===== PAGE 1 ===== # Research Papers Research papers are vital to your college success. Whether taking notes on creative fiction or scrubbing an intricate scientific study, researching a topic and then making an argument are essential to most college classes. Thus, it is smart to create a writing process that you can revisit over and over again, a process that helps you to endlessly succeed at writing. The Ink Spot ## Why plan out my research paper?
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Research papers require an organized, long-term writing process that can be overwhelming. Unpreparedness can leave you lost and encourage you to procrastinate. So, from brainstorming to revision, let us focus on a research paper one goal at a time. We have additional handouts for each of these steps. 1. Topic 2. Research Questions 3. Research Proposal 4. Research 5. Annotated Bibliography 6. Thesis Statement 7. Outline 8. Drafting and Revision 9. Works Cited/References ===== PAGE 2 ===== # Research Papers: Step by Step ### 0. Assignment Review ○ What are the requirements? Were you provided a topic or can you choose one yourself? ### 1. Topics ○ What are you interested in? Make it your own! ### 2. Research Questions ○ Ask yourself if you want to find a problem, a solution, or synthesize existing research. ### 3. Research Proposal (if necessary) ○ After developing your questions, find some specific research, decide what you will focus on, and write a proposal. ### 4. Research - Focus your research on your research questions. Make sure it is specific and from multiple types of sources. ○ Continue to develop your opinions and argument. ### 5. Annotated Bibliography ○ To keep track of your sources, you can create an annotated bibliography to organize citations and their content. ### 6. Thesis Statement ○ Create a statement that encapsulates the argument. Focus on clarity and confidence. ### 7. Outline ○ Start outlining your paper. What will the intro, body, and conclusion look like? What sources will you use and where? ### 8. Drafting and Revision ○ Begin writing the paper using all of the previous steps to guide you. ○ Receive feedback and revise the paper as much as you can. ### 9. Formatting and Works Cited/References Page ○ Properly format the paper and include a proper Works Cited/References page.