Research Paper Basics

A research paper is an investigative report, of sorts. It is a question that is answered through exploration of a problem or an original idea that sheds new light on a known topic. When a student writes a research paper, he or she collects information about a specific issue or topic, analyzes the information, and presents all the collected information in a report.

Why Do Students Dread Research Papers?

Research papers take time. A research paper is not merely a writing assignment; it is an action assignment. There are many steps to writing a research paper, and the actions involved are:

• Going to the library
• Exploring a topic
• Narrowing your topic
• Collecting your research
• Developing a thesis
• Writing a paper
• Editing the paper
• Proofreading the paper
• Writing a bibliography or reference list
• Formatting the paper

What Is a Thesis?

The thesis is a central message that is summed up in a sentence. This thesis tells the purpose of the paper - whether it is answering a question or making a new point. The thesis statement usually goes at the end of the introductory paragraph.

What Does a Thesis Statement Look Like?

A thesis in a history paper might look like this:

In Colonial Georgia, it was not poverty that caused citizens to abandon young settlements and flee to Charleston, but the insecurity that citizens felt from living so close to Spanish Florida.

This is a bold statement that requires some proof. The student would need to provide quotes from early Georgia and other evidence to argue this thesis.

What Does a Research Paper Look Like?

The research paper might look like one long essay or it could look different - it could be divided into sections; this all depends on the type of study being conducted. A research paper in science will look different from a research paper in literature.

Papers that are written for a science class will often involve reporting on an experiment a student has conducted or a problem the student has solved. For this reason, the paper might contain sections that are divided by headings and subheadings, like Abstract, Method, Materials, and more.

In contrast, a literature paper is more likely to address a theory about a certain author's point of view, or describe a comparison of two pieces of literature. This type of paper would more likely take the form of one long essay and contain a list of references on the last page.

Your instructor will let you know which style of writing you should use.

What Is a Style of Writing?

There are very specific rules for writing and formatting papers, according to the style. One common style is the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style, which is used for literature and some social sciences.

Another is American Psychological Association (APA) Style, and that style is used in the social and behavioral sciences.

Turabian Style is used for writing history papers, although high school teachers my require MLA for history assignments.

Students may not encounter Turabian or APA style requirements until college.

The Scientific Journal Style is often used for assignments in the natural sciences.

You will find details about writing and formatting your paper in a "style guide." The guide will give details like:

• How to format your title page (if you need a title page)
• Where to place the page numbers
• How to cite your sources
• How and when to use appendices
• How and when to use images
• How to format the list of sources

What Does It Mean to "Cite Sources?"

When you conduct research, you find evidence in books, articles, web sites, and other sources, that you will use to support your thesis. Any time you use a bit of information that you've collected, you must make a visible indication of this in your paper. You will do this with an in-text citation or a footnote. The way that you cite your source will depend on the style of writing you're using, but the citation will contain some combination of the author's name, the title of the source, and a page number.

Do I Always Need a Bibliography?

On the last page of your paper you will provide a list of all the sources you used in putting together your paper. This list can go by many names: it may be called a bibliography, a reference list, a works consulted list, or a works cited list. Your instructor will tell you which style of writing you are to use for your research paper. You will find all the details you need in your style guide for putting all the right pieces in place.

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Make a Backup Copy of Your Paper

At this time of year, many students will be using word processors to work on lengthy final papers. The last thing you want to do is lose your work after you've spent hours or days laboring on a computer.

If you're working with Microsoft Word, you can use an auto-backup feature. You simply follow these steps for Microsoft 2007:

• Click on the Microsoft Office Button in the top left corner of your screen.
• Select Advanced on the menu to see a box appear.
• Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
• Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

If you're working in Microsoft 2010:

• Click on the File tab in the top left part of your screen.
• Select Options from the menu to see a box appear.
• Select Advanced for a list of advanced options.
• Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
• Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

This creates two copies of every document you create, but if you suspect that this feature takes up too much space, you can turn it off again once the school year ends.

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Position Paper

In a position paper, you will choose a side on a particular controversial topic and build up a case for your opinion or position. Once you state your position, you will use facts, opinion, statistics and other forms of evidence to convince your reader that your position is the best one.

