RESEARCH PAPER WRITING TIPS

by Ellen Frank, Jamaica High School Librarian

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Writing a research paper is a BIG DEAL! You need more than one night to complete this assignment so get started early! Do NOT WAIT to get to the library at the last moment because you WILL NOT have enough time!

To get started, choose your topic. Decide what kind of paper you will be writing: example: persuasive, informational, survey. Do some basic research, in both print and on-line sources. It is best to look in many different sources to get different viewpoints. As you research, take notes on where you got your information from. You want to write a complete bibliography and use footnotes where necessary, otherwise you may be accused of plagiarism.

To help you get started, I’ve listed some resources which will help you with the writing process and the research.

Writing Resources:

A+ Research & Writing for High School and College Students
by Kathryn L. Schwartz. http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/aplus/ (Jan. 15, 2008)
A complete step by step guide to help you get through the writing process, specifically geared towards teens.

Purdue University Online Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu. (Jan. 15, 2008)
Purdue University has hundreds of handouts on writing, many are detailed specifically to research papers.
RESEARCH ON THE WEB

Starting from the JHS library homepage, check out the databases offered in the boxes ENCYCLOPEDIAS ON LINE, PERIODICAL DATABASES, DATABASES FOR ENGLISH, SOCIAL STUDIES, and SCIENCE. These portals will take you to full text articles from magazines, newspapers, scientific journals and other sources.

All of these databases require user names and passwords. Speak to the librarians for passwords and user names.

For background information, (to get the general idea about a topic) try the ENCYCLOPEDIAS ONLINE . We currently subscribe to World Book Online. From the EBSCO databases, you can access the Master File Select, a general reference source. From the NOVEL databases, you can access the Health Reference Center, the Business Encyclopedia, and the Junior Ed. K-12.

From our site you can go to QUEENSLIBRARY.org, the site for Queensborough Public Library. There are many databases available from their web page if you have a Queens Public Library card. Once you have a library card, you must call the library to get a password. Many of the Queens public library databases are full text, meaning you can read the entire article on line. You can get an application form for a Queensborough Public Library card right in the JHS Library. Speak to a librarian.

EVALUATING A WEB SITE

Many of you use search engines such as Yahoo.com or Google.com. These are good places to begin but you must carefully evaluate the authenticity of a web page before you believe and accept the information or opinions on it and before you cite it as a source. Use these guidelines from the Queens library to help you:

• Accuracy: Is the author listed and can you contact him or her?
• Authority: Are the author’s credentials listed? What is the page’s sponsoring organization? (.com; .org; .edu, .gov?)
• Objectivity: Why and for whom was the page written? Is there a lot of advertising?
• Currency: Can you see when the page was last updated? Are there dead links on the page?
• Coverage: Is there a balance between text and graphics? Is there a table of contents or introduction to the materials?
(Adapted from: www.teenlinq.org (1/15/08))

RESEARCHING FROM BOOKS AND OTHER PRINT FORMATS

SIRS (Social Issues Research Series). These are gray and black binders located near the door to the reference room. In these binders are magazine articles on a wide variety of subjects. They are indexed by subject.

PRO/CON series of books: collections of articles about various issues. They are located in the center of the library, dewey number: 361.1, PRO. This material is available on line from Infotrak at the Queens public library site and from the JHS database site at OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS RESOURCE CENTER.

CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY RESEARCHER: These are located next to the encyclopedias in the center of the library. The CQ Researcher provides summaries of political, economic, international and scientific trends. Each edition focuses on one controversial issue and provides both pro and con information about the topic. There is a cumulative index. The library has print editions from 1989-2002.

Don’t forget to use the print collection in your local library and the school library to supplement your research. Books are available in a wide variety of topics. They provide an in-depth look into the topic you are researching. (1/08)

PROBLEMS? TELL US ABOUT THEM.

Ellen Frank

G. Calandro

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