Essay Writing

When you write a research paper, you have to pick a topic first. Once you pick your topic, you should being looking up sources. The following is the method I was taught (with a couple tweaks) to do research. This, I think, is the best way to get your information, organize it, put it into notes, and then write your paper.

Researching 

1.       Do not procrastinate. You can’t write a very good research paper in the three days before it is due!

2.       You will need a lot of time, and a big folder/binder to put all your ”stuff” in. I recommend saving your things on a floppy disk AND a flash drive (and your laptop or computer if you’re using the same one each time) just in case you lose one. That way, you will still have the other copy. Personally, I save things on my flash drive and in Google documents (part of my e-mail). That way, if I lost my flash drive (which happened), I would still have my info (which I did). Just be sure to save your work to both places each time, or you’ll lose your work because you’ll save over different versions.

3.       I start by looking for information in the databases. I type in my search keyword (choosing the full-text option), and skim through articles until I find a few (5 or so) that look they have information I will use. I print these articles out and stick them in my folder. If I can’t find the information I want using full-text search, I use regular search and then request articles through the library. They usually take about a week or so, so it’s important to get started early.

4.       I go check out books that are related to my topic. Sometimes, I’ve had to request books from other libraries.

5.       If I need to, I’ll look for information online, but most teachers prefer you get most of your information from academic sources such as journals/periodicals and books. I use this to fill in the gaps of information that I couldn’t find in journal articles or to find more up-to-date information.

Creating Notes

1.       I sit down with one journal article. I use a highlighter to highlight any relevant information that could be used as a fact in my research paper. Usually, I end up highlighting extra facts that I do not end up using, but it’s easier to just get everything you think you might need in the first try. After I do the highlighting for one article, I get on my computer to type up the notes.

2.       I open up a word document on my computer, and on the first page, I type Works Cited at the top. This will be my works cited page. I type up the entry for the article I just highlighted. Info on making a Works Cited pages can be found here. It sounds annoying to do this first, but it is so much easier than putting it off, and then not being able to find the information that needs to be in the works cited page.

3.       After I type in the entry, I start writing notes that I will use on a new page in the same document. I look at the first thing I highlighted and decide which type of note I will make: a summary, a paraphrase, or a direct quote. (Info on these can be found HERE) Then, I type S, P, or Q at the beginning of each note so I know what type it is. Then, I type up the fact. If I paraphrase or summarize it, it goes in my own words. If I take the words directly, they go in quotation marks. Then, after I type up the fact, I put the parenthetical documentation. That way, I don’t have to do this later. I do this for each peice of info I highlighted, and I end up with a bunch of notes I will eventually turn into a paper.

4.       Sometimes, I think of something that is related to the fact I just typed, but didn’t come from a source. (The reason why something might be happening, that a fact is related to something else, etc.) For this, I write a personal note, and next to it, I put PN. You can then use this personal note in your paper to explain or expand on a citation. This helps fill in the space between your facts when you begin to write your paper. Anytime you think of something, be sure to make it a personal note. This makes it easier when you’re writing the final paper.

5.    I repeat the ”highlight/type up notes” thing for all the articles, books (minus the highlighting,) and information I found (remember to do the works cited entry for each one) and stick them in my notes document.  This whole time, I’m brainstorming ways to organize the facts I have into a couple different sections.

Beginning the Actual Paper

When I get finished with the notes, I begin working on the actual paper. The collecting and writing notes part is actually the hardest, so try to keep that in mind when you feel like you’ll never finish.

1.       Write out a rough outline of how you think your paper might go, including the intro (put your thesis there) and the conclusion. Do you want to put the important things first or build up to them? Is there a timeline that your information follows? Can you start out broadly explaining your topic and then get more specific? Sometimes, this can be tough, and you might have do some rearranging later.

2.       Once you get the basic idea of what sections are going where, you need to get more specific. How many paragraphs will each section have? This is determined by the information that you have collected. Once I get the broad outline finished, I try to group the facts I have (via copy and paste into a new document) into groups that will eventually be paragraphs. This part is kind of hard, and sometimes I end up with facts that could go in more than one place, or that don’t fit anywhere. I highlight these (in the word document) so I can go back to them later if I want.

3.       Once I have most of my facts organized into going-to-be-paragraphs, I write a topic sentence for each one. This is important! You need to have topic sentences! It also helps make sure that I didn’t combine things that aren’t logically tied together. If you can’t write a topic sentence that covers whatever facts you’re putting in your paper, you need to revise your organization a little and find a new place to put these facts.

4.       After you have all of your facts in an order with topic sentences, you should try to fill in the space between them. Expand on the information you used, tie things together, relate information to other examples, and use transitions. When expanding on your quotes, try to think of things that you know about your topic that the reader might not. Since you just did hours and hours of research, you’re kind of an expert. Remember to explain connections and details that your audience hasn’t figured out yet. Why did you choose that particular excerpt? What does it illustrate? How does it directly support your thesis? How does it affect your audience? While you know what the importance of the fact is, your readers do not. You shouldn’t have one quote next to another without something between them (unless they are in the same sentence and are very, very similar). Be sure to explain things well, and not to have a paper that is just a bunch of citations lumped together. Your audience should just be there for the ride since you have done all the work.

5.       After you write your paragraphs, you should write your intro and conclusion. Your intro should have your thesis and any background information that you need. Your conclusion should restate your main points and thesis, and tie things together to explain what is so important about your topic.

6.       Now you’re finished with the hardest work and you can begin revising.

 source: http://melissamaxwellwf.googlepages.com/theresearchprocess