Salwa Sultan

Writing a Research Paper

Student Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Purpose……………………………………………………….. pg. 2
Components of a Research Paper……………………….. pg. 2
The Research Process: ………………………………………… pg. 3
Choose a Subject…………………………………………………….. pg. 3

Develop Your Research Question………………………………… pg. 3

Choose Your Sources……………………………………………….. pg. 4

Take Notes…………………………………………………………….. pg. 5

Cite Sources……………………………………………………………. pg. 8

Organize Ideas ……………………………………………………….. pg. 8

Write the First Draft………………………………………………… pg. 10

Prepare Research Format…………………………………………. pg. 10

Revise………………………………………………………………….. pg. 14

Proofread……………………………………………………………… pg. 14

Share Your Final Essay……………………………………………… pg. 14

1
 Salwa Sultan

THE PURPOSE

Why write a research paper?

People often do research to

-learn something new,

-investigate an unfamiliar topic,

-solve a complex problem,

-make a complex decision,

-compare points of view,

-evaluate products or services, or

-identify evidence that supports a point of view.

Writing a research report is a great way to go below the surface of a topic. In this unit, you will learn how to
synthesize information from multiple sources into a logical and meaningful research paper.

COMPONENTS OF A RESEARCH PAPER

A research paper presents and interprets information gathered through an extensive study of a subject. An
effective research paper contains all of the following:

• A clearly stated thesis statement

• Convincing textual evidence from a variety of external sources, including direct quotations with in-text
citations

• An organized structure that includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion

• A Works Cited list that provides a complete listing of research sources employed

2
 Salwa Sultan

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

1. Choose a Subject

Endless Possibilities

What will you research? The possibilities are truly endless. You should pick a subject you will not mind spending
quite a bit of time reading, thinking, and writing about. Begin by brainstorming a list of subjects that interest you.

Do some preliminary readings in general reference books or online libraries and periodicals. Make sure that
enough reference material is available on the topic. A good subject is also one that is interesting and important.

Think about purpose and audience

The main purpose of a research paper is to share what you have discovered about your topic. Your research should
be a balanced mixture of information you have found and conclusions you have drawn about your topic.

Consider your audience. If these are your peers and/or teacher, they may not be experts on your chosen topic. You
can assume they may have some general information, but may not be familiar with the specifics. This should
influence what you include in your paper and how you communicate those ideas.

2. Develop a Research Question

You use academic research to answer questions or extend your knowledge about people, places, things, and
ideas. Here are some questions you could use as the focus of formal research:

• How have advances in forensic science changed the prosecution of crimes?

• What are some ecological effects of major floods?
• How does literature reflect the times in which it is written?

What Makes a Good Question for a Research Paper?

A well-designed research question is broad enough to allow you to find plenty of material but narrow enough
to let you focus on a specific topic. Consider the following questions:

 Is the question too broad?

When you are assigned a research paper, you have a limited amount of time to complete it. When
writing your question, make sure that you focus on a manageable topic. For example, a question that
asks, “What rights does the Bill of Rights protect?” is way too broad. Focus on rights protected by
specific amendments, such as freedom of speech or assembly.

 Is the question too narrow?

Choosing too narrow a research question is also a big problem. For example, the question, “Who
voted against the amendment guaranteeing trial by jury?” is only a place to start; what other
questions can spring from it?

3
 Salwa Sultan

 Is the question relevant and significant?

Good research questions focus on a topic that interests both you and your readers. Questions should
be thought-provoking.

You are going to spend a lot of time with your topic; it should be one that you find genuinely
interesting. When you choose a topic, ask yourself this basic question, “So what?” If you don’t have
an answer, then pick another focus.

 Can I find the answer to this question?

As you write your question, think about where you might find the answers! For example, you might
ask, “When was the last time the Third Amendment, prohibiting housing soldiers in a private home
without the owner’s permission, was enforced?” This question probably has a very interesting
answer, but it may be hard to find. If you run into too many dead ends as you start looking, you may
need to switch your focus.

 How can I write a well-designed research question?

Consider the following question: “What issues prompted the passage of the Bill of Rights?”

• First, the question is relevant to the research prompt.

• Second, the question is neither too broad nor too narrow.
• Third, the question is interesting, significant, and thought-provoking.

Apply these criteria as you write your research questions.

TIP

If the question can be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No,” or if the question can’t be answered in
the amount of time you have, the question is not well designed for research.

3. Choose Your Sources

Identify and evaluate sources for the information you need. These sources may be print, like books or
newspapers, or digital, like websites. You might even use interviews with people in your research.

Some Credible Sources for Research Writing

1) Scholarly articles

Where can these be found?

