Article links:

“What Is Research Writing?”  provided by Lumen Learning

“Why Write Research Projects” by Steven D. Krause

“Managing Your Research Project” provided by Lumen Learning

“The Seven Steps of the Research Process” provided by Lumen Learning

Chapter Preview

  1. Identify reasons for outlining the scope and sequence of a research project.
  2. Recognize the steps of the research writing process.
  3. Develop a plan for managing time and resources to complete the research project on time.
  4. Identify organizational tools and strategies to use in managing the project.

What Is Research Writing?

provided by Lumen Learning

The essential components or building blocks of research writing are the same no matter what kind of question you are answering or what kind of reader you are assuming as you share your answer. Research = the physical process of gathering information + the mental process of deriving the answer to your question from the information you gathered. Research writing = the process of sharing the answer to your research question along with the evidence on which your answer is based, the sources you used, and your own reasoning and explanation.

The Essential Building Blocks of Research Writing

  1. Do real research
    1. Begin from a question to which you don’t know the answer and that can’t be answered just by going to the appropriate reference source.  That is, begin from a research question, not a homework question.
    2. Decide what kind of information or data will be needed in order to build the answer to the question.
    3. Gather information and/or collect data.
    4. Work with the information/data to derive or construct your answer.

    This is the research process, and it happens before you begin to write your paper.  No research, no research writing, so don’t shortchange this part of the process.

  2. Create a one-sentence answer to your research question.
    1. This will be the thesis statement/main point/controlling idea of your research paper.
  3. Share your answer to research questions in a way that make it believable, understandable, and usable for your readers.  To do this
    1. Include plentiful and well-chosen examples from the data/information you gathered
    2. Indicate the validity of your data by accurately reporting your research method (field or lab research)
    3. Indicate the quality of your information by accurately citing your sources (source-based research)
    4. Provide the  reasoning and explanation that will let your readers completely understand how the evidence adds up to your answer.

     

Photo of a man using a card catalog in a library
                                                           

Why Write Research Projects?

by Steven D. Krause

Introduction

A lot of times, instructors and students tend to separate “thinking,” “researching,” and “writing” into different categories that aren’t necessarily very well connected.  First you think, then you research, and then you write.

The reality is though that the possibilities and process of research writing are more complicated and much richer than that. We think about what it is we want to research and write about, but at the same time, we learn what to think based on our research and our writing. The goal of this article is to guide you through this process of research writing by emphasizing a series of exercises that touch on different and related parts of the research process.

But before going any further, you need to be aware of two important points about this article:

  • You will keep learning about academic writing and research after this class is over. You may have to take other writing classes where you will learn different approaches to the writing process, perhaps one where you will learn more about research writing in your discipline.  However, even if this is your one and only “writing class” in your college career, you will have to learn more about academic writing for every class and every new academic writing project.  Learning how to write well is not something that ends when the class ends.  Learning how to write is an on-going, life-long process.
  • Academic writing is not the only kind of writing worth learning about, and it is not the only potential use for this book or this class.  The focus of The Process of Research Writing is the important, common, and challenging sort of writing students in a variety of disciplines tend to do, projects that use research to inform an audience and make some sort of point; specifically, academic research writing projects.  But clearly, this is not the only kind of writing writers do.

Sometimes, students think introductory college writing courses are merely an extension of the writing courses they took in high school.  This is true for some, but for the majority of new college students, the sort of writing required in college is different from the sort of writing required in high school. College writing tends to be based more on research than high school writing. Further, college-level instructors generally expect a more sophisticated and thoughtful interpretation of research from student writers.  It is not enough to merely use more research in your writing; you also have to be able to think and write about the research you’ve done.

Besides helping you write different kinds of projects where you use research to support a point, the concepts about research you will learn from this course will help you become better consumers of information and research.  And make no mistake about it:  information that is (supposedly) backed up by research is everywhere in our day-to-day lives.  News stories we see on television or read in magazines or newspapers are based on research.  Legislators use research to argue for or against the passage of the laws that govern our society.  Scientists use research to make progress in their work.

