How to write a research paper

Step 1: Choosing a topic

1.Selecting a general topic

2.Reading and thinking

3.Narrowing down the scope of your topic to a facet or facets which can be developed into

a research paper.

4.Formulating the final topic

1)serious, meaningful

2)within your ability

3)sufficient materials are available

4)objective, not subjective “which was the greater poet, Libai or Dufu?”, “A

comparative study of the themes in Libai’s and Dufu’spoem”

5)course-related

Important Guideline in Choosing Your Topic

English language( including translation); Literature in English; society and culture of countries where English is spoken.

Step 2: Searching for Sources

1.When you get a book, you should skim for major ideas first.

1)Glance at the preface of a book.

2)Look up the subject in the index of the book

3)Read the chapter headings

4)Read the first and last two sentences in paragraph to find out what information it contains

5)Glance at the opening paragraph of an article, essay, or book chapter

6)Glance at concluding paragraphs in an article, essay, or book chapter

7)Run your eye down the page, reading randomly every fourth or fifth sentence

2.Evaluating sources

https://www.360docs.net/doc/867277970.html,piling the working bibliography(参考书目)

You should record the following information:

Name of the author, last name first

Title of the book, underlined

Place of publication

Publisher’s name

Date of publication

Step 3: Reading the Sources and Taking Notes

*to record the general ideas that will form the backbone of our research paper

*to record specific pieces of information that support the general ideas, and

*to preserve（保存）the exact wording of some statements in your sources that you may want to quote directly in the paper

Step 4: Thesis Statement(论题陈述) and Outline

The thesis is a statement that summarizes the central idea of the paper. It is usually the final

sentence of the opening paragraph.

Rules for wording the thesis:

1.The thesis should commit the writer to a single line of argument.

2.The thesis should not be worded in figurative language(比喻语言).

3.The thesis should not be vaguely(含糊地) worded.

4.The thesis should not be worded as a question.

5.The thesis should be as concise as possible.

The outline

The outline is an ordered listing of the topics covered in the paper. Here is an example o fthe proper form of an outline:

Ⅰ. Main idea

A.Subidea

B.Subidea

1.Example of a subidea

2.Example of a subidea

a.Detail

b.Detail

Ⅱ. Main idea

……

Step 5: Quoting and Citing Skills

There are two kinds of quotation:

1. a direct quotation, where you use the writer’s actual words

2.an indirect quotation, where you summarize the writer’s ideas and put them i nto your own

words.

Step 6: Revising the Rough Draft

Once you have brought your outline to life by writing a rough essay, the nature of your job changes significantly. You must now become your own toughest critic. Then you can become the author again, rewriting and, if necessary, reorganizing the weaker passages so that they become as strong as the best. Finally, you must examine the revised essay very closely in order to correct the spelling, punctuation, and other mechanical details.

Introduction: The Format of a Research Paper（论文格式）

1．论文扉页。扉页内容如下：

（论文标题）

（作者姓名：汉语拼音）

（学校或单位名称，月份，年份）

2．简明内容提要（Abstract）

3．提纲（Outline）

4．论文正文

5．注释（如果有的话）（notes）

6．参考书目表（Works Cited）

7．附录（如果有的话）（Appendix）