The Eight Steps of a Research Paper

The Eight Steps of a Research Paper

1. Identify General Topic and Begin Library Work
¡¤ Brainstorm topics in the readings that spark your interest, topics that resonate with you.
¡¤ Select one or two authors who write about common themes and who you¡¯d like to know more about.
¡¤ Look for some books and some scholarly (database) articles about the author. You may also want to use Lexus-Nexus for newspaper and magazine articles to help stimulate and focus your interest, and you may try some google.com searches to see if there are authoritative web pages about your author.

2. Read to Narrow Topic
¡¤ Read several general pieces about your author to help you decide which aspect of her/his writing will be your focus.
¡¤ Ask yourself some questions as you read:
1. 1. Does this interest me?
2. 2. Does it relate to my own life in some fashion?
3. 3. What exactly are those ways?
4. 4. Is there something in this to...