As you collect research for your position paper and begin to craft an outline, you must remember that the teacher will be looking for a well-constructed argument. This means that the subject matter and your topic is not as important as your ability to make a case. You topic could be simple or complex—but your argument must be sound and logical.

Select a Topic

Your position paper is going to center around a personal belief that is supported by research, so you have an opportunity to tap into your own strong feelings in this assignment. Take advantage of this opportunity! Find a topic that is near and dear to your heart, and you’ll put more of your heart into your work. That always leads to a better outcome.

Conduct Preliminary Research

Preliminary research is necessary to determine whether evidence is available to back up your stance. You don’t want to get to attached to a topic that falls apart under a challenge.

Search a few reputable sites, like educations sites and government sites, to find professional studies and statistics. If you come up with nothing after an hour of searching, or if you find that your position doesn’t stand up to the findings on reputable sites, you might want to find another topic.

Challenge Your Own Topic

This is a very important step! You must know the opposite view as well as you know your own stance when you take a position. You must know all the possible challenges that you might face as you support your view. Your position paper must present the opposing view and chip away at it with counter evidence.

For this reason, you must find arguments for the other side of your position, address those arguments, and state why they are not sound.

Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and list your points on one side and list opposing points on the other side. Which argument is really better?

Continue to Collect Supporting Evidence

Once you’ve determined that your position is supportable and the opposite position is (in your opinion) weaker than your own, you are ready to branch out with your research. Go to a library and conduct a search, or ask the reference librarian to help you find more sources.

Try to collect a variety of sources, to include an expert’s opinion (doctor, lawyer, or professor, for example) and personal experience (from a friend or family member) that can add an emotional appeal to your topic.

Create an Outline

A position paper might be arranged in the following format:

1. Introduce your topic with a little background information. Build up to your thesis sentence, which asserts your position. Sample points:

• For decades, the FDA has required that warning labels should be placed on certain products that pose a threat to public health.
• Fast food restaurants are bad for our health.
• Fast food packages should contain warning labels.

2. List possible objections to your position. Sample points:

• Such labels would affect profits of major corporations.
• Many people would see this as overreaching government control.
• Whose job is it to determine which restaurants are bad? Who draws the line?
• The program would be costly.

3. Support and acknowledgement of the opposing points. Sample points:

• It would be difficult and expensive for any entity to determine which restaurants should adhere to the policy.
• Nobody wants to see the government overstepping its boundaries.
• Funding would fall onto the shoulders of taxpayers.

4. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter arguments. Sample points:

• The cost would be countered by the improvement of public health.
• Restaurants might improve the standards of food if warning labels were put into place.
• One role of the government is to keep citizens safe.
• The government already does this with drugs and cigarettes.

5. Summarize your argument and restate your position.

Get Attitude When you write a position paper, you should write with confidence. In this paper you want to state your opinion with authority. After all, your goal is to demonstrate that your position is the correct one. Be assertive, but don't be cocky. State your points and back them up with evidence.

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Panic Paper

Have you ever put off writing a paper until the day before it was due? You’ll be comforted to know that we all have. Many of us know the panic of settling in Thursday night and realizing suddenly that a ten-page paper is due at 9 a.m. Friday morning!

How does this happen? No matter how or why you get into this situation, it’s important to remain calm and clear-headed. Fortunately, there are a few tips that will help you get through the night and still leave time for sleep.

1. First, collect any quotes or statistics that you can include in your paper. You can use these as building blocks. You can focus on writing descriptions and analyses of the separate quotes first and then tie them all together later.

2. Review the main ideas. If you are writing a book report, reread the last few paragraphs of each chapter. Refreshing the story in your mind will help you tie your quotes together.

3. Come up with a great introductory paragraph. The first line of your paper is especially important. It should be interesting and relevant to the topic. It is also a great opportunity to get creative. For examples of some outstanding introductory statements you can consult a list of great first lines.

4. Now that you have all the pieces, start putting them together. It’s so much easier to write a paper in pieces than to try to sit down and write ten pages straight. You don’t even have to write it in order. Write the parts you feel most comfortable with or knowledgeable about first. Then fill in the transitions to smooth out your essay.

5. Go to sleep! When you wake up in the morning, proofread your work. You will be refreshed and better able to spot typos and awkward transitions.

Good News About Last Minute Papers

It's not unusual to hear veteran students claim that some of their best grades have come from last-minute papers!