EbscoHost
JSTOR
Google Scholar
Bloom’s Literature

4
 Salwa Sultan

2) Literature (Books, Poetry, Short Stories)

Where can these be found?

Google Books
ProQuest
Library Ebooks
Poetry Foundation
Norton Anthologies

3) Interviews, Speeches, TV Clips, Documentaries

Where can these be found?

Youtube
Archives
History Channel
Discovery Channel
PBS

4) Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Where can these be found?

The New York Times

The Wall Street Journal
The Economist
Bloomberg
Scientific American
Smithsonian

4. Take Notes

Making note cards will help you organize the information you gather as you read. How can you decide what is
important enough to write down? Ask yourself these questions. If you cab answer yes to both of them, make
a note of the information.

1. Does the information relate to my research question?

2. Will the information interest my audience or give them a clearer understanding of my topic?

To create your note cards, follow the guidelines below:

1) Write down facts, statistics, examples, and quotations that help answer your research question. Your
notes will provide the elaboration you need in each paragraph of your report.

5
 Salwa Sultan

How to write down information?

 Paraphrase/Summarize
 Quote
 Include your own thoughts about what the writer has to say

Paraphrase

An example of what you read:

"I had to explain to him that I was deaf. I said, 'Wait; I can't hear;
please talk slowly.' He looked at me and said, 'What?' I told him again
I was deaf, and he said, 'Oh.' He pointed to a door and told me to go
through that door. I followed his instructions. I opened the door and
walked through it, closing the door behind me. I found that I was in
the hallway near the elevator where I had just come up. I was
shocked! He had rejected me without any explanation. I got into the
elevator, and as it descended, I felt very letdown. I couldn't
understand why he didn't give me a chance to explain that I could do
the job well. It didn't require hearing!"
-- Bernard Bragg, My First Summer Job, A Handful of Stories, 19

An example of paraphrasing what you read:

In A Handful of Stories, Bernard Bragg tells a story

of trying to get a job. One time he told a potential
employer he was deaf, and the man just pointed to
the door. Mr. Bragg, not realizing the man was
telling him to leave, opened the door and stepped
out. Not until he went out the door did he realize he
had been rejected because he was deaf (19).

Quote

Use quotation marks “ “ to show EXACTLY what the author was saying (Do NOT use more than 4 lines)

Include Author’s Last Name and Page Number on which you found the information, directly after the quote. For
example,

According to Hughes, “poetry rocks!” (Hughes,

p. 2)

What to include on the note card?

1. Category Label

Label each card with a category that tells the type of information it provides. When you find other
information about the same part of your topic, you will give it the same category label. Your categories will
depend on your topic. If you are researching an animal, for example, you might have categories such as
Appearance, Behavior, and Habitat. As you research, you may discover additional categories of

6
 Salwa Sultan

information. For example, if you are writing a paper on the life and works of the poet, Langston Hughes,
you may have cards with labels such as:

• Hughes' upbringing
• Hughes' influences
• Hughes' poetry
• Hughes' political beliefs
• Hughes' influence on America

2. Source Number

For your research, you might use 4-5 different source materials. Give each source a number on the card
instead of writing it fully several times. On a separate piece of paper, you can list down your sources with
the corresponding numbers.

3. Information

It is helpful to paraphrase, or summarize, your research on the index cards while you are taking notes. If
you are consistent in paraphrasing at this stage, then you will be certain not to accidentally plagiarize
someone else's work. You will also have less work to do when you are actually writing the paper.

4. Page numbers

Write the page number where you found the information. It is important to be accurate with the page
numbers on your note cards, as you will need them for citations throughout your research paper.

SAMPLE NOTE CARDS

Organized by Card Topics

Note: Use ONE card for ONE piece of information. In other words, ONE card should list ONE fact, quotation, or
statistic.

7
 Salwa Sultan

5. Cite Sources

In-text citations are included to indicate any information that is not common knowledge. Citations are always
included with direct quotations. Usually an in-text citation is the author’s last name and the page number
where the information was found in parentheses (Thomas 16). The end punctuation comes after the citation.
If you refer to the author’s name in your writing, cite only the page number. And if the quotation comes
from an online source that doesn’t have page numbers, use the author’s name only.

EXAMPLE: Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"

(Wordsworth 263).

Refer to
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text
_citations_the_basics.html for more details.

6. Organize Ideas

After you’ve consulted your sources and completed your notes, the final step in the research process is to
synthesize your information. Assembling the pieces of your research into a logical and meaningful research
paper is like assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. It may be hard to see a picture in the jumbled pieces,
but the more you put things together, the clearer your picture will be.

