Skills I Wish I Learned in School: Building a Research Paper: Everything You Need to Know to Research and Write Your Paper

By Nicole Lusiani

Most college professors assume students entering higher education come with research and writing skills; because of the current educational focus on content acquisition over skill development, however, that is not the case. Skills I Wish I Learned in School: Building a Research Paper was written in direct response to the need new college students have for specific skills left out by current high school teaching standards, especially in the area of social studies.

Written in an easy to follow, step-by-step manner, Skills I Wish I Learned in School: Building a Research Paper is a fantastic resource for new college students who need a frame of reference for how to research and write a college-level paper. Differentiation is provided for different learning styles; an appendix of reproducible handouts offers students an additional layer of support. If that was not enough, references for where to find additional information in areas such as writing and citations are also included.

This all-inclusive handbook helps students break down the daunting task of research in ways that feel doable, and then moves them forward through a comforting structure that gets them to their end goal successfully.

Skills I Wish I Learned in School: Building a Research Paper is a valuable tool for educators who want to give their high school students a chance to develop these skills before they graduate; more so, Skills I Wish I Learned in School: Building a Research Paper is a must have for any student entering college.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781456607555

Book preview

Nicole

Finding My Topic

This is the most important decision of the entire process. You will spend a lot of time with this topic; as such, it needs to be something that interests you.

Narrow

• Consider the parameters and/or requirements provided by your instructor. Within them, consider the best and most interesting possible topic options for you.

• Once you have some topics under consideration, think about what makes you curious. Curiosity is a great motivator, so explore what you want to know, what questions you have, what you'd ask if you could. Once your potential topics and questions are listed on paper, proceed.

Choose

• Make a list of your top options. Bring the list to your instructor for feedback.

• If you still have multiple options on your list, do a quick search on the Internet. There should be enough information for you to research, but not so much that you will end up repeating what has already been said. This paper is NOT a book report, it's a research paper; that's an important difference. This will be further clarified at a later point.

Conduct

• Using the Internet, your textbook, family, and friends, conduct a background check on your topic and/or questions. What do they know about it? When did it happen? How did it affect people? See Appendix A if you need a list of suggested questions.

• The purpose of this background check is two-fold: one, you want to make sure you are going to enjoy researching this topic, and two, you are gathering information you may end up using in your introduction and/or conclusion.

See Appendix A for a sample background check handout.

Where Do I Start?

Compiling research and writing a paper can begin one of two ways. Read through each option and then decide which you want to pursue.

Preview of Research Option 1: Backward Mapping

Backward Mapping means starting with the end goal and planning backward. Choose this option if you want to prove a particular point and/or have a clear destination for your paper already in mind.   

1. Establish Your Thesis. A thesis is the point you will prove with your research.

2. Breakdown Claims. Claims are like subtopics. They break the thesis down into more manageable parts.

3. Find Sources. Find trustworthy sources.

4. Note Evidence. Collect accurate facts that support your position.

5. Pause. Find your research gaps figure out and how you need to proceed.

6. Revise . If your research doesn’t seem to fit your overall thesis and/or one or more claims, you must revise accordingly.

7. Collect Last Evidence . Keep at it!

8. Final Outline . Order your evidence in a way that best tells the story.

9. Draft . Write, edit, revise, edit, complete.

Specific directions begin in next chapter.

Preview of Research Option 2: Frontward Mapping

Frontward Mapping means starting with step one and moving forward. Choose this option if you are clear about your general topic but open as to the point you want to prove and/or your end