Port St. Lucie: How to Write a Research Paper

1. Review these two concepts:

• APA
  • APA resources 
  • The Basics of APA tutorial 
• Plagiarism
  • Plagiarism: How Not to Do It

2. Choose a topic

• Start early. 
• Follow the assignment. 
• Brainstorm. 
• Do some preliminary research to make sure you can find enough resources and get an idea about what articles are available.

3. Find resources: books, articles, websites

• Great resources: LIRN databases
• Evaluate your resources
• Keep track of where you got your materials so you can cite your sources

4. Make your thesis statement and an outline.

• Writing your thesis statement
• How to write an outline - sample outlines. Once you have your outline, the paper will be easier to write.

5. Write your paper.

6. Spell check, read aloud to yourself, edit.

7. Format your citations properly.

1. What is the author’s purpose?

When deciding which sources to use, you should take the purpose or point of view of the author into consideration.  Is the author presenting a neutral, unbiased view of a topic or is the author supporting one side of a topic? Are they trying to sell you something? You need to be careful that your sources do not limit your coverage of a topic to one side of a debate.

2. Who is/are the author(s)?

A credible source is either written by the author(s) with a degree or other credentials or can be written by an organization.  If no author or organization is named, the source will not be viewed as credible.

3. Does the source provide references?

Credible authors will cite their sources for accuracy of and support for what they have written.  Citing other reliable sources is a sign of credibility.  This is also a good way to find more sources for your own research.

4. How recent is the source?

Seeking recent sources depends on your topic.  While sources on past wars may be decades old and still contain accurate information, sources on information technologies, or other areas that are experiencing rapid changes, need to be much more current.