How to begin writing research papers.

1
GETTING STARTED

• How to begin writing research papers.

2
What is the assignment asking for?

• Before you begin, first consult your instructors
  assignment description.
• What type of paper are they looking for you to
  write?
• How large in scope is the paper?
• How long does the paper need to be?
• How many sources are required?

3
What format is required?

• Typically, academic papers composed at GSU are in
  APA or MLA style.
• Though similar, there some distinct differences
  in how these papers are formatted.
• The writing centers website has helpful
  resources for both APA, and MLA style papers.
• Visit govst.edu/owl and click the documentation
  styles side tab for more tools.

4
Focus statement

• Perhaps the most important aspect of a paper is
  your focus/thesis statement.
• What is your central focus, point, or purpose for
  writing this paper?
• What is it that you hope to accomplish by writing
  this paper?
• Your focus statement should encapsulate all your
  paper seeks to do in 1 or 2 sentences in your
  introduction.

5
What makes a good focus statement?

• Is this something that can be proved, or argued
  effectively?
• Is there sufficient interest in the academic
  community to still write about it?
• Put another way, is your topic still relevant?
• Is their sufficient secondary research to support
  your claim?

6
Researching your topic

• After you have chosen a solid topic, and
  constructed a good focus statement, it is time to
  research!
• Make sure your sources are credible and avoid
  using sources that are not peer reviewed such as
  Google search results, and Wikipedia.
• Books and database journal articles are the best.

7
Where to go for research

• Governors States library has many resources for
  you beyond print books.
• Research librarians are here to help!
• http//libguides.govst.edu/index.php
• A vast collection of academic journals are
  available through our databases
• http//libguides.govst.edu/databases

8
Research tips

• Collect more sources than required so you more to
  choose from.
• Read abstracts of articles to see if this piece
  will be relevant to your work before your read
  the entire piece.
• Search a wide variety of databases and books, and
  keep an open mind about your topic, your focus
  statement, may change greatly based on the
  research your find.

9
Writing Strategies

• Give yourself plenty of time to complete your
  work.
• Write a little bit every day, and set attainable
  goals so you dont get overwhelmed.
• Set aside specific time to focus in on your
  research, and your writing.

10
Outlining

• Another good method to keep you on track, and to
  brainstorm ideas is to form an outline.
• Outlines do not need to be formal, it can be a
  simple concept map to help you form ideas on
  where you might go with your writing.