Steps involved in writing a research paper

Use this outline as a flexible guide.
1. Discovering, Narrowing, and Focusing a Researchable Topic
2. Finding, Selecting, and Reading Sources
3. Grouping, Sequencing, and Documenting Information
4. Writing an Outline
5. Writing the Introduction
6. Writing the Body
7. Writing the Conclusion
8. Revising the Final Draft

Writing A Research Paper -- A Step by Step Approach

A Map of the Writing Process

Discovering, Narrowing, and Focusing a Researchable Topic

try to find a topic that truly interests you
try writing your way to a topic
talk with your teacher, parents and classmates about your topic
pose your topic as a question to be answered or a problem to be solved

Finding, Selecting, and Reading Sources
Look at the following types of sources:

card catalog, periodical indexes, bibliographies, suggestions from your parents, teachers
primary vs. secondary sources
journals, books, other documents

Grouping, Sequencing, and Documenting Information
Keep organized by creating:

a system for noting sources on bibliography cards
a system for organizing material according to its relative importance
a system for taking notes

Writing an Outline

What is the topic?
Why is it significant?
What background material is relevant?
What is my thesis or purpose statement?
What organizational plan will best support my purpose?

Writing the Introduction
In the introduction you will need to do the following things:

present relevant background or contextual material
define terms or concepts when necessary
explain the focus of the paper and your specific purpose
reveal your plan of organization

Writing the Body

use your outline as flexible guide
build your essay around points you want to make (i.e., don't let your sources organize your paper)
integrate your sources into your discussion
summarize, analyze, explain, and evaluate published work rather than merely reporting it
move up and down the "ladder of abstraction" from generalization to varying levels of detail back to generalization

Writing the Conclusion

if the argument or point of your paper is complex, you may need to summarize the argument for your reader
if prior to your conclusion you have not yet explained the significance of your findings or if you are proceeding inductively, use the end of your paper to add your points up, to explain their significance
move from a detailed to a general level of consideration that returns the topic to the context provided by the introduction
perhaps suggest what about this topic needs further research

Revising the Final Draft (proofreading)

check overall organization: logical flow of introduction, coherence and depth of discussion in body, effectiveness of conclusion
edit paragraphs: topic sentences, sequence of ideas within paragraphs, use of details to support generalizations, summary sentences where necessary, use of transitions within and between paragraphs
edit sentences: sentence structure, word choices, punctuation, spelling
check documentation: consistent use of one system, citation of all material not considered common knowledge, appropriate use of endnotes or footnotes, accuracy of list of works cited

A note about documentation: The primary elements of a bibliographic reference are the same for most styles of documentation,although the order in which they are presented may vary. These elements include the name of the author, the title, the place of publication, the publisher's name, the date of publication, and a designation of the location, or page number, of a reference. Many styles also include a designation of the publication medium. For electronic sources, however, some elements may be missing or must be translated into elements that make sense in a new era of publishing. For example, in place of an author's name, online authors may only use login names or aliases. Instead of a title, there may only be a file name. The place of publication and the name of the publisher are replaced online by the protocol and address, and, rather than a date of publication, the date you access the site may be the only means of designating the specific "edition" of an online work. On the WWW, a given site is always one page, regardless of its length. Pagination is thus an element of print publication that has little or no meaning in electronic documents or files. Since most Web browsers, word processing packages, and text editors allow the reader to search for specific words or phrases within a document, designating the location of a specific reference within an electronic document or file may be redundant. When in doubt, it is better to give too much information than too little.

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