Planning a Research Paper

You should have three or fewer topics selected from your initial list of 20.

1. Define and refine your topic.  Make sure your topic is specific and not too broad.
2. Plan your research.  Gather background information about your topic.  Consult general reference sources to learn key terms and concepts.  
3. Find resources.  These are the sources you will cite in your paper.  Do you need articles?  Books?  Audio recordings?  Will you need to conduct interviews or surveys?
4. Create a thesis statement.  What is the thing you are going to prove?  This should be one or two sentences in length.
5. Make an outline. Let your focus guide your research.  Write down how you will organize your main points.  
6. Write a first draft of your paper.  
7. Revise and rewrite in order to create a final draft.  

Due dates: Rough Draft: 4/4  Final Draft: 4/11