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By: Joyce Garczynski Communications & Development Librarian Albert S. Cook Library Writing a Research Paper

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What is a research paper? Purpose: To make an argument (about pop culture and politics) that is supported by research Format: Written in organized prose with an introduction, body, and conclusion Content: It has a thesis This is the argument you are making in the paper It uses what has been said in the research as evidence in support of the thesis

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What a research paper isnt Not an opinion piece Not an opportunity to show off what you know on a topic Not a series of resource summaries

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Writing Step 1: Interpret the Assignment Whenever you get an assignment, ask: 1. Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task? 2. Who is your audience and what should your writing style be? 3. What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas? 4. What are the absolute rules of the paper such as deadlines, length and format? Break into 4 groups and answer these questions about your assignment in this class

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Writing Step 2: Selecting a Topic Choose a topic that interests you Do background research and test searching to see whats out there Keep the topic manageable by narrowing By medium/outlet By time period Watch out for topics that are too local or too recent

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Writing Step 3: Gather Sources Strategize about: Where to search How to search How much time it will take to retrieve sources Well talk more about this next session

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Writing Step 4: Draft a Thesis Statement Develop the argument you will make (i.e. your thesis statement) The thesis statement is one sentence or two that is at the end of the introduction The thesis statement should: State the topic of your paper Preview the main points you will be making Synthesize the research you read This video offers some additional tipsvideo

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Is this a good thesis statement? Hollywood attempted to change public opinion about former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Actor Sean Penn and director Oliver Stone were strong supporters of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Actor Sean Penn and director Oliver Stone attempted to use their celebrity status to raise public opinion in the United States about former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Research suggests that celebrity endorsement of politicians has a limited impact and news analyses indicate that support for Chavez remained low despite celebrity endorsement.

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Writing Step 5: Outline Your Paper Use your thesis statement to shape your outline

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Writing Step 6: Write a First Draft

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Writing Step 7: Revise, Revise, Revise First draft is never the last draft Review your own work after some time away Have someone else review your work the Writing Lab and now at Cook LibraryWriting LabCook Library

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Get More Information On writing a research paper: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/0 1/ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/0 1/ On interpreting the assignment: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/understandi ng-assignments/ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/understandi ng-assignments/ On selecting a topic: http://libguides.weber.edu/researchtopic http://libguides.weber.edu/researchtopic On writing a thesis statement: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_st atement.shtml http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_st atement.shtml