Research Paper Guidelines/Steps

Directions: Read through the following information, answer all of the questions, and complete the
work each number asks. You may do your work on this document or in a separate document. When
you are done turn it in on Google Classroom.
1. Guiding question: How is biomimicry used in design to help solve problems and increase
sustainability?
a. Use this question as a guide when writing your research paper. Take this question and narrow it
down. For example: How has biomimicry helped us (or will help us) produce food?

2. Research: Now that you have chosen a topic, you must do some research. Your sources must be
credible! Use the tables below to help you determine if a source is credible or not. On the next page,
cite your sources and for each one, discuss how they are credible. I recommend that you write down
your source and takes notes under it so you know where you got the information.

Factors to consider Least reliable Possibly reliable Most reliable

Type of source Unfamiliar website Published material Official websites,

institutional sites,
academic journals

Authors background Uncredited Educated on topic Expert in the field

Date published None Outdated Recently revised

Depth of review Controversial reviews Good public response; Peer-reviewed by reliable

general approval sources

Sources cited None Credible sources Citations referencing

other well-cited works

Objectivity Clearly biased Sponsored source Balanced, neutral

Credible Not Credible

Journals by authors respected and well known in
their specific fields or peer-reviewed journals
Websites from credible institutions like Mayo Clinic,
Department of Justice, and University-affiliated
institutions
Materials published in the last ten years (when
more recent information is available)
Websites: The more information available, the
more credible the website. There is a specific author,
the audience is clear, the purpose is informative not
biased, and the information is regularly updated. Also
look for websites ending in .edu and .gov.
Blogs, facebook posts, or other self authored sites
Research articles without citations
Websites with information not from an author or
governmental department
Materials published over 15 years ago or have
theories that are clearly out-of date
Websites: There is not much information available.
If the purpose is not informative but may have other
motives, like to persuade, the site may not be
credible. The website is not regularly updated or the
author is unreliable.

3. Write a thesis statement: You should now have a good idea about the direction of your paper. A
thesis statement is a sentence that tells briefly and clearly the central idea of a whole report or
 research paper. For example, Various products have been designed that use biomimicry to sustainably
produce enough food for the worlds population.

4. Write an outline: An outline will help you organize your thoughts in a coherent order. An outline should
not be full of complete sentences. It is simply a place to put down what you are going to talk about in
what order. Outlines are set up in this format:
I. Introduction
A. Hook (something to grab your readers attention, like a fact, anecdote, or quote)
B. Background information
1. What is biomimicry?
2. Example?
3. Introduce your topic
C. Thesis
II. Paragraph 1
A. .Topic sentence
B.
C. Closing/transition
III. Paragraph 2
A. .
B. .
C. .
IV. Paragraph 3
A. .
B. .
C. .
V. Conclusion
A. Re-statement of ideas in introduction/restate thesis
B. Summarize ideas
C. Clincher/closing sentence

5. Write a rough draft: Use your outline to form the rough draft of your research paper. You may have to
make changes from your outline to your rough draft if you cant make your paper flow. Write in APA
format. You should have a title in the center of the page. Your heading should be in the upper left hand
corner and consist of your name, teacher, class, and date. Use the example paper attached to see
proper APA format.

6. Revise: Exchange your paper with a classmate and revise. Focus on spelling, grammar, conventions,
transitions, vocabulary, and flow.

7. Final draft: When you get you get your revised rough draft back, make all of the necessary changes,
check it over once more, then submit your final draft for a grade.