The truth is that research papers are a specially-designed torture instrument. They are preferred because instructors are not directly involved in the torture. Usually students torture themselves by waiting until the last minute to write their papers and by not knowing what they are doing. That's why this guide was written. A research paper is not supposed to be torture. Seriously. The thing about torture was a joke. A research paper is supposed to be your opportunity to explore something that interests you. You have freedom to choose a topic, usually five or more empty pages to express your own ideas, and an audience that is interested in reading what you think. Instead of just memorizing a textbook, you can go deeper into the course subject. Plus, you will develop skills in researching, evaluating sources, organizing, arguing, analyzing, thinking logically, and expressing yourself clearly in writing (in English too). These skills, by the way, are all valued by employers. Writing research papers should help you, not hurt you. However, to achieve this, you have to remember that instructors assign papers at the beginning of the term for a reason: it takes time to write a good research paper. If possible, you should spend about a week on each of the following steps:

• Choosing and narrowing a topic: (example of narrowing a topic)

• Thinking and planning:.............. (example of thinking & planning)

• Doing research:........................(research 101)

• Taking notes:........................... (taking notes)

• Planning and outlining:..............(examples of an outline)

• Writing a draft:...........................(first draft)

• Revising drafts:.........................(revising first draft)

• Editing:.....................................(peer editing)

• Proofreading:............................(proof reading & final touches)

So whenever possible, you should spend 9 weeks on your paper. Hopefully, this guide will make it easier (maybe you could write a paper in 7 weeks instead).

How to use this guide

If you have never written a research paper or think your research papers are horrible, read this whole guide as you write your paper. It will take you step by step through the research paper writing process. If you want to review or you have certain problems with research papers, use the table of contents to find your problem areas and read those sections. It should give you a general overview and advice. There is no “grammar” section, but if grammar is one of your problems, the solution is in the Editing and Proofreading sections. If you only need to know about the reference page and in-text citations, go to “APA Style Guide.” I also suggest you look at “Evaluating Internet Sources,” all of “Using Source Material,” and the example research paper.

Good luck with your papers.

Anne Whitaker

Amended by: Mr. Tony West

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Copy rights: TWP technologies, 2008