Read your assignment carefully BEFORE YOU START to make sure you understand the question and the requirements.
Find out the answers to questions such as: Due date? Number of sources required? Types of sources required? Page length? Citation style?
If you need more help: Read through University of North Carolina's Understanding Assignments handout.
Topic Selection: Choose a topic that interests you and will hold your attention and you want to learn more about. Can’t think of a topic to research?
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Background research is one of the most critical steps in the research process. This step will help you:
Begin by looking at reference sources. Start with background research in encyclopedias and other reference sources available from the library website to get basic background information and proceed to specialized sources to a greater depth of information.
Revise and Refine Your Topic: Research is cyclical, as you learn more about your topic it will continue to evolve. As you read, make sure to evaluate and refine your topic. Ask yourself:
Creating a Question: Before you start to create your question make sure you have read enough background research. You need to know what happened before you try to come up with a good analytical question about why or how it happened.
For more help understanding what an analytical question is visit Tufts University's Developing a Research Question guide.
Ask a question that can be answered through historical research, not a values question. If you are having trouble coming up with an analytical question about your topic, browse through a couple of helpful online guides:
Develop a Search Strategy: Create a plan to find the sources you need to answer your question. To begin, identify keywords to help you search in library databases and catalogs.
The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a halt.
Before you can begin searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic. Key terminology can be easily be found by scanning:
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Evaluate: Always evaluate the significance and usefulness of sources you find before you start taking notes. Ask how well the source addresses your research question. Make sure the material is neither too specific nor too broad.
Evaluating the authority and accuracy of your sources. Evaluation is one of the steps of the research process, and it is something you should be doing constantly. Evaluate your sources according to their:
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Read Your Sources Carefully
Make sure you know what type of citation style your assignment requires. Use Noodletools to keep track of your source citations. If you need help creating an account or becoming familiar with NoodleTools ask for help!
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If you are using Chicago Manual of Style make sure to track citation information and page numbers when taking notes. You will need the page #s for your footnotes.
Taking Notes: Stay Organized!
Whether you are using the Noodletools notecard feature, written notecards, or Google notebook make sure to organize your notes. This includes connecting notes to sources and making sure quotations are put in parenthesis so you don't mistake them for your own words later. Taking good notes is a critical step in avoiding plagiarism.
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Based on your research, create a thesis statement.
"In the thesis stage, the writer uses the work done in the first two stages to craft the position he or she will argue or prove. This position may be presented as a thesis. A thesis is a succinctly worded declarative sentence that clearly states the argument the writer will pose in his or her work. When a thesis is used to frame a piece of writing, it is usually presented as an assertion at the beginning of the work. In subsequent paragraphs, the writer presents evidence to support the assertion" - Formulating a Thesis by By Vinetta Bell. Talk to your teacher if you are having difficulty.
The following websites provide guidance:
"Revising your first draft may require you to do additional research to support your thesis statement or find more sources. Understanding that the first draft is just that, a draft. Revision and the evolution of a paper takes many steps to have a great final product." - Research Like a Librarian, By Rebecca Petersen.
Visit the UNC Writing Center for assistance writing your draft.
As you incorporate others’ ideas or words into your paper be sure to cite your sources. Ask your instructor if you are unsure on which citation style to use (e.g. APA, MLA, etc.).
Reread your first draft. Ask yourself the following questions:
Re-research and Revise your draft as appropriate. For help visit:
In text (footnotes or parenthetical):
Bibliography:
For help with citations:
Be sure to leave time to proofread and edit your final draft before handing it in.
"Is editing the same thing as proofreading? Not exactly. Editing and proofreading are two different stages of the revision process. Both demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the writing. Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions." - From Editing and Proofreading by UNC.
Finally, look back at your assignment and make sure your paper meets all the assignment requirements. Pay attention to any formatting requirements (double spaced, size of font, etc) .
Hand in Your Paper and Congratulations!