There are a number of different kinds of research and papers, but the basic paper we would write for class requires a few standard elements - this is not to offer us busy work but to help us craft a legitimate piece that is informative and helpful for others. Hence, this is a brief guide on how to write research paperparts, in what order to do them, and, in some instances, why.
HOW to WRITE RESEARCH PAPER BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Notice that this task is first, here. It is for a good reason. You gather the books, periodicals, and articles (online and offline at your local or school library). Nest you will find tons of pages of material that you put into notes then summarize into your paper. Perhaps you return the library books. Or just maybe a website database of articles goes down. Obviously you can’t remember all of the page numbers or other bibliographical information to cite properly…. So…the thing to do is find the right resources, and immediately do the bibliography. As for some people, they still use the old-fashioned way that is putting each source on a separate index card. As for the others they type directly onto their computer. No matter which method you prefer, be sure to get the bibliographical info (author(s); title(s); place and date of publication) and, if you can, jot down page numbers.
HOW to WRITE RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINES
Sure, there are teachers who may ask for an outline early on, before you have your topic narrowed or your resources gathered. But think about this as a freeing exercise: you have a whole world of choices to touch, turn, examine, re-examine, and project on. First think of a concept or event or person, and think of all the possible categories you could include. If you like you can go by time, and do a historical survey; you can even consider cause and effect or problem and solution; you can build up an argument and come up with reasons and reasoning. Block off each part with headers and subheaders…. (Look at a site map for a larger website if you don’t want to use the old Roman numeral system.) You must think in terms of general to specific or largest to smallest (the smaller fitting inside the larger).
CONSULT EDUCATIONAL SITES for HOW to WRITE RESEARCH PAPER CITATIONS, ETC.
Be sure to cite - give credit to - everything you use directly from the text. It is al right to lift the choicest quotes; just be sure to put ” ” around anyone else’s words. Even if you paraphrase, you should use the parenthetical citation method (which is used in MLA, APA, and other documentation styles, anyway. Check Purdue University’s OWL (Online Writing Lab), Dartmouth’s Writing Center, or another trustworthy source for your source-citing, outlining, writing and other how-to-write-research-paper advice…cause I am running out of time. Oh, yeah, before I forget START EARLY! Nothing hurts more than putting in hours and hours worth of work and missing out on your deadline!
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