RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT

A research paper is a paper that relies on outside documentation for information and support relating to your own opinions about a topic. The idea is to bring together ideas from a variety of sources in an effort to evaluate the evidence and express your own opinion of what the evidence says. Your sources will include primary materials (the texts and stories, for example) and secondary materials (essays and accounts written about the primary materials). Keep your opinion at the front, not those of your sources.

Your research should come from a variety of sources, depending upon your topic. Look for books, journal articles, magazine articles, etc., for your sources. Evaluate your sources as you find them by checking dates, origins, authors, etc. Be extremely careful when using internet resources. The most trustworthy internet sources will probably come from on-line journals, education sites (.edu), government sites (.gov) and on-line databases (FirstSearch, e.g.).

Length and Style of Paper -
I expect the paper to be between 5 and 7 pages in length. The paper should be typed, with 1-inch margins all around, in 12-point font, and double-spaced. The research paper will conform to MLA style guide (see Appendices A, B and C in Lit for Comp and Chs. 11, 13 and 15 in Writing Research Papers). You should use a minimum of four resources (a general rule is to have one resource per page, so 5 - 7 resources would be ideal).

SUGGESTED PROCESS FOR WRITING

Choose a Topic -
As we have been focusing on writing about literature in this course, it may be in your best interests to write a research paper about one (or more) of the stories or the authors that we have covered in the class. However, you are free to choose any topic of interest to you to research and report on. The important thing to remember in choosing your topic is to choose something that interests you; otherwise, your apathy will be reflected in your writing. You may want to have more than one topic in mind before you start your research. This will give you something to fall back on in case you cannot find enough (or find too much) material on your first choice. Think about a thesis -- what is it about the topic do you want to say?

Read, Read, Read -
Do some preliminary research on your topic and read or scan several of the sources you find. This will help you narrow down your topic and help you form a thesis. It will also help you decide if you have enough (or too much) information for your potential paper.

Prepare Thesis -
Restrict your topic to a particular idea. Decide on a preliminary thesis to work on. Note that this thesis may change during the course of your research based upon what you find (or do not find).

Research and Note Taking -
Be sure to make note of your sources (even those that you do not think you will use). Take down all relevant information that you will need for your works cited page. Take notes, making sure to indicate direct quotes. Avoid changing only a few words when you take notes -- this may lead to unintentional plagiarism. It is better to copy the quote directly and make your own comments about the quote next to it.

Prepare a Preliminary Outline -
Based on your research, order your materials in the form of an outline. An outline is extremely helpful in a longer paper such as a research paper. At the very least, jot down the general ideas you wish to address.

Preliminary Works Cited -
Make a list of all the works you took notes from or read. This will guarantee that you do not leave anything out. Once you have completed your final draft, you will revise this works cited list to eliminate any works you did not cite within your paper.

Prepare a Draft -
Put your ideas in a draft essay form. This draft will change over the course of your editing and revising (hence the term draft).

Revise, Edit, Proofread -
Reread, reorganize and edit your draft. Before preparing your final paper, be sure to check for spelling errors, punctuation mistakes and other minor problems with format.

Finalize Paper and Works Cited -
Prepare the final works cited page, making sure all your cited sources are included on the final page. Double check quotes and page numbers.

See also writing links section of the teaching links page.