Particular Topic of Interest From

¶ … particular topic of interest from which one can later yield a workable thesis statement. The second step is to find information relevant to the topic; such information can be derived from either printed or online sources. For printed materials one must search in the library; such materials include academic books, almanacs, encyclopedias, government publications or reports, magazines and newspapers. For online sources one can use online reference databases (SIRS, ProQuest, eLibrary, etc.), indices to periodicals and newspapers (*****, FindArticles.com), and online encyclopedia databases (Encarta, Britannica, etc.), among other sources. In relation to finding information, it is recommended that one skim through the bibliographies of materials that were already collected about one's topic so as to expand upon the number of sources available for reading.

The third step involves deriving a clear and concise thesis statement after thoroughly researching upon the topic. A thesis statement basically presents a particular point of interest related to the topic that one wishes to persuade others to believe in. The thesis statement should be stated in one sentence; the remaining portion of the research paper involves putting forth arguments that are consistently in support of one's thesis statement.

The fourth step deals with writing a tentative outline regarding the research paper. An outline's purpose is to help students logically organize their papers' presentation. A good outline would ensure that the points made throughout the paper flow logically from one another and includes three major parts, which include the paper's introduction, body, and conclusion.

A paper's introduction puts forth the purpose for writing it as well as the thesis statement. One must also explain about the way the paper's major points have been organized throughout it. The paper's body deals with presenting the arguments that are meant to support the thesis statement. One can organize the supporting arguments in order of strength; this means that a strong argument is to be followed by a stronger one, which is then followed by the strongest argument available. Finally a paper's conclusion summarizes the arguments previously made, restates the thesis, and presents what the student's findings were based on the evidence available.

The fifth step is to organize all the information that had been collected from various materials. The research findings have to then be scrutinized in order to see whether or not they are factual, up-to-date, and accurate. If any opposing points-of-views exist that can support one's thesis statement, they should also be included in one's paper. Students should then be able to bring together and effectively communicate these findings through the paper. One should avoid presenting any information irrelevant to the topic and should make sure plagiarism is avoided. Whatever ideas are paraphrased or quoted from others must be clearly documented. Make sure to provide a Works Cited with all the bibliographical information of cited paragraphs in the paper.