(BBHT) Lesson Topic 2: The Research Process

Lesson Topic 2: The Research Process

There are several steps to the research process. Choosing your topic, finding credible sources, taking notes, writing a draft, creating a works cited page, and proofreading and revising your paper are all important parts of the research process.

Choosing a Topic

When you are deciding on a research topic, make sure that your topic is not too broad.   You want your topic to be narrow, but one where you can still find a great deal of information.

Writing your Thesis

After you have narrowed your topic, you can write your thesis statement.   A thesis statement is the main idea of your entire essay.   It should state your opinion on the topic as well. 

Finding Sources and Taking Notes

An illustrated figure stands in front a bookcase with a quizzical look on her face. She has light skin and long light hair and is wearing a green top, green skirt, green socks, and gray shoes.Before you can begin taking notes, you must be able to locate sources for your research. Read the following information about finding acceptable sources.

Where to Look for Sources

The Internet is a good place to begin your search for sources. Search engines can provide a jumping-off point for your research. However, be careful. General search engines can yield a high volume of information, but only a few of these may be credible. Use the previous information to check your sources before choosing them for your paper.

The Georgia Virtual School Media Center is a great place to find sources for your research. It provides links to magazine and journal articles, encyclopedias, newspapers, and other sources. All of those sources are credible and can be used for your paper.

In addition to using online library resources, you can also go to a local library in order to see the actual source firsthand.

Selecting Credible Sources

Be careful when searching for sources on the Internet. It is best to use sources that end in .edu, .gov, or .org. Be wary of sites that end in .com and .net. When conducting research, you want to avoid sites such as Wikipedia, Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, etc. These are not credible sites for research. It is best to use scholarly articles which can be found through the GAVS library or a public library. Avoid just using Google to search for sources.

Taking Notes

After you have located several sources, you are ready to begin taking notes. These will help you organize your research and draft your outline. Taking notes will also help you determine how much information you can find on various aspects of your topic. Here are some important points to remember when drafting your notes:

  1. Use incomplete sentences and phrases
  2. Don't worry about grammar and punctuation yet
  3. Paraphrase information in your own words--don't copy verbatim
  4. Always record where you got the information

Creating an Outline

An outline is a crucial part of writing a research paper. It provides a map of your research. Every outline should have an introduction, several points for the body of the paper, and a conclusion.

Outlines can be written in many forms. There are alphanumeric outlines, sentence outlines, and decimal outlines.

  • You should choose one type and stick with it. Do not cross over from an alphanumeric outline to a decimal outline.
  • When using an alphanumeric outline, every "A" must have a "B". This means if you are making sub-points below a Roman numeral, if you have an "A" point, you must follow it with a "B" point.
  • Make sure you start with a good thesis at the top of the outline.
  • Refer to MLA format for ALL outlines, no matter their type.

Writing the Rough Draft

Now that you have taken notes and written your outline, you can begin writing your rough draft. Use your outline to guide you as you organize your paper. Remember that most of the information in your research paper will be paraphrased information. This means that you don't copy the information word for word into your paper. You summarize the information in your own words. 

Editing

Now that you have written your rough draft, you are ready for the editing process. You should also be familiar with this process from previous units.

The editing process is the time for you to proofread your paper, locate mistakes, and make corrections to errors you find. Peer editing can be a useful tool for this stage in the writing process. It may help to have someone else take a look at your paper. They may be able to locate mistakes you did not see.

Remember, you should make specific, constructive comments. Saying simply that you liked or disliked something does not help the author. Give comments that are helpful for the author.

Final Draft

When you have made all of the necessary changes to your paper, you are ready to write the final draft. The final draft should be free from any errors, flow smoothly, be coherent, and achieve the overall goal of the paper or assignment. Remember to include your introduction, body, conclusion, works cited page, and all MLA headers and page numbers.

*Please review the first module in this course once more if you need a reminder of how to cite sources within your paper using parenthetical citations and how to create a Works Cited page in MLA format.*

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