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A brief guide to writing a research paper

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Choose a topic

  • Brainstorm questions about your topic
  • Create a mindmap (diagram or map) of ideas about your topic
  • Look for links or connections among questions and ideas
  • Try to come up with one or two main questions about your topic to narrow it down

Explore your topic

  • Brainstorm questions about your topic
  • Create a mindmap (diagram or map) of ideas about your topic
  • Look for links or connections among questions and ideas
  • Try to come up with one or two main questions about your topic to narrow it down

Researching your topic using library resources

  • Start early! - consult a librarian if you need help
  • Don't copy a lot of material from sources; instead, summarize it in your own words
  • Be sure to write down the bibliographic info for each source and note down pages you used, even when you have been paraphrasing. You need to document every source you use
  • Write down your ideas as you research; ask yourself why does this matter?
  • Stop researching and start organizing

Write a tentative thesis statement

  • It could be the answer to the main questions you brainstormed, your point of view, argument, or what you want to say about your topic.
  • Next, sketch out a map of main points that support your thesis with details or facts from your research. 

Write your first draft

  • Write your paper quickly using freewriting (writing continuously without stopping to edit). 
  • Do not worry about paragraphing, word choice, grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. Just try to get the ideas down on paper, following your map.
  • If your paper is long, write one section at a time.
  • It sometimes makes writing easier if you talk to someone about what you want to say before you write. It is often easier to plug in specific facts and ideas from your research after you have explained the main ideas that support your argument/thesis. 
  • Some people prefer to write the intro and conclusion last, being sure to include the thesis in both. 

Revise your draft

  • Revise your paper after letting it "rest" overnight or at least a few hours.
  • Focus first on content and organization:
    • Make sure ideas are clear, complete and correct. 
    • Check to make sure your paper is organized hierarchically. 
  • Finally, check the language: 
    • Use spell check, Grammerly, Antidote or other useful software.
    • Print out a hard copy and read your paper out loud to help you find mistakes, omitted words  or sentences that do not make sense. 
    • This is a good time to ask a friend to read your paper and tell you where it's confusing or where there are language errors.

Document your references

All quotations and summaries/paraphrases (using your own words) must be documented.

Also prepare a "References" or "Works Cited" page (bibliography) that lists the publications you refer to in your paper.  Use the library’s resources like Zotero. 

Last details

  • Go back to the assignment one last time to see if you covered everything your professor requested:
    • Content
    • Formatting
    • Reference style