Brainstorming
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Audience
Article UNC

Guide to Grammar and Writing Digital handouts on grammar and English usage. From subject-verb agreement and useof articles to exercises in parallel structures and argumentative essays.

Sentences Amusing and helpful site on the subject of what makes a good sentence

Double Entry Journal
This form will help you take good notes, keep track of your source, and help you think about what you've learned from the reading. Use it to take notes from an Internet article.

Cornell Notes
This form is the standard 2-column format that most people are familiar with. It will help also help you take notes from a book or other print source. It does not have a reflection piece on it, but that's okay; sometimes you just want to get some information. If you know what you are looking for and/or already have great note-taking skills, this might be the ticket. 

How to Make Note Cards   Teachers used to sell note cards to students as THE ONLY WAY to take notes for a research paper. Luckily for folks like me, we now know this isn't true at all. However, they work really well for left-brain types and therefore recieve their due attention here. Practice with them, and see if they're for you or not.

Outline Alternative
Try as they may, some people simply cannot do outlines. I happen to be one of these people, so for those of use who fall under this category, this form might help. It is meant to be used in place of a traditional Roman Numeral (I. II. III. A. B. C. 1. 2. 3.) outline.

Introduction

As far as I know, writing a research paper is nobody's favorite thing to do. However, for some reason, everybody has to do one. And if you think this insanity stops after high school, you are wrong. You will be expected to write research papers in college if you decide to go there, and on your job as well. So, probably the best thing you can do is accept that research papers are going to be part of your life. Might as well get used to them. Anyway, even if you decide to drop out of school and dig ditches for a living so you don't have to write any research papers ever again, you will STILL have to know how to research effectively unless you are okay with getting chumped every time you want to make a major purchase. Think about it. Life involves researching -- how else will you know what the best car stereo, computer, or gadget is, of all the car stereos, computers and gadgets available? Research, that's how. Trust me. There are a lot of gadgets. Also, if that's not enough, how do you know where to get the best deal? Commercials? Please. So, given that research papers are here to stay, and that your abiltiy to perform research is a valuable life skill even for a ditch-digging high school drop-out, here are some links to help you survive this dreaded process and even learn from it. Who knows, maybe you don't hate it as much as you think you do. And hey, thanks for visiting. You are beautiful just the way you are.

Writing Introductions

 

STEPS IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Skip just one and watch your frustration rise and your motivation evaporate.

1.     Brainstorm ideas

2.     Choose topic

3.     Take investigative notes

4.     Narrow topic to specific research question or thesis statement

5.     Take notes focused on question/thesis

6.     Construct tentative outline

7.     Take more notes

8.     Formalize outline

9.     Write rough draft

10.Revise & edit paper

11.Write & publish final product

 

Research Paper

Research Paper Proposal To outline your plans for researching a topic that is substantively related to educational leadership, you are asked to write a Research Paper Proposal

MLA Format

The Owl at Purdue Free writing help and teaching resources 24/7

The Center for Writing Studies How to cite simply everything in MLA format

MLA Citation Examples  Tons of examples brought to you by Honolulu Community College

Capital Community College Humanities Department Great site with lots of help

 

Steps Along the Way

Just as there are plenty of wrong ways to go about writing a research paper, there are plenty of equally effective approaches. My goal is providing you with enough tools and guidance to select the best approach for you, depending on your learning style and the type of research paper you are doing.

STEP 1: Brainstorming 

Generally speaking, you want to begin by brainstorming a list of topics that interest you. This is so obvious it should go without saying, but since you are going to be spending a great deal of time and effort on your topic, it should be something you care about. Ideally, it should be something you are passionate about. But whatever. One thing I can promise you -- a great way to guarantee frustration is to choose a topic you don't really care or know anything about already. Trust me. Care what your topic is, and make your topic something you care about. If you don't know what to write about, here are some suggestions to get you started:

Make a list of all the things you are interested in. You should have at least 10 things on your list. Practically anything can be turned into a research paper. For example, suppose you are a girl and 'boys' is at the top of your list.  A research paper titled "Boys" would be too broad, but why not something like, "Why Boys Lie" Or if you want to go for the science aspect, how about, "Why Girls Mature Faster than Boys". You get the idea. If you need help turning your favorite topic into a thesis statement or research question for a research paper, ask for help from your parents and/or your teacher. That's what they're for.

Once you have your topic, you need to refine it as discussed above. Like I said, broad topics are just that -- topics. A topic is not a thesis statement or a research question. But before you can refine your topic, you must break it down and see its parts. Mind maps and other similar graphic organizers offer a good way to do this.

This website is really well put-together and teen-friendly (it's not hard to understand). I would start with How to Write an A+ Research Paper and read through all the steps they posted, then begin the process, following their tips and advice along the way. Good luck.

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