PREPARING A RESEARCH PAPER

1. Choosing a Topic
2. Preparing a Working
Bibliography
3. Collecting Information
4. Outlining the Paper
5. Drafting the Paper
6. Preparing the Final Copy

PREPARING A RESEARCH PAPER

Does not necessarily
proceed sequentially

Or may go back and forth

or working on two to three
steps at once

PREPARING A RESEARCH PAPER

1. IDENTIFY A GENERAL
SUBJECT AREA
2. LIMITING AND DEFINING

THE TOPIC
3. STATING THE TOPIC AS A

QUESTION OR
CHOOSING A TOPIC
HYPOTHESIS
1. CHOICE OF TOPIC

2. POSSIBILITIES FOR
FUTURE RESEARCH

GENERAL SUBJECT AREA

1.CHOICE OF TOPIC
> FROM BROAD AREA
> PARTICULAR TOPICS
> FREE CHOICE

GENERAL SUBJECT AREA

EVEN IN FIELDS THAT SEEM TO HAVE
BEEN WELL COVERED BY OTHER
SCHOLARS
> UNDISCUSSED AREAS OF INQUIRY
> COMMONLY HELD BUT
UNSUBSTANTIATED CONCLUSIONS
> NEW WAYS OF TESTING SOME BASIC
ASSUMPTIONS IN A FIELD CAN
PROVIDE SUBJECTS FOR RESEARCH

POSSIBILITIES OF FUTURE
RESEARCH
RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN CURRENT EVENTS
CAN AFFORD NEW INSIGHT INTO EXISTING
IDEAS AND THUS LEAD TO OPPORTUNITIES
FOR RESEARCH
INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT
YOUR ABILITY TO BE OBJECTIVE
ESPECIALLY IF THE TOPIC IS
CONTROVERSIAL
TIME AVAILABLE FOR COMPLETING THE
ASSIGNMENT

POSSIBILITIES OF FUTURE
RESEARCH
EVALUATE THE POSSIBILITITES
ACCORDING TO THE FF
CRITERIA
1. IMPORTANCE AND INTEREST
2. MANAGEABILITY
3.AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES

DEFINITION OF THE TOPIC

TOPIC OF
CONSIDERABLE
IMPORTANCE AND
INTEREST TO YOUR
READERS

IMPORTANCE AND INTEREST

EXTENSIVE PUBLIC DEBATE SHOULD NOT
HAMPER YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE AN
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

YOUR STRONG FEELINGS PREVENT YOU

FROM AT LEAST EXAMINING OPPOSING
VIEWPOINTS

IMPORTANCE AND INTEREST

YOUR ADVISER AND
INSTRUCTOR SHOULD
CONFIRM THE IMPORTANCE
OF YOUR TOPIC
YOUR PAPER SHOULD
CONVINCE READERS OF ITS
SIGNIFICANCE

IMPORTANCE AND INTEREST

CAREFUL LIMITING OF A TOPIC
NOT TOO VAGUE NOR BROAD
> WILL NOT GIVE SUFFICIENT
DIRECTION TO RESEARCH
> WILL NECESSITATE
SUPERFICIAL TREATMENT OF
THE SUBJECT

MANAGEABILITY
IF THE TOPIC IS TOO NARROW:

 > WILL YIELD TO INADEQUATE

INFORMATION
> LIMIT YOUR ABILITY TO
REACH A VALID
CONCLUSION

MANAGEABILITY
IFTHE TOPIC IS TOO SPECIALIZED OR
TOO TECHNICAL:
> IT MAY DEMAND KNOWLEDGE YOU
CANNOT ACQUIRE IN THE TIME
ALLOTTED
>

MANAGEABILITY
AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH
MATERIALS

HOLDINGS OF THE
LIBRARY

* TIME

AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES
PREPARING A
WORKING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 WORK IN THE LIBRARY TO DETERMINE
HOW TO SHAPE AND LIMIT THE TOPIC
WITH THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE
LIST OF SOURCES THAT APPEAR
RELEVANT AT THE INITIAL STAGE OF
YOUR RESEARCH