Even the most trivial information we all encounter is likely to be based on something that at least looks like research.  Consider advertising: we are all familiar with “research-based” claims in advertising like “four out of five dentists agree” that a particular brand of toothpaste is the best, or that “studies show” that a specific type of deodorant keeps its wearers “fresh” longer.   Advertisers use research like this in their advertisements for the same reason that scientists, news broadcasters, magazine writers, and just about anyone else trying to make a point uses research:  it’s persuasive and convinces consumers to buy a particular brand of toothpaste.

This is not to say that every time we buy toothpaste we carefully mull over the research we’ve heard mentioned in advertisements.  However, using research to persuade an audience must work on some level because it is one of the most commonly employed devices in advertising.

One of the best ways to better understand how we are affected by the research we encounter in our lives is to learn more about the process of research by becoming better and more careful critical readers, writers, and researchers.  Part of that process will include the research-based writing you do in this course.    In other words, this book will be useful in helping you deal with the practical and immediate concern of how to write essays and other writing projects for college classes, particularly ones that use research to support a point.  But perhaps more significantly, these same skills can help you write and read research-based texts well beyond college.

Academic Research Writing:  What Is It?

Writing That Isn’t “Research Writing”

Not all useful and valuable writing automatically involves research or can be called “academic research writing.”

•    While poets, playwrights, and novelists frequently do research and base their writings on that research, what they produce doesn’t constitute academic research writing.  The film Shakespeare in Love incorporated facts about Shakespeare’s life and work to tell a touching, entertaining, and interesting story, but it was nonetheless a work of fiction since the writers, director, and actors clearly took liberties with the facts in order to tell their story.  If you were writing a research project for a literature class which focuses on Shakespeare, you would not want to use Shakespeare in Love  as evidence about how Shakespeare wrote his plays.

•    Essay exams are usually not a form of research writing.  When an instructor gives an essay exam, she usually is asking students to write about what they learned from the class readings, discussions, and lecturers.  While writing essay exams demand an understanding of the material, this isn’t research writing because instructors aren’t expecting students to do additional research on the topic.

•    All sorts of other kinds of writing we read and write all the time—letters, emails, journal entries, instructions, etc.—are not research writing. Some writers include research in these and other forms of personal writing, and practicing some of these types of writing—particularly when you are trying to come up with an idea to write and research about in the first place—can be helpful in thinking through a research project.  But when we set about to write a research project, most of us don’t have these sorts of personal writing genres in mind.

So, what is “research writing”?

Research writing is writing that uses evidence (from journals, books, magazines, the Internet, experts, etc.) to persuade or inform an audience about a particular point.

Research writing exists in a variety of different forms.  For example, academics, journalists, or other researchers write articles for journals or magazines; academics, professional writers and almost anyone create web pages that both use research to make some sort of point and that show readers how to find more research on a particular topic.  All of these types of writing projects can be done by a single writer who seeks advice from others, or by a number of writers who collaborate on the project.

Academic research writing

The specific focus of The Process of Research Writing and the sort of writing project you will probably need to write in this class—is a form of research writing.  How is academic research writing different from other kinds of writing that involve research?  The goal of this textbook is to answer that question, and academic research projects come in a variety of shapes and forms.  (In fact, you may have noticed that The Process of Research Writing purposefully avoids the term “research paper” since this is only one of the many ways in which it is possible to present academic research).  But in brief, academic research writing projects are a bit different from other kinds of research writing projects in three significant ways:

Thesis:  Academic research projects are organized around a point or a “thesis” that members of the intended audience would not accept as “common sense.” What an audience accepts as “common sense” depends a great deal on the audience, which is one of the many reasons why what “counts” as academic research varies from field to field.  But audiences want to learn something new either by being informed about something they knew nothing about before or by reading a unique interpretation on the issue or the evidence.

Evidence:  Academic research projects rely almost exclusively on evidence in order to support this point.  Academic research writers use evidence in order to convince their audiences that the point they are making is right.  Of course, all writing uses other means of persuasion—appeals to emotion, to logic, to the credibility of the author, and so forth.  But the readers of academic research writing projects are likely to be more persuaded by good evidence than by anything else.

