Tips for Writing a Research Paper

Part 1: Getting Started

Adapted from teacher notes and Research Papers (Twelfth and Fourteenth Editions) by William Coyle and Joe Law

The Research Paper Process in a

Nutshell

Why research?

• Discussion: How do we use research in our daily lives?

• It is more than just searching for information—it is a process of analysis, interpretation, organization, and writing

The Process In a Nutshell

• Begin with a general subject, narrow that into a topic, and reduce that initial “hypothesis” into a working thesis

• Exploratory research

• Extensive Research—take notes, collect and organize information that supports your thesis

The Process In a Nutshell

• Organize your notes into an outline; revise your thesis if needed

• Review how to cite sources in MLA Style (use Purdue OWL)

• Write your paper! Organize the results of your research into an essay. BE SURE TO DOCUMENT THE SOURCES OF ALL BORROWED MATERIAL!

Choosing and Refining a Topic for

Research

Report vs. Argument

• Refer to notes from REPORT VS. ARGUMENT SLIDESHOW

• Most research papers in college will be an academic argument!

• Attempt to explain, to analyze, or to persuade

• Our purpose: to analyze

Report vs. Argument

• This assignment is not a persuasive paper!

• Topics to avoid: people and moral “hot button issues”

• Brainstorm for a good topic!

What makes a good topic?

• “It should be narrow enough to be developed fully” (Coyle and Law 6).

• “It should require research” (6).

• “It should be a topic that you can consider objectively” (7).

• “It should be a topic that you are curious about but not overly familiar with” (7).

• “It should be within your scope” (7).

Developing a Thesis Statement

• Refer to notes from THESIS SLIDESHOW

• The natural progress of thesis development:

SUBJECTTOPICTHESIS

• Focus on asking WHY? or HOW?

Developing a Thesis Statement

• Declarative statements only!

• Cause-and-effect relationships

• Social Issues

• No secrets! Spoilers are encouraged!

• Working thesis on your Student Topic Sheet

Conducting Your Research

Validity of Online Content

• Using the Internet— “a library without walls” (Coyle and Law 30)

• Like taking a drink from a fire hydrant

• Definition of “Peer Reviewed”

• EBSCO, SIRS, Teen Health & Wellness

Validity of Online Content

• Site domains—who hosts it?– .edu (academic institution)– .gov (government agency)– .org (nonprofit organization)– .com/.bus (commercial organization)

• Marketing bias (.com/.bus)

• Ideological bias (.org); political viewpoints and ideologies

• Tracing URL’s back to their source

Validity of Online Content

• No controls over “self-publishing”– Avoid non-experts, anonymous postings,

etc.

• Outdated versions/information

• Full text vs. Abstracts/Summaries

Validity of Online Content

• Wikipedia’s Disclaimer– Shane Fitzgerald (Dublin University)

• lonelygirl15 (Bree, age 16)– June 2006-August 2008– MySpace interactions– September 2006– The Order– 19 year old

• PNC Park