HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER DOMINION WRITING CENTER

WHAT IS A RESEARCH PAPER?

A research paper is the accumulation of information and facts regarding a distinct topic after going through the process of research, critical thinking, and formatting.

FORMULA FOR A RESEARCH ESSAY Choose a topic Conduct your research Organize your notes and findings into the order in which you can address them in your essay Write the rough draft in APA Format Stop by the DWC for proofreading Write final draft of your essay.

RESEARCH PAPER FLOW CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC RESEARCH ROUGH DRAFT DONE! EDIT & REVISE FINAL DRAFT

HOW TO CONDUCT YOUR RESEARCH Find credible sources like journals, encyclopedias, and non-fiction books to use A great source to find information is the online database located on the DHS website Specific resources to get your research include EBSCOhost and Britannica DATABASE

DO NOT PLAGIARIZE Use YOUR OWN words to SUMMARIZE your findings Always cite your source at the end of the sentence or paragraph of information Read it out loud and see if it sounds like you wrote it, not a scholar or professional If you were asked questions about your research, you should be able to answer without reciting your sources verbatim

APA FORMAT 1” margins on all sides, 12 pt. Times New Romans font Title as your running head at the top of every page Four major sections Title Page Abstract Main Body References

TITLE PAGE Running head in all caps Page # next to running head Format of the “title” portion Title Your Name Class Date

ABSTRACT Centered “Abstract” at the top of page A short synopsis of your paper Should not take more than an entire page NOT NEEDED FOR YOUR PAPERS

MAIN BODY Main chunk of your paper Should address the prompt of the essay Presents the data that was researched

REFERENCES List of sources that you used for your paper Put in alphabetical order “Hanging” bibme.org , citationmachine.net Easy websites to form references, simply plug in information

YOU WILL DO TREE-MENDOUS ON YOUR RESEARCH PAPERS!

REFERENCES http://thewritedirection.net/drpaper/help/05-07-apasamplepapers.htm https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/apa-citations-and-references/ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/