The Steps to Writing a Research Paper
- Select a general topic
- Research the selected topic
a. How to Find Books & Articles
(from the UNT Libraries' Web site)b. Anthropology Subject Guide
(finding anthropology-related books and articles
from the UNT Libraries' Web site)
c. How to Search the Internet
(from the UNT Libraries' Web site)- Evaluate your resources
a. How to Evaluate Web Sites
(from the UNT Libraries' Web site)
- Read!
- Develop a thesis
- Re-read with an eye to the thesis
- Develop supporting ideas and arguments
- Take notes
- Organize notes
- Develop an outline
- Write a rough draft
- Avoid plagarism
- Citing works within a paper
- Write a Works Cited or Bibliography
- Leave it alone for a couple of days
- Submit for peer review if possible
- Revise, revise, and revise!
- Proofread, proofread, proofread!
If you need assistance writing your research paper, try these UNT Resources:
Define/Refine your topic and develop your thesis
Thesis - An arguable statement put forth for discussion and proof.
- A thesis should be a strong, original idea, claim, or argument.
- A thesis is normally found in the introduction of a paper.
- A thesis informs the reader of the purpose of your paper.
- A thesis should be specific, not broad or vague. Avoid vague terms like "good" or "bad"
- A thesis should analyze, not summarize.
- A thesis will tie together all the ideas of your paper.
Develop supporting ideas and
arguments
Make sure the content of your papers is relevant to your argument. Read
carefully and cut or revise parts of your paper that don't support
your argument.
Types of Supporting Ideas and Arguments
- Data from a Research Project
If you conducted a project, present summaries of the data you collected, and relevant examples.
- Facts & Figures
Information about your topic that has been collected by other agencies or researchers
- Statistics
These are not as central to anthropology as some other fields, but they can still greatly strengthen your arguments.
- Authorities (Quotes from Experts)
You must establish the credentials of the authorities before their quotes are persuasive and credibility to the argument.
- Textual Evidence
Supporting information from texts.
- Historical Background
Develop an outline
An outline is key to the organization of your paper. See the Purdue
University guide for developing outlines at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlin.html
Write a
draft
When writing a draft, make sure to reference the American
Anthropological Association's Style Guide.
Please note that this
requires the
Adobe Acrobat
Reader.
The University of Richmond's Writer's Web provides thorough
information on writing, see below for assistance with particular parts of
a draft:
- Introductions (http://writing.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/conclude.html)
- Paragraphs and Transitions (http://writing.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/paragrph.html)
- Conclusions (http://writing.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/conclude.html)
Avoid
Plagiarism
Plagiarism may be defined as the following:
- Using the exact words or phrases of a source without proper quotation marks both before and after the words or phrases.
- Using the exact words or phrases or the ideas of a source without proper documentation in APA style.
- Using slightly changed words or phrases of a source to avoid quotation.
- Submitting a paper that in any way represents the words, phrases, or ideas of someone else as your own.
- Submitting a paper that you did not write.
This definition of plagiarism was written by the English Faculty at Weatherford College.
Citing works within
a paper
When citing works within a paper, make sure to reference
the Quotations section of the American
Anthropological Association's Style Guide.
Please note that this
requires the
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Write
a Works Cited or Bibliography
When writing a Works Cited or Bibliography, make sure to reference the American
Anthropological Association's Style Guide.
Please note that this
requires the
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
When using APA style, you may reference The Writer's Workshop at the University of Illnois, Urbana-Champaign's Online, APA style manual at: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/bibliography_style_handbookapa.htm
When using Chicago Style, you may reference The
University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's Chicago Style Manual at:
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChiWorksCited.html
Proofread,
Proofread, Proofread!
For an excellent, printable proofreading
checklist, visit the Writing Center at George Mason University Online
Handouts, including:
- A Checklist for Revising Your Paper
- Editing and Proofreading Your Work
- A Final Draft Checklist
All available at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources/handouts/editingproofreading.pdf
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