“Evidence,” the information you use to support your point,  includes readings you find in the library (journal and magazine articles, books, newspapers, and many other kinds of documents); materials from the Internet (web pages, information from databases, other Internet-based forums); and information you might be able to gather in other ways (interviews, field research, experiments, and so forth).

Academic research projects use a detailed citation process in order to demonstrate to their readers where the evidence that supports the writer’s point came from.  Unlike most types of “non-academic” research writing, academic research writers provide their readers with a great deal of detail about where they found the evidence they are using to support their point.  This processes is called citation, or “citing” of evidence.  It can sometimes seem intimidating and confusing to writers new to the process of academic research writing, but it is really nothing more than explaining to your reader where your evidence came from.

Research Writing with Computers and the Internet

There are good reasons for writing with computers.  To name just a few, computers help writers:

•    Revise more easily, since you don’t need to retype an entire draft
•    Share their writing with others, either electronically (on disk or via email) or in “hard copy” since the writer only needs to print additional copies;
•    Store and organize files, since papers that might get lost or take up a lot of room can all fit onto a computer hard drive or a floppy diskette;
•    Make correct and “nice looking” drafts with the use of features like spelling and grammar checkers, and with design features that allow you to select different fonts and layouts.

Chances are, you already know these things.
If you are not using computers or the Internet in your academic research writing process, you need to try and learn more about the possibilities. It can be intimidating and time-consuming to begin effectively using a computer, but there are few things that will be as rewarding for your academic writing career.

No essay, story, or book (including this one) simply “appeared” one day from the writer’s brain; rather, all writings are made after the writer, with the help of others, works through the process of writing.

Generally speaking, the process of writing involves:

•    Coming up with an idea (sometimes called brainstorming, invention or “pre-writing”);
•    Writing a rough draft of that idea;
•    Showing that rough draft to others to get feedback (peers, instructors, colleagues, etc.);
•    Revising the draft (sometimes many times); and

•    Proof-reading and editing to correct minor mistakes and errors.

An added component in the writing process of research projects is, obviously, research.  Rarely does research begin before at least some initial writing (even if it is nothing more than brainstorming or pre-writing exercises), and research is usually not completed until after the entire writing project is completed.  Rather, research comes in to play at all parts of the process and can have a dramatic effect on the other parts of the process.  Chances are you will need to do at least some simple research to develop an idea to write about in the first place.  You might do the bulk of your research as you write your rough draft, though you will almost certainly have to do more research based on the revisions that you decide to make to your project.

There are two other things to think about within this simplified version of the process of writing.  First, the process of writing always takes place for some reason or purpose and within some context that potentially change the way you do these steps. The process that you will go through in writing for this class will be different from the process you go through in responding to an essay question on a Sociology midterm or from sending an email to a friend.  This is true in part because your purposes for writing these different kinds of texts are simply different.
Second, the process of writing isn’t quite as linear and straight-forward as my list might suggest.  Writers generally have to start by coming up with an idea, but writers often go back to their original idea and make changes in it after they write several drafts, do research, talk with others, and so on.  The writing process might be more accurately represented like this:

 

Seem complicated?  It is, or at least it can be.
So, instead of thinking of the writing process as an ordered list, you should think of it more as a “web” where different points can and do connect with each other in many different ways, and a process that changes according to the demands of each writing project.  While you might write an essay where you follow the steps in the writing process in order (from coming up with an idea all the way to proofreading), writers also find themselves following the writing process out of order all the time.  That’s okay.  The key thing to remember about the writing process is that it is a process made up of many different steps, and writers are rarely successful if they “just write.”

Managing Your Research Project

provided by Lumen Learning

The prewriting you have completed so far has helped you begin to plan the content of your research paper—your topic, research questions, and preliminary thesis. It is equally important to plan out the process of researching and writing the paper. Although some types of writing assignments can be completed relatively quickly, developing a good research paper is a complex process that takes time. Breaking it into manageable steps is crucial. Review the steps outlined at the beginning of this chapter.

