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Topic Selection
- Selecting a topic for a research paper or project can be very challenging. You
will want to select a topic that is of interest to you. This will make the
research , reading and writing less of a chore. But you will also want to choose a
topic that has sufficient source material. If you need to write a 10 page paper and
select an event that just happened last week, there won't be enough material to learn
from. It is a good idea to wait to decide on a topic until you do some
preliminary searching for books, articles, and web-based resources. If you can't find
enough, you will want the flexibility to select a new topic.
REMEMBER : librarians can help you with this preliminary searching!
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Thesis Statement
- This is the focus for the research paper or project. You will want to make your
topic manageable in scope. So, rather than selecting rock music as a topic
for your paper, you would develop a thesis [definition] about rock music.
Examples of thesis statements are :
- Rock music had a profound effect on the relations between parents and teenage
children in the 1960s (for a sociology class)
- Rock music was a driving force in the expansion of record production companies
(for a business class)
- Rock music played loud and long has a negative effect on hearing (for a science
class)
- A thesis statement such as those above will help you to whittle down the number
of resources you will need to look at, and will provide a focus. Once you do the
research, you will be in a position to prove or disprove your initial statement.
- Take a look at
Developing Ideas for Writing webpage.
- Overview
- When you start to look for materials on your topic, as defined by your thesis
statement, you might find you need to know more about the general subject area, or
specific parts of it. The University libraries provide a wide variety of reference
books that will help you get a handle on your topic and the concepts involved.
If you need assistance in finding overview material, ask a reference librarian to
steer you in the right direction
- Creating an Outline
- Some students find that organizing their thoughts by using an outline
helps them to structure their paper. You may have used outlines when you were
in grade school or high school . An outline includes headings and sub-headings
for each section of the paper. Here is a short example :
Rock Music's Effect on Hearing
- Introduction
- Background on hearing
- How hearing works
- Decibels
- Decibel levels of various noises
- Rock music and decibels
- Concert/home/car levels
- Room size
- Speaker size
- Scientific studies
- Those supporting hearing loss
- Those seeing no connection between rock and hearing loss
- Summary and Conclusions
- You can find more information on outline creation in books or websites.
- Writing a Draft
- You can use your outline to write a draft version of your paper. Even if you
don't develop an outline first, you should still write a draft. The first version
of your paper will not be your last! You should consider asking your professor
to read your draft, so that you have time to make changes before you get a grade.
You might also ask friends or your roommate to read the draft. They can tell you
what is and isn't clear, what needed more information, where your logic might
be faulty, etc. You may still be reading additional sources as you write your draft,
and you will need to incorporate additional information into your paper.
Remember, the Writing center staff is available to help you with your writing
projects.
More information is available on their
web page.
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Final Version
- It is a good idea to put your draft paper aside for a day before you
start working on the final version. You will look at it with fresh eyes
and catch problems you might otherwise miss.
- Proofread your paper not only for spelling and grammar mistakes, but
also for logic and flow.
- Did you develop your central idea adequately?
- Is each paragraph satisfactorily developed?
- Are the transitions between paragraphs and sections logical?
- Are you assuming knowledge on the part of the reader?
- Do you need to explain concepts or theories, or clarify sections of your writing?
Follow your professor's instructions for formatting a paper
- Remember to use the spell check feature of your word processor, but also
double-check by reading your paper carefully. Spell check doesn't catch everything!
- Don't forget to cite your sources! When you paraphrase an author or quote
an author directly, you MUST credit the source. You must also cite another
person's work if you use his or her ideas, information, data, evidence or style
of presentation. When in doubt, CITE! If you have any questions about whether you
need to provide a citation, check with your professor.
- Your professor will probably suggest a certain style to follow, such as
APA
or MLA
styles. These will show you how to include footnotes or text references to materials
you rely upon. There are even directions (APA or
MLA)
for citing electronic resources, such as Web pages and online database articles. You will also want to include
a bibliography or list of sources.
IF YOU DO NOT CITE YOUR SOURCES, YOU ARE PLAGIARIZING THE WORK OF OTHERS -
A SERIOUS ACADEMIC OFFENSE AND A VIOLATION OF UNIVERSITY REGulATIONS!
See Tips for Avoiding Research Anxiety for additional
hints on research projects. Two good books to consult for more information on
writing research papers are :
- Student's Guide for Writing College Papers, by Kate L. Turabian
(Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1976) REF / LB 2369 T82 1976.
- Writing the Research Paper, by Anthony C. Winkler (Fort Worth : Harcourt, Brace
College Publishers, c. 1994).
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