How to write a good research paper

This Chapter o Outlines the logical steps to writing a good research paper. To achieve
supreme excellence or perfection in anything you do, you ne more than just the knowledge.
Like the Olympic athlete aiming for the gold medal, you must have a positive attitude and
the belief t that you have the ability to achieve it. That is the real start to writing 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 a 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. Network Solutions
provides a link where you can find out what some of the other ​Extensions​ stand for. Be wary
of the millions of personal home pages on the Net. The quality of these personal homepages
varies 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, .ws (WebSite), .cc (Cocos
Island) or .sh (St. Helena) or .tv (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 Books.com is unavailable, you can register as Books.ws or Books.info via a service agent
such as ​Register.com​.
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 special resource materials
on CDs:
• ​Online reference materials​ (including databases, e.g. SIRS, ProQuest, eLibrary, etc.)
• ​Wall Street Executive Library
• Index to Periodicals and Newspapers (e.g. ​MagPortal.com​, ​OnlineNewspapers.com​, etc.)
• ​Answers.com​ - an online dictionary and encyclopedia all-in-one resource that you can
install
on your computer free of charge and find One-Click Answers quickly.
• Encyclopedias (e.g. ​Encarta,​ ​Britannica,​ ​Canadian Encyclopedia,​ etc.)
• ​Magazines and Journals​ (e.g. ​Time,​ ​Discover​, ​National
Geographic​, ​Maclean's,​ ​Newsweek​, etc.)
• ​Newspapers​ (e.g. ​Los Angeles Times​, ​New York Times​, ​USA Today​, ​The Toronto
Star​,​Vancouver Sun​, etc.)
• ​Social Issues
• Subject Specific software (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 or desktop computer for later retrieval. If printing from the
Internet, it is wise to set up the browser to print the URL and date of access for every 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. INTRODUCTION - (Brief comment leading into subject matter -
Thesis statement on Shakespeare)
II. BODY - Shakespeare's Early Life, Marriage, Works, Later Years
A. Early life in Stratford
1. Shakespeare's family
a. Shakespeare's father
b. Shakespeare's mother
2. Shakespeare's marriage
a. Life of Anne Hathaway
b. Reference in Shakespeare's Poems
B. Shakespeare's works
1. Plays
a. Tragedies
i. Hamlet
ii. Romeo and Juliet
b. Comedies
i. The Tempest
ii. Much Ado About Nothing
c. Histories
i. King John
ii. Richard III
iii. Henry VIII
2. Sonnets
3. Other poems
C. Shakespeare's Later Years
1. Last two plays
2. Retired to Stratford
a. Death
b. Burial
i. Epitaph on his tombstone
III. CONCLUSION
A. Analytical summary
1. Shakespeare's early life
2. Shakespeare's works
 3. Shakespeare's later years
B. Thesis reworded
C. Concluding statement
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 or reword 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 content errors. Double check the facts and figures. 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 properly 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. 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 missed.
 

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?

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, by William Strunk, Jr.

For an excellent source on English composition, check out this classic book by William
Strunk, Jr. on the Elements of Style. Contents include: Elementary Rules of Usage,
Elementary Principles of Composition, Words & Expressions Commonly Misused, An
Approach to Style with a List of Reminders: Place yourself in the background, Revise and
rewrite, Avoid fancy words, Be clear, Do not inject opinion, Do not take shortcuts at the cost
of clarity, ... and much more. Details of ​The Elements of Style by William Strunk,
Jr.​ partially available online at Bartleby.com. Note: William Strunk, Jr. (1869–1946). ​The
Elements of Style​ was first published in 1918.
STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER
All formal reports or essays should be typewritten and printed, preferably on a good quality
printer.
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?"