Persevere

As this is your final research paper of the semester and likely your final grade, it’s important not to give up on it until you’re truly proud of your work. Finals week is generally the most strenuous time in your college career, and the weeks leading up to it may have you stressed out already.

Now that you’ve completed all your research, it’s time to make sure all your logic and writing is as it should be. An article by Kathy Livingston called Guide to Writing a Basic Essay suggests it may be time to rearrange some things if you’re not confident with the flow of your paper. “Look at your paragraphs. Which one is the strongest? You might want to start with the strongest paragraph, end with the second strongest, and put the weakest in the middle. Whatever order you decide on, be sure it makes sense. If your paper is describing a process, you will probably need to stick to the order in which the steps must be completed.” Keep writing and backing up your claims until you’ve removed all doubt from your argument.

Proofread

An article called Panic Paper explains that it is best to do your proofreading after a good night of rest. “Go to sleep! When you wake up in the morning, proofread your work. You will be refreshed and better able to spot typos and awkward transitions.” If it is possible for your turn-in schedule, don’t do all your final editing at the end of a long night of writing and researching. Give your poor eyes a break until morning. You’ll be far less likely to let those small errors slip by you.

Livingston goes on to give example of some finishing touches you should consider after you finish writing your research paper this semester. She suggests asking yourself the following questions as you’re deciding whether or not your paper is polished enough to hand in:

• Does it make logical sense?
• Have you run a spell checker or a grammar checker? These aids cannot catch every error, but they might catch errors that you have missed.
• Do the sentences flow smoothly from one another?

If you come up with the answer “no” for any of these, consider revising slightly. Make sure your sentences and paragraphs make sense in the order they are presented in your research paper. If they don’t, insert additional content or transition words so your reader is not confused by your thought process along the way. Author of A Rose for Emily, M. Thomas Inge, suggests that students “provide a lead-in for all quotations. Failure to do so results in a serious breakdown in coherence. The lead-in should at least name the person who is being quoted. The ideal lead-in, however, is one that not only names the person but indicates the pertinence of the quotation.”

As you’re reading over your research paper, you’ll want to look out for common spelling errors. As Kathy Livingston mentioned, spell checking tools don’t always work because they often can’t tell when you’ve simply used the wrong form of a word such as “their” vs. “they’re.” Here is a helpful list called The Most Common Spelling Errors in College with words that students tend to struggle with.

Peer-Review

Sometimes after you’ve spent so many pain-staking hours adding your own finishing touches to your research papers, you may lose perspective on it. Getting a friend or classmate to peer-review your paper may be just what you need to feel confident about turning it in to your professor. Not only can they check for errors or misspellings, but they can also give you feed back on the overall thesis of your research paper.

In a helpful book called Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It, authors Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen say, “If you feel unsure of yourself, of the validity of your own ideas, or even of creating ideas of your own, then you may feel that you can’t act without looking to other people for help–not simply in terms of feedback or brainstorming, but help that will provide a viewpoint or a structure that you can adopt as your own.”

Burka and Yuen go on to explain that “Many college students […] devote weeks to gathering research for a term paper, but never actually write it because they have to sort through so many contradictory opinions to offer a perspective of their own.” Simply gaining the overall approval from a peer can greatly reduce the anxiety that may accompany an important project.

Remember to keep trying until you’re completely happy with your final research paper. Even though you may be frustrated with your paper by now or exhausted from the last weeks of school, you’ll regret it on turn-in day if you didn’t try your hardest. Get this final project done right with these research paper hints so you can enjoy your holiday!

QUESTIA QUIZ

Writing is a Process

Remember that writing is a process that can be broken down into smaller steps. Taken one at a time, each step can be completed with a lot less aggravation than you would experience if you keep your mind focused on the entire project.

Begin by deciding the type of paper you will be writing. Will it be analytical or argumentative? The analytical paper explores what others have to say about the topic and blends that information with your own perspective finally culminating in your conclusion. An argumentative paper is focused on presenting your argument and persuading your reader using information from both primary and secondary sources.

For example, in this sample paper found at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/pdf/Hacker-Orlov-MLA.pdf, the author presents her argument in the thesis statement at the end of the opening paragraph.

