TOPICS (TITLES) OF THE PAPER

Thus far topics have been mentioned in terms of titles of research papers. It is best to think of these titles as «working titles»; that is, the title you begin to work under may change as you come to learn more and more about your topic; you may change your initial hypothesis or main idea. A working title is a useful thing to have, because it gives your topic a specific direction and it makes your research paper seem real to you. Even before you have written your first draft, your project has a name. You may change the name later: this is part of the dynamic process, which is a thinking or cognitive process of research. Research is a process of discovery and change.

STEP 3: COLLECTING DATA

Find out if there is enough information available on your topic. Data or the raw material for your research can come from any sources, most of which are located in the libraries. There you can also get clues as to how to find those that are not immediately available in the library.

STEP 4: PREPARING A SOURCE LIST

Get some large index cards. When find sources that pertain to your topic, make a card for each one. Because you will need to list each source that you use in your paper in the section called «WORKS CITED» (OR THE BIBLIOGRAPHY), it will be useful to write the information down according to the guidelines of a style manual, which says the style of a research paper should be very academic, laconic and precise.

STEP 5: SUMMARIZING AND TAKING NOTES

On one side of the index card summarize the content of the pertinent material in the source. In the case of a book you may need to look at the table of contents to decide which part of the book is most useful for your topic and write a summary of that part. You may find reading the introduction and final section of the book helpful in understanding the main idea and its relevance to your subject. Also, the pertinent information you are seeking is often listed in the index at the back of the book.

Sometimes, instead of writing a complete summary, you may write down only the most important points that relate to your topic. This is called takingnotes. If you have copied the material you should take notes in the margin of the copied text you are reading. This will help you organize your thinking as you read as well as emphasize passages relevant to your topic.

STEP 6: INTERPRETING AND SYNTHESIZING

On the other side of the index card you used to write your summary, write your opinion of what you just summarized and how it relates to your topic. A research paper is not just a collection of sources and other author’s opinions. You are the most important writer and it is what you think of the sources that you read – is most important. This is called interpreting and synthesizing. Interpretingmeans expressing someone else’s ideas in your own words and telling what you think they signify. Synthesizing means taking various materials, putting them together and making something of your own out of them.

STEP 7: ANALYSIS

After reading the materials you have found you have arrived at some conclusions. Write a journal entry about the process that helped you reach these conclusions. Make sure your thinking is based on the facts you found, not on your emotions or biases. Or, if you do have biases that you cannot put aside, state them in your introduction, so the reader of your paper can be aware of them.

If in the process of scholarly investigation you decide to change the topic, as you think about it and form new ideas about it to replace the old. Provided there is enough time to meet the deadline this is perfectly acceptable. Be sure to take the time to keep a journal of your thoughts while researching your topic. You will learn about a lot about your thinking process and about your writing process.

STEP 8: PLANNING YOUR PAPER AND WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT

First of all don’t forget about a title page with your name, the title of the paper, the school (the faculty), the chair, the name of the university, the instructor or scientific advisor and the year.

As you write, follow the plan: introduction, main body and conclusion.

INTRODUCTION: Introductory paragraphs state the question(s) to be explored and may also «preview» some of the findings.

MAIN BODY: You must make the reader familiar with the background of the issues, the history of the problem, the points of the controversy, and the viewpoints of different factions, pro and con if such exist. Several paragraphs must focus on presenting the material that you have gathered.

Following these paragraphs there should go several paragraphs in which you bring the background material and data into focus, combining and synthesizing, shaping your conclusions. Show that you understand the opposing viewpoints and why you think yours is/are superior. Use as much of the specific evidence you have gathered as you can to show that your conclusions are solidly based.

CONCLUSION: Summarize your conclusions to the chapters. Make sure that you have a final conclusion in which you state the rightness of the chosen topic. Also enumerate everything you proved or discard (отвергать, отклонять) or dismiss as irrelevant or impertinent.

STEP 9: WRITE THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OR WORKS CITED SECTION