THE TITLE AND PAGE NUMBER. NOTE,
THE PAGE NUMBER IS NOT THE NUMBER OF PAGES IT TOOK
TO PRINT YOUR SOURCE (1 OF 1 OR 2 OF 2!)

(Author and page)
(Wilson 32).

(“Title” and page)
(“Defying Gravity” 32)

(“Title”)
(“Land of the Lost”)

USING CITATIONS
 *The first time you mention an author or article, you
should use their FIRST and LAST name and give some
background information about them.
 One way to cite an author is to write their name in the
sentence as shown below. When you state the author’s
name this way, you do not need the citation at the end
because you have already given credit.
 Example: According to Elie Wiesel, founder of the Elie
Wiesel Foundation, which works to combat prejudice,
intolerance and injustice through youth focused
programs and the promotion of equality, said “Oprah the
public figure and Oprah the friend are one and the same
person, never violating the covenant she made with
society: to help the helpless and give a voice to the
voiceless.”
MORE CITATIONS
 According to the article, “Oprah is a Role Model
for Girls,” by opening the school for girls in
South Africa, she will be helping over 150
disadvantaged girls and giving the community
a sign of hope they desperately need.
 By opening a school for disadvantaged girls in
South Africa, Oprah is helping over 150 young
girls and giving the community a sign of hope
they desperately need (“Oprah is a Role Model
for Girls”).