Starting a Research Paper: Thirteen Key Tips for Students

“Be patient; ask questions; be curious; approach research like a treasure hunt.”

“Keep the objectives and guidelines of the assignment on mind at all times.”

“Break the research assignment into steps and complete the steps in order.”

Read more tips on starting a research by clicking the link below:

13 Tips for Research

A research project is designed to present information from a variety of sources in order to

• answer a question
• explain the significance of an idea, event, or individual, or
• present and support an argument

The quality of a research project depends on the quality of information it contains. Therefore, it is critical to practice effective note taking for any research project, large or small.

The Process

Build Understanding

You cannot take effective notes if you do not understand what you are reading. A benefit of effective note taking is that it helps you to filter what you read to find deeper meanings. As you read a research source, you make decisions about what information to include in your notes and what to ignore. This helps make stronger connections to what you read. These connections will also be helpful when you are ready to synthesize your notes to write your project.

Filter Information

Researching can be overwhelming! You may feel as if there is so much information in just one source, you could not possibly include it all in a project, let alone include information from multiple sources. This is where the real skill comes in. If you consistently refer back to your research question or questions, you will be able to determine and record only the relevant information from each source.

Determine Your Style

Just as you have a studying style that works for you, you need to take notes in a way that is easy and makes sense for you. For some, this means taking more detailed notes and filtering information later. For others, jotting down a few ideas will be enough to build from. Figure out what works for you and stick to it!

Some Note-Taking Techniques

Scan

Scan each source before you start writing notes. Use titles, headings, subheadings, and other formatting elements to guide you as you scan a text.

A good approach is to read the first several paragraphs of a section of text, and then read the first paragraph of each subsequent section. Identify the main point and determine how the paragraphs support this point. To confirm that you have correctly identified the main topic, carefully read the concluding paragraph, as this is often where you will find a clear recap of the key points and support in a text.