•    Length of the paper
•    Margins 
•    Double spaced or single spaced pages
•    Font type and size
•    Title page requirements
•    Abstract requirements
•    Format for the bibliography (sources used)
•    Guidelines for topic choice

_____2.  Make yourself a time frame for the different steps to writing your paper.   

    Figure out when you want to be finished with each step and write the date down.  Don't skip this as otherwise it will be too tempting to put the project off until the last minute.  The steps you write down will probably look something like this:

•   Choose the topic.
•   Get topic approved by professor (if required).
•   Do background reading about your topic.
•   Write down a list of questions about your topic to be answered in the paper.
•   Gather sources to use to answer those questions.
•   Take notes from the sources.
•   Make an outline for the paper.
•   Write a rough draft.
•   Write a finished draft.
•    Prepare the title page, abstract (if required), and bibliography. 
        

_____3.  Choose a topic that interests you and get it approved by your professor if necessary. 

    You'll stay much more engaged and motivated if you have an interest in the topic you've chosen.   Once you've chosen a general area of interest, you must narrow your topic down to something that is manageable.   For example, the topic "Bacterial Infections" is way too broad.  The topic, "Preventing the Spread of Bacterial Infections in Hospitals," is more reasonable.  "Gifted Children" is another topic that is too broad.  "The Problem of Perfectionism in Gifted Children" would make a great paper. 

     You also want to choose a topic that won't be too difficult to research, given whatever resources are available to you.  Above all, make sure your topic meets the assignment requirements!   Check with your professor if you have any doubts.

_____4.   Do background reading to increase your knowledge about the topic.

    This important step will familiarize you with your topic and give you an idea of what questions you want to answer in your paper.  As you read, jot down ideas for main concepts to cover in your paper.

_____5.   Write down a list of questions that you would like your research paper to answer.

    This step will really help you organize your paper.  A well developed list of questions will serve as a preliminary outline and help you in your search for information.  Questions to ask for a paper on the transmission of bacterial infections in hospitals might include:  How many people get sick in hospitals from bacterial infections they caught while there?  How many people die from these infections?  How do people catch bacterial infections in the hospital?  What are the most common types of bacterial infections caught by patients in hospitals?  What specific steps have hospitals taken to reduce the number of these infections?  Does the government require certain actions to lower the risk of hospital acquired infections?  How effective have hospitals been in reducing the number of infections caught by patients in their facilities? 


_____6.   Gather information from multiple sources to answer your questions.

    An effective way to do this is to put one or two questions on separate pieces of paper.  Underneath each question, write down information you collect that answers that question.  When you do so, you need to identify the source of that information.  If each source has a number, that will be easy to do, as you can put the number of the source by the information you write down.   

    To make this easier (and to make preparing a bibliography easier later), make a  Sources for Research Paper sheet for each reference you use.  Your Sources for Research Paper sheets should use the following headings.  You simply plug in information about your source where appropriate.  Make sure you keep your information sheets and answers to your questions in a notebook so you don't lose them!  I like this method better than writing information down on notecards, because I think they are hard to keep track of, but that's a similar system that's quite effective.

        Number of source
        Name of book or encyclopedia
        Author of book
        Name of article in encyclopedia or other large reference book
        Author of article in encyclopedia or other large reference book
        Pages of article in encyclopedia or other large reference book
        Title of magazine or journal article
        Author of magazine or journal article
        Date or volume of magazine or journal article
        City of publisher
        Name of publisher
        Date of publication
        Internet address
        Name of internet article or Web site
        Author of internet article or Web site
        Date of internet site, if available


_____7.  Once you've got answers to your questions written down, prepare an outline.

    An outline provides you with the framework for your paper.  If it's for your own use, you don't have to be concerned about following the rules of outlining perfectly.  If you have to turn in your outline to your professor, you'll need to polish it up. 

    For more information about developing an outline, visit this Web site put together by Purdue University:  

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/01/


_____8.  Write a rough draft.

    Use your outline as a guide to writing your rough draft.  While writing your rough draft, don't spend any time on refining sentences.  Instead, seek to get the information down fairly quickly.  Again, Purdue University's Online Writing Lab Web site has great hints for writing your rough draft.    

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/1draft.html


_____9.  Get some competent feedback about the organization and content of your rough draft.

    Your campus may have a writing center.  If so, it will be manned by competent writing assistants who can read over your rough draft and give you some suggestions for improvement.  Maybe you have a friend or family member who is a great writer.  That person may also be able to give you some constructive feedback.


_____10.  Polish your rough draft into a well written, interesting report.

    Once you feel confident that your draft is organized correctly, polish it up.  Make sure you stay within the word guidelines for the assignment, and make sure every paragraph answers questions about your topic.  Also, make sure you cite your sources when appropropriate.  Here are more hints to help you with this step in the paper.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/revise.html

    Also, while you are polishing up your report, make sure you use correct formatting.  Most professors require their students to use APA style.   Here is a reference I recommend that will help you use this format.

APA: The Easy Way!


_____11.   Write your abstract if required.

    An abstract is a one paragraph summary of your paper.  Normally, these are about 200 words.  Even though they go before the body of the paper, you should write them when you are finished.   If your professor requires one, ask if she has any samples of well written abstracts.  


_____12.  Prepare your title page.

    Normally, title pages include the name of the paper, your name, the name of your college, and the name of the class.  However, your professor may give you specific guidelines as to what he wants you to include.


_____13.  Prepare your bibliography.

    The bibliography is a list of references that you used to write your paper.  Your professor is looking for a reasonable number of sources and a variety of different types of sources such as reference books, journals, encyclopedias, and reputable Web sites (such as those put together by universities or research institutions).   If he wants you to use APA style, follow its format exactly.  That's where the reference I recommend in #10 will really come in handy!

_____14.  Do a final proofread.

    Take each paragraph one at a time and look for spelling, grammar, and typographical errors.  If you read your paragraphs out loud, that will force you to look at every word.  It's easy for your brain to ignore errors otherwise.  Have someone else proofread your paper, too.  She might catch an error that you missed.


    Above all, please approach this process with integrity.  I know you can buy papers from companies who advertise on the internet, but that really is cheating.  If your instructor finds out you paid for someone else to write your paper, at the very minimum you will earn a 0 on that paper.  You may be expelled from the class, and possibly even from the college.   Even if you don't get caught, you have cheated yourself out of a valuable learning experience.  

    If you want more help writing your paper, here is a reference I recommend:

Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Research Papers 


    Happy Writing!