Why? If you take a look at the advice above, you'll see that you are forced to zero in on the most impressive or important parts of your topic and stay focused on them. There is something about being under pressure that often gives us clarity and increased focus.

Let's be perfectly clear: it is not a good idea to put off your assignments as a habit. You'll always get burned eventually. But once in awhile, when you find yourself having to throw together a panic paper, you can take comfort in the fact that you can turn out a good paper in a short amount of time.

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Response Paper

A response or reaction paper is a bit of a twist on a formal review of a book, artwork, or article, because response papers are written from the first person point of view, which simply means that you can and should use phrases? like “I thought” and “I believe” when reviewing.?

1. Read and Respond

Copyright Grace Fleming

In a response paper, you do assess the item you’ve been assigned to observe, but you add your personal reaction and impressions to the report.

The steps for completing a reaction or response paper are:

• Observe or read the piece for an initial understanding
• Re-read the piece and stop to reflect often
• Record your thoughts and impressions in notes
• Develop a thesis
• Write an outline
• Construct your essay

2. The First Paragraph

Copyright Grace Fleming

Once you have established an outline for your paper, you'll need to craft an essay using the basic elements of every strong essay, including a strong introductory sentence.

In the case of a reaction paper, the first senetence should contain the title of the object to which you are responding, and the name of the author.

The last sentence of your introductory papragraph should contain a thesis statement.

3. Stating Your Opinion

Copyright Grace Fleming

There's no need to feel shy about expressing your own opinion in a position paper, even though it may seem strange to write "I feel" or "I believe" in an essay. The instructor is actually looking for this.

In the sample here, the writer does a good job of analyzing and comparing the plays, but also manages to express personal reactions.

4. Sample Statements

A response paper could address any type of work, from a piece of art or a film to a book. When writing a response paper, you can include statements like the following:

• I felt that
• In my opinion
• The reader can conclude that
• The author seems to
• I did not like
• The images seemed to
• The author was [was not] successful in making me feel
• I was especially moved by
• I didn't get the connection between
• It was clear that the artist was trying to
• The sound track seemed too
• My favorite part was...because

You can think of a response paper as a review that is part analysis and part opinion.

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Parts of a Research Paper

Are you facing your first big research paper? It's important to get started early to give yourself lots of time to do a good job. First you should consider the various parts of the paper.

• The introductory paragraph of any paper, long or short, should start with a sentence that piques the interest of your readers. Think of your first sentence as a hook that draws your reader in. It is your big chance to be so clever that your reader can't stop.
• No single sentence will pester you quite so much as the thesis sentence. Often you'll find it is both the first sentence you write and the last sentence you re-write while constructing the body of your essay.
• Page numbering can be frustrating and difficult. The first step is to divide your paper into sections that your computer will recognize.
• Your research note cards should include all the information necessary to write your paper. You should take extreme care as you create these note cards.
• If you want to give your research paper a professional look, you may want to insert a table of contents. When you do it right, this is a simple process that takes a few moments, and it makes a world of difference in the look of your paper.
• The MLA style provides a standard for giving your list of sources at the end of your paper. This alphabetical list of sources is called either a bibliography or a works cited list.

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Research Paper Checklist

A research paper checklist is essential, because the writing process involves many steps. Nobody writes a perfect research paper in one sitting!

Once you have finished the final draft of your research paper, use this checklist to make sure that you have remembered all the details.

See all Checklists

Research Paper Checklist

First Paragraph and Introduction	Yes	Needs Work
Introductory sentence is interesting
The thesis sentence is specific
The thesis statement makes a clear declaration that I back up with examples
Body Paragraphs
Does each paragraph begin with a good topic sentence?
Do I provide clear evidence to support my thesis?
Have I used examples with citations evenly throughout the work?
Do my paragraphs flow in a logical manner?
Have I used clear transition sentences?
Paper Format
Title page meets assignment requirements
Page numbers are in the right location on the page
Page numbers start and stop on the right pages
Each citation has a bibliography entry
In-text citations checked for proper formatting
Proofreading
I've checked for confusing word errors
I've checked for logical flow
My summary restates my thesis in different words
Meeting the Assignment
I mention previous research or positions on this topic
My paper is the right length
I've used enough sources
I've included the required variety of source types

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