5 Steps to Writing the Research Paper

1. Choose a subject.

It is important to choose a subject that you are interested in. It may be helpful to read an article about your topic in an encyclopedia.

2. Research your subject at the library, taking notes from your sources.

Use books , magazines , encyclopedias, or the Internet . Take down the necessary information from these sources, making sure not to copy unless you acknowledge the writer who you quoted. Include all sources in your bibliography :

3. Formulate your thesis and outline.

After choosing a subject and doing research, you must now decide how you will work with this topic. If, for example, you have chosen a person as your subject, you may want to write about his/her personal life, work, environment, or other areas relating to this person. After you have narrowed your decision, you must now come up with a thesis statement that will be included in your introduction and closely followed throughout your research paper. By creating an outline of your research paper, you can be sure that you will not stray from your thesis, and you will help ensure an organized, coherent paper.

4. Write the first draft.

A. Check your thesis statement to be sure that it relates to all the information that you have found during your research. If not, make changes.

B. When using information you have taken or quoted from your sources, be sure to use citations. A citation names the author and the page number of your source in parentheses within the body of your report.

            i.) Cite a source when you quote an author's exact words.

            Example: “Abraham Lincoln was a significant figure in the formation of the United States of America” (Catton 39).

            ii.) Cite a source if you paraphrase or summarize an author's words.

            Example: Abraham Lincoln was very important to the creation of our

            great country (Catton 39).

Plagiarism is theft!

Plagiarism is using another writer's words or ideas as your own and not showing where you got them. You must avoid plagiarism. If you are caught plagiarizing, or stealing words or ideas, your research paper will receive an automatic zero and your final grade in the class will drop one letter grade. Beware!

5. Revise the text; write an introduction and conclusion; add pictures; be sure the final draft is in proper form.

**Proofread your text for spelling and grammatical errors**