How to Write an A+ Research Paper
This Chapter outlines the logical steps to writing a good research paper. To
achieve supreme excellence or perfection in anything you do, you need more than
just the knowledge. Like the Olympic athlete aiming for the gold medal, you
must have a positive attitude and the belief that you have the ability to achieve it.
That is the real start to writing an A+ research paper.
CONTENTS:
STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC
STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION
STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS
STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE
STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES
STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT
STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT
Checklist One Checklist Two
STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER
STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC
Choose a topic which interests and challenges you. Your attitude towards the
topic may well determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm you put into your
research.
Focus on a limited aspect, e.g. narrow it down from "Religion" to "World
Religion" to "Buddhism". Obtain teacher approval for your topic before
embarking on full scale research. If you are uncertain as to what is expected of
you in completing the assignment or project, re-read your assignment sheet
carefully or ASK your teacher.
Select a subject you can manage. Avoid subjects that are too technical, learned,
or specialized. Avoid topics that have only a very narrow range of source
materials.
STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION
Surf the Net.
For general or background information, check out useful URLs, general
information online, almanacs or encyclopedias online such as Britannica, or
Encarta, etc. Use Search Engines and other search tools as a starting point.
Pay attention to domain name extensions, e.g., .edu (educational institution), .gov
(government), or .org (non-profit organization). These sites represent institutions
and tend to be more reliable, but be watchful of possible political bias in some
government sites. Be selective of .com (commercial) sites. Many .com sites are
excellent; however, a large number of them contain advertisements for products
and nothing else. Be wary of the millions of personal home pages on the Net. The
quality of these personal homepages vary greatly. Learning how to evaluate Web
sites critically and to search effectively on the Internet can help you eliminate
irrelevant sites and waste less of your time.
The recent arrival of a variety of domain name extensions such as .biz
(commercial businesses), .pro, .info (info on products / organizations), .name
(personal names set to launch in May 2002), .ws (WebSite), .cc (from Cocos
Island) or .sh (from St. Helena) or .tv (from Tuvalu) may create some confusion
as you would not be able to tell whether a .cc or .sh or .tv site is in reality a .com,
a .edu, a .gov, a .net, or a .org site. Many of the new extensions have no
registration restrictions and are available to anyone who wishes to register a
distinct domain name that has not already been taken. For instance, if
XXXXXXXXX is unavailable, you can register as XXXXXXXX or XXXXXXXXfo via a
service agent such as XXXXXXXXXXXX.
Depending on the information you are searching, the Internet is not always the
easiest nor the first place you should try especially if you don't have ready access
to a computer. Some students unnecessarily line up for a computer to find the
meaning of a word when they should be using their common sense, i.e. a simple
dictionary. Often the traditional printed resource, such as an encyclopedia, a
dictionary, an almanac, or a directory, can provide you with the needed
information much faster. This situation may change, however, as libraries
provide more free Internet access, subscribe more to online resources and buy
fewer printed materials.
To find books in the Library use the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog).
Check out other print materials available in the Library:
􀂃 Almanacs, Atlases, AV Catalogs
􀂃 Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
􀂃 Government Publications, Guides, Reports
􀂃 Magazines, Newspapers
􀂃 Vertical Files
􀂃 Yellow Pages, Zip or Postal Code and Telephone Directories
Check out online resources, Web based information services, or resource
materials on CD-ROMs:
􀂃 Online reference materials (e.g. Electric Library, EBSCO, etc.)
􀂃 Index to Periodicals and Newspapers (e.g. XXXXXXXXXXXXX,
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, MAS, Resource One, etc.)
􀂃 Encyclopedias (e.g. Encarta, Britannica, Canadian Encyclopedia, etc.)
􀂃 Magazines and Journals in full text and/or full image (e.g. Time,
Maclean's, Newsweek, etc.)
􀂃 Newspapers (e.g. USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times,
Toronto Star, etc.)
􀂃 Social Issues (e.g. SIRS, IssueQuest, etc.)
􀂃 Subject Specific CD-ROMs (e.g. Discovering Authors, Exploring
Shakespeare, etc.)
Check out Public and University Libraries, businesses, government agencies, as
well as contact knowledgeable people in your community.
Read and evaluate. Bookmark your favorite Internet sites. Printout, photocopy,
and take notes of relevant information.
As you gather your resources, jot down full bibliographical information (author,
title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page numbers, URLs,
creation or modification dates on Web pages, and your date of access) on your
work sheet, printout, or enter the information on your laptop for later retrieval.
If printing from the Internet, it is wise to use a browser that provides you with
the URL and date of access on every printed page. Remember that an article
without bibliographical information is useless since you cannot cite its source.
STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS
Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement down in one sentence.
Your thesis statement is like a declaration of your belief. The main portion of
your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief.
STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE
All points must relate to the same major topic that you first mentioned in your
capital Roman numeral.
Example of an outline:
I. Shakespeare's life
A. Early life in Stratford
1. Shakespeare's family
a. Shakespeare's father
b. Shakespeare's mother
2. Shakespeare's marriage
B. The Elizabethan Theater
1. The Globe Theater
a. History of the Globe
b. Owners of the Globe
c. Structure of the Globe
2. Acting companies
a. Men and boys
b. Sponsorships
II. Shakespeare's plays
A. Hamlet
B. Romeo and Juliet
The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic carefully and
organize it logically before you start writing. A good outline is the most
important step in writing a good paper. Check your outline to make sure that the
points covered flow logically from one to the other. Include in your outline an
INTRODUCTION, a BODY, and a CONCLUSION. Make the first outline
tentative.
