Title 150 - Ten Steps for Writing Research Papers.pdf ✅

American University, Academic Support Center, Writing Lab, updated 2009 TEN STEPS FOR WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS There are ten steps involved in writing a research paper: Step 1: Select a subject Step 2: Narrow the topic Step 3: State the tentative objective (or thesis) Step 4: Form a preliminary bibliography Step 5: Prepare a working outline Step 6: Start taking notes Step 7: Outline the paper Step 8: Write a rough draft Step 9: Edit your paper Step 10: Write the final draft Step 1: Select a subject Choose your subject carefully, keeping in mind the amount of time you have to write the paper, the length of the paper, your intended audience and the limits of the resources. Check in the library to make sure a reasonable amount of information is available on the subject you choose. Writing the paper will be much easier if you select a subject that interests you and that you can form an opinion or viewpoint about. In fact, it will be easier later on to narrow the topic if you choose a subject you already know something about. However, avoid controversial and sensational subjects that are not scholarly, or too technical, or will only restate the research material. Step 2: Narrow the topic The topic of the paper is what you want to say about the subject. To narrow the topic, you need to read background articles about your subject in encyclopedias and other general references. Do not take notes at this time other than to jot down possible main ideas. As you read, ask questions like the following: Who are the important people involved? What are the major issues? What are my opinions regarding the topic? Why is this an important (controversial, interesting) subject? How has the problem (or issue) developed? When? Where? The answers will help you narrow your topic. Remember to keep in mind the length of your paper.
American University, Academic Support Center, Writing Lab, updated 2009 Example of a topic for a five page paper: Too broad: Sports are enjoyable. Better, but still too broad: Swimming is enjoyable. (Answers the question, what sport is enjoyable?) Narrowed topic: Swimming is enjoyable because _______. (Answers the question, why is swimming enjoyable?) Narrowing the topic is a more complicated process for extensive research. General encyclopedias (like World Book) do not give enough information to get a broad overview of a subject, so instead you need to read specialized encyclopedias, abstracts, etc. At the reference desk in the Bender Library, there are reference guides in business and economics, humanities, history, politics and area studies, and language and literature. Ask the librarian about these and other sources that might be useful to you. When you find the reference books that are available, read only to get an overview of the subject. Step 3: State your objective or thesis Before you begin your research for your paper, you need to compose a thesis statement that describes the viewpoint you are going to express and support in your paper. Since your purpose in the rest of the paper is to prove the validity of your thesis, your thesis statement provides a controlling idea which will help you choose the resource materials you will use and will limit your note taking. Example: Thesis statement: Ancient Greek culture is reflected in the lives of present day Greeks. Controlling idea: "reflected in." The writer will look for materials that describe characteristics of ancient Grecian culture and characteristics of modern Grecian culture, and for any similarities between the two. A thesis statement must not be an indisputable fact or an opinion that cannot be proven. For example, it would be difficult to write a research paper to prove the following thesis statements: o The United States was the first nation to land on the moon. [indisputable fact] o J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye is the most fascinating novel ever written. [insupportable opinion]
American University, Academic Support Center, Writing Lab, updated 2009 Compose your thesis statement carefully, for it is the key to a good paper. As a matter of fact, a good thesis statement can outline your paper for you. For example, the following thesis can be divided into three parts that, in effect, provide a rough outline. Much of Martin Luther King's success resulted from the passive resistance techniques proposed by Mahatma Gandhi. 1. Martin Luther King's success. 2. The passive resistance techniques of Gandhi. 3. The role of Gandhi's passive resistance techniques in Martin Luther King's success. There are several common errors that students make when composing thesis statements. Some of these are listed below, with examples. 1. A thesis cannot be a fragment; it must be expressed in a sentence. Poor: How life is in a racial ghetto. Better: Residents of a racial ghetto tend to have a higher death rate, higher disease rates, and higher psychosis rates than do any other residents of American cities in general. 2. A thesis must not be in the form of a question. (Usually the answer to the question could be the thesis.) Poor: Should eighteen-year-old males have the right to vote? Better: Anyone who is old enough to fight in a war is old enough to vote. 3. A thesis must not contain phrases such as “I think.” (They merely weaken the statement.) Poor: In my opinion most men wear beards because they are trying to find themselves. Better: The current beard fad may be an attempt on the part of men to emphasize their male identity. 4. A thesis must not contain elements that are not clearly related. Poor: All novelists seek the truth; therefore some novelists are good psychologists. Better: In their attempt to probe human nature, many novelists appear to be good psychologists. 5. A thesis must not be expressed in vague language.