Steps to Writing a Research Paper

  1. Choose a topic.
  2. Schedule and plan time for research and writing.
  3. Conduct research.
  4. Organize research
  5. Draft your paper.
  6. Revise and edit your paper.

You have already completed step 1. In this section, you will complete step 2. The remaining steps fall under two broad categories—the research phase of the project (steps 3 and 4) and the writing phase (steps 5 and 6). Both phases present challenges. Understanding the tasks involved and allowing enough time to complete each task will help you complete your research paper on time with a minimal amount of stress.

Planning Your Project

Each step of a research project requires time and attention. Careful planning helps ensure that you will keep your project running smoothly and produce your best work. Set up a project schedule that shows when you will complete each step. Think about how you will complete each step and what project resources you will use. Resources may include anything from library databases and word-processing software to interview subjects and writing tutors.

To develop your schedule, use a calendar and work backward from the date your final draft is due. Generally, it is wise to divide half of the available time on the research phase of the project and half on the writing phase. For example, if you have a month to work, plan for two weeks for each phase. If you have a full semester, plan to begin research early and to start writing by the middle of the term. You might think that no one really works that far ahead, but try it. You will probably be pleased with the quality of your work and with the reduction in your stress level.

As you plan, break down major steps into smaller tasks if necessary. For example, step 3, conducting research, involves locating potential sources, evaluating their usefulness and reliability, reading, and taking notes. Defining these smaller tasks makes the project more manageable by giving you concrete goals to achieve.

Jorge had six weeks to complete his research project. Working backward from a due date of May 2, he mapped out a schedule for completing his research by early April so that he would have ample time to write. Jorge chose to write his schedule in his weekly planner to help keep himself on track.

Review Jorge’s schedule. Key target dates are shaded. Note that Jorge planned times to use available resources by visiting the library and writing center and by meeting with his instructor.

A 7-week calendar is shown, arranged in rows by week, Sunday through Saturday. Steps of the project are outlined throughout the month

TIP

Plan your schedule realistically, and consider other commitments that may sometimes take precedence. A business trip or family visit may mean that you are unable to work on the research project for a few days. Make the most of the time you have available. Plan for unexpected interruptions, but keep in mind that a short time away from the project may help you come back to it with renewed enthusiasm. Another strategy many writers find helpful is to finish each day’s work at a point when the next task is an easy one. That makes it easier to start again.
When you create a project schedule at work, you set target dates for completing certain tasks and identify the resources you plan to use on the project. It is important to build in some flexibility. Materials may not be received on time because of a shipping delay. An employee on your team may be called away to work on a higher-priority project. Essential equipment may malfunction. You should always plan for the unexpected.

Staying Organized

Although setting up a schedule is easy, sticking to one is challenging. Even if you are the rare person who never procrastinates, unforeseen events may interfere with your ability to complete tasks on time. A self-imposed deadline may slip your mind despite your best intentions. Organizational tools—calendars, checklists, note cards, software, and so forth—can help you stay on track.

Throughout your project, organize both your time and your resources systematically. Review your schedule frequently and check your progress. It helps to post your schedule in a place where you will see it every day. Both personal and workplace e-mail systems usually include a calendar feature where you can record tasks, arrange to receive daily reminders, and check off completed tasks. Electronic devices such as smartphones have similar features.

Organize project documents in a binder or electronic folder, and label project documents and folders clearly. Use note cards or an electronic document to record bibliographical information for each source you plan to use in your paper. Tracking this information throughout the research process can save you hours of time when you create your references page.

Anticipating Challenges

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? You have identified a book that would be a great resource for your project, but it is currently checked out of the library. You planned to interview a subject matter expert on your topic, but she calls to reschedule your meeting. You have begun writing your draft, but now you realize that you will need to modify your thesis and conduct additional research. Or you have finally completed your draft when your computer crashes, and days of hard work disappear in an instant.

