The Basics: How to Write a Research Paper

• Find a basic research system to use, such as Big 6. Check what your school uses, or pick one that works for you. You can find some examples on the library's research help page.
• Find a way to manage your notes and drafts.
• Find out what bibliography format you are expected to use.
• Find a way to schedule your work that works for you.

When You Get the Assignment

• Read the whole assignment and make sure you understand what is required. Ask questions of your instructor now.
• Map out the assignment: list all major jobs and sub-jobs to make sure all of them get done.
• Don't procrastinate: have free time at the end, not the beginning.
• If you get to pick a topic, do some early research. Find out what topics have a lot of information and what have only a little. It can be through browsing a library catalog or using basic reference sources like encyclopedias. Pick a topic that is easier on you, research-wise, by picking one with a lot of available information. If you start early and hit a dead end, you will have more time to change your topic if you need to.
• Make the best of your assignment: pick topics of interest to you, get the most out of the topic for yourself, take an opportunity to learn something new and interesting. Not all research has to be boring.

Preparing to Search

• Find topic keywords. Is there specialized vocabulary for your topic? Read dictionary entries and encyclopedia articles or introductory books to find the best search words. Write down the major ideas, major names, and synonyms to use in your searches later. What is the broader topic name? What are narrower topic names?
• Get help in selecting sources: the librarian is there to help, and can tell you about sources you don't know about yet.
• Keep good notes and cite everything! Use a note taking method that will attach the source citation and page number to each thing you write down. Make sure you can tell the difference between a direct copy from a source and your own paraphrasing in your notes.
• General sources will have more basic information and will be filed under the broader topic name. You will find some information on your topic in these works. You don't have to read the whole thing. Pick and choose the sections you read by using the table of contents and the index, searching with your search words.
• Specialized sources may have information about smaller parts of your whole topic, you will need to combine information from several of these to get the whole picture. Again, read only what you really need, using the table of contents and the index.
• Plan ahead for library visits by using the catalog from home and placing books on hold. Allow time for your holds to arrive.
• Group types of research by where you need to go: school library, public library, or online to minimize trips BUT refining your search may make a second trip necessary!
• When you need to interview someone, keep their schedule in mind, don't assume they can get right back to you. Ask early.

Searching

• Evaluate the information you find: Is it up to date enough? Is the author an expert? Does the author have an agenda that might influence the information they give? Can you find confirmation of their facts? Bad information leads to a bad research paper.
• Works cited in your sources can lead you to other good sources. Use the work other people have already done.
• Read only what you need to read, use the table of contents and index to help you.
• Read and think as you go: it will help you redirect your searching if you need to and means you don't have to read a huge stack of books and printouts all at once.
• Research raises new questions and clarifies your research. Leave yourself time to refine your project and redirect your questions.
• Don't have your final answer in mind! Research should be able to change your mind.

Writing

• Organize your notes: by idea or by topic, make a map of the flow of your argument with support for each piece. This will help you find where your argument needs more support and enable you to look for sources to fill in the gaps.
• Cite all ideas from other sources. Cite all direct quotations. Anything without a citation is assumed to be a generally-known fact or your own original work. If it isn't, that's considered plagiarism.
• Allow plenty of time to write and rewrite, make sure the points you want to make really come across, and make sure all of them are supported by your research.
• Make sure your final product answers the question you were asked in the original assignment: no matter how well you did in research and writing, it won't matter if it doesn't meet the assignment requirements.