BASIC GUIDE TO WRITING
A RESEARCH PAPER

HISTORY 109: Dominic Carrillo

Basic Requirements:

      5-6 pages

      Typed and double-spaced

      12 point font

      On any approved historical topic between 1865 and 2001

      Title page and reference page

      Have it officially signed/stamped by the Grossmont Writing Center

BRAINSTORM

I suggest doing an Internet search on topics of interest, and/or review class notes and readings for areas of interest. Narrow down your topic to a specific historical event/person that you think is significant.

GATHER INFORMATION

Once your topic is more specific, go to the library and begin researching various different sources: both primary and secondary historical documents. For instance, if you were doing a research paper on Malcolm X, then use quotes from his autobiography, or speeches of his, or newspaper articles from 1964 about him—all these are considered primary documents. A secondary document would be a scholarly article, text book, or a biography written about him, or Zinn’s book, etc. Your research paper should refer to more primary documents than secondary ones.

 

WRITING THE PAPER:

STATE YOUR THESIS- Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement down in one sentence. Your thesis statement is like a declaration of your belief. The main portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief.

ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS AND FORM AN OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION - State your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you plan to approach your topic. What is your argument, or your analysis? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic.

BODY - This is where you present your arguments to support your thesis statement. Begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence. Then support your topic sentence statement/arguments with documented proof or examples. Remember the Rule of 3, i.e. find 3 supporting arguments—quotes, facts, refernces-- for each position you take. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and end with the strongest argument for your final point.

CONCLUSION - Restate your thesis. Summarize your arguments. Explain why you have come to this particular conclusion.

 

REVISE

Read your paper for any content errors. Read it out loud.

CHECKLIST ONE:

1. Is my thesis statement concise and clear?
2. Did I follow my outline? Did I miss anything?
3. Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence?
4. Are all sources properly cited to ensure that I am not plagiarizing?
5. Have I proved my thesis with strong supporting arguments?
6. Have I made my intentions and points clear in the essay?

Re-read your paper for grammatical errors. Use a dictionary or a thesaurus as needed. Do a spell check. Correct all errors that you can spot and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of your ability. Get someone else to read it over.

CHECKLIST TWO:

1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence?
2. Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples?
3. Any run-on or unfinished sentences?
4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words?
5. Varying lengths of sentences?
6. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next?
7. Any spelling or grammatical errors?
8. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation?
9. Are all my citations accurate and in correct format?
10. Did I avoid using contractions? Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not" instead of "don't"?
11. Did I use third person as much as possible? Avoid using phrases such as "I think", "I guess", "I suppose"
12. Have I made my points clear and interesting but remained objective?
13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper?

 

Parenthetical Citation/Footnote Examples

PARENTHETICAL:

In traditional British East Africa, between the time of puberty and marriage, a young Akamba girl must maintain an avoidance relationship with her own father (Freud 17).

FOOTNOOTE/ ENDNOTE:

An encyclopedia of the occult points out that taboo is found among many other cultures including the ancient Egyptians, Jews and others.2 

   2 "Taboo," Occultopedia: Encyclopedia of Occult Sciences and Knowledge, Site created and designed by Marcus V. Gay, 18 Jan. 2005 <http://www.occultopedia.com/t/taboo.htm>.

 

THE LAST PAGE: Bibliography/Works Cited (Examples)

Douglas, Mary. "Taboo." Man, Myth & Magic. Ed. Richard Cavendish. New ed.
          21 vols. New York: Cavendish, 1994. 2546-2549.

Dundes, Alan. "Taboo." World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.

Freud, Sigmund. Totem and Taboo. New York: Random, 1918.

 

FOR A MORE COMPLETE REFERENCE TO WRITING PAPERS, CHECK OUT:

www.aresearchguide.com

Also, for or an excellent source on English composition, check out Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.