PREPARING A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY

REQUIRES:
KNOWLEDGE OF THE LIBRARY
RESOURCES
USE OF REFERENCE SYSTEMS TO LOCATE
RESOURCES
CONSISTENT METHOD OF PREPARING
BIBLIOGRAPHY CARDS

PREPARING A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIBRARY RESOURCES
REFERENCE ROOM
> GENERAL AND SPECIALIZED INDEXES
> BIBLIOGRAPHIES
> CARD CATALOG

PREPARING A WORKING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX:
 ALPHABETIZED LIST OF NAMES OR TOPICS
FOUND AT THE END OF MOST NONFICTION
BOOKS
DESIGNATES A KIND OF REFERENCE WORK
THAT CAN BE VALUABLE IN FORMULATING
A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY LIKE JOURNALS
NEWS ARTICLES

GENERAL AND SPECIALIZED

INDEXES
COVERS A WIDE RANGE OF
SUBJECTS BECAUSE THEY
LIST EVERY ARTICLE,
EDITORIAL, OR REVIEW IN
EACH ISSUE OF THE
PERIODICALS

GENERAL INDEXES
FOCUS ON SPECIFIC FIELDS AND
SUBJECT AREAS, OFTEN COLLECTING
MATERIAL FROM A WIDE RANGE OF
PERIODICALS AND BOOKS

SPECIALIZED INDEXES
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
NATURE OF THE SOURCE
OBJECTIVITY OF THE SOURCE
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE
AUTHOR
LEVEL OF THE SOURCE

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF
SOURCES
ARE BASIC MATERIALS WITH
LITTLE OR NO ANNOTATION
OR EDITORIAL ALTERATION
EX: MANUSCRIPTS, DIARIES,
LETTERS, INTERVIEWS, AND
LABORATORY REPORTS

PRIMARY SOURCES
DERIVE FROM PRIMARY MATERIALS AND
INCLUDE ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION,
AND COMMENTARY ON PRIMARY
MATERIALS.

SECONDARY SOURCES
LACK OF BIAS OR PREJUDICE IN
SOURCES
EVALUATE AUTHOR’S
AFFILIATIONS

OBJECTIVITY
MAY BE FOUND IN PRELIMINARY OR
APPENDIX MATERIALS IN THE SOURCE
ITSELF, IN A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL
DICTIONARY, OR IN AN ENCYCLOPEDIA

QUALIFICATIONSFOR WRITING A WORK:

> ACADEMIC DEGREES, PROFESSIONAL
CREDENTIALS, EXPERIENCE AND
STATUS IN THE FIELD

QUALIFICATION OF THE AUTHOR

INTENDED AUDIENCE
DETERMINES THE LEVEL OF A
WORK IN AREAS SUCH AS:
> DICTION
> SENTENCE STRUCTURE
> COMPLEXITY
> ASSUMED BACKGROUND
KNOWLEDGE
LEVEL
AVOID:
TOO TECHNICAL AND
ADVANCED
TOO GENERAL OR SIMPLE

LEVEL
IDENTIFICATION OF SOURCES ON NOTE
CARDS
SUBJECT HEADINGS
RECORD INFO IN ONE OF TWO BASIC
FORMS
> DIRECT QUOTATION
> SUMMARY

NOTE TAKING
ISAN EXACT COPY OF A PORTION OF THE
ORIGINAL TEXT
MAY ENCOMPASS ONE OR MORE WORDS,
PHRASES, CLAUSES, COMPLETE
SENTENCES OR PARAGRAPHS
GOOD WHEN QUOTING A PASSAGE

DIRECT QUOTATION
FORCES YOU TO COMPREHEND
AND LEADS NATURALLY INTO
THE PROCESS OF WRITING THE
PAPER
IS A BRIEF RESTATEMENT OF
THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL IN
YOUR OWN WORDS

SUMMARY
RESTATEMENT OF AUTHOR’S IDEAS IN
ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER OF WORDS AS
IN THE ORIGINAL

PARAPHRASE
WRITE A SUMMARY WITHOUT LOOKING
AT THE SOURCE THEN LOOK AT THE
ORIGINAL AND MAKE A CRITICAL
COMPARISON

PRECISION IN NOTE TAKING