These troubling situations are all too common. No matter how carefully you plan your schedule, you may encounter a glitch or setback. Managing your project effectively means anticipating potential problems, taking steps to minimize them where possible, and allowing time in your schedule to handle any setbacks.

Many times a situation becomes a problem due only to lack of planning. For example, if a book is checked out of your local library, it might be available through interlibrary loan, which usually takes a few days for the library staff to process. Alternatively, you might locate another, equally useful source. If you have allowed enough time for research, a brief delay will not become a major setback.

You can manage other potential problems by staying organized and maintaining a take-charge attitude. Take a minute each day to save a backup copy of your work on a portable hard drive. Maintain detailed note cards and source cards as you conduct research—doing so will make citing sources in your draft infinitely easier. If you run into difficulties with your research or your writing, ask your instructor for help, or make an appointment with a writing tutor.

Writing at Work

In the workplace, documents prepared at the beginning of a project often include a detailed plan for risk management. When you manage a project, it makes sense to anticipate and prepare for potential setbacks. For example, to roll out a new product line, a software development company must strive to complete tasks on a schedule in order to meet the new product release date. The project manager may need to adjust the project plan if one or more tasks fall behind schedule.

The Seven Steps of the Research Project

provided by Lumen Learning

The Seven Steps of the Research Process

The following seven steps outline a simple and effective strategy for finding information for a research paper and documenting the sources you find. Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the library, you may need to rearrange or recycle these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs.

Step 1:  Identify and Develop Your Topic

State your topic idea as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out about use of alcoholic beverages by college students, you might pose the question, “What effect does use of alcoholic beverages have on the health of college students?” Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question. In this case they are alcoholic beverages, health, and college students.

Step 2:  Find Background Information

After you identify your research topic and some keywords that describe it, find and read articles in subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks. These articles will help you understand the context (historical, cultural, disciplinary) of your topic. They are the foundation supporting further research. The most common background sources are subject encyclopedias and dictionaries from our print and online reference collection. Class textbooks also provide definitions of terms and background information.

Look up your keywords in the indexes to subject encyclopedias. Read articles in these encyclopedias to set the context for your research. Note any relevant items in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles. Additional background information may be found in your lecture notes, textbooks, and reserve readings.

TIP: EXPLOIT BIBLIOGRAPHIES

  • Read the background information and note any useful sources (books, journals, magazines, etc.) listed in the bibliography at the end of the encyclopedia article or dictionary entry. The sources cited in the bibliography are good starting points for further research.
  • Look up these sources in our catalogs and periodical databases. Check the subject headings listed in the subject field of the online record for these books and articles. Then do subject searches using those subject headings to locate additional titles.
  • Remember that many of the books and articles you find will themselves have bibliographies. Check these bibliographies for additional useful resources for your research.

By using this technique of routinely following up on sources cited in bibliographies, you can generate a surprisingly large number of books and articles on your topic in a relatively short time.

Step 3:  Use Catalogs to Find Books and Media

Use guided keyword searching to find materials by topic or subject. Print or write down the citation (author, title,etc.) and the location information (call number and library). Note the circulation status. When you pull the book from the shelf, scan the bibliography for additional sources. Watch for book-length bibliographies and annual reviews on your subject; they list citations to hundreds of books and articles in one subject area.

 Step 4:  Use Indexes to Find Periodical Articles

Use periodical indexes and abstracts to find citations to articles. The indexes and abstracts may be in print or computer-based formats or both. Choose the indexes and format best suited to your particular topic; ask at the reference desk of your library if you need help figuring out which index and format will be best.

You can find periodical articles by the article author, title, or keyword by using periodical indexes. If the full text is not linked in the index you are using, write down the citation from the index and search for the title of the periodical in your library’s catalog.

