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These step-by-step instructions and examples are a great starting place for many homework projects. Follow these steps to break up a big assignment into doable pieces, learn how to efficiently complete each part to get the most out of your time, and organize your work to finish everything when due.
Research Paper
Sooner or later, everyone has to do a research paper—undoubtedly one of the most daunting homework projects teachers assign. The best way to tackle the research paper beast is to break it up into manageable tasks.
Verify that you know exactly what is expected of you. Review all the information you have about your assignment and make sure you can answer the following questions. If you don’t know the answer to a question, ask your teacher.
- When is the paper due? Will you be expected to hand in preliminary work, such as your thesis statement or your outline? If so, when are they due?
- Is there a requirement for length?
- Which types of sources are you allowed to use in your research (library, Internet, personal interviews)? Are any required?
Selecting a topic is one of your most important tasks. Your topic needs to be narrow enough to cover in a paper, but not so specific that you can’t find research sources. And most important—you have to be interested in it, or you won’t be motivated to work on your paper.
1. Choose a broad topic that interests you and that falls within your teacher’s guidelines.
Example: Your teacher assigned a research paper on a scientific subject; you select Genetics as your broad topic.
2. Do some digging to get a feel for your topic. Skim an encyclopedia article and read a few newspaper articles that relate to your topic. This will introduce you to the major areas of interest in your topic.
Example: After skimming the encyclopedia article on Genetics, you discover that this broad topic covers human, animal, and plant species, and that it’s also a cutting-edge scientific and medical discipline.
3. Narrow your focus. Start by applying the same principles you did before—pick an aspect of your broad topic that interests you and fits with your assignment guidelines.
Example: During your preliminary research you discovered that you are especially interested in cloning—more specifically, the techniques used in human cloning.
4. Put your topic to the research test. Do a quick Internet search and find out how much material the library has on your topic. Can you find several credible sources? If not, you’ll need to narrow your focus on another topic.
Every research paper begins with a main point—a working thesis statement. Your job is to come up with a main point, then use the facts you turn up in your research to argue for or against it. Developing a good working thesis statement now will make your life much easier later.
A good thesis statement is:
- Interesting to you and your audience.
- An opinion about your topic. If your thesis statement is a fact instead of an opinion, there will be nothing to argue.
- A complete sentence that summarizes your point.
1. Use what you learned in your preliminary research to select your main point—the position you intend to argue.
Example: You have already selected a topic—the techniques used in human cloning.
From your preliminary research, you’re pretty convinced that the techniques currently available aren’t advanced enough to produce a real, living human clone. That’s your main point.
2. Make your topic and your main point into a complete, opinion-based sentence. This becomes your working thesis statement.
Example: Put your your topic and main point together:
techniques used in human cloning/won’t produce a living human clone
Next, make it into a sentence:
The techniques used in human cloning won’t produce a real, living human clone.
3. Make sure your thesis sentence expresses your topic and your point accurately, and that it’s clearly based on opinion, not fact. If necessary, fine tune it.
Example: The techniques currently used in human cloning are unlikely to produce a real, living human clone.
4. To make sure your thesis is an opinion, try to write an antithesis—a statement taking the opposite position. If you can come up with an antithesis that makes sense, you're on the right track:
Example: Antithesis—The techniques currently used in human cloning will produce a real, living human clone.
Your next job is to make yourself an expert on your topic.
1. Begin your research by tracking down information about your topic. Look for library books, periodicals, Web sites, and any other good sources of information.
Tip: If any of the books you need are already checked out, talk to your school librarian about how to proceed. You might be able to reserve the book, or even request it from or a nearby public or university library.
2. Read, read, read. Start with general background sources to get better handle on your subject, then move to more specific sources. Soon, you’ll begin to find bits of information that support your working thesis.
3. As you read, note any information you find that supports your thesis. These are the facts you’ll use to make your argument later. Every time you take a note, cite the reference—that is, jot down exactly where you found the information, including the title of the source, its author and publisher, the publication date and location, the type of source it is (book, newspaper article, Web page), and a page number if appropriate. You’ll need this information to compose your bibliography later.
Tip: Take a few minutes now to determine what information on each source that you’ll need for your bibliography. For example, does your teacher require you to list your source’s publisher and where it was published? Knowing exactly what you need now will save you the hassle of having to go back to look up additional information later.
4. Read even more. Continue to gather specific information that support’s your thesis statement. Take as many notes as you need. It’s better to have too much material to choose from when writing your paper than to have too little.
A carefully organized outline will make writing your paper much easier, so plan to spend some quality time on it.
