Research can be rewarding

When you first learned about a research paper requirement for a class, you probably felt anxious. Maybe you haven’t had a lot of experience planning a research paper. But don’t let yourself be derailed by inexperience and anxiety. According to the post on February 21, 2013 by Jack Raymond Baker and Allen Brizee titled “Writing a Research Paper” for Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL), “the process of writing a research paper can be one of the more rewarding experiences one may encounter in academics.”

But like anything new, planning and writing a research paper takes practice. As the OWL post says, “There are few individuals for whom this process comes naturally.” They suggest starting the process by thinking about:

• Genre: Learning the difference between the two types of research papers—analytical and argumentative.
• Choosing a Topic: A guide on how to pick the best topic.

Planning makes a difference

Questia’s tutorial on Planning a Paper offers five steps to get you on the right track to creating a research paper that will not only impress your professor but earn you the best grade. The tutorial takes you through each step with help from quizzes and videos.

Step 1—Selecting a topic

You want to pick something you will enjoy writing about, which will help you put the necessary time into the work.
Step 2—Considering what your readers know about the topic

After you’ve picked your topic, it’s time to think about who your reader is going to be. Who your reader is and what they expect will influence what sources and evidence you need to use to persuade them of your argument or give them clear information on the topic.

Step 3—Developing an objective stance

Part of the purpose of a research paper is thinking critically. When planning a research paper, be sure to be aware of how you use your sources so that they strengthen your paper’s purpose.

Step 4—Composing a thesis

Now you’re ready to write your thesis statement—the representation and summation of your paper’s purpose. What do you think your research will show in the end? Your thesis statement should focus on that idea.

Step 5—Organizing your ideas

During this final stage of the planning process, determine how you want to structure your research to prove your thesis statement. This outline will provide the framework for your research paper.

Start now and stay focused

While you might be tempted to procrastinate, it’s easy to see why getting started on a research paper as soon as possible can be a big help in the end. The Writing Center at the American University advises students that beginning in advance can reduce stress, in their blog post from January 31, 2013, “Research Papers: the When and How” by Meridian Ganz-Ratzat.

The structure Ganz-Ratzat suggests starts several months out:

• 2-3 months away—Think about what your topic is going to be
• 1 month away—Start researching your chosen topic
• 3 weeks away—Begin organizing your essay
• 2 weeks away—Write a first draft
• 1 week away—Edit for big problems with your thesis or organization
• 2 days away—Read through for a final proofreading and polish

Even if you develop your own schedule for planning a research paper, the best thing you can do is plan ahead. Writing a research paper is a new thing for many college students, putting it off won’t make it any easier. In fact, procrastinating is likely to make the challenge of a paper that much more difficult.

Interested in some of Questia’s other helpful tutorial topics such as “Avoiding Plagiarism” and “Working with Documentation Styles”? Try a free trial of Questia to check them out!

What other suggestions do you have for staying on track and planning a research paper? Your tip could help motivate someone else. Tell us in the comments below!

Why cite?

A bit rusty on why you even need to list citations in your research paper? Emory University’s Emory Libraries Oxford College Library website advises students in “Citing Your Sources” that the only time you don’t need to cite a source is when “you are writing your own words, ideas, or original research. You also do not need to cite information that is considered common knowledge.” They provide the following verbatim examples of information that falls into the common knowledge category:

• Facts that are found in many sources (example: Marie Antoinette was guillotined in 1793.)
• Things that are easily observed (example: Many people talk on cell phones while driving.)
• Common sayings (example: Every man has his price.)

The site adds that research paper citations are a great way to:

1. Avoid plagiarism by properly crediting the person whose words or ideas you used as a source.
2. Make sure your professor knows which ideas presented are yours and which are not.
3. Create a more powerful argument in your paper.
4. Let your professor double check the ideas you are offering and make sure they are accurate.
5. Give people who are interested access to more information about the topic you are writing on.

Unusual citations

Not sure how to properly cite a personal interview or an oral presentation? What about citing a sculpture or a digital file, such as a MP3 or JPEG? There are rules about all of these types of sources when it comes to writing a research paper, regardless if you are writing in APA, Chicago or MLA style.

