Research Paper Research Writing:: Academic Support Center Writing Center

Academic Support Center
Writing Center
Resources: The LB Brief Handbook, 5th edition;

http://www.sps186.org/downloads/basic/63168/Outline_information.pdf
Research Paper
Research writing:
 Involves deep individual researching

 Requires studying numerous informative resources just to draw a research
paper outline
 Meets the goal of writing an in-depth paper.
 Necessitates the creation of a paper outline, which lays the groundwork
for the entire paper.
Refer to LB Brief handbook, chapter 51, which begins on page 370, for research
strategy.
Research Paper Steps:
STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC

STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION AND TAKE NOTES
STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS
STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE
STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES
STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT
STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT
STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER
STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC
 Choose a topic that interests and challenges you. Your attitude towards
the topic may well determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm you put
into your research.
Created by Austin Peay State University, 8 October 2013; revised 10 February 2015
 Focus on a limited aspect, e.g. narrow it down from "Religion" to "World
Religion" to "Buddhism."
 Select a subject you can manage. Avoid subjects that are too technical,
learned, or specialized. Avoid topics that have only a very narrow range of
source materials.
STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION AND TAKE NOTES
 Surf the Net:

• For general or background information, check out useful URLs,
general information online, almanacs or encyclopedias online such as
Britannica. Use search engines and other search tools as a starting
point.
 Check out other print materials available in the Library:
• Almanacs, Atlases, AV Catalogs
• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Government Publications, Guides, Reports
• Magazines, Newspapers
 Check out online resources, Web based information services, or special
resource materials on CDs:
• Online reference materials (including databases, etc.)
• Index to Periodicals and Newspapers
• Encyclopedias
• Magazines and Journals
• Newspapers
• Public Library
 Check out public and university libraries, businesses, and government
agencies, and contact knowledgeable people in your community.
 Read and evaluate. Bookmark your favorite Internet sites. Print out,
photocopy, and take notes of relevant information.
 As you gather your resources, jot down full bibliographical information
(author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page
numbers, URLs, creation or modification dates on Web pages, and your
date of access). Remember that an article without bibliographical
information is useless since you cannot cite its source.
STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS
Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement down in one sentence.
Your thesis statement is like a declaration of your belief. The main portion of your
essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief.
STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE
The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic carefully and
organize it logically before you start writing. A good outline is the most important
step in writing a good paper. Check your outline to make sure that the points
covered flow logically from one to the other. Include in your outline an
INTRODUCTION, a BODY, and a CONCLUSION.
INTRODUCTION - State your thesis and the purpose of your research paper
clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you
plan to approach your topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison,
or an analysis of a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in
your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic.
BODY - This is where you present your arguments to support your thesis
statement. Remember the Rule of 3, i.e. find 3 supporting arguments for each
position you take. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and
end with the strongest argument for your final point.
CONCLUSION - Restate or reword your thesis. Summarize your arguments. Explain

why you have come to this particular conclusion.
EXAMPLE OF AN OUTLINE:
1. INTRODUCTION - (Brief comment leading into subject matter - Thesis

statement on Shakespeare)
2. BODY - Shakespeare's Early Life, Marriage, Works, Later Years
3. Early life in Stratford
a. Shakespeare's family
i. Shakespeare's father
ii. Shakespeare's mother
b. Shakespeare's marriage
i. Life of Anne Hathaway
c. Reference in Shakespeare's Poems
4. Shakespeare's works
a. Plays
i. Tragedies
1. Hamlet
2. Romeo and Juliet
ii. Comedies
1. The Tempest
2. Much Ado About Nothing
iii. Histories
1. King John
2. Richard III
3. Henry VIII
b. Sonnets
c. Other poems
5. Shakespeare's Later Years
a. Last two plays
b. Retired to Stratford
c. Death
d. Burial—Epitaph on his tombstone
6. CONCLUSION
a. Analytical summary
i. Shakespeare's early life
ii. Shakespeare's works
iii. Shakespeare's later years
b. Thesis reworded
7. Concluding statement
(The above outline was found at

http://www.sps186.org/downloads/basic/63168/Outline_information.pdf)
STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES
Organize all the information you have gathered according to your outline.
Critically analyze your research data. Using the best available sources, check for
accuracy and verify that the information is factual, up-to-date, and correct.
Opposing views should also be noted if they help to support your thesis. This is
the most important stage in writing a research paper. Here you will analyze,
synthesize, sort, and digest the information you have gathered and hopefully
learn something about your topic which is the real purpose of doing a research
paper in the first place.
Do not include any information that is not relevant to your topic, and do not
include information that you do not understand. Make sure the information that
you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own words, if possible.
Plagiarism is definitely out of the question. Document all ideas borrowed or
quotes used very accurately. As you organize your notes, jot down detailed
bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and have it ready to transfer
to your Works Cited page.
STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT
Start with the first topic in your outline. Read all the relevant notes you have
gathered that have been marked, e.g. with the capital Roman numeral I.
Summarize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you plan to use in your
essay. Use a technique that suits you, e.g. write summaries, paraphrases or
quotations on note cards, or separate sheets of lined paper.
Put all your note cards or paper in the order of your outline, e.g. IA, IB, IC.
If taking notes using the computer, create meaningful filenames that match your
outline codes for easy cut and paste as you type up your final paper, e.g. cut first
Introduction paragraph and paste it to IA. Before you know it, you have a well-
organized term paper completed exactly as outlined.
STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT
 Read your paper for any content errors.

 Double check the facts and figures.
 Arrange and rearrange ideas to follow your outline.
 Reorganize your outline if necessary, but always keep the purpose of your
paper and your readers in mind.

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Resources: The LB Brief Handbook, 5th edition;

 Involves deep individual researching

Research Paper Steps:

STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC

STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC

STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION AND TAKE NOTES

 Surf the Net:

STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS

STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE

CONCLUSION - Restate or reword your thesis. Summarize your arguments. Explain

1. INTRODUCTION - (Brief comment leading into subject matter - Thesis

(The above outline was found at

STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES

STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT

STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT

 Read your paper for any content errors.

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