Process of Doing a Research Paper Text

Jonathan Friesen - Writing Coach

The following steps outline a simple and effective strategy for writing a research paper. Depending on your familiarity with the topic and the challenges you encounter along the way, you may need to rearrange these steps.

step 1: identify and develop your topic

selecting a topic can be the most challenging part of a research assignment. Since this is the very first step in writing a paper, it is vital that it be done correctly. Here are some tips for selecting a topic:
    select a topic within the parameters set by the assignment.

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    Many times your instructor will give you clear guidelines as to what you can and cannot write about. Failure to work within these guidelines may result in your proposed paper being deemed unacceptable by your instructor. The research for and writing of a paper will be more enjoyable if you are writing about something that you find interesting.

    Do a preliminary search of information sources to determine whether existing sources will meet your needs. If you find too much information, you may need to narrow your topic if you find too little, you may need to broaden your topic. Your instructor reads hundreds of research papers every year, and many of them are on the same topics topics in the news at the time, controversial issues, subjects for which there is ample and easily accessed information. Stand out from your classmates by selecting an interesting and off the beaten path topic. Still can't come up with a topic to write about? see your instructor for advice.

once you have identified your topic, it may help to state it as a question.

For example, if you are interested in finding out about the epidemic of obesity in the american population, you might pose the question what are the causes of obesity in america ? by posing your subject as a question you can more easily identify the main concepts or keywords to be used in your research. Do a preliminary search for information before beginning your research in earnest, do a preliminary search to determine whether there is enough information out there for your needs and to set the context of your research. Look up your keywords in the appropriate titles in the library's reference collection such as encyclopedias and dictionaries and in other sources such as our catalog of books, periodical databases, and internet search engines. Additional background information may be found in your lecture notes, textbooks, and reserve readings. You may find it necessary to adjust the focus of your topic in light of the resources available to you.

step 3: locate materials

with the direction of your research now clear to you, you can begin locating material on your topic.

There are a number of places you can look for information: if you are looking for books, do a subject search in the aleph catalog. A keyword search can be performed if the subject search doesn't yield enough information. When you locate the book on the shelf, look at the books located nearby similar items are always shelved in the same area. Use the library's  electronic periodical databases to find magazine and newspaper articles. Choose the databases and formats best suited to your particular topic ask at the librarian at the reference desk if you need help figuring out which database best meets your needs. And subject directories such as the librarian's guide to the internet to locate materials on the internet. Check the  internet resources section of the nhcc library web site for helpful subject links.

step 4: evaluate your sources

see the cars checklist for information quality for tips on evaluating the authority and quality of the information you have located. Your instructor expects that you will provide credible, truthful, and reliable information and you have every right to expect that the sources you use are providing the same. This step is especially important when using internet resources, many of which are regarded as less than reliable.

The next step is the rough draft, wherein you get your ideas on paper in an unfinished fashion. This step will help you organize your ideas and determine the form your final paper will take. After this, you will revise the draft as many times as you think necessary to create a final product to turn in to your instructor. Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves two purposes: it gives proper credit to the authors of the materials used, and it allows those who are reading your work to duplicate your research and locate the sources that you have listed as references.

step 8: proofread

the final step in the process is to proofread the paper you have created.

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