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Contents

At a Glance
(A summary chart of the research process)

Refining Your Topic
Understanding your task
Narrowing a broad topic
Choosing your own topic
Writing a thesis statement
Developing an outline

Finding Information
Looking for information
Developing search terms
Using Southworth Library

Using Information
Evaluating your sources
Creating note cards
Avoiding plagiarism
Creating an outline

The Final Product
Writing your paper
Citing your sources
Proofreading
The final product

Links
(Includes Works Cited and Student Handouts)
Research Guide for Students
The Final Product

Writing your paper

By this point, you have found material on your topic, evaluated the sources, and created a set of note cards and an outline. You are ready to write your paper. Your teacher will help you with this process, but here are some steps to consider:

  • Check your original assignment to be sure you have covered the topic thoroughly – you may have to look for information to fill in the holes in your research.
  • Put your note cards in the same order as your outline.
  • Write the first draft.
  • Edit the first draft, preferably with input from your teacher.
  • Rewrite and finalize the paper.

Citing your sources

Using your source note cards or the Research Organizer, begin the process of citing your sources. You may have two types of sources: those that you used directly in your paper and those that you looked at, but didn’t quote from directly. The first sources should be included in the bibliography; the second groups should be listed as Works Cited. Your teacher will make this clear in the assignment. The following resources are helpful when formatting citations:

Proofreading

Writing a research paper requires the same standards as an English paper. Check the following:

The final product

Your teacher will tell you what the final product should look like. It is likely to need some or all of the following:

  • Cover page
    • Title
    • Your name
    • The date
    • Teacher's name
    • Course name
  • Body of the paper
    • Number the pages
    • Use font and margins specified by the teacher
  • Bibliography
    • Use citation style specified by the teacher; otherwise, use MLA citation style (see information above).
  • Works cited
    • Use citation style specified by the teacher.