This is a great reference for highlighting the importance of the writing process when teaching middle school students how to write a research paper.

1. The Research Paper
How can the writing process help
with a research project?
By Dawn Bartz

2. Feedbac
k
Showcasing

4. Process
• Pre-writing
• Researching
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing
• Publishing
• Feedback occurs
throughout the writing
process (from your
teacher, peers, parents
or others).
• Constructive feedback
helps us to improve.

5. The steps in the writing process
Research
(gathering data,
evidence, detail,
examples…)
Writing a research
question
(What do you wish to
answer in your paper?)
Drafting
(Reviewing,
categorizing,
writing)
Editing and
Revising
(Getting feedback
and using it to
improve your
writing)
Prewriting
(discovering topic,
purpose, and
audience )

6. Pre-writing
• What do you know about your topic?
• What have you found from a first search?
• What do you want to find out?

7. Is your topic interesting to you? If it is, it will engage others.

8. Find out as much as possible. You can do this by reading…
a lot!

9. • Use a variety of sources.
• Primary sources (Primary sources
are first-hand accounts of an event.
Newspaper articles, news shows,
interviews of experts, original
documents are all examples)
• Secondary sources (Secondary
sources include books, magazines,
websites)
What do you Think? What do you Know?
What do you Wonder?

10. Writing the research question
Once you have explored your topic and started to refine your research,
develop a question that will help to you to focus. This question usually
begins with a Why or How. It is followed up by more research.

11. Editing and Revising
• The first copy is a draft which will allow you to
see what you need to add, change, delete, or
elaborate on.
• Feedback can provide you with ideas and
show you what you need to clarify. Questions
may be asked that will help you to better
focus your paper.

12. Being able to give and accept constructive feedback is
important to the process.

13. Feedback can help you to focus on what you need to do to
improve your writing. It should be a collaborative process.

14. Publishing
Your work will be showcased.
Congratulations!