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab offers assistance to properly cite these kinds of unusual sources. Their MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications),  MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources and Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources (for APA style) detail how to handle unique citations for research papers.

You may also be called upon to list your research paper citations using The Chicago Manual of Style. Their website details the rules for formatting bibliographic information according to their terms on the Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide page. Here you can find out about unusual citations, too, including how to credit a chapter of an edited volume originally published somewhere else, email, and text messages.

Utilizing sources other than traditional books can be a bonus for your research paper in many ways. For some topics, these unusual citations may be your best source of information and show your professors a willingness to be creative in your work and thought processes. So don’t shy away from using a different source, so long as it is valid.

The ultimate research tool

So where do you go when you need to find that essential information for your upcoming research paper? Questia, of course! Our search engine contains more than 70,000 online books and more than 6 million quality, citable journal, newspaper and magazine articles. Questia can even help by creating and formatting your research paper citations for you. Simply highlight the text you want to cite and a drop down menu appears asking you if you are using MLA, APA or Chicago style. Should you need any help, Questia also offers experienced, on-staff librarians who are available to answer your questions. Now get going. Questia can help, but it can’t type that paper for you!

What is an introduction?

Your introduction will give the reader a preview of what is to follow in your paper. It doesn’t have to include a lot of details, just the main points that you will be covering in your paper. So anxious are you to get to the meat of your topic that you might be tempted to blast through the introduction with only a little thought. If you take that approach, however, you are missing an opportunity to educate, entertain and persuade your readers.

A Research Guide for Students suggests, “State your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you plan to approach your topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison, or an analysis of a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic.”

Your introduction will accomplish the following:

• Gain your reader’s attention
• Create an interest in reading the rest of the paper
• Provide background information on your topic
• Define your thesis statement which is the main point of your paper

Writing your introduction

The introduction is the first section of your research paper but should you write it first? Jumping into the introduction too soon in the writing process may not be the best choice, according to Jay Silverman, Elaine Hughes, and Diana Roberts Wienbroer, authors of Shortcuts for the Student Writer. They said, “Sometimes you may get stuck writing an introduction. In that case, try writing your introduction after you’ve written the rest of the first draft. Ofen you don’t find your real main point until you’ve written several pages.”

On the other hand, if you have done extensive preparation for your paper, you may be able to dive right in and complete the introduction. “If your project changes in the creating process, it is important to make sure that your introduction accurately reflects what you will be saying. If, however, you have written a good outline and stick to it, then it is fine to start writing your introduction first. Just make sure in your proofreading that you have kept the thread consistent throughout the paper,” advised Holly Samuels of the CRLS Research Guide.

Different approaches to writing the introduction

The purpose of your paper may suggest a particular approach that you might take in writing the introduction to your research paper. For example, if the purpose of your paper is to enlighten the reader with information, you might begin your introduction with a brief statement that summarizes your topic such as, “Between the years of 1840 and 1870 an estimated 250,000 women undertook the long and arduous journey west taking one of three routes: the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, or the Santa Fe Trail.”

If your purpose is to persuade the reader to take action or to adopt a particular point of view, then you might want to start your introduction by making a bold statement for your position. For example, “The United States can end its dependence on foreign oil within the next five years by adopting new fuel economy standards.”

Ever since the first humans living in caves passed on their myths and history while sitting around the campfire, stories have played a central role in communication. Stories paint mental pictures that draw the reader in. Your introduction could include a brief story that illustrates the importance of the topic and its broader implications.

Yet another approach is to begin with a general statement about your topic then become more and more specific with each succeeding sentence. Finally, you conclude your introduction with your thesis statement.

Your research paper introduction need not be long. It could be a few sentences to a couple of paragraphs in length. It’s not the word count that’s important — if your reader can tell what the paper is about and is inspired to read the entire paper, then you can consider your introduction a success.

Want more research paper help? We’re busy putting together a full arsenal of tools, tips and videos to help you tackle the toughest research assignments while keeping your cool. Check out our blog post, “New Questia research tutorials: Term paper research and writing now easier than ever.”

