Step-by-step instructions on how to choose a topic, locate and validate sources, complete and compile note cards, and then assemble them into a cohesive research paper.

1. Research Paper
Introduction
A Writer’s Checklist
Choosing your research topic
Remembering your purpose
Developing your research questions
Finding and evaluating your sources
Gathering your information
Drafting your thesis
Organizing your information
A Writer’s Model
Your Turn: Writing a research paper

2. Introduction
Think for a moment about how many questions you
consider during the course of a day.
“How old is that building?”
“Why don’t The Rolling Stones call it quits?”
“How long until lunch?”
People are naturally curious. All human knowledge is
a result of people wanting their questions answered.

3. Introduction
To find answers, people explore. That exploration
takes many forms. Some people travel through jungles;
others dig around old ruins. Still others read to gain
new knowledge.
Research is
exploration to
answer questions.
Researchers often share their
discoveries by arranging and
presenting their discoveries
in a research paper.

4. A Writer’s Checklist
When you write a research paper, you should:
 Choose a research topic that you and your
audience will find interesting.
 Remember the purpose of your research
paper and keep it in mind as you write.
 Develop a list of research questions to guide
your research.
 Find and evaluate sources to ensure that your
research paper is based on solid information.
 Gather information from the sources to
answer your research questions.
 Draft a thesis, organize the information, and
write your paper.

5. Choosing your research topic
Begin work on your research paper by choosing a
research topic. Find a subject that will generate an
interesting thesis. Consider these strategies:
Investigate nonfiction books,
newspapers, magazines, and
informational TV programs. What
subjects catch your attention? Explore
them further on the Internet.
Observe your surroundings.
What things in your everyday life
might make interesting subjects?
Talk to people about their jobs and interests.

6. Choosing your research topic
Rosetta came upon a book about Greek mythology in
her school library. She thought:
These Other
stories are people
fascinating might
! think so,
too!

7. Choosing your research topic
Once you’ve picked an overall subject, you must
refine your topic to make it a manageable size.
As Rosetta investigated Greek myths further, she found
an article entitled “Greek Nature Myths.” She decided to
narrow her focus to that topic. She jotted down a short
description of her research topic.
How the ancient Greeks
used myths to explain
things in nature.

8. Writing Tip: Choosing your research topic
When choosing and refining a research
topic:
Make certain that your topic is
objective rather than subjective.
Personal (subjective) experiences
and opinions are not suitable for
research papers.
Be sure that you have adequate
access to sources on your topic. You
don’t want to choose a topic that is
difficult to find information about.

9. Remembering your purpose
As you work, remember the purpose of research.
You conduct research to
answer your own questions
about a research topic, and
you publish your research
in order to inform others
about that topic.
To achieve this second purpose effectively, you must
consider your audience and communicate with them
using the proper tone.

10. Remembering your purpose
Readers expect to come away from a research paper
with a new and better understanding of its topic. As
you prepare to write, ask yourself:
Who is my audience?
Which aspects of my topic might
interest them?
What background information might
they need to understand my topic?
How might I increase their
understanding of my topic?

11. Remembering your purpose
Rosetta wrote these notes to clarify her purpose and
her audience’s needs:
Topic: Greek Nature Myths
My audience is: my classmates
Interesting aspects of my topic: some of the stories
ancient Greeks told to explain natural phenomena
Background information needed: The ancient Greeks
didn’t have the knowledge of science that we do.
I want my readers to understand that: The Greeks
believed their myths. They used the myths to make sense
of nature.

12. Developing your research questions
Before you begin your research, develop a list of
research questions to explore. To get started, ask
yourself:
What exactly are the parameters of my topic?
What does it include and exclude?
What are some of the “smaller pieces” of my
overall topic? How do these pieces fit together?
What other topics are related to mine?
Remember that revising your list of questions (or even
your topic) as you work is a natural part of the research
process.

13. Developing your research questions
Here are some of Rosetta’s research questions:
Which gods did the early Greeks hold
responsible for fire?
How did the early Greeks think
diseases originated and spread?
How did the Greeks explain day, night,
and the seasons?
She wrote out her questions and kept them at hand.
They would help her to keep her information organized
as she collected it.

