Research Writing

1. Conducting Research
a.
b.
c.
d.

Posing research questions

Mapping a search strategy
Tracking down library sources
Tracking down Internet sources

2. Evaluating Sources
a. Selecting sources
b. Reading with a critical eye

3. Managing Information
a. Maintaining a working bibliography
b. Managing information systematically
c. Taking notes without plagiarizing

4. Planning and Drafting

a.
b.
c.
d.

Forming a thesis and sketching an outline

Including the thesis in an introduction
Providing organizational clues
Using an appropriate voice

5. Citing Sources; Avoiding Plagiarism

a. Using a consistent system for citing sources
b. Avoiding plagiarism

6. Integrating Information from Sources

a. Using signal phrases to introduce quotations; limiting use of
quotations
b. Using signal phrases to introduce most summaries and paraphrases

c. Decide whether to use signal phrases to introduce statistics

7. Revisions of Your Drafts

1.

Conducting Research

1-a.

Pose possible questions worth exploring

Working within the guidelines of your assignment, pose a few

questions that seem worth researching. Here, for example, are some
preliminary questions jotted down by students who were asked to
write about a significant political or scholarly issue.
-

Can government-regulated rating systems for television shows curb childrens

exposure to violent programming?

Which geological formations are safest repositories for nuclear waste?

Will a ban on human cloning threaten the fight for racial equality?

How can governments and zoos help prevent Chinas endangered panda?

Why was amateur archeologist Heinrich Schliemann such a controversial figure in his
own time?

As you formulate possible questions, make sure that they are

appropriate lines of inquiry for a research paper. Choose questions
that are narrow, not too broad, challenging, not too bland, and
grounded, not too speculative.
Choosing a narrow question.
If your initial question is too broad, given the length of the paper you
plan to write, look for ways to restrict your focus. Here, for example,
is how two students narrowed their initial questions.
TOO BROAD
- What are the hazards of fad diets?
- Is the military seriously addressing the problem of sexual harassment?

NARROWER
- What are the hazards of liquid diets?
- To what extent has the army addressed the problem of sexual harassment?
Choosing a challenging question.
Your research paper will be more interesting to both you and your
audience if you base it on an intellectually challenging line of inquiry.
Avoid bland questions that fail to provoke thought or engage readers
in a debate.
TOO BLAND
- What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
- Where is wind energy being used?
CHALLENGING
- What treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder show the most promise?
- Does investing in wind energy make economic sense?
You may well need to address a bland question in the course of
answering a more challenging one. For example, in the research
paper on the treatments of obsessive-compulsive disorder, you
probably would want to spend a paragraph or two discussing what
obsessive-compulsive disorder really is.
Choosing a grounded question.
Choosing a grounded question simply means that you do not want to
word your question in such a way that the question reveals your
personal opinion. This is not a completely opinion based paper; it is a
paper that relies heavily on research and facts.
TOO SPECULATIVE

Is capital punishment moral?

What is the difference between a just and an unjust law?

CHALLENGING
- Does capitol punishment deter crime?
- Should we adjust our laws so that penalties for possession of powered cocaine and
crack cocaine are comparable?

1-b Mapping Out a Search Strategy.

A search strategy is a systematic system for tracking down sources.
To create a search strategy appropriate for your research question, ask
yourself two questions:
1. What kids of resources should I draw on?
2. In what order should I conduct my search?

Appropriate Resources.
Before you start your research, consider what information you will
need and where you are likely to find it. Be sure to choose the most
current sources. The most current sources will reflect the most
modern versions of the topic and will show the latest data supporting
the claim that you wish to make.
Order of Search
Often a good search strategy moves from sources that give you an
overview of your subject to those that supply you with more
specialized information. Some general reading will familiarize you
with the ways in which scholars or debaters are framing issues related
to your topic. Once you understand the intellectual or social context
of your topic, you will be prepared to focus your search more
narrowly.

1-c TRACK

RELEVANT LIBRARY SOURCES

Explore the library to find out what it offers. Librarians can usually
save you some time by helping you define what you are looking for
and telling you where to find it.

Resources to consider when creating a search strategy

LIBRARY RESOURCES
- General and specialized reference works
- Books
- Articles in scholarly journals
- Articles in newspapers
- Government documents
- Primary sources such as diaries and letters
- Audiovisual materials
INTERNET RESOURCES
- Web Sites
- Reference works
- Electronic texts, books, poems and so on
- Government documents
- News Articles
FIELD RESEARCH
- Interviews
- Opinion surveys
- Discussion groups

- Literature from organizations

- Observations and experiments
Most searching at the library will take place at a computer terminal. Some
materials may not be available instantly. You must realize that there is a world
of information that can be found in hard copy or in a form that you can actually
touch.

1-d

TRACK RELEVANT INTERNET SOURCES

Some of your research will probably take place on the internet.

CAUTION: Because the Internet lacks quality control, be sure to evaluate

online sources with special care.

CAUTION: Not all sources on the Internet are reliable. You may encounter
sources created by unreliable people or groups.
When conducting an Internet search, use words in your search that are specific.
General words will produce thousands of unwanted results to wade through.
Here are a few tips:
-

Be as specific as possible
Check your spelling
Refine or broaden your search as needed.
See the chart below for details and help on searching the Internet.

Refining Keyword Searches

These are some of the most commonly used functions when conducting a
keyword search.

- Use quotation marks around words that are part of a phrase

Broadway musicals
- Use AND to connect words that must appear in a document:
Ireland AND peace. Some search engines allow the use of + between
words where AND is used. Ireland + peace
- Use NOT in front of words that you do NOT want included, for example:

Titanic NOT movie. The sign may be used in place of the in some
sites. Titanic movie
- Use OR if only one word must appear in the document. Cougars OR
Mountain lions
- Use an asterisk as a substitute for letters that might vary:
marine biolog*
- Use parentheses to group a search expression and combine it with
another: (cigarettes OR tobacco OR smok*) AND lawsuits.