Easy Research Paper Writing Using Sources

Updated on June 21, 2017 Virginia Kearney moreVirginia has been a university English instructor for over 20 years. She specializes in helping people write essays faster and easier. Choose a topic that people disagree about. You don’t have to decide which side you believe quite yet, but it helps if you already know there are at least two sides. What do I know a lot about? What issue am I passionate about discussing? What really bothers me or makes me mad, sad, or happy? What is a subject I’ve been wanting to know more about? Is there an issue that you can’t make up your mind about? That can be a really good subject because you will be motivated to research and read more about it. What is the Best Diet for Health? Should You Write on Controversial Topics? Sometimes, your instructor may ban certain topics. Probably because they are concerned you won’t write a good paper.

People have already chosen a side. The arguments on both sides are already well known and it is hard to be original. Your audience might be tired of hearing about the issue. However, if you can think of a new angle, you might be able to tackle a more controversial topic and write an interesting essay. How can both pro-life and pro-choice groups in our town join together to help prevent unwanted pregnancies? How can we find a way to prevent accidental gun violence by children? How can we help ensure that no one on death row is innocent of their crimes? What can individuals do to reduce their own carbon footprint? How can you help a friend who has an unwanted pregnancy but wants to keep the baby? Is there a way to break out of the conventional pro and con side of an issue? Is there some common ground that all sides can agree on? Can this topic be made personal so that I can address what individuals can do to help?

After you have chosen a topic for your essay, answer these questions to help you to understand what you already know and clarify what information you need to find in your research. What is the issue? Write it as a question. This is your thesis question. What do you already know about this question? Who is interested in this issue? This will help you define your audience. What do people believe? What are the positions you already know people take on this issue? What position do you most agree with? Write this as a full sentence and this can be your thesis answer. What are the reasons you believe this position? You can add to these as you research but this can be the basis of your body paragraphs. What do you need to learn? What are some search terms you can use to find information on this issue? You may not be able to answer all of these questions, or you may find your answers change as you do more research on the topic. Use your search engine terms to find resources in your library search engine or Google Scholar.

For help in gathering and citing sources correctly see MLA Citation and Bibliography which includes links to online engines to formulate your bibliography. Look for Variety: Remember that you want to try to find a variety of sources, not just ones that repeat the same information. Look for Authoritative Sources: Remember that books, articles from peer-reviewed journals and government statistics are the strongest evidence. Follow your instructor’s directions about the type of sources you need for your paper. If your library subscribes to Gale Opposing Viewpoints, you can often find most of what you need in that online search engine. Look at your library website for research help or ask the librarians how to start a search on your topic. Check out websites of journals that cover your topic and search them for articles on your issue. Scan: As you find an article, scan it and see whether it is what you need. Email a copy of articles you plan to use to yourself. It generally also helps to print out a copy of each article.

Mark Important Sections: As you gather each source and read through it, mark the sections that are most useful so you don’t have to search for those later. Take Notes: Next, make a record for yourself to help you remember why you chose it. Below is a method that works well for many students. How you found it (which online search engine you used so that you can find it again later). Bibliographical citation: Your search engine might email this to you, but if it doesn’t be sure that you write down all the information you will need about the author, title, publisher and date. Use EasyBib to help you make your citation. Summary: Do a short summary of this source (2-4 sentences) to help you remember the important information. Write how you will use this source in your paper: Does this source support your point of view? Or tell a different point of view?