1. The Research Paper
Charity I. Mulig

2. Steps Planning Conducting Library Research
Organizing the Research Paper
Writing the Research Paper
Revising & Editing the Research Paper

3. Planning Set a Schedule and Follow it
Choose a suitable research topic or question.
Prepare a preliminary bibliography
Develop a preliminary thesis and make a working outline
Take accurate and complete notes
Arrive at a final thesis and modify your outline
Write a first draft, citing sources.
Revise your paper and proof citations including the list cited.
Prepare your final copy, in correct form, and proofread.

4. After choosing a topic it is good to generate information by…
Asking questions (5W’s and H)
Brainstorming
Clustering
Keeping a Journal
Freewriting
Researching

5. Conducting a Library Research
Prepare a preliminary bibliography.
Bibliography Card : Book
Authors
Title and Subtitle
Blumberg, Louis, and Robert Gottlieb.
War on Waste: Can America Win Its
war with Garbage? Washington:
Island Press
Complete publishing data
TD788
.B58
1989
Call number

6. Conducting a Library Research
Bibliography Card : Article
Author
Magazine
Month and Year of Publication
Rathje, William L. “Rubbish!” The Atlantic
Monthly Dec ,
Title
Pages

7. Conducting a Library Research
Systematically take complete and accurate notes of your reading.
Summary – capture the essential idea in a highly condensed form and in your own words
Paraphrase – restate the information in your own words and sentence structure but with approximately the same number of words in the original text

8. Conducting a Library Research
Systematically take complete and accurate notes of your reading.
Quotation –copy the words from the source exactly putting all the quoted material in quotation marks
Quotation and Summary

9. Note Card Elements of a Note Card Topic heading Notes Source Comment
Topic/Subject
Summary/Paraphrase/Quotation/Summary &
Quotation
Author, pages

10. Organizing the Research Paper
Formulate the Final Thesis
Develop a Working Outline

11. In formulating the thesis statement it is good to…
Determine your purpose for writing.
Analyze your audience.
Writing from experience
-express personal thoughts and feelings
Writing to inform
Report, explain, analyze, define, classify describe a process or get to a cause & effect relationship of the objective or real world
Writing to persuade
Attempt to influence others thoughts, feelings & actions towards a subject or situation
Who are my audience?
What do they know about my subject? What is there knowledge level?
What does my audience need to know that I can tell them?
Will my audience have any misconception that I can clarify?
What do I want my audience to do? How can I help them?

12. Outline Informal Outline Formal Outline Title: ____________
Purpose: ___________
Thesis Statement: ___________
Introduction
2. Body
-supply details here
3. Conclusion
Title: ____________
Purpose: ___________
Thesis Statement: ___________ I. A. B. 1. 2. a. b.
II.

13. Writing the Research Paper
Document your sources using the MLA (Modern Language Association) or APA (American Psychological Association)
Integrate Quotations Smoothly
Unannounced quotation
Integrated quotation
Set off long quotations
Avoid Plagiarism

14. In revising… revise the largest elements first
Is my topic well-focused?
Does my thesis statement clearly state the point of my composition?
Do I have enough supporting details and are my examples well-chosen to support my thesis?
Is my organizational pattern the best one given my purpose?
Are my paragraphs effective?
Do I accomplish my purpose?

15. In Editing…
Check grammar, punctuation and mechanics (capitalization and word spelling).
Prepare the final copy.

16. …then revise your sentences & diction
Check your sentences…
Revise your sentences & diction.
Do my sentences convey my thoughts clearly?
Do I subordinate less important ideas to more important ones?
Do my sentences emphasize the more important parts of my thoughts?
Are my sentences complete sentences?
Is my diction exact, with each word meaning precisely what I think it does?
Do I use appropriate language, avoiding slang, regional language, and doublespeak?
Is my language unbiased?
Is my writing fresh and forceful or burdened by unnecessary words?

17. Sources
The Library: