Writing a research paper doesn't have to be overwhelming. It helps if you just think of it as a project that has a series of manageable steps you take to complete it. You can use this guide to follow those steps. Remember, real librarians are here to help you along your way.
What topics can you explore? Are any topics off limits? How long is the finished product? When is it due? How many and what type of sources are required? Will you be describing, analyzing, comparing, solving, or persuading?
Research is an opportunity to explore topics relevant to you and your life. If your topic isn’t personally meaningful, the research process will quickly become tedious. If you have trouble connecting with a topic, your MJC librarians will have lots of ideas to help.
Think of preliminary reading as front-loading your learning: giving yourself the background knowledge and vocabulary you need before tackling the more complex content you'll use as your actual sources. Preliminary reading -- sometimes called background reading -- helps you to familiarize yourself with existing information, current research, and various viewpoints concerning your chosen topic.
This type of inquiry helps you evaluate the viability of potential topics and gauge your continued interested in exploring those topics. Preliminary reading can also help you refine or narrow broad topics into a manageable focus. Where are other researchers and writers focusing their attention?
To be clear, preliminary reading isn't about finding your sources -- though you may find some along the way -- as much as it is about finding and expanding your ideas.
Research questions help shape your paper, plus save you time as you focus on finding sources answering specific questions. As your research progresses, you may revise and even add to your questions. Research librarians are happy to help you develop some questions to get you started.
Use library databases to find high-quality sources answering your research questions. Follow the assignment’s source guidelines, and rigorously evaluate everything you plan on including in your bibliography. Be sure to follow the citation style set out by your professor.
It’s simple: the more you read, think and write about your topic, the more you’ll learn about it. Read your sources closely and often, tracking the information you plan to use. Get your ideas down on paper as they develop, and cite your sources as you go.
MJC librarians can help you get started with your project, and assist you with each and every step of the research process. Tutors in the L&LC will help ensure the grammar, spelling, and organization of your paper is turn-in ready. Visit us early and as often as needed!
The topic sweet spot is where three factors overlap: your assignment, your sources, and your own interests. Balancing these equally will set you up for success.
1. Understand your assignment.
Know exactly what’s expected. Pay attention to the guidelines:
Required or restricted topics
Page length/word count/timing
Number and type of sources
Mode of presentation (informative? persuasive? analytical? compare-contrast? problem-solution?)
2. Check source availability.
The right sources can make or break your topic. A paper requiring 8 peer-reviewed sources will push you toward more scholarly subjects than one that asks for 3 substantive sources. Before locking in your topic, preview what’s available in the types of sources you're required to find. A librarian can help you match topics to potential sources.
3. Choose personal meaning.
If your topic doesn’t matter to you, the work will feel like drudgery. Pick something you’re genuinely curious about or connected to. When you chase knowledge instead of just chasing the grade, the research process becomes more rewarding and the final product stronger.
You can get ideas for research topics from several MJC article databases.
Preliminary reading -- sometimes called background reading -- allows researchers/writers to familiarize themselves with existing information, current research, and various viewpoints concerning their chosen topic. This type of inquiry helps evaluate the viability of topics as well as refine or narrow broad topics into a manageable focus. To be clear, preliminary reading isn't about finding your sources -- though you may find some along the way -- as much as it is about finding your ideas.
Database content is free for MJC students, faculty, and staff. If you are away from campus, simply log in just like you do for your MJC email or Canvas.
Think of research questions as your shopping list for information. Just as a list keeps you focused in a crowded store, your questions keep you on track in the vast “supermarket” of sources. They help you:
Locate the most relevant information quickly and efficiently.
Stay focused so you don’t get lost or sidetracked while exploring.
Stay organized as you gather evidence and start shaping your paper.
And just like a grocery list, your research questions aren’t fixed. They may grow, change, or shift as you learn more and further refine your topic.
As you shape your research, different types of questions will help you focus on different parts of your paper: introduction, body, and conclusion. The following are sample questions to help you get started. Think of them as a menu of possibilities—some will fit your project, others won’t. Use them as a starting point to spark ideas, and adapt them to fit the scope and goals of your research.
Use these to get background information and define your topic.
What is ___?
Why is ___ an important issue?
What background information is necessary to understand ___?
What are the different types of ___?
These guide you into deeper analysis and evidence.
What causes ___?
What are the effects of ___?
What are the arguments for ___?
What are the arguments against ___?
What is being done about ___?
These help you pull your thinking together and point toward implications or solutions.
What conclusions can you make about your topic, and why?
What can you argue about your topic, and why are those arguments valid?
What should be done to address your topic, and why?
After you've done your background reading and understand the basics about your topic AND after you've created some research questions to direct your exploration, you're ready to dig deeper and seek answers to your research questions.
You can begin by using OneSearch, the MJC Library Catalog. Using OneSearch will help you discover books and other sources that the library has either in print at the L & LC or online.
All of these resources are free for you. When you are off campus, simply login like you do for your student email or Canvas.
Not every source you find is trustworthy or useful. Before incorporating a source into your work, it’s essential to pause and evaluate it carefully. There are many evaluation methods—ABCs, the SIFT method, the 5 Ws, CARS, and the CRAAP Test. All serve the same purpose: guiding you through the process of deciding whether a source is reliable. Choose one you can remember, and apply it consistently to every potential source.
Google the author's name or dig deeper in the library's biographical databases.
When searching library article databases, look for a checkbox to narrow your results to Scholarly, Peer Reviewed or Peer Refereed publications.
Check in the library's article databases to find reviews of the source in order to get a sense of how it was received in the popular and scholarly press.
The internet is a great place to find both scholarly and popular sources, but it's especially important to ask questions about authorship and publication when you're evaluating online resources. If it's unclear who exactly created or published certain works online, look for About pages on the site for more information about the authorship, or search for exact quotations from the text in Google (using quotation marks) to see if you can find other places where the work has been published.
The CRAAP Test is a solid starting point, but the site you’re evaluating isn’t always the best place to verify authority, accuracy, or point of view. Authors and organizations can misrepresent themselves, and sites that look professional may be promoting an agenda.
Lateral reading means stepping outside the source. Open a new tab and search for information about the author, organization, or publication. By reading across multiple sources—not just down the page in front of you—you can see what others are saying and gather outside evidence.
This practice strengthens your evaluation, helps confirm credibility, and gives you a clearer sense of whether a source deserves a place in your research.
For more information on lateral reading, check out our Web Source Evaluation page.
Once you're done with your research, you're ready to write.
When you write a research paper, you use information and facts from a variety of resources to support your own ideas or to help you develop new ones. Books, articles, videos, interviews, and websites are some examples of sources you might use.
Citing these sources of information in your work is essential because:
Watch this short video from The Learning Portal to learn why you cite and when you cite. Watch, Learn, and Enjoy!
"Why You Need to Cite Sources" by The Learning Portal is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Start by selecting your style from the list below. If you're not sure which to choose, ask your instructor.
Learn more on the go with our library of how-to videos on YouTube.
Learn how to research like a pro with our credit-bearing MLIB 100 or our free, non-credit courses.