14. Finding and evaluating your sources
You must find and evaluate sources to support the
content of your research paper. The first step in
finding information on your topic is knowing where to
look.
There are many resources for tracking and finding
reliable information. Here are a few:
the Internet encyclopedias magazines
libraries museums dictionaries
newspapers maps bookstores

15. Writing Tip: Choosing your research topic
The quality of your research paper will be
only as good as the quality of your sources.
Evaluate your sources carefully. Ask yourself:
Do all of my sources contain information
relevant to my topic?
Are the sources I am using reliable? Are they
accurate and objective?
Is the information in my sources recent?
Are my sources representative of both sides
of any controversial issue?

16. Finding and evaluating your sources
Your readers will want to know where you got your
information, so it’s important to keep track of your
sources as you find them.
For each of your sources,
record the author, title, and
publication information.
You should also assign each
source a number for your own
reference.

17. Finding and evaluating your sources
Rosetta organized her source information on note cards
like this one:
8
Bullfinch, Thomas. The Age of Fable.
New York, NY: Review of Reviews
Company, 1999.
School Library
115.22Bul
Along with the source number and publication
information, she wrote the location where the source
was found and the book’s call number.

18. Gathering your information
With her research questions before her, Rosetta began
to gather information from her sources.
She skimmed each source and took notes when she
found information that related to her research
questions.

19. Gathering your information
Rosetta used note cards to record the information she
found. For each note she recorded the source number
and a keyword describing the card’s subject. For print
sources, she also noted the page number.
Keyword Source Number
Information
from Source
Page Number

20. Gathering your information
Research papers often make use of direct quotations.
Quotations are used when the exact words of the
author are important.
Disease Myth 2
“Forthwith escaped a multitude of plagues
for hapless man, such as gout, rheumatism,
and colic for his body, and envy, spite, and
revenge for his mind.”
page 8

21. Gathering your information
Paraphrasing is used when you want to explain an
idea in detail. When you paraphrase, you use your own
words to either restate or elaborate on a point.
Fire Myth 6
Prometheus was a Titan. The Greeks
believed that Titans were giants who lived on
earth long ago. Prometheus is credited with
bringing fire from the Sun down to man.
page 13

22. Gathering your information
A summary is a condensed version of a point or idea.
Like a paraphrase, it is stated in your own words.
Fire Myth 4
The ancient Greeks also knew about fire,
but their explanation of its origin was very
different.
page 27

23. Writing Tip: Gathering your information
Unless you are using a direct quotation,
do not copy word-for-word from your
sources. Any time you use someone else’s words or
ideas without giving proper credit, you are committing
plagiarism.
Always cite, or name,
your sources, whether
you are summarizing,
paraphrasing, or directly
quoting the words or
ideas of others.

24. Drafting your thesis
Next, draft a thesis statement to identify your topic
and tell which aspects of it you will cover. To do this:
1. Review your note cards, focusing on main ideas.
2. Consider which approach your notes suggest.
A. Do your notes suggest a certain relationship,
such as cause-effect or comparison-contrast?
B. Will your paper explore new information?
C. Will your paper examine how the topic has
changed over time?

25. Drafting your thesis
3. Write a statement that illustrates the approach
supported by your notes.
After reviewing her information and choosing her
approach, Rosetta wrote this thesis statement:
The ancient Greeks used myths to explain
phenomena they observed in nature.
Remember that the content or
wording of your thesis may change
to suit the needs of your paper.

26. Organizing your information
Organize your information in accordance with the
approach you have chosen for your paper.
Group your note cards according to their keywords.
Then put the groups in the order in which you will
discuss them in your paper. Finally, decide how best to
order the ideas within each group of cards.
Disease Myth 2
“Forthwith escaped a multitude of
Fire Myth 4
plagues for hapless man, such as Fire Myth 6
The ancient Greeks also knew
gout, rheumatism, and colic for his
body, and envy, spite, andfire, but their explanation of was a Titan. The Greeks
about revenge Prometheus
for his mind.” its origin 8 believed that Titans were giants who
Page was very different.
lived on earth long ago. Prometheus
Page 27
is credited with bringing fire from the
Sun down to man. Page 13

27. Gathering your information
Once your note cards are in order, use them to create
an outline to follow as you write your paper.
Begin with a working outline, arranging your details
in groups without using numbers or letters.
Main idea from first group of cards:
First point (note card text)
Supporting detail (note card text)
Main idea from second group of cards:
First point (note card text))
Supporting detail (note card text)
Etc. . . .

