1. By: Joyce Garczynski Communications & Development Librarian Albert S. Cook Library Writing a Research Paper

2. What is a research paper? Purpose: To make an argument (about media and society) that is supported by research Format: Written in organized prose with an introduction, body, and conclusion Content: It has a thesis – This is the argument you are making in the paper It uses what has been said in the research as evidence in support of the thesis

3. What a research paper isn’t Not an opinion piece Not an opportunity to show off what you know on a topic Not a series of resource summaries

4. Writing Step 1: Interpret the Assignment Whenever you get an assignment, ask: 1. Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task? 2. Who is your audience and what should your writing style be? 3. What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas? 4. What are the absolute rules of the paper such as deadlines, length and format? Break into 4 groups and answer these questions about your assignment in this class

5. Writing Step 2: Selecting a Topic Choose a topic that interests you Do background research and test searching to see what’s out there Keep the topic manageable by narrowing By medium By population By time period Watch out for topics that are too local or too recent

6. Writing Step 3: Gather Sources Strategize about: Where to search How to search How much time it will take to retrieve sources We’ll talk more about this next session

7. Writing Step 4: Draft a Thesis Statement Develop the argument you will make (i.e. your thesis statement) The thesis statement is one sentence or two that is at the end of the introduction The thesis statement should: State the topic of your paper Preview the main points you will be making Synthesize the research you read This video offers some additional tipsvideo

8. Is this a good thesis statement? Images in fashion magazines hurt women. Fashion advertisements affect the perceived body image of young women. Analyses of images in fashion magazines advertisements have found that these images portray an unrealistic standard of beauty for women and as a result they can lead to low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction in the teenage girls who consume them.

9. Writing Step 5: Outline Your Paper Use your thesis statement to shape your outline

10. Writing Step 6: Write a First Draft

11. Writing Step 7: Revise, Revise, Revise First draft is never the last draft Review your own work after some time away Have someone else review your work – the Writing Lab and now at Cook LibraryWriting LabCook Library

13. Get More Information On writing a research paper: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/0 1/ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/0 1/ On interpreting the assignment: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/understandi ng-assignments/ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/understandi ng-assignments/ On selecting a topic: http://libguides.weber.edu/researchtopic http://libguides.weber.edu/researchtopic On writing a thesis statement: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_st atement.shtml http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_st atement.shtml