GETTING STARTED
How to begin writing research
papers.
What is the assignment asking for?
 Before you begin, first consult your instructor’s
assignment description.
 What type of paper are they looking for you to write?
 How large in scope is the paper?
 How long does the paper need to be?
 How many sources are required?
What format is required?
 Typically, academic papers composed at GSU are in
APA or MLA style.
 Though similar, there some distinct differences in
how these papers are formatted.
 The writing center’s website has helpful resources for
both APA, and MLA style papers.
 Visit govst.edu/owl and click the documentation
styles side tab for more tools.
Focus statement
 Perhaps the most important aspect of a paper is your
focus/thesis statement.
 What is your central focus, point, or purpose for
writing this paper?
 What is it that you hope to accomplish by writing
this paper?
 Your focus statement should encapsulate all your
paper seeks to do in 1 or 2 sentences in your
introduction.
What makes a good focus statement?
 Is this something that can be proved, or argued
effectively?
 Is there sufficient interest in the academic
community to still write about it?
 Put another way, is your topic still relevant?
 Is their sufficient secondary research to support your
claim?
Researching your topic
 After you have chosen a solid topic, and constructed
a good focus statement, it is time to research!
 Make sure your sources are credible and avoid using
sources that are not peer reviewed such as Google
search results, and Wikipedia.
 Books and database journal articles are the best.
Where to go for research
 Governors State’s library has many resources for you
beyond print books.
 Research librarians are here to help!
 http://libguides.govst.edu/index.php
 A vast collection of academic journals are available
through our databases
 http://libguides.govst.edu/databases
Research tips
 Collect more sources than required so you more to
choose from.
 Read abstracts of articles to see if this piece will be
relevant to your work before your read the entire
piece.
 Search a wide variety of databases and books, and
keep an open mind about your topic, your focus
statement, may change greatly based on the research
your find.
Writing Strategies
 Give yourself plenty of time to complete your work.
 Write a little bit every day, and set attainable goals so
you don’t get overwhelmed.
 Set aside specific time to focus in on your research,
and your writing.
Outlining
 Another good method to keep you on track, and to
brainstorm ideas is to form an outline.
 Outlines do not need to be formal, it can be a simple
concept map to help you form ideas on where you
might go with your writing.