This page lists some of the stages involved in writing a library-based research paper.
Although this list suggests that there is a simple, linear process to writing such a paper, the actual process of writing a research paper is often a messy and recursive one, so please use this outline as a flexible guide.
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 course instructor 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
You will need to look at the following types of sources:
- library catalog, periodical indexes, bibliographies, suggestions from your instructor
- primary vs. secondary sources
- journals, books, other documents
Grouping, Sequencing, and Documenting Information
The following systems will help keep you organized:
- 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 and a Prospectus for Yourself
Consider the following questions:
- 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 and prospectus as flexible guides
- 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
- Check overall organization: logical flow of introduction, coherence and depth of discussion in body, effectiveness of conclusion.
- Paragraph level concerns: topic sentences, sequence of ideas within paragraphs, use of details to support generalizations, summary sentences where necessary, use of transitions within and between paragraphs.
- Sentence level concerns: sentence structure, word choices, punctuation, spelling.
- 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.
Choose a topic that's appropriate to the length of your paper. Students often pick topics that are too broad to be adequately covered. Narrow topics lead to close observation, while broad topics lead to overgeneralization. If you're writing a five‐page paper, don't write on the history of women's rights; instead, write about one incident in the history of women's rights. Even a personal or descriptive essay will be better if you choose a narrow topic—your childhood in a small town, for example, rather than your childhood, or your uncle's barn rather than the Midwest.
Avoid a topic that will tempt you to summarize rather than to discuss or analyze. Don't choose the plot of Macbeth but how the final scene of Macbeth illustrates the play's theme. The second topic is narrower and less likely to lead to summary. When considering a topic, ask yourself if it can lead to a reasonable thesis.
Choose a topic that interests you. If you don't care about limiting cigarette advertising, don't select it as a topic for a persuasive essay. You'll have more to say, and you'll write better, on something you care about. Generally, if you choose a topic that is interesting to you, then your reader will find it interesting too.
If your assignment requires research, choose a topic on which you can find material. Even when you aren't writing a research paper, make sure you select a subject that you can develop with sufficient details.
After you've picked a topic, don't be afraid to change it if it isn't working out. Instructors would rather you write a good essay than that you grind out pages on something that was a poor choice.
Topic vs. thesis
Don't confuse a topic with a main idea or thesis. The topic provides the subject; the thesis makes an assertion about that subject. Here are a few examples of topics that might be assigned to a college student:
Compare and contrast X's poem “To a Wolf” with Y's poem “The Happy Meercat.” Consider both theme and technique.
Discuss the following statement: “No matter how much we may deplore human rights violations in China, the United States should not impose sanctions on the Chinese government.” Do you agree or disagree? Support your opinion.
Analyze Shakespeare's use of clothing imagery in King Lear.
Describe an incident in your life that caused you to change an opinion or attitude.
“The Civil War had much more to do with economics than with morality.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your opinion.
Topics 2 and 5 ask the writer to argue a position. A sentence expressing that position is a thesis statement. A thesis statement for the second topic might be: Imposing sanctions on China would be a mistake because it would hurt the American economy, because sanctions are notoriously unsuccessful as a way to force change, and because the United States should not interfere in the internal policies of other countries.
While the other topics don't ask the writer to take a position, the writer should still formulate a thesis. A thesis statement for the first bullet might be: Although both poet X and poet Y show appreciation for their subjects, poet X's “To a Wolf” symbolizes the separation between humans and other animals, while poet Y's “The Happy Meercat” symbolizes the connection between all living things. With this thesis statement, the writer makes a point about the topic and sets up a direction for developing the content of the essay.
Writing a thesis statement
When you write a paper that will, for example, analyze a literary work, compare theories, identify causes or effects, or argue a position, you should be able to write a thesis statement. You can refine and improve it as you go along, but try to begin with a one‐sentence statement. A thesis statement can help you steer a straight course and avoid digression.
Don't be satisfied with weak generalities that fail to zero in on your main point. The following are examples of pseudo‐thesis statements:
Poets X and Y make important points about animals in their poems “To a Wolf” and “The Happy Meercat.”
People hold different opinions as to whether it is wise to impose sanctions on China because of their human rights violations.
Shakespeare uses quite a bit of clothing imagery in King Lear.
None of these statements provides a clear direction for an essay because the assertions they make are too vague. A better thesis statement for the third example might be: Clothing images in King Lear reflect the development of Lear from a man blinded by appearances to a man able to face the naked truth. Remember that creating a thesis statement is important to the way you approach your topic and will help you direct your thinking and writing.