Research papers
are generally longer pieces of written work than essays. Writing a research
paper involves all of the steps for writing an essay plus some additional ones.
To write a
research paper you must first do some research, that is, investigate your topic
by reading about it in many different sources, including books, magazines,
newspapers, and the Internet. In some cases you may also conduct interviews.
The information you gather from these sources is then used to support the points
you make in your paper.
Writing a
research paper also involves documenting your sources of information in
footnotes or endnotes. This way the reader knows where you got your information
and can judge whether it is reliable.
Here are the
steps to follow when writing a research paper:-
- Try to
pick a topic that's fun and interesting. Choose a topic that is
broad enough to be interesting but narrow enough to be manageable. If your
topic genuinely interests you, chances are you'll enjoy spending time
working on it and it won't seem like a chore.
- Finding a
topic can be difficult. Give yourself plenty of time to read and think
about what you'd like to do. Trying to answer questions you have about a
particular subject may lead you to a good paper idea.
- What
subject(s) are you interested in?
- What
interests you most about a particular subject?
- Is there
anything you wonder about or are puzzled about with regard to that
subject?
- Once you
have a topic, you will probably need to narrow it down to something more
manageable. For example-
Too general:
Training and Development
Revised:
Effect of Manpower Training on Organization’s Performance
- One method
for coming up with a more specific focus is called brainstorming
(or free writing). Brainstorming is a useful way to let ideas you
didn't know you had come to the surface.
- Sit down
with a pencil and paper, or at your computer, and write whatever comes
into your head about your topic.
- Keep
writing for a short but specific amount of time, say 3–5 minutes. Don't
stop to change what you've written or to correct spelling or grammar
errors.
- After a
few minutes, read through what you've written. You will probably throw
out most of it, but some of what you've written may give you an idea that
can be developed.
- Do some
more brainstorming and see what else you can come up with
5. Look for Sources
Ø Take a trip to the library. Use the
electronic catalog or browse the shelves to look for books on your topic. If
you find a book that is useful, check the bibliography (list of sources) in the
back of that book for other books or articles on that topic. Also check indexes
of periodicals and newspapers. Check with a librarian if you need help finding
sources.
Ø Try to use as many different types
of sources as you can, including books, magazine articles, and internet
articles. Don't rely on just one source for all your information.
Ø Keep a list of all the sources that
you use. Include the title of the source, the author, publisher, and place and date
of publication. This is your preliminary, or draft, bibliography
6. Read Your Sources and Take Notes
After you've gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes.
1. Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or
idea per card. This way related ideas from different sources can be easily
grouped together or rearranged.
2. On each index card, be sure to note
the source, including the volume number (if there is one) and the page number.
If you wind up using that idea in your paper, you will have the information
about the source ready to put in your footnote or endnote.
3. If you copy something directly from
a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so
that you know it is an exact quotation. This will help you to avoid plagiarism.
(For more, see What
is Plagiarism?).
4. Before you sit down to write your
rough draft, organize your note cards by subtopic (you can write headings on
the cards) and make an outline.
7. Organize Your Ideas
Using the
information collected on the note cards, develop an outline to organize
your ideas. An outline shows your main ideas and the order in which you are
going to write about them. It's the bare bones of what will later become a
fleshed-out written report.
1. Write down all the main ideas.
2. List the subordinate ideas below the
main ideas.
3. Avoid any repetition of ideas.