When you’ve finished, you’ll have gathered facts, quotes, charts, statistics, and anecdotes. These will help
you write an engaging and well-organized paper.

1. Write a thesis statement that explains the central idea of your paper. This statement will answer your
research question.

Example 1
Topic: Homelessness
Research Question: Why do people become homeless?
Supporting Points: Housing, public assistance, breakdown of the family

Thesis Statement: The lack of affordable housing, inadequacy of public assistance, and the breakdown of
the family are three main causes of homelessness.

8
 Salwa Sultan

Example 2
Topic: Vegetarianism
Research Question: What may be some reasons for becoming a vegetarian?
Supporting Points: Health, ethics, ecology

Thesis statement: Three reasons why people become vegetarians are health, ethics, and ecology.

Weak Thesis Statement #1:

● The U.S. has a lot of crime.

This statement does not tell whether the paper will discuss the causes of crime or its effects; contrast the
amount of crime now compared with ten years ago; argue in support of certain ways to reduce crime; or
present some other ideas. To improve this thesis, the writer must include a focus.

Stronger Thesis Statements (one with focus and cause and one with focus on comparison)

● Crime today is more widespread among many economic groups, more violent, and more costly to
society than it was ten years ago.

● The rising crime rate in the United States has caused a loss of talented young people to crime, high
government costs for law enforcement, and a drop in tourism.

Weak Thesis Statement #2:

● Although some people argue that voting should be mandatory because it is a civic duty, it would
increase voter turnout among poor people, and it would cause politicians to consider the needs of every
citizen, compulsory voting is not a good idea because it is every citizen’s right to choose to vote or not, it
would not be feasible to enforce mandatory voting, and people who are forced to vote may not vote
carefully.

This thesis statement is too long. These details are more appropriate as supporting information in the
body of the paper. This thesis statement would be more effective if some of the ideas were condensed.

Stronger Thesis Statements (precise)

● Although some people argue that voting should be mandatory, there are three reasons why it should
not, including violation of citizens’ rights, lack of feasibility, and hindrances to careful voting.

9
 Salwa Sultan

2. Create an outline based upon the information from your notes. Your paper should have an introduction,
body, and conclusion. Study the following sample outline:

I. Introduction
A. Introduce the topic, capture your reader’s interest, use a story or quotation.
B. Thesis statement

II. Body
A. Explain the idea in detail.
1. Explain the background of the idea.
2. Describe how the idea was introduced and developed, including where, when, and by
whom.
B. Describe the effects of the idea.
1. Explain how the idea spread and what impact it had on society- both positively and
negatively.
2. Explain what future effects of the idea are likely to occur.

III. Conclusion
A. Summarize your main points and restate thesis statement.
B. Inspire readers to learn more about the topic.

7. Write the First Draft

Use your notes and outline to write a draft of your research paper. Here are some tips:
 Refer to the outline while writing your first draft.
 Write quickly. You will revise and proofread later.
 Double-space your work so it is easier to make revisions.
 If you take a break and then return to drafting, reread what you have written before continuing. This
will help you continue with your thoughts.
 Save this copy as Draft #1.
 Make sure to include your citations in your draft.

8. Prepare Research Format

Your research paper should follow the MLA format.
Requirements are as follows:

TITLE PAGE

Center your original, creative title; do not use bold, italics, underlining, quotation marks, or all capital letters
for your title. Follow the standard rules for capitalization. Also, follow the rules regarding published titles if you
choose to include the title of published writing in your title. Your entire paper – including your heading and title
– must be double-spaced.

10
 Salwa Sultan

Your title page should include the following information:

 An original, creative title; center the title 1/3 of the

way down the page.

 Skip two lines, write the word by, and center it.

 Skip two lines and write your name, centering it. The Capsize and the Controversy:

The Sinking of the RMS Titanic

 Approximately two inches up from the bottom, type
the name of the class. Center this.
by
 Skip two lines and center the date.
Julia Collins

Grade 8/10

March 10, 2021

MLA also requires students to type their last name and the page numbers of their compositions in the
upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top along the right margin. To do this, use the “Header and
Footer” feature in your word processing program.

Here is a sample:

11
 Salwa Sultan

FONT
Use standard Times New Roman 12-point font throughout your paper.

FORM
The research paper must be typed on Microsoft Word. The lines of the research paper should be
justified (in alignment) on the left side only. This paragraph is an example of justified left and ragged
right.

MARGINS
Except for your header (in the upper right-hand corner of each page that includes your last name and
page number), set margins of one inch at the top and bottom and on both sides of the text. Indent
the first word of a paragraph five spaces (not a tab) from the left margin.

