Research Paper Handbook
Click here for a printable version of the Research Paper Handbook
This Research Handbook was developed to provide students with a uniform approach to preparing research and reference papers in all subject areas. In providing research guidance to Quincy Public Schools middle and high school students, it is critical that consistency exists from grade to grade and subject to subject in order to enhance research skills.
Read our "Quick Start" guide to walk you through the steps. Or click here to view our complete online research handbook.
Quick Start Guide:
Help! I've got a research paper to do and I don't know where to start!
There are a few steps to take that will have you on your way in no time!
- Do some quick, preliminary research just to figure out if there is enough research material, and that the materials are easily available to you. Search online, look at the book catalogs in the library, and check out the periodical guides. This will give you enough clues - lots of material means that you can probably find exactly the information you need.
- Once you figure out that there is enough material, begin narrowing your topic. If you first thought of writing about dogs, this is where you might narrow your paper to a specific breed of dog, some aspect of dog training, or the evolution of dogs.
- Research your topic. Remember to take great notes - and keep track of where you found the material so that you can add it to your bibliography as well as any citations throughout your paper. Take notes about where you get any illustrations. You will need to cite their sources as well.
- Write a first draft. This is where you begin pulling your research together into a readable form.
- Avoid plagiarism! Except for short facts and direct quotes (which you will carefully cite in your work), don't copy information directly into your paper. Instead, take the research information that you have gathered and create an original work.
- Refine your writing, and work on the final draft. Be sure to cite all your sources as you go.
- Create the final copy of the paper and do a final proofreading.
- Assemble the paper, the bibliography and any final illustrations and - you're done!
Read the complete online handbook
Do I have to have illustrations?
That depends on the assignment that your teacher gave. Some teachers encourage (or even require) illustrations. Some teachers don't care if you include them or don't include them. Illustrations can add insights to your paper (showing the difference between an Eastern grosbeak and an English sparrow in terms of adapting to habitats) or highlight a fact (a bar graph that shows the changes in scores over time). Use our guide to help you if you wish to add illustrations to your paper.
I've got research materials from lots of different sources - books, magazines, the Internet - how do I cite different sources?
Use our simple guide to find exactly the notation you need to correctly cite all your sources And then create a thorough bibliography with our on-line guide.