Research and Writing

BRVGS grads often tell us how the research and writing skills that they learned in high school REALLY helped them to be ready for college.

These skills can (and should be) learned and practiced whenever possible. Students who know how to research, organize, outline and write conclusive papers will find college much less daunting.

Specific tips for good reading and writing skills include:

1. Craft a really good research question.

   1. A good research question is not able to be answered with a simple "yes" or "no."

   2. A good research question clearly defines the problem or issue that will be addressed in the paper.

   3. A good research question invites analysis - "What is the best solution or response to this issue or problem?"

2. Research well, with good sources.

   1. Use Wikipedia as a starting point - but NOT as a cited source.

   2. Use index cards to keep track of key points, and rewrite those key points in your own words.

   3. Do NOT "copy and paste" from online sources. This creates the possibility of plagiarism.

3. Outline your paper before attempting to write it.

   1. A good outline provides specific places for you to use the information that you found in your research.

   2. Your outline is the guiding document for your entire paper - with a good enough outline, your 1st draft will be much paper and will be much less in need of later rewriting.

4. Treat your rough draft as as a FINAL paper.

   1. A good rough draft should really be your best first attempt at your final version - thinking "I will fix that (or add more info) later helps to set up a poor final paper.

5. Pay attention to your teacher's feedback.

   1. If a teacher suggests changes to your paper, make sure that you incorporate those changes.

   2. Remember that very few things will bring a paper grade down more quickly than NOT using your teacher's feedback!

6. Know how to use citations well.

   1. See the resources below for good references on how to use citations in different formats.

7. Finish the paper at least two days before the actual deadline.

   1. This will give you a chance to share it with others to read and to fix anything before the final submission.

   2. If you are able to do so, submit your paper early to turnitin.com to get your originality report and fix citation issues before the deadline.