The Topic

Next you will choose your topic or perhaps either you or your instructor decided the type of paper and the topic you would explore. At any rate, if you need help in choosing a topic you will find thousands of choices on Questia.com. If your instructor gives you a topic or a list of topics from which to choose, you might want to do some preliminary research on the topics that interest you before making a commitment.

The Research

Next you will want to do the research on your topic. Much of your research may be on the web where you are likely to find data that is valuable and data that is, well, junk. How do you know?

Educator Kathy Schrock believes in Teaching Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet. She has provided a list of what to look when evaluating content you find on the web including:

• Authority: is the creator of the information well known as an expert?
• Bias: is the information designed to persuade rather than inform?
• Citations: does the content include a bibliography or works cited with reputable sources listed?
• Dates: can you tell how current the information is on the site?

For an example of how one writer cited sources in her paper, refer to http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/pdf/Hacker-Mira-APA-2010.pdf. Be sure to match the numbered, in-text citations with the entries in the References section at the end of the paper. Do you think that all of the references appear to be credible and unbiased?

Outline and Draft

After compiling your research, you should consider creating a research paper outline followed by your first draft. The outline will help you to find the flow of information and your first draft will give you a chance to see how it all fits together. Go easy on yourself when writing the first draft. Remember that it does not have to be perfect. In fact you don’t want it to be perfect so feel free to just get it all out of your head and on to the page.

Academictips.org suggests, “Write your first draft as freely as possible, following your outline closely. Use all the note card information you feel is relevant and important. Don’t pad your paper with excessive quotes. When you’ve finished the rough draft, check for accuracy and completeness of facts. If you think certain sections are too long or too skimpy, rework them until you feel they’re the strongest you can make them.”

Once you’ve got your first draft on paper the worst is over. Now you just revise and revise again until your paper is a polished piece of prose. Sounds easy and, the more you write, the easier it becomes. I can attest to that.

For Example

More examples of well crafted and structured research papers can be found at:

The Dallas TeleCollege Library http://telecollege.dcccd.edu/library/module5/sample.htm
Purdue Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/13/
Diana Hacker http://www.dianahacker.com/pdfs/hacker-shaw-apa.pdf
Bedford St. Martin http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/index.htm

Return to the Opening

A research paper should be circular in argument according to Ralph Berry in his book, The Research Project: How To Write It. Berry explained, “That is, the formal aim of the paper should be stated in the opening paragraph; the conclusion should return to the opening, and examine the original purpose in the light of the data assembled. It is a prime error to present conclusions that are not directly related to the evidence previously presented.”

But a conclusion does more than restate your thesis and the reasoning presented in your introduction. Professor Rosemary Jann of George Mason University pointed out the true purpose of a research paper conclusion in her article, “Writing Your Conclusion.” Professor Jann advised, “Whereas your introductory paragraph starts broad and then funnels down to your thesis…the concluding paragraph establishes what you’ve proved in the paper and then broadens out the meaning of what you’ve established in the course of your analysis.”

Drawing Conclusions

There are several approaches that you could take in writing the conclusion to your research paper other than to refer back to your introduction.

• You could summarize your main points but if you use this method then be sure to make your summary interesting rather than a just list of points.
• Present a bold statement that takes your topic to a deeper meaning and state the overall importance of what you have said in your paper.
• Conclude your paper by restating what you have found, acknowledge that there is more to be explored on the topic and briefly describe the issues that remain.

Different Types of Papers Mean Different Conclusions

If your paper was written to argue a point or to persuade the reader, then your conclusion will summarize the main points of your arguments presented in the paper. You will also want to restate your thesis and conclude with a statement of your position on the topic.

On the other hand, you paper may be an analysis of a topic where you have done in-depth study on a particular subject and presented your findings. Your conclusion will summarize your analysis of the topic, restate your thesis, and pose suggestions for further study.

Often the purpose of a research paper is to compare and contrast the facts and circumstances surrounding a topic in order to prove an argument that you state in your thesis. In your conclusion you will want to restate your thesis and summarize how you have proven your argument.