Where to begin

Unless your teacher gives you a definite topic, the hardest part of your research project may be your choice of subject. Not to worry. You can review dozens of great history topics and the resources to develop them at Questia, the world’s largest online library.

Some History topics include:

• Holocaust films
• History of voting
• History of Education
• Historical Jesus

An example of one of the many history texts at Questia is A History of the Dollar by Arthur Nussbaum. Regarding the use of money in colonial America, Nussbaum said, “While money represents an outstanding factor in American history, it is a curious fact that at the beginning of the colonial period there was perhaps less money in circulation than in any other civilized community of the Western world. The small amounts which the settlers had brought with them from England were soon expended for English imports. Hence the settlers resorted to barter.”

Get the best of history

A gateway website is a central location on the web where you can begin a search and then branch off to other sites. One such site for history buffs is the Best of History Websites. Once you’re there, you can begin to narrow your search according to the period of history that interests you. The many categories include:

• Prehistory
• Ancient/Biblical history
• Medieval history
• American history

Within American History you can branch off into periods such as the Civil War and topics such as Women’s history. If you follow the topic of history in the 1800s you can explore the Civil War and the period after the war known as Reconstruction. You will learn about events of the day by reading documents and newspapers published at the time. One such publication, Harper’s Weekly, covered the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson.

“Harper’s Weekly portrayed in everyday detail to its readers of 1865-1869 the current events, issues and personalities that were central to Reconstruction and the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Among the Harper’s Weekly materials on this Website are 27 political cartoons, as well as 47 news articles, briefs, and explanations of some of the 34 illustrations. There are also 90 editorials and an index.”

Your tax dollars at work

You can’t go wrong with the Library of Congress website. Its vast collections include videos, maps, sound recordings, manuscripts, documents and photos on topics ranging from American History to World History and Cultures. Among its many treasures are the Online Resources Guides, especially the guide to the Presidents of the United States.

Follow the links related to Abraham Lincoln and you’ll reach the section related to his famous Gettysburg Address where you can see an image of the handwritten speech and a photograph of the president as he gave his speech on November 19, 1863. Continue to explore the many links available and you’ll find all kinds of historical tidbits including this note about the Gettysburg Address: “Of the five known manuscript copies of the Gettysburg Address, the Library of Congress has two. President Lincoln gave one of these to each of his two private secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay. The other three copies of the Address were written by Lincoln for charitable purposes well after November 19.”

Other resources for history term papers

The Vanderbilt Central Library hosts an entire page of Resources for History that includes Internet directories, libraries, archives, and selected papers related to U.S., Asian, European, African American, and Latin American history.

A Hypertext on American History from Colonial Period Until Modern Times is a work in progress where contributors add documents, essays and biographies related to American history. You’ll find the text of presidential speeches, treaties and other documents such as the Constitution of the Confederate States of America (1861).

Spartacus Educational allows you to plumb the depths of such topics as: slavery, Nazi Germany, The Roman World and famous crimes.

Maintained by Tufts University, the Perseus Digital Library contains collections including Greek and Roman, Arabic, Renaissance and Germanic materials.

Search for a topic

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary describes the humanities as the study of “branches of learning such as philosophy, arts or languages.” TheFreeDictionary.com adds that humanities include the study of branches of knowledge that are “concerned with human thought and culture” such as literature and liberal arts. That covers a lot of ground!

You could even bring history into the mix by exploring the arts or literature within a particular period of time such as the classical period, which occurred in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Then again, your interests might take you to faraway lands where you delve into the study of Asian art or literature. The possibilities seem endless.

Where do you begin when faced with so many juicy topics? A great one-stop spot for checking out topics and the resources that can help you write your paper is Questia, the world’s largest online library. At Questia you’ll have access to thousands of full-text books and articles on hundreds of subjects.

What you can find

Here’s an example of the kind of gold you can find from the motherlode that is Questia. A search within the category of “women in the middle ages” will reward you with hundreds of books and articles on the subject. Among them is the book, Medieval Women’s Visionary Literature by Elizabeth Alvilda Petroff.

