The Research Paper
Steps to a Successful Paper
Choose a Subject and Refine
a Topic
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Determine your interests
1. Is there an illness or disease
you want to know more about?
2. Is there a question you have
about science or a specific
event?
3. Do you have an interest in a
specific career but know little of
it?
Scout It Out!
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Think of discussions, questions,
passing comments, news
events, family illnesses, etc.
Skim newspapers, magazines,
or the Internet.
Ask questions about things that
you have wondered about.
Survey the Landscape
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Once you have chosen a
subject, get an overview of its
possibilites by looking for the
kinds of information available on
it. Then you can telescope in on
a topic that you can manage.
For example, one student began
as follows:
Subject > Topic > Thesis
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Subject = Knights & Legends
Topic = King Arthur
Thesis = the developments of
legend of King Arthur
Thesis Statement = “The legend
of King Arthur has developed
over several centuries to be the
story we know today.”
Ideas for narrowing a broad
search to a more specific topic
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Read a couple of general
articles and consider headings
or sub headings as a topic.
Search the Internet for sites
using key words.
Discuss the subject with
someone else who can help you
focus and narrow your research.
Think About Your Purpose
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The basic purpose of a research
paper is expository, or
informational. As you research
your topic, you’ll uncover
information and develop you
own ideas about it.
When you write your paper, you
will explain what you have
learned.
Think About Your Audience
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To helps your reader understand
your topic, ask yourself, “What might
my reader already know about the
topic? How might I increase their
understanding?”
Keep in mind explaining any new
ideas and basic expectations in
order to address potential
misunderstanding by the reader.
Think About Your Tone
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Tone is your attitude toward your
topic and your reader.
The typical research paper is formal
in tone; you will use third-person
pronouns such as he, she, and they,
to reflect your objective stance.
You will also avoid casual and
informal language, such as slang,
colloquial expressions, and
contractions, to maintain a formal
tone.
Develop Your Question
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A research paper should ask
and answer good questions. Jot
down some specific questions to
explore. Working with a list or
research questions will make it
easier for you to sort through the
information you find.
One student asked the
following:
Questions regarding King
Arthur
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Who is the real King Arthur, and how
how did the stories about him
develop?
Were the Knights of the Round Table
real people? How did the Quest for
the Holy Grail come to be a part of
the story?
Have the stories about King Arthur
always been the same, or have they
changed?