Step 5:  Find Internet Resources

Use search engines.  Check to see if your class has a bibliography or research guide created by librarians.  Some search tools include:

  • Search Engines – Comparison table of recommended search engines; how search engines work
  • Subject Directories – Table comparing some of the best human-selected collections of web pages
  • Meta-Search Engines – Use at your own risk: not recommended as a substitute for directly using search engines
  • Invisible Web – What it is, how to find it, and its inherent ambiguity (searchable databases on the Web)

Step 6:  Evaluate What You Find

Critically Analyzing Information Sources

Initial Appraisal

Author

  1. What are the author’s credentials–institutional affiliation (where he or she works), educational background, past writings, or experience? Is the book or article written on a topic in the author’s area of expertise? You can use the various Who’s Who publications for the U.S. and other countries and for specific subjects and the biographical information located in the publication itself to help determine the author’s affiliation and credentials.
  2. Has your instructor mentioned this author? Have you seen the author’s name cited in other sources or bibliographies? Respected authors are cited frequently by other scholars. For this reason, always note those names that appear in many different sources.
  3. Is the author associated with a reputable institution or organization? What are the basic values or goals of the organization or institution?

Date of Publication

  1. When was the source published? This date is often located on the face of the title page below the name of the publisher. If it is not there, look for the copyright date on the reverse of the title page. On Web pages, the date of the last revision is usually at the bottom of the home page, sometimes every page.
  2. Is the source current or out-of-date for your topic? Topic areas of continuing and rapid development, such as the sciences, demand more current information. On the other hand, topics in the humanities often require material that was written many years ago. At the other extreme, some news sources on the Web now note the hour and minute that articles are posted on their site.

Edition or Revision

Is this a first edition of this publication or not? Further editions indicate a source has been revised and updated to reflect changes in knowledge, include omissions, and harmonize with its intended reader’s needs. Also, many printings or editions may indicate that the work has become a standard source in the area and is reliable. If you are using a Web source, do the pages indicate revision dates?

Publisher

Note the publisher. If the source is published by a university press, it is likely to be scholarly. Although the fact that the publisher is reputable does not necessarily guarantee quality, it does show that the publisher may have high regard for the source being published.

Title of Journal

Is this a scholarly or a popular journal? This distinction is important because it indicates different levels of complexity in conveying ideas. If you need help in determining the type of journal, see Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals. Or you may wish to check your journal title in the latest edition of Katz’s Magazines for Libraries (Olin Ref Z 6941 .K21, shelved at the reference desk) for a brief evaluative description.

Critical Analysis of the Content

Content Analysis

Having made an initial appraisal, you should now examine the body of the source. Read the preface to determine the author’s intentions for the book. Scan the table of contents and the index to get a broad overview of the material it covers. Note whether bibliographies are included. Read the chapters that specifically address your topic. Reading the article abstract and scanning the table of contents of a journal or magazine issue is also useful. As with books, the presence and quality of a bibliography at the end of the article may reflect the care with which the authors have prepared their work.

Intended Audience

What type of audience is the author addressing? Is the publication aimed at a specialized or a general audience? Is this source too elementary, too technical, too advanced, or just right for your needs?

Objective Reasoning

  1. Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda? It is not always easy to separate fact from opinion. Facts can usually be verified; opinions, though they may be based on factual information, evolve from the interpretation of facts. Skilled writers can make you think their interpretations are facts.
  2. Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched, or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence? Assumptions should be reasonable. Note errors or omissions.
  3. Are the ideas and arguments advanced more or less in line with other works you have read on the same topic? The more radically an author departs from the views of others in the same field, the more carefully and critically you should scrutinize his or her ideas.
  4. Is the author’s point of view objective and impartial? Is the language free of emotion-arousing words and bias?

Coverage

  1. Does the work update other sources, substantiate other materials you have read, or add new information? Does it extensively or marginally cover your topic? You should explore enough sources to obtain a variety of viewpoints.
  2. Is the material primary or secondary in nature? Primary sources are the raw material of the research process. Secondary sources are based on primary sources. For example, if you were researching Konrad Adenauer’s role in rebuilding West Germany after World War II, Adenauer’s own writings would be one of many primary sources available on this topic. Others might include relevant government documents and contemporary German newspaper articles. Scholars use this primary material to help generate historical interpretations–a secondary source. Books, encyclopedia articles, and scholarly journal articles about Adenauer’s role are considered secondary sources. In the sciences, journal articles and conference proceedings written by experimenters reporting the results of their research are primary documents. Choose both primary and secondary sources when you have the opportunity.

