How to Write a Short Research Paper in 10 Steps

By J.D. Solomon
JDS Strategic Communications

Before you begin the first step, you need to create a timeline for your project. Establish dates by which you will complete each of the following steps, and then stick to them! In addition, you need to gather your research tools: a notebook, a folder and a pad of sticky notes. Do this the day you get your assignment.

1. Make sure you fully understand the assignment. The key part of the assignment is usually a question. Your answer to that question will be your thesis. The second part of the assignment consists of the rubric, or requirements, which typically address two areas: organization of the paper and sourcing. Begin your paper by writing down the assignment's core question and expectations in your own words. If any part of the assignment is unclear, talk to your teacher before proceeding to the next step.

2. Do some top-level research to familiarize yourself with your subject. Start with a good encyclopedia. Although you probably will not be able to use it as one of your cited sources, it is an excellent place to find a high-level overview of your topic. Use it for the essential facts - the who-what-where-when-why. Print the article and highlight the key facts. (Another excellent source for a high-level overview is your textbook.)

3. Go to your school library. Don't worry if people call you a geek; it's a great place to start your research. First, it's convenient - you walk by the school library every day. Second, there are people there whose job is to help students with their research papers. Third, and most important, it's a great place to do online research. Your school librarian can help you use the Internet efficiently to find relevant and academically acceptable sources. The reason you should start your online research at school, instead of home, is that your school will have access to specialized online research resources that you may not have access to from home. If you want to access those research sites from home - where you can print or save what you find - ask the librarian for the Websites and passwords that you'll need. (If you take notes from the online sources you use, don't forget to source thoroughly.)

4. Go to the public library. Use the catalogue, but don't forget to ask the reference librarian for help. (They live to help people do research.) You'll probably need at least three citable sources, so collect 5-6 from the shelves. Sit down and examine the contents and index of each book to see if they include sections that relate to your assignment. Read a few sample sections from each book to see if it adequately addresses your topic. Then check out the 3-4 books that look best. And don't forget to look for video documentaries - these can be very helpful and easy-to-understand resources.

5. Develop your thesis. This is your answer to the question of the assignment. It's the statement, or position, that you will support in your paper. Don't hesitate to discuss your thesis with your teacher, classmates or parents. Talking about it will help you refine and improve it.

6. Prepare a "research outline" for your paper. What you're really doing in this step is identifying the major sections of your paper. (Remember, each section must somehow relate to, and support, your thesis.) The first section is your introduction; it states your thesis. The last is the conclusion; it summarizes the proof for your thesis. For each of the other sections, come up with a list of questions that you'll need to answer in order to flesh it out. Number all the sections, and come up with a generic key-word title for each of them. You'll use this document to guide your research in the next step.

7. Do your research. In each book, find sections that can help you answer the questions you listed for each section in your paper. Don't forget, this is a short paper so you don't want to spend time doing open-ended research. Do applied research, which means that you should look for information that is directly relevant to your thesis. Use each book's index to find passages that relate to the key-word names you gave each section in the previous step. When you find a page that has important information, mark it by placing a sticky note in the margin, near the paragraph that you'll want to refer to later. On that note, write the number of the section (from Step 6) that the page applies to. Remember, this is the most time-consuming step of the entire process, so leave lots of time for it.

8. Take good notes, and source as you go. Avoid the temptation to Xerox or highlight pages; it's better to take notes, which forces you to put concepts into your own words. Start your notes for each source on a fresh page in a notebook. At the very top, write the full bibliographic information that you'll need for your Works Cited section. Next to each note, or group of notes, write the number of the section that it relates to, as well as the page number(s) from the source book. (If you find a quote you want to use, make sure you write it in a way that will tell you it's a quotation - and not something you came up with - when you return to it later.) You can stop your research phase when you've found answers to most of the questions that you listed in Step 6.

9. Write a first draft. Follow the outline you created earlier and use your notes to fill out each section. Don't worry about length yet; just tell what you know. Make sure you include only facts and details that relate directly to your thesis, and avoid the trap of including any information or references that you don't fully understand.

10. Revise and finish. Edit your paper for clarity, organization, format and mechanics. Make sure you've used appropriate academic language throughout, and that all proper nouns are spelled correctly. Above all, check that you've answered the question with a clear thesis, supported your answer with adequate detail, fulfilled all of the teacher's expectations and properly sourced your information. Finally, prepare your Works Cited section, print out your paper, give it a final read, make any last edits and then call it a night.

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