2. Steps in Writing a Research Paper

Generally, there are seven distinct steps requiring you to produce several hand-ins over an assigned period of time. With some variations, many instructors will more or less observe this schedule:

What you must do

1. A topic must be selected that is complex enough to be researched from a variety of sources, but narrow enough to be covered in ten or so pages.

2. Exploratory scanning and in-depth reading must be done on the approved topic.

3. The information gathered must be recorded (usually on note cards) and assembled into a coherent sequence.

4. A thesis statement must be drafted, setting forth the major idea of your paper.

5. The paper must be outlined in its major.

6. The paper must be written in rough draft and the thesis argued, proved, or supported with the information uncovered from the sources. Borrowed ideas, data, and opinions must be acknowledged.

7. A bibliography must be prepared, listing all sources used in the paper. The final paper must be written.

What you must produce

1. Two acceptable topics, one of which will be approved by the instructor. A bibliography of all titles to be used in the paper.

2. Note cards, a thesis statement, and an outline. (Papers following the MLA format will require an abstract rather than an outline.)

3. A rough draft of the paper.

4. The final paper, complete with bibliography.

Here are two bibliographical cards made out correctly, one for a book, the other for an article in a magazine. On each side is an explanation of the entry on the card:

Author's name Bibliographical Title (underlined) Publisher Place of publ. Date Dewey decimal Library Lib. Of Congress

Riebel, John P. 1 How to Write SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS LETTERS in 15 Days Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 1996 651.7 Cal Poly R 548 HF 5726 R52

Key Number Call Number

Figure 1. A note card for a book

Date of publication?

Author's name Bibliographical Title in quotes Title of magazine Vol. and No. inclusive pages Library

Riebel, John P. 2 "How to Write LETTERS THAT GET RESULTS" The American Salesman Vol. 1, No. 9 May, 1956 pp. 50-61 Cal Poly

Key Number (No call Number)

Figure 2. A note card for an article in a magazine

Note Taking

If your bibliographical cards are not numbered with a key number, then each time you take a note from any source, you will have to copy the complete bibliographical information given in the card in Figure 1, except, of course, the library and the call number. When dozens of notes are taken, this can become quite a chore.

If, however, you use a different key number for each bibliographical reference, then all you have to do when taking a note is to write in the upper right-hand corner the appropriate key number. That can save you a lot of writing.