Writing Style

Is the publication organized logically? Are the main points clearly presented? Do you find the text easy to read, or is it stilted or choppy? Is the author’s argument repetitive?

Evaluative Reviews

  1. Locate critical reviews of books in a reviewing source, such as Summon’s Advanced Search,  Book Review IndexBook Review Digest, and ProQuest Research Library. Is the review positive? Is the book under review considered a valuable contribution to the field? Does the reviewer mention other books that might be better? If so, locate these sources for more information on your topic.
  2. Do the various reviewers agree on the value or attributes of the book or has it aroused controversy among the critics?
  3. For Web sites, consider consulting one of the evaluation and reviewing sources on the Internet.

Video:  How to Identify Scholarly Articles

Video:  How to Identify Substantive News Articles

Step 7:  Cite What You Find Using a Standard Format

Give credit where credit is due; cite your sources.

Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves two purposes, it gives proper credit to the authors of the materials used, and it allows those who are reading your work to duplicate your research and locate the sources that you have listed as references. Knowingly representing the work of others as your own is plagiarism. Use one of the styles listed below or another style approved by your instructor.

Modern Language Association (MLA)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009.

This handbook is intended as an aid for college students writing research papers. Included here is information on selecting a topic, researching the topic, note taking, the writing of footnotes and bibliographies, as well as sample pages of a research paper. Useful for the beginning researcher.

American Psychological Association (APA)

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington: APA, 2010

The authoritative style manual for anyone writing in the field of psychology. Useful for the social sciences generally. Chapters discuss the content and organization of a manuscript, writing style, the American Psychological Association citation style, and typing, mailing and proofreading.

RESEARCH TIPS

  • Work from the general to the specific.  Find background information first, then use more specific and recent sources.
  • Record what you find and where you found it. Record the complete citation for each source you find; you may need it again later.
  • Translate your topic into the subject language of the indexes and catalogs you use. Check your topic words against a thesaurus or subject heading list.

Important Concepts

research

research writing

process of research writing

objective reasoning

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

Licenses and Attributions

CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL

Composing Ourselves and Our World,  Provided by: the authors. License: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

CC LICENSED CONTENT INCLUDED

Composition II. Authored by: Janet Zepernick. Provided by: Pittsburg State University. Located athttp://www.pittstate.edu/Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative. LicenseCC BY: Attribution

The Process of Research WritingAuthored by: Steven D. Krause | LicenseCC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Successful Writing. Authored by: Anonymous. Provided by: Anonymous. Located athttp://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/LicenseCC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

The Seven Steps of the Research Process. Provided by: Cornell University Library. Located athttp://guides.library.cornell.edu/sevenstepsLicenseCC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial. Provided by: University of California at Berkley. Located athttp://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.htmlLicenseCC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial

Video 1: License: Standard YouTube License Attribution: How To Write A Research Paper in 10 Steps by EssayPro

Video 2: Research Minutes: How to Read Citations. Authored by: Olin & Uris Libraries, Cornell University. Provided by: Cornell University. Located athttp://youtu.be/R1yNDvmjqaELicenseAll Rights ReservedLicense Terms: Standard YouTube license

Video 3: Research Minutes: How to Identify Scholarly Journal Articles. Provided by: Olin & Uris Libraries, Cornell University. Located athttp://youtu.be/uDGJ2CYfY9ALicenseAll Rights ReservedLicense Terms: Standard YouTube license

Video 4: Research Minutes: How to Identify Substantive News Articles. Provided by: Olin & Uris Libraries, Cornell University. Located athttp://youtu.be/QAiJL5B5esMLicenseAll Rights ReservedLicense Terms: Standard YouTube license

Image 1: Image of man using card catalog. Authored by: brewbooks. Located athttps://flic.kr/p/7NxJTdLicenseCC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

 

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Composing Ourselves and Our World Copyright © 2019 by Auburn University at Montgomery is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book