Need help writing a research paper? Here are some simple steps that will help you keep your head straight through the chaos!

1. Help! How Do I Write A Research Paper?
By, Michaela Bryant

2. The starting of chaos!
 You just found out about a research paper you have
to do for your Honors United States History class.
You’re thinking, alright self, I hate research papers,
but it can’t be that bad! Then you find out that it has
to have, at minimum, 2,000 words! That is a lot of
words! You start to panic and start having thoughts
as if the task is completely impossible! Stop right
there!
 Research papers can certainly be stressful, but if
you take it one step at a time you will decrease the
amount of stress you will encounter!

3. How do I start?
 The first thing you have to do when writing a
research paper is pick a topic.
 Ask yourself:
 Was I assigned a specific topic or do I pick my own?
 If I get to pick my own, what is something that interests
me enough that I would want to research it?
 Once you have a couple of ideas for topics, pick the
one that interests you the most. If you choose a topic
that seems really boring to you, your paper won’t be
as good. If you are bored, your readers will be bored
too!

4. Ok, I have my topic, what now?
 Once you have chosen a topic, you should form a
thesis statement for your paper. This will help you
keep yourself on track, and not wonder off on any
little side roads.
 It is extremely important to have a solid thesis
statement that gives the reader insight to what the
paper will be about, without giving away everything.
 Once your thesis is written, you will be able to refer
back to it if you start to forget what you are really
supposed to be writing about!

5. What’s next?
 Now you have your topic and a solid thesis
statement. The next thing you will want to do is do
some research on your topic.
 With the internet access we have today, research
has become a much easier task; however, there are
some things you need to watch out for when using
the internet as a source.
 Never use a forum as a source. Forums are written and
accessible by anyone; therefore they are not reliable!
 Stay away form cites such as Wikipedia or Yahoo. These
cites can be edited by anyone, so they again are not
reliable.
 Use cites that end in “.gov” or cites that are derived from
colleges, or other professional institutes you can trust.

6. Writing an outline…
 Now that you have your topic, thesis statement, and
some research done, you will need to write an
outline.
 Outlines are extremely helpful tools to have once
you begin to write your actual paper.
 There are many different formats for writing an
outline, but the most generic and useful is MLA. This
is also the format in which you will want your
research paper written. Take a look at this
example…

7. Michaela Bryant
English 10
Mrs. Nelson
5/20/14
The Oppression of Iraqi Women
Thesis: The fact that the women of Iraq have been facing brutal treatment has been made very well known thanks to the journalists
and news reporters of today’s society; however, the exact treatment they are receiving, as well as why they are receiving this kind
of hostility and where it all started, is something that must be looked at much closer.
I. The women of Iraq are treated much differently in all aspects of life than the women here in the United States are treated.
A. Marriage
1. Arranged marriages
2. Muslim families look at marriage as a contract between two families.
B. Inheritance
1. By Islamic law men inherit twice the amount that a woman would; justified by the fact that the women must be
“protected” by their male relatives.
C. Birth of
1. A boy is celebrated when born, but a girl is not; they look at a girl as a dependent and as a burden.

8. Key things to remember when writing an
outline, or a paper, in MLA format.
 Use size 12 font, Times New Roman.
 Double spaced.
 Your name, class, teacher’s name, and date in the
upper left-hand corner.
 Indent every new paragraph.
 Keep it organized!
 Your outline should be organized in a way that makes
sense to read. For example, if you were writing about
making a pizza, your first paragraph wouldn’t be about
how to cut it once it is done cooking! You want your paper
to follow a specific order that is easy to follow.

9. Writing your paper!
 Alright! It’s time to put it all together and write your first
draft of your research paper. You have your outline to
help you, with an already written thesis statement to plug
into your introduction.
 Introductions have to be solid! It’s the first impression
your reader will get on your paper. Start with an
interesting fact, or maybe a simile to get your reader’s
attention. Then, end it with your thesis statement.
 Again, your body paragraphs need to be in an order that
makes sense so that your words are easy to follow. Make
sure you use transition words such as, first, also, and
finally.
 When it comes time for your conclusion, you wrap your
whole paper into one paragraph. Leave your readers with
a question to think on, or one last statement that will
really make them think.

10. Not quite done yet!
 Because this is a research paper, you must cite the
sources you used to get your information!
 Your works cited page must be in MLA format just
like the rest of your paper.
 You can use easybib for help of needed.
 Make sure your sources are in alphabetical order
when cited, and make sure you specify whether it is
a print source, or online.

11. Editing…
 Now that you have written your rough draft, read it
over to look for any mistakes that may be present.
 Read it out loud, it will help you to identify
grammatical errors easier.
 Look for simple errors such as misplaced commas or
improper capitalization.
 Have a classmate or even a family member look it
over for you; sometimes another person’s
perspective can help you a ton!

12. All done!
 Now you are ready to submit your
final draft! Good luck!