SPACING
A research paper must be double-spaced throughout, including heading, title, quotations, and Works
Cited page.

WORKS CITED
A Works Cited page is a separate page at the end of your research paper. So, if the text of the
research paper ends on page 7, the Works Cited list begins on page 8. It lists the publication
information for each research source that you quoted, paraphrased, or summarized within the essay.
The entries in the list are arranged alphabetically, and each entry follows the MLA format for a
Works Cited list.

Format Rules
 Center the title, Works Cited, one inch from the top of the page.
 Continue to include your header in the upper right corner, indicating your name and the page
number.
 Double space the entire page, including the title and all entries.
 Alphabetize the sources according to the author’s last name or, if there is no author or
editor, by the first main word in the title of the work. (Do not use, A, An, or The or La, El,
Las, or Los when alphabetizing: for example, The Norton Anthology of English Literature
would be alphabetized under n, not t.)
 Do not number the sources.
 Begin each entry at the left margin; if any entry runs more than one line, indent the
subsequent line or lines five spaces from the left margin.
 Punctuate and capitalize according to the sample Works Cited page here.

What follows is a list of the most commonly used sources. If you have reference material that is not
included below, you can refer to the following website
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/ml
a_in_text_citations_the_basics.html to find out how to format your material properly.

12
 Salwa Sultan

MLA Format for Some Commonly Used Sources

For a book:

Last Name, First Name. Title. Publisher, Publication date.

For an article in a magazine or newspaper:

Last name, First Name. “Title.” Magazine or Journal Title, Day Month Year, pages.

For an article in an online magazine or newspaper:

Last name, First Name. “Title.” Magazine or Journal Title, Day Month Year of Publication, URL. Accessed
Day Month Year.

For a video on a website:

Title of source. Title of container (heading), editor (if noted), Publisher, Day Month Year of Publication,
URL.

Here is an example of some entries on a Works Cited page. Notice the use of punctuation and spelling.

Works Cited

Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." The New York Times, 22 May 2007,
www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/science/earth/22ander.html?_r=0. Accessed 29 May 2019.

Ebert, Roger. Review of An Inconvenient Truth, directed by Davis Guggenheim. Ebert Digital LLC, 1 June 2006,
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/an-inconvenient-truth-2006. Accessed 15 June 2019.

Gowdy, John. "Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary Economics of Sustainability."

International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2007, pp. 27-36.

Harris, Rob, and Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on Climate Change.” The New York Times, 17 May 2007,
www.nytimes.com/video/world/americas/1194817109438/clinton-on-climate-change.html. Accessed 29
July 2016.

13
 Salwa Sultan

9. Revise

When you evaluate your own paper or a peer’s, you should read it at least twice. During the first reading, focus
on the content and the organization. The second time though, read each sentence and evaluate its style.

Guidelines for Self-Evaluation and Peer Evaluation

Evaluation Questions Tips Revision Techniques
1) Does the introduction Put a star next to the thesis Add a thesis statement or add the
contain a clear thesis? statement that tells readers the main point about the topic to the
report’s topic and main point. thesis statement.
2) Does each paragraph Label the margin of each If necessary, delete unrelated
explain no more than one paragraph with the subtopic it ideas or rearrange the
subtopic from your explains. information into separate
outline? paragraphs. To create coherence,
link ideas with transitions.
3) Does each paragraph Highlight the facts and Elaborate paragraphs that need
include facts, statistics, explanations in each paragraph. support with facts and
examples, direct explanations from research
quotations, or notes.
conclusions that
elaborate on the
subtopic?
4) Is there an unanswered Put a check mark next to the Add a question or final statement
question or final question or final statement. or revise the statement or
comment in the question to make it clearer.
conclusion?
5) Does the Works Cited list Number the sources listed in the If needed, add sources to the
include at least three Works Cited list. Works Cited list, and add
sources? information from the sources to
the report.

When you evaluate your research paper for style, ask yourself whether any sentences use more
words than necessary to get a point across. As you re-read, put brackets around unnecessary
words and word groups. Then, delete them and revise sentences to be more concise.

10. Proofread

As you prepare a final draft, make sure you have used correct grammar and punctuation.
Proofread carefully for omitted words and punctuation marks. Run spell-check to catch mistakes,
but be aware that the computer can’t catch every error.

14
 Salwa Sultan

11. Share Your Final Essay

It is time to publish your work!

 Prepare the final copy following all the formatting rules as directed in this guide.

 Save your Word document with your full name and research topic. For example,

“Laura N. Josephson - Ellington’s Adventures in Music and Geography.doc”

 Upload your word document to Classera.

Share your completed research paper with your readers.

15