Page 511 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Learning Objectives

In this chapter, you will learn how to

1 Follow the five steps for writing a research paper.

2 Demonstrate two essential research skills: paraphrasing and

summarizing.

3 Apply APA style or MLA style to your own research paper.

Maybe you’ve heard the humorous saying: “Copy

from one source, and it’s called plagiarism; copy

from several, and it’s called research.” If you have
ever written a research paper, you know that it

involves much more than copying from several

sources. If you have written only personal essays,

you will find that incorporating outside sources

into a research paper is a challenge. First, you
must find the right sources; then you must

carefully incorporate those sources and

acknowledge their authors. However, a research

paper is structurally similar to a personal essay,

with an introduction that provides background and
presents a thesis, body paragraphs that support

the thesis, and a conclusion. It embodies all of the

qualities of good writing—direction, unity,

coherence, and support.