Academic advice 4: Punctuation - Calvary University

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The Research Paper

Understanding the processes involved in writing the research paper

Topic

Choose a topic that interests you (if allowed), then narrow its focus—try to narrow it several times. For example, for a trend paper:

Cigarette smoking among college students
Cigarette smoking among ASU students
Cigarette smoking among ASU freshmen

*The narrower your topic, the easier it should be to write the paper.

Research

Before you begin your research, come up with a question that you will attempt to answer in your paper. For example, "What are the main causes of cigarette smoking among college freshmen?"

Although doing research on the Internet is convenient, it is often difficult to determine the credibility of Internet sources. Therefore, it is often better to do research at the library. Reference librarians are experts at navigating library catalog systems and can easily direct you to credible sources of information.

Besides looking at books, videos, articles, etc. for information, think about conducting interviews. For example, for a trend paper about body piercing among ASU freshmen, you could ask a cultural anthropology professor what he/she thinks are the factors responsible for the trend. You could also interview freshmen who have piercings.

Notes

When taking notes, try to limit your clusters of information to one topic. This will make it easier to organize information later, when you create an outline for your first draft.

Whether you keep notes on index cards or paper napkins: write down reference information. For example, on an index card, list the author’s name, the title of the reference work, and the page number on which you found the information. This will help you later to do your in-text citations and to put together your bibliography/works cited/references page.

Sort your notes by topic. Outline

When creating an outline, keep your purpose in mind. Given all of the information you have, what is the main point you want to make? What is your thesis?

Arrange your notes according to your purpose. Set aside notes you no longer think are relevant—doing so is an important part of the editing process. It is part of determining what your paper is really about.

*Be sure to include information that offers or acknowledges alternative or oppositional points of view. This will show the reader that you are open-minded in your approach, and that you are therefore a reliable source of information.

Draft

Write your first draft by following your outline. Don’t worry if everything, such as grammar and punctuation, is not perfect. Be careful, however, to include in-text citations wherever you use direct quotations or paraphrase from the material in your notes.

Create your bibliography/works cited/references page and be consistent with documentation style (MLA, APA, etc.).

Would it be more appropriate or effective to write the paper in first or third person? People tend to assume it is never okay to write a research paper in first person, but you shouldn’t rule out the possibility—especially if your background enhances your credibility. For example, if you’re a nurse writing about nursing, and you plan to use examples, anecdotes, or quotations from work, it might be beneficial to write the paper in first person.

*If you have time, set your draft aside for a while, maybe overnight, before you begin to edit. This will help you to see your paper with more clarity and objectivity.

Edit

Do your ideas come across clearly? Do you need to add or delete words?

Does your paper flow? Do you need to add in or rewrite transitions?

Are your quotations smoothly integrated into the text? wparaphrase uninteresting quotations wblock quote passages over three lines long

Did you put in all of the in-text citations or footnotes?

*Review your documentation. Use a handbook (MLA, APA, etc.), if you have one.

Editors

Ask someone to look at your draft and offer honest feedback. Have them mark sentences or sections they find confusing.

Often, it is hard for us to "hear" what we sound like on paper. In fact, tone is one of the most difficult things to judge during our first writing assignments. Do we sound harsh, defensive, offensive, ... or friendly, even naive? Ask someone to give you feedback on your tone.

Lastly ...
Print out a numbered, double-spaced copy to turn in for a grade.

Adapted from: Online Writing Lab by
the Purdue University Writing Lab,
School of Liberal Arts: http://owl.english.purdue.edu.