Ten Steps to a Good Research Paper

Ten Steps to a Good Research Paper

To write a goodresearch paper, you must be specific about your topic, know what youwant to say, and say it effectively. Following these ten steps willhelp you write a good research paper.

Step 1.Choose Your Topic. Whenchoosing a topic, choose one in which you are interested, and for whichthere is enough information. If your topic is too broad, you will havedifficulty completing your paper. "The Effects of Pollution" is toobroad because there are so many effects of pollution. "The Effects ofPollution on Geese in the Northeast Section of Duluth, Minnesota" istoo narrow. You are not likely to find much information that is thisspecific. "The Effects of Pollution in Yosemite National Park" is justabout right as a topic.

Step 2. Locate Information. Useinformation from a variety of reference sources.These sources includeencyclopedias, almanacs, scholarly journals, books, magazines, andnewspapers. Find these sources in print form, on CD-ROMS, and on theInternet.

Step 3. Prepare Bibliography Cards. Preparebibliography cards to document the sources of information you use whenwriting your paper. Your library will have style manuals to illustratehow to prepare bibliography cards for various sources of information.

Step 4. Prepare Note Cards.Use note cards to record notes from each source you use whenwriting your paper. Number your note cards to keep track of them.

Step 5. Prepare an Outline. Writean outline for your paper by organizing your notes from the note cardsinto topics, subtopics, details, and subdetails. Use an organizationsuch as:

          I. (topic)
               A. (subtopic)
                    1.(detail)
                         a.(subdetail)

Step 6. Write A Rough Draft. Useyour note cards and outline to write a rough draft of your paper. Asyou write your draft, use numbered footnotes to credit sourcesfrom which you take quotations or major ideas.

Step 7. Revise Your Rough Draft. Make any changes needed to be sure your ideas are clearly expressed and your writing has accurate spelling and grammar.

Step 8. Prepare Your Bibliography. Atthe end of your paper, provide a list of all the sources you used togather information for the paper. Your bibliography cards will providethis information. List your sources in alphabetical order by the firstword on each of your bibliography cards.

Step 9. Prepare a Title Page and Table of Contents. Thetitle page is the first page of the paper. It should include the titleof your paper, your name, and the date on which the paper is due. Thetable of contents is the second page. It should list the main topics,important subtopics, and the page on which each is introduced in yourpaper.

Step 10. Final Checklist. Before handing in your paper, be sure you can answer "Yes" to each of the following questions.

Did I include a title page?

Did I include a table of contents?

Did I number all pages correctly?

Did I provide footnotes for quotations and major sources of information?

Did I include a bibliography?

Did I keep a second copy for my files?