1. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Research: diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc. (Dictionary.com Unabridged)
Research paper – a formal essay based on accumulation of facts and ideas gathered in the research process.

2. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Steps:
Selecting a topic
Formulating a thesis
Preparing an outline
Finding information: the search strategy
Evaluating resources
Taking notes
Writing the text of the paper
Documenting the sources

3. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Selecting a topic
Clearly understand the assignment.
If a list of topics is offered, choose the one that seems most interesting to you.
If there are no suggested topics, choose a subject relevant to the course.
Start thinking early.
Don’t be too broad – don’t be too narrow.

4. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Formulating a thesis
Thesis is a concise statement of two or three sentences that provides a framework for the paper. The search strategy (the process to be used in locating information) is determined by the thesis since the information located must support the thesis.
Preliminary search (reference literature, library catalog, periodicals, opposing viewpoints).
Developing a thesis:
begin with a question, not an opinion
conduct preliminary research
prepare a final statement that indicates
that the thesis is supported by evidence

5. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Preparing an outline
(Outline is a guide, a skeleton of the future work.)
Divide the thesis into several major points, each point should be further subdivided.
Can be changed in the process of locating information.
Example:
Topic: Asbestos Poisoning
Introduction
Definition of Asbestos Poisoning
Significance of the Study
Definition of Terms
Body
Symptoms of Asbestos Poisoning
Effects of Asbestos Poisoning
Treatments
Conclusion
Recommendations
How to Deal with Asbestos Hazards

6. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Finding information
Strategy
Analyzing information you need:
Level of specificity (Facts? Opinions? Background? How much information?)
Time line (Current? Historical view?)
Focus (Specific subject area or discipline?)
Level of scholarship (for brief facts – popular sources, for more in-depth look – scholarly resources.)
Type of information (primary sources – secondary – tertiary.)
Determining which search terms you need (broad – narrow – refine.)

7. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Finding information (continued)
Locating sources
Preliminary ideas: periodicals, Internet, etc.
Overview of topic: general encyclopedias & other reference literature
Definitions – dictionaries
Primary sources: newspapers, research reports, manuscripts, government publications
Secondary sources: books, magazine and journal articles, subject encyclopedias
Facts: almanacs, yearbooks, statistics, government publications
Current information: newspapers, periodicals
Historical information: books, encyclopedias, periodicals
Evaluative sources: book reviews, biographies

8. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Evaluating sources (suitability, reliability)
Is information relevant to the thesis & outline?
Is it current research?
Is the source reliable?
Is there bias or prejudice?
Taking notes
Take notes about the sources, paraphrase, make quotations, retain the author’s meaning, keep bibliographic information.
Writing paper
May take several drafts

9. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Documenting sources
Need citations for:
Ideas, opinions, or theories; graphs, charts, art works that are not your own; paraphrases.
Don’t need citations for:
Common knowledge.
Manuals of style
APA (American Psychological Association)
MLA (Modern Language Association)

10. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PAPER
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the uncredited use (both intentional and unintentional) of somebody else's words or ideas.
Copyright – a set of rights granted by a state to the creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute, and adapt the work.
Fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders (e.g. criticism, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship.)
Public domain. Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all or if the intellectual property rights have expired.