An introduction to research paper writing

1. Writing the Research Paper:
An Introduction

2. “Basic research is what I am
doing when I don’t know
what I am doing.”
- Wernher von Braun

3. Basic Information about the Research Paper
 Fear of the research paper:
 Many novice students are afraid of writing a research paper;
 In fact, the research paper is:
 an excellent tool;
 an intense learning process focused on a topic you choose;
 a practise intended solely for your benefit;
 Writing a research paper also has practical effects that could help
you in later life;
 The techniques you learn from writing a research paper about will
be helpful;
 The research paper is not art for art’s sake; it’s art for your sake;
 Choosing a subject you really like is the first step in making the
research paper a learning experience that’s also fun;
 It is also helpful if the topic of your paper is one that you know
well;

4. Definition of the research paper
 Research comes from the Middle French word
rechercher, meaning “to seek out”;
 Writing a research paper requires you to seek
out information about a subject, take a stand on it,
and back it up with the opinions, ideas, and views
of others;
 What results is a printed paper variously known
as a term paper in which you present your views
and findings on the chosen subject;

5. Reasons for the research paper
 One obvious reason for the research paper is that writing it
forces you to learn lots about your chosen subject;
 Another reason is that writing the paper teaches you the
conventions of scholarly writing, among them the accepted
styles of documentation and the ethics of research;
 How to seek out from this maze of sources a single piece of
information is a skill you learn by actual doing;
 Writing a research paper may also mean interviewing
experts about your subject and blending their ideas with
your own distinct point of view;
 In short, you can profit from knowing how to do research;

6.  As you chip away at the mass of data and
information available on your chosen topic, you
learn:
 How to track down information;
 How to organize;
 How to use Internet in your research;
 How to discriminate between useless and useful
opinions;
 How to summarize;
 How to budget your time;
 How to conceive of and manage a research project
from start to finish;

7. Format of the research paper
 Every research paper must therefore conform
to a specific format, like the one invented by
the Modern Language Association (MLA), a
society of language scholars; or the American
Psychological Association (APA), a society of
scientific scholars; or the Chicago Manual of
Style (CMS);
 The format governs the entire paper, from the
placement of the title, to the width of the
margins, to the notation used in
acknowledging material from other sources;

8. Drafts of the research paper
 Whatever your paper is, experience over the years has shown
that producing a good one takes a minimum of three drafts;
 Many writers do many drafts;
 Three drafts are the barest minimum;
 Each draft is a separate stage in the progress of the paper;
 The first draft should be rough and much scribbled over, and
should show definite signs of the wear and tear that inevitably
come with composition;
 First drafts are supposed to be messy;
 They are supposed to show signs of major rewriting and the
back-and-forth movement of composing;
 In academic circles, that movement is called recursive:
 The writer goes back and forth over the material in the process
of finding the right words to express ideas on paper;

9. You might write a paragraph, stop,
go back to the first sentence and
change it, and then add the
beginning of a second paragraph
before pausing to rewrite some
more of the first paragraph;
If you find yourself writing this
way, you are working exactly as
writers typically do;

10. Writing the research paper: Steps and schedule
Generally, there are seven distinct
steps in the process requiring you
to submit at least five hand-ins
over a period of five weeks;
With some variations, many
instructors observe this schedule:

11. What You Must Do What You Must Produce When It Is Due
1. You must select a topic that is complex
enough to be researched from a variety of
sources but narrow enough to be covered
in 10 or so pages.
Two acceptable topics, one of which the
instructor will approve
At the end of the 1st wee
2. You must do the exploratory scanning
and reading of sources on your topic.
At the end of the 2nd We
3. You must gather information on your
topic and assemble it into some usable
sequence.
Notes, a research problem and a
hypothesis, and an outline
At the end of the 3rd wee
4. You must draft a thesis statement
expressing the major idea behind your
paper.
5. You must outline the major parts of your
paper.
6. You must write a rough draft of the paper
arguing, proving, or supporting your thesis
with information uncovered by your
research. You must acknowledge all
borrowed ideas, data, and opinions.
A rough draft of the paper At the end of the 4th wee
7. You must prepare a bibliography listing
all sources used in the paper and you must
write the final draft.
The paper, complete with bibliography At the end of the 5th wee

12. Questions, problems,
comments, or inquiries …!?

13. Thank you