Steps in Making a Research Paper

2. Step 1: Pick a Topic
 Before you can even begin researching, you need to
know what to look for. You want your topic to be
neither too broad nor too narrow to cover in the length
of the paper you need to write. You will also want to
make sure the topic is something you are interested in,
and something you can actually find research on. If your
topic is too esoteric, you may find yourself struggling to
find sources online or at your local library.
 You can pick a topic by brainstorming ideas, and then
doing some preliminary research to make sure that
information exists on the topic and that the scope of the
topic is appropriate for your paper. Brainstorming may
involve just sitting down and jotting ideas, or you may
want to use a more structured form of brainstorming in
which you draw a mind map or use clustering.

3. Step 2: Do Your Research
 Once you have selected a topic, it is time to do your research. The web
is a great starting point, and in many cases may be sufficient to provide
you with all the information you need to write a great paper. When
using internet sources, be careful to make sure they are authoritative.
Your professor may not be happy if you turn in a research paper and
cite your next door neighbor’s blog as the main resource you used to
write it. Sites that end in .edu, .gov or .org are a great place to start.
 Old fashioned books are also invaluable sources of information, and
your local librarian can help you peruse the collection or card catalog if
you don’t know where to look. Most libraries have their collections
indexed online now anyway, so you may be able to still do much of
your work over the internet.
 Regardless of whether you use print or internet sources, make sure
you keep track of where the information is coming from. Keep your
research organized by topic or subtopic for your paper, but note which
source each individual piece of research comes from. Write down all
possible information you may need about your source to cite it
correctly, whether you are using APA or MLA format.

4. Step 3: Draft Your Outline
 Before you begin writing, you’ll want to outline
what you are going to write about. Create an
outline that highlights the thesis of your paper and
the topic heading of each paragraph. Include note
to yourself in the outline about which research
points you are going to use in each paragraph.
Make sure the ideas flow smoothly and that your
thesis is supported and explored in each
paragraph.

5. Step 4: Write A Draft
 Using your outline, write a preliminary draft of your
paper. Few writers can sit down and write something
perfect the first time around, so this is your chance to
make mistakes and errors and still produce a great
final product. Work from your outline, and make sure
you attribute anything you are putting in your paper
to the appropriate source.
 Some research papers require in-text citations, which
means that you must attribute ideas right in your
paper. For example, you might write “According to
Your Dictionary.com, the definition of…” or you could
write “The definition of…” (Your Dictionary).

6. Step 5: Revise and Edit to Produce a
Final Product
 The last step is producing your final product.
You’ll want to revise and edit your draft for
content, structure, clarity, spelling and grammar.
Make sure your paper is free of errors, and don’t
count on spell-check to catch every detail. Make
sure all of your citations are correct, and that the
paper is formatted properly.