INTRODUCTION - State your thesis and the purpose of your research paper
clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you
plan to approach your topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison,
or an analysis of a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover
in your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic.
BODY - This is where you present your arguments to support your thesis
statement. Remember the Rule of 3, i.e. find 3 supporting arguments for each
position you take. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and
end with the strongest argument for your final point.
CONCLUSION - Restate your thesis. Summarize your arguments. Explain why
you have come to this particular conclusion.
STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES
Organize all the information you have gathered according to your outline.
Critically analyze your research data. Using the best available sources, check for
accuracy and verify that the information is factual, up-to-date, and correct.
Opposing views should also be noted if they help to support your thesis. This is
the most important stage in writing a research paper. Here you will analyze,
synthesize, sort, and digest the information you have gathered and hopefully
learn something about your topic which is the real purpose of doing a research
paper in the first place. You must also be able to effectively communicate your
thoughts, ideas, insights, and research findings to others through written words
as in a report, an essay, a research or term paper, or through spoken words as in
an oral or multimedia presentation with audio-visual aids.
Do not include any information that is not relevant to your topic, and do not
include information that you do not understand. Make sure the information that
you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own words, if possible.
Plagiarism is definitely out of the question. Document all ideas borrowed or
quotes used very accurately. As you organize your notes, jot down detailed
bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and have it ready to
transfer to your Works Cited page.
Devise your own method to organize your notes. One method may be to mark
with a different color ink or use a hi-liter to identify sections in your outline, e.g.,
IA3b - meaning that the item "Accessing WWW" belongs in the following
location of your outline:
I. Understanding the Internet
A. What is the Internet
3. How to "Surf the Net"
b. Accessing WWW
Group your notes following the outline codes you have assigned to your notes,
e.g., IA2, IA3, IA4, etc. This method will enable you to quickly put all your
resources in the right place as you organize your notes according to your outline.
STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT
Start with the first topic in your outline. Read all the relevant notes you have
gathered that have been marked, e.g. with the capital Roman numeral I.
Summarize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you plan to use in your
essay. Use a technique that suits you, e.g. write summaries, paraphrases or
quotations on note cards, or separate sheets of lined paper. Mark each card or
sheet of paper clearly with your outline code or reference, e.g., IB2a or IIC, etc.
Put all your note cards or paper in the order of your outline, e.g. IA, IB, IC. If
using a word processor, create meaningful filenames that match your outline
codes for easy cut and paste as you type up your final paper, e.g. cut first
Introduction paragraph and paste it to IA. Before you know it, you have a well
organized term paper completed exactly as outlined.
If it is helpful to you, use a symbol such as "#" to mark the spot where you would
like to check back later to edit a paragraph. The unusual symbol will make it
easy for you to find the exact location again. Delete the symbol once editing is
completed.
STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT
Read your paper for any errors in content. Arrange and rearrange ideas to
follow your outline. Reorganize your outline if necessary, but always keep the
purpose of your paper and your readers in mind.
CHECKLIST ONE:
1. Is my thesis statement concise and clear?
2. Did I follow my outline? Did I miss anything?
3. Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence?
4. Are all sources cited to ensure that I am not plagiarizing?
5. Have I proved my thesis with strong supporting arguments?
6. Have I made my intentions and points clear in the essay?
Re-read your paper for grammatical errors. Use a dictionary or a thesaurus as
needed. Do a spell check if using a word processor. Correct all errors that you
can spot and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of your ability.
Get someone else to read it over. Sometimes a second pair of eyes can see
mistakes that you cannot.
CHECKLIST TWO:
1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence?
2. Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples?
3. Any run-on or unfinished sentences?
4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words?
5. Varying lengths of sentences?
6. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next?
7. Any spelling or grammatical errors?
8. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation?
9. Are all my citations accurate and in correct format?
10. Did I avoid using contractions? Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not"
instead of "don't"?
11. Did I use third person as much as possible? Avoid using phrases such as "I
think", "I guess", "I suppose"
12. Have I made my points clear and interesting but remained objective?
13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper?
For an excellent source on English composition, check out Elements of Style by
William Strunk, Jr.
STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER
All formal reports or essays should be typewritten using a word processor, or in
the rare case, a typewriter.
Read the assignment sheet again to be sure that you understand fully what is
expected of you, and that your essay meets the requirements as specified by your
teacher. Know how your essay will be evaluated.
Proofread final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation, missing or duplicated
words. Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is clean, tidy, neat, and
attractive.
Aim to have your final paper ready a day or two before the deadline. This gives
you peace of mind and a chance to triple check. Before handing in your
assignment for marking, ask yourself: "Is this the VERY BEST that I can do?"
Please visit the Ontario Library Association Website to access Information
Studies: Kindergarten to Grade 12 for details on Information Literacy - "the key
to helping students use learning throughout their lives as a way to solve problems,
act ethically, plan for the future and prepare for change." This is a massive and
well developed site that provides detailed grade by grade information on
achievement levels, inquiry and research, information technologies, information
and society as they apply to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Explanatory notes and appendices are also included.