In the introduction to the text, Petroff said this regarding the study of women’s literature, “One answer is that we study writers for what they tell us of the human condition, for what they reveal of human creativity and the uses of language; and we study women writers for the same reasons.”

Digital humanities

You could easily accomplish all of your research on Questia but no doubt you’ll also want to do some Google searches to see what else you can find. Despite the fact that you’re practically attached to your laptop and cell phone, most college instructors are convinced that students don’t really understand how to use digital sources for research.

Steve Kolowich discussed these concerns in his January 27, 2012 post for InsideHigherEd.com titled, “Behind the Digital Curtain.” Because instructors worry that students may miss out on finding and then understanding the best resources for their term papers, the practice known as digital humanities is gaining traction at colleges and universities.

“Digital humanities projects often have to do with painstakingly translating primary documents into languages of computer programs, then teaching computer programs to read those documents (really, really fast) and flag certain words or patterns,” Kolowich said.

So, don’t be surprised if your instructors have you participate in a digital humanities project where you learn how to encode and transcribe documents into a machine-readable format and then write an essay about what you learned. If you do, then you might want to check out a wiki site titled The Dirt. The Dirt site has all sorts of tools and resources to help you do your research. A site called CodeAcademy will teach you how to do your coding.

Get visual

Reading about art and culture is one thing, but seeing it in images really brings the subject to life. At The Creator’s Project you’ll find articles and a gallery of images and videos on film, art, design, gaming, fashion and music.

One example is a blog post by Kevin Holmes on February 7, 2012 titled, “Exploring Chaos And Order: Q&A With Kinetic Sculptor Balint Bolygo.” Holmes takes you into the world of this contemporary artist and helps you to really understand his art.

Holmes explained, “He creates his work from a concept rather than having a complete blueprint and this sense of excitement, wonder, and discovery in the making process is passed on to the viewer. The artwork itself becomes a process, a journey unfolding over a period of time.”

Other humanities resources

Find a comfy chair and settle in because there’s a lot more to explore all across the web.

• The Illinois Humanities Council at prairie.org
• The EServer: a digital humanities venture with over 35,000 works.
• The Library of Congress Performing Arts Encyclopedia
• Voice of the Shuttle: over 70 pages of links to humanities resources
• American Association of Museums

Finding your focus

The topic of literature is rich with possibilities for exploration in a term paper. Start early because you’ll want to allow yourself plenty of time to explore before settling on your topic. Not sure where to begin? Go to the literature topics section of Questia, the world’s largest online library of over 77,000 books and 4 million journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. Broad topics in literature include:

• Literature of Specific Countries
• Fiction
• Drama
• Poetry
• Nonfiction
• Language

An exploration of the topic African American Literature will lead you to hundreds of books and articles. Among them you will find Language and Literature in the African American Imagination, Edited by Carol Aisha Blackshire-Belay.

Regarding the subject of African American literature, Belay said, “African American language and literature are the twin generators of a productive cultural thrust into American literature. Language is the means by which we understand ourselves and the societies in which we play a part. Language is also pertinent to resolving some of the problems and tensions that arise from human interaction.”

Free resources

You can dress up your research paper or create a media-rich slide show presentation with free resources from the government at Free.ed.gov. Once you arrive at the site, go to Language Arts where you can follow several tracks. If you choose Literature and Writers, then Other Literature, you will find a link to American Notes: Travels in America, 1750 – 1920.

This website “provides 253 narratives describing travels in the colonies and U.S. The collection includes works by authors not widely known as well as by Matthew Arnold, James Fenimore Cooper, Dickens, Washington Irving, Sir Charles Lyell, Robert Louis Stevenson, and other major figures. The collection is searchable and can be browsed by not only by author and title, but also by subject.”

That’s just one example of the kind of resources at Free.ed.gov, which come in many formats such as text, audio and images. The resources are from the many collections maintained by the government including:

• The Library of Congress
• The National Museum of Art
• Department of Education
• National Endowment for the Arts

Related topics

If you decide to do your research on a topic related indirectly to literature, then be sure to check out the TeleRead blog maintained by Chris Meadows. The blog covers news and opinions on the world of libraries, publishing and other related topics.

