HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER Thinking and writing process Promilla Bansal, Reference Librarian 11/04
Define a topic Basic searching to check if enough material available. Make sure the topic is not too broad Does the topic meet the approval of the your professor?
Why define your topic before you start? It can help to organize thoughts. It can avoid frustration. It can help use time effectively and productively.
Writing process State thesis ( Listing ideas) Collection of information Organization Drafting Revising Proofreading
Research proposal (thesis) Getting ideas on paper Build points Develop ideas Support main claim
Collection Gathering ideas Locating research ( Databases and Internet) Searching databases Books and other sources
Where can you go for additional help with assignments for any class? Morton College LRC Writing Lab Our website: www.morton.edu/library/ Email brief questions: mortonreference@yahoo.com
Drafting Evaluate and organize ideas Select relevant notes Give yourself ample time to work on your project Avoid distractions
Proofreading tips Slowly read your paper aloud. Exchange papers with a friend Review Spelling Punctuation Sentence structure
Revising: reviewing ideas Ideas clearly communicated? Organization of paper Paragraph structure Strong introduction and conclusion