28. Gathering your information
You may then choose to create a formal outline, with
Roman numerals and capital letters.
Thesis
I. Main idea from first group of cards
A. First point
1. Supporting detail
2. Supporting detail
B. Second point
1. Supporting detail
2. Supporting detail
Etc. . . .
Either type of outline will give you a map to follow as
you write the first draft of your research paper.

29. A Writer’s Checklist
Use the checklist as you look at the following Writer’s
Model and as you evaluate and revise your own paper.
 Choose a research topic that you and your
audience will find interesting.
 Remember the purpose of your research
paper and keep it in mind as you write.
 Develop a list of research questions to guide
your research.
 Find and evaluate sources to ensure that your
research paper is based on solid information.
 Gather information from the sources to
answer your research questions.
 Draft a thesis, organize the information, and
write your paper.

30. Greek Nature Myths
We learn about science from the attention-getter
time we are children. Basic facts
about nature are common knowledge.
For instance, most of us take it for background
information
granted that our world is round. We
know that Earth’s rotation gives us
day and night and that the stars are
suns much like our own. We know
that clouds are made of evaporated
water and that lightning is actually a
form of electricity. A list of well-
known science facts could go on and
on.

31. In ancient Greece, however, it background
was different. Although the Greeks information
are known for their contributions to
civilization (“Greek Civilization”), their shortened
grasp of science was very incomplete. form of
source title
The ancient Greeks did not have
our scientific knowledge. To explain thesis
the world around them, they created
myths which, historian Bernard Doyle author’s name
tells us, “sought to explain everyday in text
natural phenomena. Drops of
morning dew, for instance, were seen quotation/
as tears from Heaven over its first example
separation from Earth.” (14)

32. For example, any scientist today second example
can describe the physical process that
results in fire (“Fire”). The ancient summary with
Greeks also knew about fire, but their supporting details
explanation of its origin was very
different. They believed that an
ancient race of giants called Titans
formed the Earth, animals, and
people out of Chaos. According to this paraphrase
mythology, a Titan named
Prometheus stole fire from the chariot
that held the Sun and brought it to
Earth as a gift to humankind
(Bullfinch 12).

33. Similarly, although the ancient third example
Greeks knew nothing about germs
(“Germs”), they still had an online source
explanation of where diseases came
from. According to a myth still summary
famous today, sickness, pain, and
sadness were unleashed upon the
world by Pandora, the first woman.
Out of curiosity, she disobeyed the paraphrase of
Greek gods and opened a box in supporting details
which the Titan Epimetheus
(Prometheus’s brother) had placed “a phrase quotation
multitude of plagues for hapless man”
(Bullfinch 13).

34. Many of the constellations in our fourth example
night skies were originally named by
ancient Greeks. We know some of
them by the same names today.
(Bell).
Of course, the Greeks were not summary
the only ancient people with nature
myths. Even today, many cultures tell restatement of
fanciful stories to explain the world thesis
around them (Buxton). Even though
we know that myths are not true,
these stories give us insight into
cultures of long ago while at the concluding thought
same time entertaining us.

35. Works Cited
Bell, Cathy. “The Mythology of the online source
Constellations.” Princeton
University. 8 Nov. 2008. <http://
www.comfychair.org>.
book
Bullfinch, Thomas. The Age of Fable.
New York: Review Of Reviews
Company, 1999.

36. Works Cited (cont’d)
Buxton, Richard. “The Complete magazine
World of Greek Mythology.”
Science News. 7 Mar. 2004:
53-62. book
Doyle, Bernard. Mythology.
Cambridge, UK: Anthropographia
Publications, 1996.

37. Works Cited (cont’d)
“Fire.” The Encyclopedia Britannica. encyclopedia article
International ed. 1998.
“Greek Civilization Topics.” 9 Nov. online source
2008. <http://
atschool.eduweb.co.uk>.

38. Works Cited (cont’d)
“Louis Pasteur Proves Germs Cause online source
Disease.” Great Moments in the
History of Science. <http://www.
hawkhill.com>.

39. Your Turn: Writing a research paper
Write a research paper in response to one of the
prompts below. Then, use the Writer’s Checklist as a
guide to evaluating and revising your work.
Brainstorm three subjects that might be interesting to
research. Choose a subject from your list and write a
short research paper, following the instructions in this
lesson. Remember to cite sources.
Choose a topic that is current in today’s news and
explore it in a research paper. Remember to find a
variety of sources to give different information and
perspectives on the topic.

40. The End