The Research Paper A Hands-On Approach

The Research Paper There will come a time in most students' careers when they are assigned a research paper. Anxiety Procrastination Confusion Unfamiliar Inexperienced

Never fear—inexperience and unfamiliarity are situations you can change through practice! Writing a research paper is an essential aspect of academics, and should not be avoided on account of one's anxiety.  

There are few individuals for whom this process comes naturally! Even the most seasoned academic veterans have had to learn how to write a research paper at some point in their careers! Diligence Organization Practice Willingness to learn (and to make mistakes!) Patience

Research: What It Is A research paper is... a detailed exploration/explanation of a particular topic based on a variety of expert sources; the culmination and final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition;  

Organizational Patterns in Research Chronological (time sequence) Comparison/contrast (similarities/differences) Topical (smaller units comprising the whole) Problem-solution (problem addressed; potential solutions analyzed)

Choosing a Topic The first step of any research paper is for the student to understand the assignment. If this is not done, the student will often travel down many dead-end roads, wasting a great deal of time along the way. Do not hesitate to approach the instructor with questions if there is any confusion. A clear understanding of the assignment will allow the student to focus on other aspects of the process, such as choosing a topic and identifying one's audience.

Topics… A student will often encounter one of two situations when it comes to choosing a topic for a research paper. list of topics choice of topic left up to the student

Brainstorming/Prewriting Brainstorming is often a successful way to get some of these ideas down on paper. Seeing one's ideas in writing is often an impetus for the writing process.   Though brainstorming is particularly effective when a topic has been chosen, it can also benefit the student who is unable to narrow a topic.

It is also important for the student to keep in mind that an initial topic may not be the exact topic about which he ends up writing. Research topics are often fluid, and dictated more by the student's ongoing research than by the original chosen topic. Such fluidity is common in research, and should be embraced as one of its many characteristics.

Identifying an Audience The concept of audience can be very confusing for novice researchers. Should the student's audience be the instructor only, or should the paper attempt to reach a larger academic crowd? These are two extremes on the pendulum-course that is audience; the former is too narrow of an audience, while the latter is too broad. Therefore, it is important to address an audience that falls somewhere in between.

What is MLA Style? MLA Style establishes standards of written communication concerning: formatting and page layout stylistic technicalities (e.g. abbreviations, footnotes, quotations) citing sources and preparing a manuscript for publication in certain disciplines.

Who Should Use MLA? MLA Style is typically reserved for writers and students preparing manuscripts in various humanities disciplines such as: English Studies - Language and Literature Foreign Language and Literatures Literary Criticism Comparative Literature Cultural Studies

Where do I begin? There is neither template nor shortcut for writing a research paper; again, the process is, amongst other things, one of practice, experience, and organization, and begins with the student properly understanding the assignment at hand.   As many college students know, the writer may find himself composing three quite different research papers for three quite different courses all at the same time in a single semester. Each of these papers may have varying page lengths, guidelines, and expectations. So, learn the correct process NOW!!!

Questions every research writer should ask… What is the point of my research? Can I tell the reader anything new or different? Do I have a solution to a problem? What is my theory on the research subject?

4Rs of Research Recent Reliable Relevant Representative

Taking Notes from Source Material After determining you are going to use a source, first prepare a 3x5 source card (see examples); Read and highlight pertinent information; Prepare a notecard by filling in the author’s last name (or 1st word in title if there is no author)and page number in the top right corner of the 4x6 card; Write your note on the same 4x6 card; it should be a complete sentence; and, remember, one idea per card only!

Then, go back and write one or two words on the top left line of the card to identify its contents at a glance! Continue to takes notes from that source (magazine article, webpage, etc.) until you are finished with relevant information; Next, move on to another source; Continue with the same process…source card first followed by as many notecards as you can take…

Source Card for a Book (3x5) Author’s/Editor’s last name, first name Title of Book (italicized) Publisher Date of publication Place of publication

Source Card for a Periodical--magazine, scholarly journal, newspaper (3x5) Author’s last name, first name “Title of article” Title of Periodical (italicized) Volume (if given) Date Exact pages

Source Card for a Website (3x5) Author’s last name, first name (if given) “Title of Document” Title of Webpage (italicized) Organization/affiliation (if given) Date of last update or any other version numbers Date of visit Medium (Web) URL (for personal use to go back to page)

Notecard Format (4x6) Slug (1 or 2 words) Author’s Last Pg. # Complete Note in Sentence Form (1 idea per card to make it easier for you to organize into paragraphs for your paper)

Types of Notecards Summary (brief overview of material) Paraphrase (restati ng in own words and writing style) Direct quote (exact words of source in quotes; use sparingly!)

Things to remember about notetaking: These notecards turn into you paper—do them right the first time and typing up your research will be a breeze! The source cards become your bibliography (or in MLA style, your Works Cited); do not leave any section blank when preparing them!

Major Issues List Now that you have determined your research topic, you now have to think about what aspects of the topic you plan to cover in your paper On a blank 3x5 card, write your research topic on the top line and the potential subdivisions of your paper below it Be as specific as you can The number of subdivisions you plan to cover depends upon the topic The order of the subdivisions is up to you and can change as you complete your notetaking (and you have a better idea of what will be included)

Thesis Statement One statement that specifies the point of the research It expresses what you plan to do with your research topic It is the statement of the aim, the goal, and the main idea of your paper It controls and focuses the paper

It is closely related to the organizational pattern of your paper It can be developed by using sources expert sources of information It conforms to notecard evidence and title It IS NOT a question It DOES NOT begin with “I am going to tell you…explain…”