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ter how nicely done it is, provides information you can
use for a research paper. When researching a topic,
it s wise to use only websites that end in .gov (gov-
ernment websites), .edu (university websites, but
some of these are also put up by students, so read
them carefully), and sometimes .org (organizations,
such as the American Cancer Society). Use your
head: if information on a website seems fishy or
incredible to you, verify it in another source before
repeating it in your paper. Someone might call you on
the information and you need to be in a position to
back it up.
MAKE A LIST OF YOUR SOURCES
Once you have found sources you think you will use for your research, you should make a list of your sources.
You will use the list later for your Bibliography or Works Cited list. Some people make a separate index card
for each source. Others just prepare a numbered list of the sources or make a folder for each source with a
photocopy of the copyright page on top.You can also use computer software that is made to specifically orga-
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nize information into electronic index-type cards. However you decide to list your sources, you ll need the
following information from each source:
%
author s or editor s complete name
%
title of the book, magazine, encyclopedia, and so on
%
copyright date
%
title of the article if the source is a magazine, encyclopedia, or newspaper
%
data and page numbers of the article if the source is a magazine or newspaper
%
publisher s name if the source is a book
Before you get too far along in your research,
you might want to find out what your final
paper should look like. Will you need a Works
Cited list or a Bibliography? How should the entries
be organized? Will you need footnotes or endnotes?
There are many different ways to format the parts
of a paper. Most are explained in great detail with
many examples in handbooks called style guides.
Well-known style guides include The Chicago Man-
ual of Style, The Modern Language Association Man-
ual of Style, and The American Psychological Asso-
ciation Manual of Style. Usually your teacher will
direct you to the style guide he or she prefers you to
follow in your paper. Look at it as you prepare your
list of sources this will save you time and countless
headaches later on.
Don t think that only teachers are picky about
how papers are formatted. Almost all periodicals will
require that you use a specific style guide and for-
mat when submitting papers for publication. Bosses
are often the same way.
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TAKE NOTES FROM YOUR SOURCES
As you browse your sources, you will find things you want to include in your paper. You might find quota-
tions, statistics, or just basic information that you need to answer your research questions. You will want to
record this information in a way that will be easy to find when you start writing.
Some people use an index card for each piece of information. They label the card with a number for
the source, and then write the information on the card. Others take electronic notes on a laptop. Some peo-
ple rely more on photocopying machines copying the page of the source they need and highlighting the
parts that interest them. Then, they include the page in a folder labeled with the source s name and other bib-
liographical information. Whatever method you use to take notes from your sources, be sure to label the infor-
mation with the correct source name, so you can give proper credit in your paper.
ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE FOUND
Go through your research notes and sort the information. Based on the information you have collected, write
a tentative thesis statement of what you want to say in your research paper. (Lesson 4 gives more guidance
on how to write a tentative thesis statement.) From here, you can outline your paper. Even if you don t make
a formal outline, you ll need a plan for what you will write in your paper and where different pieces of your
research will be used in your paper.
Example: Here s a sample outline you could use to write a research paper on cave animals.
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