STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC
Choose a topic which interests and challenges you. Your
attitude towards the topic may well determine the amount of effort and
enthusiasm you put into your research.
Focus on a limited aspect, e.g. narrow it down from
"Religion" to "World Religion" to "Buddhism".
Obtain teacher approval for your topic before embarking on a full-scale
research. If you are uncertain as to what is expected of you in completing the
assignment or project, re-read your assignment sheet carefully or ASK your
teacher.
Select a subject you can manage. Avoid subjects that are too
technical, learned, or specialized. Avoid topics that have only a very narrow
range of source materials.
STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION
Check the library.
Surf the Net.
For general or background information, check out useful
URLs, general information online, almanacs or encyclopedias online such as
Britannica. Use search engines and other search tools as a starting point.
Pay attention to domain name extensions, e.g., .edu
(educational institution), .gov (government), or .org (non-profit
organization). These sites represent institutions and tend to be more reliable,
but be watchful of possible political bias in some government sites. Be
selective of .com (commercial) sites. Many .com sites are excellent; however, a
large number of them contain advertisements for products and nothing else.
Network Solutions provides a link where you can find out what some of the other
extensions stand for. Be wary of the millions of personal home pages on the
Net. The quality of these personal homepages vary greatly. Learning how to
evaluate websites critically and to search effectively on the Internet can help
you eliminate irrelevant sites and waste less of your time.
The recent arrival of a variety of domain name extensions
such as .biz (commercial businesses), .pro, .info (info on products / organizations),
.name, .ws (WebSite), .cc (Cocos Island) or .sh (St. Helena) or .tv (Tuvalu)
may create some confusion as you would not be able to tell whether a .cc or .sh
or .tv site is in reality a .com, a .edu, a .gov, a .net, or a .org site. Many
of the new extensions have no registration restrictions and are available to
anyone who wishes to register a distinct domain name that has not already been
taken. For instance, if Books.com is unavailable, you can register as Books.ws
or Books.info via a service agent such as Register.com.
To find books in the Library use the OPAC (Online Public
Access Catalog):
Check out other print materials available in the Bible
school library:
• Almanacs,
Atlases, AV Catalogs
• Encyclopedias
and Dictionaries
• Government
Publications, Guides, Reports
• Magazines,
Newspapers
• Vertical Files
• Yellow Pages,
Zip or Postal Code and Telephone Directories
Check out online resources, Web based information services,
or special resource materials on CDs:
Online reference materials (including databases, e.g. SIRS, ProQuest, eLibrary, etc.)
• Wall Street Executive Library
• Index to Periodicals and Newspapers (e.g. MagPortal.com, OnlineNewspapers.com, etc.)
• Answers.com - an online dictionary and encyclopedia all-in-one resource that you can install on your computer free of charge and find one-click answers quickly.
• Encyclopedias (e.g. Britannica, Canadian Encyclopedia,
• Magazines and Journals (e.g. Time, National Geographic, Maclean's, Newsweek, etc.)
• Newspapers (e.g. Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, The Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, etc.
• International Public Library
Subject Specific software (e.g. discovering authors, exploring Shakespeare, etc.)
Check out public and university libraries, businesses,
government agencies, as well as contact knowledgeable people in your community.
Read and evaluate. Bookmark your favorite Internet sites.
Printout, photocopy, and take notes of relevant information.
As you gather your resources, jot down full bibliographical
information (author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of
publication, page numbers, URLs, creation or modification dates on Web pages,
and your date of access) on your work sheet, printout, or enter the information
on your laptop or desktop computer for later retrieval. If printing from the
Internet, it is wise to set up the browser to print the URL and date of access
for every page. Remember that an article without bibliographical information is
useless since you cannot cite its source.
STEP 3. STATE YOUR THESIS
Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement
down in one sentence. Your thesis statement is like a declaration of your
belief. The main portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and
defend this belief.
STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE
All points must relate to the same major topic that you
first mentioned in your capital Roman numeral.
Example of an outline:
I.
INTRODUCTION - (Brief comment leading into subject matter -
Thesis statement on
Shakespeare)
II. BODY -
Shakespeare's Early Life, Marriage, Works, Later Years
A. Early life in Stratford
1. Shakespeare's family
a. Shakespeare's father
b. Shakespeare's mother
2. Shakespeare's marriage
a. Life of Anne Hathaway
b. Reference in Shakespeare's Poems
B. Shakespeare's works
1. Plays
a. Tragedies
i. Hamlet
ii. Romeo and Juliet
b. Comedies
i. The Tempest
ii. Much Ado About Nothing
c. Histories
i. King John
ii. Richard III
iii. Henry VIII
2.
Sonnets
3.
Other poems
C.
Shakespeare's Later Years
1.
Last two plays
2.
Retired to Stratford
a. Death
b. Burial
i. Epitaph on his tombstone
III.
CONCLUSION
A. Analytical summary
1.
Shakespeare's early life
2.
Shakespeare's works
3. Shakespeare's later years
B. Thesis
reworded
C.
Concluding statement
The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your
topic carefully and organize it logically before you start writing. A good
outline is the most important step in writing a good paper. Check your outline
to make sure that the points covered flow logically from one to the other.
Include in your outline an INTRODUCTION, a BODY, and a CONCLUSION. Make the
first outline tentative.
