TIPS FOR WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER

By: Nathan MotulskyCongratulations, you have a paper topic! Now the daunting task begins: research. Where do you look for sources, and how do you keep material organized so that you can use it effectively in your paper? Here are some tips to help you get started and keep you going through the process.

1. Search in your school’s library or the public library’s online database to find books and scholarly articles that are relevant to your topic. Don’t be overwhelmed–you don’t need to read entire books! When you find a book, look in the table of contents and choose a chapter or even a few pages that seem especially relevant to your topic. The introduction chapter is a good place to start if you’re not sure. Apply this to articles as well: the first couple paragraphs should give you a good sense of how useful it will be to your research. After you’ve searched through books and scholarly articles, depending on the assignment you may want to do some Google searches to fill in any information gaps. But remember to diligently question whether a website is reliable. You are responsible for choosing reliable sources.

2. Keep a document with a list of all sources you have consulted and at least a short note about each source’s main argument/idea. For sources that you know you will use in your final paper, you might want to take more detailed notes and keep these at the top of the list. Keeping this list organized and accessible will be very helpful when you’re writing your paper!

3. Write an outline that shows your main ideas and arguments, even though these will likely change as you write. The items in your outline will be most helpful if they are written as claims rather than noun clauses. For example: “Gatsby’s green light represents the American dream,” rather than: “Gatsby’s green light.” This way, you will be able to see the flow of your argument and ultimately write a much stronger paper. Our best ideas often come to us in the writing process, so revise your outline as your ideas change, and keep an updated version accessible as you write. This outline will help you stay focused as you move from one paragraph to the next.

4. Cite accurately and cite often. Plagiarism often occurs when students forget where they read an interesting fact or they don’t think they need to cite a piece of information. As a rule of thumb, if you’re unsure whether something needs to be cited, always cite it. You can ask your teacher or a librarian later if the citation is necessary. Plagiarism is a serious offense in college and beyond.

 Remember, the writing process usually begins with writing one ugly sentence after another. Starting is the hardest part! You don’t have to show anyone these early sentences, but you have to write badly to write well. If you have organized research and a concrete outline, you have the building blocks for a stellar paper.

Here are some additional resources:

• To help determine reliable sources:

  • https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/faq/reliable

  • https://www.una.edu/writingcenter/docs/Writing-Resources/Source%20Credibility.pdf

• To assist with outlining:

  • https://academics.umw.edu/writing-fredericksburg/files/2011/09/Basic-Outlines.pdf

• To assist with MLA formatting and citations:

  • https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html