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Research & Writing Process

A walk-through on the entire research process. Includes tips and examples to help you decipher your assignment, make a research plan, choose a topic, find your sources, and write your papers.

Define Your Assignment

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, these habits will give you a good start:

  1. Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off!  Reading the assignment early in the process will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can seem easy at first, especially if the instructions are short.  Remember that there may be something that is time sensitive that you'll need to allot for: multiple due dates, required readings, or even new skills to learn.
  2. Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Your instructors want you to succeed!  If you aren't sure about a part of an assignment, don't be afraid to get more clarification.  Both you and and your final grade will be happy if you understand your assignment before progressing down the wrong path.  

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read your assignment:

  • When is the assignment due?
  • What is the purpose of the assignment?
    • Present a coherent picture using a variety of sources?
    • Take materials learned in class and apply it to a new situation?
    • Decide if you agree with one interpretation more than another?
    • Using a specific method of analysis on your own body of evidence?
    • Learning a new skill (e.g. close reading, data analysis)?
  • What kind of a written assignment is it?
    • Annotated Bibliography
    • Cause & Effect
    • Classification & Division
    • Compare/Contrast
    • Literary Analysis
    • Persuasive/Argumentative
    • Poetry Explication
    • Rhetorical Analysis
    • Summary
  • What citation format should I use?
    • MLA
    • APA
    • Chicago/CMOS
  • Who is your primary audience for this assignment?
  • What type of sources are required? 
    • e.g. Articles, eBooks, Government Documents
  • How many sources are required?
  • How long should the paper be?
  • What other technical rules are listed in the assignment or syllabus?
    • (e.g. title page, margins, paragraph spacing, font size, pagination, reference list)

It can also be helpful to consider the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Are you...

  • being asked to research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture?
  • to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation?
  • deciding whether you agree with one interpretation more than another?
  • trying out a particular method of analysis on your own body of evidence?
  • learning a new skill (close reading? data analysis? recognizing the type of questions that can be asked in a particular discipline?)?

If you understand the broader goals of the assignment, you will have an easier time figuring out if you are on the right track.  Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.  Each of these terms can mean something slightly different, depending on the context of the course and the assignment. Again, ask your instructor if you are not sure what the assignment asks you to do.

Assignment Type

An essay usually express the author's outlook on the subject. A useful model that is often used in composition classes is a five-paragraph essay.

The Structure of a Classic Five-Paragraph Essay:

  1. Introduction (presents a topic and provides a thesis statement)
  2. Body paragraph 1 (presents evidence and supporting information)
  3. Body paragraph 2 (presents evidence and supporting information)
  4. Body paragraph 3 (presents evidence and supporting information)
  5. Conclusion (restatement of the thesis, call to action)

A research paper usually requires gathering research materials, interpreting, and documenting them in the paper. It is based on YOUR interpretation of the facts gathered from research which comes from good critical thinking skills.  

A research paper needs to be logically organized with a clearly stated purpose and thesis which have to be supported throughout the main body of the paper. Research information can be presented in the form of quotations, paraphrases, or summaries.

General Structure of a Research Paper

  1. Abstract (a brief summary of the paper)
  2. Introduction (introduces the importance of the subject)
  3. Materials and Methods (discusses how research was conducted)
  4. Results (describes outcomes of the research process)
  5. Discussion (discusses the relationship of the results)
  6. References (provides a list of resources used)
  7. Appendix (provides material used in research but not presented in the body of the paper)

Report writing is the most common form used in science and social science fields. A report presents factual information, and its main purpose is to inform. It contains examples and provides an analysis of the subject.

The structure and organization of a report should reflect its main purpose and audience. There are several possible organization patterns. Below are two of the most common ones:

Report Structure 1

  1. Abstract (summary of the report in one concise paragraph)
  2. Introduction (a brief outline of the problem)
  3. Literature review (summary of research in the field)
  4. Research methods
  5. Research results
  6. Discussion and conclusion (here the author may include an evaluation and form an argument)
  7. Endmatter (notes, references, appendices)

(Hult & Huckin, The New Century Handbook, 378)

Report Structure 2

  1. Contents list
  2. Executive summary (brief outline of the subject matter)
  3. Introduction (presents background, scope, and authors)
  4. Body of the report (detailed account of the subject)
  5. Conclusions
  6. Recommendations (not all reports may have them)
  7. Appendices (may include research methods, names of members of the report team, case studies)
  8. Bibliography

(Sealy, Oxford Guide to Effective Writing and Speaking, 70)