1. Go through your notes again to identify the major themes that emerged during your research. These will form the skeleton of your paper later, so consider them carefully.
Example: While researching your paper on the techniques of human cloning, a few major themes emerged:
Triggers for cell divisions are not completely understood
Humans have so much DNA that it’s difficult to determine if a clone is really a clone.
No embryo produced using the techniques of human cloning has grown to more than a few cells.
2. Sort your notes into groups according to your major themes. Arrange your major themes in a logical sequence, then list them in order. This list forms the main structure of your outline.
3. Read through each group looking for sub-themes. Sort your notes into smaller groups according to sub-themes. Arrange the sub-themes into a logical sequence, then list them under the main theme they support on your outline. Voilà! You have an outline.
Writing your research paper can be an intimidating task. But remember, you’ve already learned an incredible amount about your topic. Let the tools you’ve amassed so far—your thesis statement, your sorted notes, and your outline—do the heavy lifting for you.
1. With your outline as a guide, turn each of your major themes into sections or paragraphs, using your sub-themes and the facts from your notes to fill in the details.
2. Go back and connect your paragraph themes into a cohesive narrative. Be sure to use strong transitions between paragraphs—your goal is to make clear to the reader why you presented the information in the order that you did.
Tip: Be sure to cite any information you borrowed from another author.
3. Read through your paper with a critical eye. Does each topic sentence clearly summarize the point of the paragraph? If not, use this opportunity to fine-tune it. Does the organization work? Don't be afraid to swap sections or paragraphs to present a stronger argument.
4. Pat yourself on the back and take a break—the hardest part is behind you. If you can spare the time, don’t even think about your paper for a day or two. This will help you approach the next step with a fresh eye.
It isn’t uncommon to veer off course a bit when you actually write your paper. That’s why you’ve referred to your thesis statement as a working thesis statement.
1. Read your paper and ask yourself the all-important question: Do I make my point?
2. Refine your thesis statement if the facts you’ve dug up don’t support it. You can broaden your thesis, narrow it, or restate it altogether. Just be sure that your final opinion-based thesis statement is supported by the facts you discuss in your paper.
Your paper’s introduction and conclusion reinforce the key points you make in your paper.
1. Write the introduction. Think of your introduction as the opening statement an attorney would make at a trial. In one to three paragraphs, tell the jury—or in this case, your readers—what they are about to learn (your thesis statement) and briefly summarize the key facts you'll use to convince them.
2. Write the conclusion. Think of your conclusion as the attorney’s closing statement. In one to three paragraphs, summarize the point you made—your thesis statement—and the major themes you used to support it. You want the reader to walk away convinced.
A bibliography is a list of the sources you used in your research. It is usually included as a separate page or pages at the end of your assignment and titled “Bibliography,” “References,” or “Works Cited.”
1. Gather all the source information you jotted down when you were taking notes.
2. Assemble your sources into a single list, alphabetized by author’s last name. Sources that don't have authors (encyclopedia articles, for example) should be alphabetized by title.
3. Properly format each item in your source list according to an accepted bibliographic style. One common bibliographic style is provided below, but there are many acceptable styles for bibliographies. Be sure to use the format that your teacher specified.
Common Bibliographic Style
This bibliographic style follows the MLA Handbooks for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition, written by Joseph Gibaldi and published in 2003 in New York by the Modern Language Association of America.
Book
Author Last Name, Author First Name. Book Title. Publication Location: Publisher, Publication Year.
Encyclopedia article
'Article Title,' Encyclopedia Name. Edition Year ed.
Newspaper, magazine, or journal article
Author Last Name, Author First Name. 'Article Title' Publication Title Publication Date: page numbers.
Book review
Reviewer Last Name, Reviewer First Name. Rev. of Book Title by Book Author First and Last Name. Publication Location: Publisher, Publication Year.
Film, movie
Movie Title. Dir. Director First and Last Name. Studio or Distributor, Movie Release Date.
Internet source
Author Last Name, Author First Name. 'Article or Page Title.' Site Name. Date assigned to the Web site (if available). Institution or organization affiliated with the site. Date of access. .
Put the final touches on your paper. Don’t be tempted to skip these steps—nothing detracts from a good paper more than grammar or spelling errors.
1. Run a spell-check on your paper.
2. Print your paper out and read it from start to finish, just the way your teacher will. Note any typos or grammar problems, and correct them right away.
3. Print a corrected copy and ask a parent or another trusted person to give it a critical read. Make any changes you think are necessary.
4. Read it one more time to make sure you didn’t introduce any other errors.
5. Hand it in. Congratulations!
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