1.
Find a topic
a.
What are you
interested in
i.
Must hold your
attention for the long duration of your writing process
b.
You cannot know
all of the answers to your topic already
i.
It is a research
paper…you must do research, get facts, statistics, quotes, and more
2.
Research topic
a.
Conduct
preliminary research
b.
Search multiple
possible topics
i.
Look for one
with most information
ii.
Pick topic that
interests you the most/catches your attention
c.
Find at least 5
good sources to use for information
i.
Look for .org,
.edu, and .net (no .com)
1.
Further
information below (Five Things to Look for on a “Good” Website)
ii.
Cite sources as
you go
3.
Write thesis
statement
a.
Three prong
thesis (forwards or backwards)
i.
Three prong will
give you three sub-topics to focus on
4.
Write
introduction paragraph
a.
If you are
having trouble with the intro, skip over and start with the body paragraphs
that you have information for
b.
Order body
paragraphs from second most interesting paragraph, then third most interesting
in the middle, and end with you most interesting sub-topic
i.
You can switch
the first and last body paragraphs depending on your writing style
ii.
Hide your
weakest paragraph between the two
c.
If you skipped
the intro, go back and write introduction after body paragraphs now that you
know what your paper is about
i.
Make sure intro
has a good first sentence that catches the reader’s attention
ii.
Without an
attention getter, the reader will be bored from the start and not continue
reading your paper
5.
Write conclusion
paragraph
a.
Restate thesis
statement
b.
Wrap up all of
your information
c.
Include
information on all three sub-topics
d.
Have a call you
action
6.
Finish up
Bibliography
a.
Should have
cited as you went along
b.
Order citations
Alphabetically
7.
If doing an APA
style paper, write abstract after you finish paper
a.
An abstract is a
shorten version of your paper
i.
Hits all main
points
ii.
A few sentences
at the most
8.
If doing an APA
style paper, make a cover page
a.
Start with:
i.
Title
ii.
Name
iii.
School
iv.
Date that paper
is due
9.
Go back, edit
paper and any mistakes you find
a.
Make sure you
have a running header on each page
b.
Page numbers are
needed
10. Have a friend peer edit your paper
a.
They will double
check for any missing errors you forgot to change
11. Turn paper into Turnitin.com and go to Originality
tab
a.
This will double
check on your plagiarism
12. Turn in paper
 |
| You can use books or computers to research facts about your topic |
Five Things to Look for on a “Good” Website
1.
Currency:
a.
Information is
kept up to date
b.
If there are
dead links—DO NOT USE
2.
Authority:
a.
Credentials of
who is writing this site is cited
i.
Easy to find who
wrote information
b.
Have references
3.
Purpose:
a.
Figure out if it
is actually informational—no nonsense information
i.
To the point of
the topic
b.
Look at URL
4.
Objectivity:
a.
Look to see if
information is biased
b.
Stay away from
websites with a lot of advertising
5.
Writing Style:
a.
Information is
clear
b.
No errors in the
text
c.
Everything is
spelled correctly
You can remember these five easy
researching tips but using the acronym: CAPOW
 |
| The acronym CAPOW is used to tell you if a website is "good" to use for your research paper |
Prince, P. “Researching Online For College Students:
Five Easy Steps.” YouTube. 4 April
2008. 11 Feb. 2014. Web.
Tips about
Wikipedia
·
Don’t cite as a
source because it is an encyclopedia
·
Look for key
words that will help you narrow your research for other cites
o Topic phrases
o Dates
o People and Organizations
o Related Terms
·
Use citations
and links at the bottom of Wikipedia
o See if those cites meet CAPOW steps and use those
for information instead of Wikipedia
Baird, Michael. “Using Wikipedia for Academic
Research.” YouTube. 21 July 2011. 11
Feb. 2014. Web.
Helpful Researching Tips
·
Only 10-15% of
paper can be direct quotes—no more than 15 and no less than 10
o Need some of original authors straight words but it
still is your paper so your voice needs to be heard too
·
Look for primary and secondary sources
o Primary: an original record created during its time
period, that does not contain any outside interpretation
o Secondary: An analysis, interpretations, usually
written after the event
 |
| Primary sources are first hand accounts while secondary sources are re-written accounts. |
Geisel. “What is a
Primary Source.” YouTube. 21 May 2008.
11 Feb. 2014. Web.
·
Finding a topic:
o Create a word bank of known words about topic
o Use search engine and social media to look up words
in bank
o Organize what you find
o Frame your topic
Our Classroom Research Paper
·
5-8 pages
·
Start with broad
topic then narrow it down
·
APA or MLA
·
7 sources
minimum
·
10 parenthetical
citations
Summary vs. Paraphrase:
When you research, a
lot of your paper will be a paraphrasing of the article you just read online
about your topic. Some however, will be summaries from that same article. But
they are different…how? When summarizing or paraphrasing facts you found online
for your paper, change the sentence structure so it is not considered
plagiarism. If it starts with a subject then verb change it up and makes it a
verb then the subject; this is so it is still the same information you want, it
is just not copied.
To change up a sentence
structure:
1.
Use gerunds
2.
Predicate then
subject
Summary:
·
Is in your own
words of what you just read
·
Need a citation
·
Used for large
amounts of information
·
Main idea of
information
·
Short
Paraphrase:
o In your own words
o Main idea and details
o Need a citation
o Used for small amounts of information
o Longer
 |
| Though similar, summarizing and paraphrasing are very different |
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