Writing the Research Paper: A Handbook

1. BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE RESEARCH PAPER. Hatred of the research paper. Definition of the research paper. Format of the research paper. Reasons for the research paper. The report paper and the thesis paper. Drafts of the research paper. Writing the research paper: Steps and schedule. FAQ. 2. CHOOSING A TOPIC. How to choose a topic. Topics to avoid. Narrowing the topic. FAQ. 3. THE LIBRARY. Layout of the library. The computer. Online full-text databases. Microform indexes. Stacks. Main desk. Reserve desk. Audiovisual room. Microform room. Newspaper racks. Computer room. Carrels. Organization of the library collections. The Dewey Decimal System. The Cutter-Sanborn Author Marks. The Library of Congress Classi?cation System. Classification of periodicals. Classi?cation of nonbooks. 4. USING THE COMPUTER IN YOUR RESEARCH. Computers and the research paper. The Internet. The World Wide Web. Online resources. Databases. Electronic journals. Online public-access catalogs (OPACs). Blogs and Social networks. Researching with search engines. Finding a search engine. Usenet, Listserv, telnet, and gopher. Evaluating Internet sources. Running a search. Useful Internet sites. FAQ. 5. DOING THE RESEARCH. What information to look for. Where to look for information. Assembling a working bibliography. Selecting your sources: Skimming. Note-taking. Plagiarism and how to avoid it. 6. THE THESIS AND THE OUTLINE. The thesis: Definition and function. The outline. Choosing an outline form. 7. TRANSFORMING THE NOTES INTO A ROUGH DRAFT. Preparing to write the rough draft: A checklist. Writer's block. Writing with a computer. Using your notes in the paper. How to use quotations to explore and discover. Writing with unity, coherence, and emphasis. Using the proper tense. Using graphics in your research paper. Writing the abstract. 8. Revising Your Rough Draft. Principles of revision. Revising the opening paragraph. Revising sentences for variety and style. Revising words: Diction. Rules for Writers. Not. 9. THE MLA SYSTEM OF DOCUMENTATION. Parenthetical documentation: Author-work (MLA). What to document. Format for "Works Cited" (MLA). Content notes. Finished form of the MLA paper. Peer review checklist. Submitting your paper electronically. 10. THE APA SYSTEM OF DOCUMENTATION. Parenthetical documentation: Author-date (APA). Format for "References" (APA). Writing the abstract. Finished form of the paper. Peer review checklist. Submitting your paper electronically. 11. THE TRADITIONAL STYLE OF DOCUMENTATION (CMS) Footnotes and endnotes. Subsequent references in footnotes and endnotes. Electronic sources. Finished form of the paper. Pagination and text format. Content or reference notes. Bibliography. Peer review checklist. Submitting your paper electronically. 12. SAMPLE STUDENT PAPERS. Paper using author-work documentation (MLA). Paper using author-date documentation (APA). Paper using footnote documentation (CMS).