In his post on January 25, 2012 titled, “Classic literature: ‘Boring’ or relevant?” Meadows addressed dueling blog posts from BookRiot that discussed the idea that reading classic literature is boring because of a lack of sex or violence. The opposing view stated that though muted, such depth of human experience existed in the literature nonetheless, often in the minds of the characters. Moreover, many works considered classics have become so because they focused on social causes and highly charged issues of their day such as slavery and women’s rights.

“Of course, one more excellent reason for reading the classics is that, in this era of agency priced DRM-locked e-books, most of the classics are in the public domain and available free on-line. There are so many amazing books out there to be had at no charge, it’s like having a library of the wisdom of the ages instantaneously at your beck and call,” Meadows said.

Additional resources

Other resources on topics related to literature:

• The Open Library
• The Internet Public Library
• American Libraries Magazine
• Shmoop.com, a site that aims to make “learning and writing more fun and relevant for students in the digital age.”
• English Literature Links, a massive site maintained by Ian Mackean since 2000.
• The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) American Collection

Online Library

Conducting research on architecture is made easier with the plethora of tools and sites on the web. A simple keyword search is enough to obtain hundreds of sites from which to choose. To get started on your search for information about architecture visit Questia where thousands of full-text books and articles on hundreds of subjects may be accessed and read online.

Questia houses many books on architecture. Among them is, Architecture: A Very Short Introduction by Andrew Ballantyne. For Ballantyne, architecture emerges from our sense of home and culture. What is natural to us may suddenly feel strange when we travel to a new environment. The design of buildings is influenced by how we feel about a particular place.

According to Ballantyne, “In architecture, as in any other culture, our sense of ‘how things should be’ develops from our experience. Each gesture that we make means something, but the meaning depends on the culture in which the gesture is understood. Architecture is gesture made with buildings.”

Ballantyne’s Introduction includes a detail glossary of terms and a timeline of the world’s architectural accomplishments from the pyramids of Egypt, to:

• The Taj Mahal
• The Woolworth Building in New York, which was the tallest building in the world until 1930
• The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain (1997) designed by Frank Gehry

Architecture Archive

Architecture Research is a research guide developed at Tulane University’s Southeastern Architecture Archive. Its log of posts covers such diverse topics as:

• Access
• Castles
• Cast iron
• Infrastructure
• Solar energy

Many of its posts include historical information such as this October 27, 2011 post titled, “Heated City of Abundant Life,” in which excerpts from a 1937 issue of the architectural journal, Pencil Points, describe a futurist version of New York City.

“Buildings, built of glass that admits light without images, are set well back from the street and well apart to permit maximum light, and terraces, thus created, are utilized, according to district, for sports, restaurants, etc. All terraces are heated by individual reflectors.”

Urban Research

If urban studies is your interest, you will want to check out the Urban Research blog where you will find information and insight on the subject of design within urban environments. Accompanied by beautiful illustrative photos, the Urban Research blog is filled with posts culled from the web such as this description of southwest architecture by V.B. Price titled, “Albuquerque’s Environmental Story.”

“Pueblo Deco is a new term coined by architecture historian Marcus Whiffen of Arizona State University. It refers to the American regional development of the 1920s European Art Deco style, which resulted in such buildings as the KiMo Theater in Albuquerque with its profusion of Indian motifs. Pueblo Deco is the melding of the ancient and the up-to-date,” Price said.

Centers of Interest

The Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) is an international association of architectural research centers committed to the expansion of the research culture and supporting infrastructure in architecture and related design disciplines.

The Architecture Research Institute promotes cross-disciplinary research in design and urban planning that informs public policies and strategies that create livable, compact, global cities that are eco-sustainable, walkable and less automobile dependent. Its website includes a Sustainable Architectures Bibliography filled with sources for the researcher who is interested in pursuing an interest in sustainable design.

The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) is a nonprofit educational organization that works to further the public’s understanding of architecture.

Discussion forums are extremely useful to the researcher who wants to know the latest views and topics of interest on a chosen subject. ArchitectureLinked is such a discussion forum where participants discuss such topics as: sustainability, portfolios, and the use of virtual worlds as a tool in the practice of architecture.

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.