Problem and Solution

Another approach to the conclusion is to suggest a solution to the problem that you presented in your thesis. Advice on essay conclusions provided by the University of Victoria could also be applied to the research paper. The UVic Writer’s Guide said, “Once you have tied up your argument, a good way to conclude is to use the final lines of your essay to suggest a way in which the material you have covered applies to a larger concern. As in the introduction you explained the thesis in terms of a bigger picture, so in the conclusion you can demonstrate the effects or the problems inherent in what you have discussed.”

Final Points

The conclusion of your research paper should tie up all of the trains of thought that you presented in your paper and to show where they might ultimately lead. It is not, however, the place to introduce new claims or information that you have not presented anywhere else in your paper.

The conclusion need not be long. It can be accomplished in as little as two sentences. For example: The effects of climate change can be reversed. It will, however, take political will and consistent effort from both representatives and business leaders.

Tips and examples for writing your research paper conclusion can be found at the University of Houston Victoria Academic Center site: http://www.uhv.edu/ac/research/write/pdf/draftconclusion.pdf.

The last thing your reader will see is your research paper conclusion. It should impact the reader with a definite statement that communicates your main point without raising new questions.

What is an Abstract?

The purpose of the abstract is to give the reader a quick overview of what the paper is about. You might think of it as a preview of coming attractions — a way to get the reader interested in reading the entire paper. It will be easier to write your abstract if it’s the last thing you do. Having spent so much time in writing the paper, you’re now in a good position to summarize your work.

According to Schaum’s Quick Guide to Writing Great Research Papers, “An abstract is a brief summary of the contents of your paper. Objective in tone, abstracts are often included in technical or scholarly papers. An abstract usually runs between 100-125 words. It is presented on a separate page in one paragraph. Do not indent the first line.”

How to Create Your Abstract

Because an abstract is so short, you might think that it’s going to be a challenge to decide just what the abstract should include. WiseGeek.com recommends, “You should present all the pertinent information contained in your full research paper within your abstract, including the problem you are addressing, your research, and the results of your work.”

You will want to include the main points of your paper, the theme or thesis statement that is the center of the paper, and the conclusions that you came to as a result of your research. If your paper is on a social science or scientific topic, then your abstract may include:

• What you want to achieve with your research
• What questions you want to answer
• Who or what is being studied
• What is being measured and how it is being measured
• Results of the research

If your paper covers a humanities topic, then your abstract may include:

• A thesis statement
• The background of the subject or problem
• The conclusion

In a January 10, 2011 article titled, “Writing an Abstract For Research Paper” for EducationKing.net, the writer said, “The structure of the abstract will be similar to the structure and format of your research paper. So when gathering important points for the abstract while reading the paper, it is useful to go in order from the introduction to the body and then eventually the conclusion.”

Writing Tips

It’s a good idea to create a rough draft of the abstract without regard to length. Just follow the flow of your research paper and jot down the points covered in the order they occurred in your paper. When the rough draft is complete, then you can begin to edit the draft. Remember that you don’t have to go into detail in the abstract so, when editing, feel free to delete extra phrases. Just stick to the main points.

Keywords

Make sure that the abstract includes keywords that appear in the body of your research paper. The keywords will be used in order to search for and find research papers on your topic. If your article is added to an online research database, the keywords in the abstract will help index your article.

You may find that your keywords are similar to those listed in the research that you used when writing your paper. So if you’re at a loss on keywords, just review the articles that you used as sources for your paper. Journal articles often list keywords below the article abstract. And yes, those articles can also give you examples of abstracts.

When writing your research paper, you’ll want to save some mental energy for creating your research paper abstract. A well-written abstract will help others find your paper and give them a good reason to take the time to read it.

The blog post, The Dreaded Research Paper – Pointers for Success, suggests that you first “prepare the ‘shell’ of your paper per whatever style your program requires.” Begin with compiling every page that your professor has requested for your finished research paper such as a title page, abstract page, headers for your sections, works cited page, etc.

1. Introduction: A well-guided professor is a happy professor. Therefore, your introduction should be clear and provocative and should provide a road map to your research paper. It doesn’t have to be as specific as detailing what each section will contain, but it should certainly describe what you’ll be examining, analyzing, and proving. Readers begin forming judgments about a research paper after just viewing the introduction, which is why it’s so critical to make it shine.