INTRODUCTION - State
your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief
reason you are writing the paper? State also how you plan to approach your
topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison, or an analysis of
a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and
why readers should be interested in your topic.
BODY - This is
where you present your arguments to support your thesis statement. Remember the
Rule of 3, i.e. find 3 supporting arguments for each position you take. Begin
with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and end with the strongest
argument for your final point.
CONCLUSION -
Restate or reword your thesis. Summarize your arguments. Explain why you have
come to this particular conclusion.
STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES
Organize all the information you have gathered according to
your outline. Critically analyze your research data. Using the best available
sources, check for accuracy and verify that the information is factual,
up-to-date, and correct. Opposing views should also be noted if they help to
support your thesis. This is the most important stage in writing a research
paper. Here you will analyze, synthesize, sort, and digest the information you
have gathered and hopefully learn something about your topic which is the real
purpose of doing a research paper in the first place. You must also be able to
effectively communicate your thoughts, ideas, insights, and research findings
to others through written words as in a report, an essay, a research or term
paper, or through spoken words as in an oral or multimedia presentation with
audio-visual aids.
Do not include any information that is not relevant to your
topic, and do not include information that you do not understand. Make sure the
information that you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own words, if
possible. Plagiarism is definitely out of the question. Document all ideas
borrowed or quotes used very accurately. As you organize your notes, jot down
detailed bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and have it ready
to transfer to your Works Cited page.
Devise your own method to organize your notes. One method
may be to mark with a different color ink or use a hi-liter to identify
sections in your outline, e.g., IA3b - meaning that the item "Accessing
WWW" belongs in the following location of your outline:
I.
Understanding the Internet
A. What is the Internet
3. How to "Surf the Net"
b. Accessing WWW
Group your notes following the outline codes you have
assigned to your notes, e.g., IA2, IA3, IA4, etc. This method will enable you
to quickly put all your resources in the right place as you organize your notes
according to your outline.
STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT
Start with the first topic in your outline. Read all the
relevant notes you have gathered that have been marked, e.g. with the capital
Roman numeral I.
Summarize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you
plan to use in your essay. Use a technique that suits you, e.g. write
summaries, paraphrases or quotations on note cards, or separate sheets of lined
paper. Mark each card or sheet of paper clearly with your outline code or
reference, e.g., IB2a or IIC, etc.
Put all your note cards or paper in the order of your
outline, e.g. IA, IB, IC. If using a word processor, create meaningful
filenames that match your outline codes for easy cut and paste as you type up
your final paper, e.g. cut first Introduction paragraph and paste it to IA.
Before you know it, you have a well-organized term paper completed exactly as
outlined.
If it is helpful to you, use a symbol such as "#"
to mark the spot where you would like to check back later to edit a paragraph.
The unusual symbol will make it easy for you to find the exact location again.
Delete the symbol once editing is completed.
STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT
Read your paper for any content errors. Double check the
facts and figures. Arrange and rearrange ideas to follow your outline.
Reorganize your outline if necessary, but always keep the purpose of your paper
and your readers in mind.
CHECKLIST ONE:
1. Is my thesis statement concise and clear?
2. Did I follow my outline? Did I miss anything?
3. Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence?
4. Are all sources properly cited to ensure that I am not
plagiarizing?
5. Have I proved my thesis with strong supporting arguments?
6. Have I made my intentions and points clear in the essay?
Re-read your paper for grammatical errors. Use a dictionary
or a thesaurus as needed. Do a spell check. Correct all errors that you can
spot and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of your ability.
Get someone else to read it over. Sometimes a second pair of eyes can see
mistakes that you missed.
CHECKLIST TWO:
1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence?
2. Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples?
3. Any run-on or unfinished sentences?
4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words?
5. Varying lengths of sentences?
6. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next?
7. Any spelling or grammatical errors?
8. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation?
9. Are all my citations accurate and in correct format?
10. Did I avoid using contractions? Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not" instead of "don't"?
11. Did I use third person as much as possible? Avoid using phrases such as "I think", "I guess", "I suppose"
12. Have I made my points clear and interesting but remained objective?
13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper?
STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER
All formal reports or essays should be typewritten and
printed, preferably on a good quality printer.
Read the assignment sheet again to be sure that you
understand fully what is expected of you, and that your essay meets the
requirements as specified by your teacher. Know how your essay will be
evaluated.
Proofread final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation,
missing or duplicated words. Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is
clean, tidy, neat, and attractive.
Aim to have your final paper ready a day or two before the
deadline. This gives you peace of mind and a chance to triple check. Before
handing in your assignment for marking, ask yourself: "Is this the VERY
BEST that I can do?"
Below are two of your most important links. Source deals with research guidelines; and the second will save you a ton of work by automatically formatting your documents for you.
Below are two of your most important links. Source deals with research guidelines; and the second will save you a ton of work by automatically formatting your documents for you.
- Source:
- For automatic footnote and bibliography formatting go to:
Step two, enter ISBN
number when prompted:
The ISBN number is found at the front of the book, usually
on the same page as the copyright information.
Example: ISBN: 978-0310-21132-7 Enter: 978-0310-21132-7
Step three. Now cut
and paste the information below:
(Sample)
Bibliography:
Thielman, Frank. Theology of the New Testament: a Canonical
and Synthetic Approach. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005.
Footnote:
Frank Thielman, Theology of the New Testament: a Canonical
and Synthetic Approach (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005), p. or pgs. #
