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Researching and Documenting Ideas
If you’re viewing this page, you’re probably working on a research paper
or thinking about one you have to write. The best way to start is to think
realistically about what “doing a research paper” is: it’s not really one task, but a series of complicated tasks requiring you to think and write in
different ways.
If you give full attention to each phase of the project—one at a time and again as many times as necessary later on—you can build a quality research paper that will be interesting to do and interesting to read when it’s finished.
PHASE ONE: ASKING QUESTIONS & MAPPING THE
SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
1. Think About What Your Task Is
It’s Not High School Anymore: Getting Analytical for College
("Writing College Research Papers")
Understanding the Types of Writing/Thinking Your Assignment Requires
(OWL: "Writing a Research Paper")
Making Use of Your Assignment Guidelines
(OWL: "Writing a Research Paper:" Topic Types)
2. Choose the Topic That’s Right for You
Taking Charge of Your Research
Choosing & Narrowing a Topic
3. Make Your Topic Live Up to Its Full Potential
How to Narrow or Broaden Your Topic
Transforming Your Topic into a Research Question (step by step PowerPoint guide with examples)
Building Information Shopping Lists and Outlines:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/673/02/
(OWL: "Prewriting Questions")
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/
(OWL: "Why & How to Create a Useful Outline")
PHASE TWO: FINDING YOUR SOURCES
1. Recognize that Different Types of Sources Serve Different Purposes
Flow of Information
(UCLA College Library: shows how different types of sources created at different times can
reveal different aspects of the same topic)
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Scholarly Journals and Other Types of Periodicals: What’s the Difference?
(Explains differences in depth of content, degree of specialization, and standards of quality. Learning how to find and use journals and periodicals shows you solid alternatives to Web sources that may not be considered credible enough to cite, and also teaches you the conventions of writing for various audiences in different fields).
Diana Hacker’s Information and Research in the Electronic Age: An On-line Handbook
(A quick-reference guide to finding and documenting information;
advice is specific to your discipline and major).
2. Start Searching
Search the Expanded Academic ASAP Database for Journal Articles
Search UNISTAR for Books on your Topic
A Student's Guide to Research with the WWW
(Helpful anatomy of Web page content and function; how to search; how to evaluate the credibility and importance of the information from the Web).
Web Search Strategies
(Helpful search-engine comparison chart with tools for maximizing the efficiency of your search)
Searching with Success: Tutorial
3. Evaluate Your Sources: Ask the Right Questions to Determine what they’re Worth
Assessing the Quality of Web Resources
PHASE THREE: BUILDING THE EVIDENCE
1. Know How to Read for Research
Knowing how to read isn’t the same as reading well for research. Many plagiarized,
disconnected, or otherwise unsuccessful research papers are born when researchers
try to pass on information they haven’t really digested themselves. These links offer practical
guides to make the process of reading source material more predictable, efficient, and productive.
How to Read for Research
(from Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through the Information Fog, 2nd ed., by William Badke)
A Guide to Reading & Analyzing Academic Articles
2. Make Your Note-Taking Work for You
Choosing Material Worth Including in Research Notes
(OWL: "Research: Note-taking Effectively")
Essential Rules of Notetaking
Avoiding Plagiarism at the Note taking Stage
Purdue OWL: Note Taking Safe Practices
How to Avoid being an Accidental Plagiarist
Ways to Take Notes: The Computer
Ideas About Note Taking and Citing Sources: Note Templates
Using Notecards / The Clip-Strip Method
Notetaking: Content & Format Best Practices (with illustration of note card method)
PHASE FOUR: ASSEMBLING THE EVIDENCE
A research paper is not a list of findings: it is the coherent
communication of a meaningful pattern of information.
—Richard M. Coe
1. Decide the Point Of It All: Write a Focused Draft
Moving from Research Question to Thesis
http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/13_Thesis_Statement.asp
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1405,subcat-TESTPREP.html
Research Paper Process Checklist
(Gallaudet U)
Introductions and Conclusions
(Gallaudet U)
Building the First Draft
(OWL: The First Draft, Body Paragraphs, & Integrating Sources)
Paragraph and Sentence Strategy:
Moving From Known (Old) Information to Unknown (New) Information | PDF Version
2. Think Critically about the Role Your Sources Should Play
Deciding when to Quote, Paraphrase, or Summarize | PDF Version
Learn to Paraphrase | PDF Version
Learn to Summarize | PDF Version
Researched Papers: Using Quotations Effectively
3. Revise, Revise, Revise!
Editing and Rewriting: A Checklist of Quality
(OWL: "Revision")
Global Revision: Look at the Big Picture | PDF Version
4. Format and Document
How to Avoid Plagiarism
(Rhoten, "Student Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism")
Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art of Scholarship
The Copyright Web site
(Defines issues of information ownership; provides current examples of “cheating—“ creativity theft—
from the movie and music industries)
MLA Citation Style and Formatting Guidelines
(OWL: MLA Guide)
Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Style
(Modern Language Association FAQ Site)
MLA Sample Paper
(Diana Hacker, Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006)
5. Citation Style and Formatting Guidelines
APA Citation Style and Formatting Guidelines
(OWL: APA Guide)
Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style
(American Psychological Association Online)
APA Sample Paper
(Diana Hacker, Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006)
Chicago/Turabian Quick Guide
(NOTE: Chicago offers two different styles: Humanities courses often use the footnote system and a bibliography; Physical, Natural, & Social Science courses often use the author-date system of in-text citation and a References list. Turabian is a simplified/modified version of Chicago style, so it may not be considered acceptable by all professors requiring Chicago style.)
Differences Between Chicago and Turabian (modified, simplified Chicago) Styles
Chicago Sample Paper
(Diana Hacker, Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006)
APA, Turabian, MLA, Chicago, AMA Compared
Citing Electronic Sources:
Library of Congress’s Guide to Electronic Citation, MLA & Chicago Styles
(includes legal documents, films, audio recordings, cartoons, and other formats)
For Complete MLA Documentation Advice, Consult the Manuals:
The MLA Style Manual, Walter S. Achtert and Joseph Gibaldi, 2nd ed., 1998. UNI Stacks, Reference, and Reserve desks: PN 147 G444 1998
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., Joseph Gibaldi, 2003. UNI Stacks, Reference, and Reserve desks: LB 2369.G53 2003
Note: The MLA Handbook is designed for high school and undergraduate college researchers, the MLA Style Manual for graduate students and professional writers.
For Complete APA Documentation Advice, Consult the Manual:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed, 2001
UNI reference desk and stacks: BF76.7 .P83
For Complete Chicago Documentation Advice, Consult the Manual:
The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003
UNI reference desk and stacks: Z253 .U69
For Complete Turabian Documentation Advice, Consult the Manual:
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Kate L. Turabian, 7th ed., 2007
UNI reference desk and stacks: LB2369. T8