2. Clear Thesis: A great research paper can go bad with an unclear research thesis. Most professors locate and evaluate thesis statements as one of their primary grading criteria. Your thesis statement should be evident by the end of your introductory paragraph, and it should be repeated in your conclusion. Write It! A Guide for Research by Betty Bankhead suggests starting with a focus question and answering it with your thesis statement.

Examples:

“Focus Question: Why are scientists concerned about global warming?
Thesis Statement: Global warming is causing a change in the earth’s weather patterns that will have disastrous effects.

Focus Question: What effect did the Crusades have on Europe?
Thesis Statement: The Crusades directly contributed to the rising influence of the Catholic Church in Europe.

Focus Question: can the novels Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye be compared?
Thesis Statement: The novels Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye have main characters who experience a rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood.”

This criterion can vary, so check with your instructor to find out what he or she expects from students.

3. Organization: Writing-tipstoday.com suggests you ask yourself the following questions before turning in your research paper:

• Do you have all the items your professor asked for: a title page, an abstract, an introduction, body paragraphs, a summary, a conclusion, a works cited page?
• Are they in order in accordance with what your professor has outlined or based on whichever editorial style the professor has established for the paper?
• What about subheadings, footnotes, parenthetical references (or superscript, depending on style)?
• Do you have transition sentences, and are they serving their purposes?
• Do your ideas progress logically throughout the paper?
• Have you checked and double-checked with the grading rubric or appropriate style manual, as well as your professor, to ensure that you’ve included every necessary portion?

If the answer is “no” to any of these, go back and revise.

4. Integrating Sources: Professors expect sources—that’s what puts the “research” in “research paper.” Moreover, they expect you to integrate those sources and fuse them with your ideas, equally. If you have 10 sources and only use two, for example, a professor will notice and grade you down.

Just as important, make sure you are using reliable research sources. Ask your professor ahead of time whether your sources are okay—most will not accept sources such as Wikipedia or blog entries; some will only accept sources from approved journal databases.

5. Be Concise: Leave loquacity to Charles Dickens. Wordy, bombastic writing will impress no one, least of all your professor. The longer it takes him or her to understand what you’re saying, the less clear you’ll be and the quicker your grade will drop. If you think you might be rambling, consider having a roommate, peer, or friend read your research paper and offer feedback.

6. Originality: Your writing should be your own. In other words, anything not in quotations should be your ideas and analyses, not anyone else’s. It’s not uncommon for students to pursue the same research topic, but most professors will try to ensure that each one is unique. Many instructors request the thesis ahead of time so they can evaluate it, as well as verify that each student is working on a different research paper.

Plagiarism isn’t always stealing someone else’s paper—it can be something as simple as cutting and pasting a quote from a journal and forgetting to cite it correctly. The book How to Research by Loraine Blaxter says:

“Plagiarism most commonly occurs accidentally or unintentionally, when writers are unaware of the appropriate conventions for referencing other people’s work. Whether is accidental or deliberate, however, and particularly if you are submitting a piece of writing for credit or possible publication, you are likely to be severely penalized if you are found guilty of plagiarism.”

Check and recheck your work to ensure this hasn’t happened.

7. Editorial Style: Many professors require a certain research paper format such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. This isn’t a suggestion, and your professor may lower your grade if you don’t follow the correct style. Some grade more harshly than others, but style is especially important in your parenthetical references and on your works cited page.  Questia helps you to format your citations, bibliographies, and works cited pages in seven different writing styles to help you do well on your research paper.

If you would like to learn more about APA, MLA or Chicago, you can purchase editorial style manuals online, or you can use one of the many free online resources, such as Purdue’s The Owl.

Recommended Reading:

Schaum’s Quick Guide to Writing Great Research Papers
99 Jumpstarts to Research: Topic Guides for Finding Information on Current Issues
The Effects of Repeated Idea Elaboration on Unconscious Plagiarism
Shortcuts for the Student Writer
The Research Project: How to Write It

QUESTIA QUIZ