example of english 101 research paper

ENGL 101: Academic Writing: How to write a research paper

• Research Tools
• How to evaluate resources
• How to write a research paper
• Occupational Resources

How to write a research paer

Understand the topic, what is the instructor asking for, who is the intended audience, choosing a topic.

• General Research

Books on the subject

Journal articles, other sources, write the paper.

You've just been assigned by your instructor to write a paper on a topic. Relax, this isn't going to be as bad as it seems. You just need to get started. Here are some suggestions to make the process as painless as possible. Remember, if you have any questions ASK .

Is the assignment a formal research paper where you have to do research and cite other sources of information, or is the assignment asking you for your reaction to a particular topic where all you will need to do is collect your thoughts and organize them coherently. If you do need to research your topic, make sure you know what style manual your instructor prefers (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc).

Make sure you keep track of any restrictions that your instructor places on you. If your instructor wants a 4 page paper, they won't be happy with a 2 page paper, or a 10 page paper. Keep in mind that the instructor knows roughly how long it should take to cover the topic. If your paper is too short, you probably aren't looking at enough materials. If you paper is too long, you need to narrow your topic. Also, many times the instructor may restrict you to certain types of resources (books written after 1946, scholarly journals, no web sites). You don't want to automatically lessen your grade by not following the rules. Remember the key rule, if you have any questions ask your instructor!

You will also need to know which audience that you are writing for. Are you writing to an audience that knows nothing about your topic? If so you will need to write in such a way that you paper makes sense, and can be understood by these people. If your paper is geared to peers who have a similar background of information you won't need to include that type of information. If your paper is for experts in the field, you won't need to include background information.

If you're lucky, you were given a narrow topic by your instructor. You may not be interested in your topic, but you can be reasonably sure that the topic isn't too broad. Most of you aren't going to be that lucky. Your instructor gave you a broad topic, or no topic at all and you are going to have to choose the specific topic for your paper.

There are some general rules that you can use to help choose and narrow a topic. Does a particular topic interest you? If you are excited by a particular field, choose a topic from that field. While doing research you will learn more about the field, and learn which journals are written for your topic. Are you answering a relevant question? You and your instructor are going to be bored if you are writing a paper on the hazards of drunken driving. However, it might be more interesting to write about what causes people to drink and drive. The more interesting your topic the more you will enjoy and learn from writing your paper. You may also want to focus on a specific point of view about the topic, such as what teenagers think the causes of drunken driving are.

Do General Research

Now that you have a topic, it is time to start doing research. Don't jump to the card catalog and the indexes yet. The first research that you want to do is some general research on your topic. Find out what some of the terms used in the field are. You will also find that this research can help you further define you topic.

One source of general research is a general encyclopedia. Depending on the encyclopedia, at the end of each entry there may be a bibliography of suggested works. Good encyclopedias to consult are Encyclopedia Britannica , Encyclopedia Americana, and World Book.

You will also want to check to see if your topic is in a field that has a subject Encyclopedia, a Subject Handbook, or a Subject Dictionary. These guides contain information about a wide variety of topics inside a specific field. Generally the information in more detailed that what is contained in a general encyclopedia. Also the bibliographies are more extensive.

Find further information

Now that we have some background information on our topic; we need to find information about our specific topic. Before searching, ask yourself what type of information you are looking for. If you want to find statistical information, you will need to look in certain types of sources. If you are looking for news accounts of an event, you will need to look in other types of sources. Remember, if you have a question about what type of source to use, ask a librarian.

Have you asked your instructor for suggestions on where to look? Why not? This person is experienced in the field, and they have been doing research in it longer than you have. They can recommend authors who write on your topic, and they can recommend a short list of journals that may contain information on your topic.

Books are one type of resource that you can use for your research. To find a book on your topic, you will need to use the online catalog, the CamelCat . Taking the list of keywords that you created while doing general research, do keyword searches in the catalog. Look at the titles that are being returned, do any look promising? If none do, revise your search using other keywords. If one does, look at the full record for that book. Check the subject headings that it is cataloged by. If one of those headings looks pertinent to your research, do a subject search using that particular heading.

Once you've got the books that you want to use start evaluating whether the book will be useful. Is it written by an author who is knowledgeable about that particular topic? Is the author qualified to write about the topic? What biases does the author have about the topic? Is the book current enough to contain useful information?

Once you've answered these questions, use the books that you deem useful for your research. Remember while taking notes to get the information that you need to do a proper citation. Also, pay attention to any bibliographies that are included in the book. These can help you locate other books and articles that may be useful for your research.

The Campbell University Libraries subscribe to a wide variety of Indexes and Journals for the use of students and faculty. Increasingly these materials are provided as Electronic Databases. These databases contain citations of articles and in some cases the full text of articles on a variety of topics. If you don't know which database will be useful for you, ask a librarian and they will be happy to assist you. You can also use the Find Articles link to search multiple databases at one time for information on your topic.

Once you've selected a database to use, use the keywords that you developed from your general research to find articles that will be useful for you. Once you've found one, see which terms the database used to catalog the article and use those terms to find more articles. Don't forget to set limits on the database so that only scholarly articles are returned if your instructor has made that a requirement for your paper.

Look at the journal articles that you have selected, and examine the bibliographies. Are there any authors that are mentioned in more than one article? Are there any articles that are mentioned more than once? You should find those authors and articles and include them in your research.

There are other useful sources that you can use in your research. If your report tends to be on a business topic or if you need company information for your research there are many companies that provide company reports. The contents of these reports differ, depending on which service that you are using. Generally speaking you will find company officers, financial statements, lists of competitors, and stock price.

The Internet is another source for information on a variety of topics. The major problem with the using Internet resources is authority. Anybody who knows HTML can produce a web site that looks pretty decent. However, a website produced by a sophomore in high school on a topic is not going to be useful to you in your research. Before using a website for information, you need to evaluate the site. Here are some questions you will want to ask: Who created the site? (If you can't tell, don't use it.) Has the site been recently updated? Is the site promoting a specific agenda/ does it have a bias? (Bias isn't necessarily bad, but you need to keep it in mind when interpreting the information presented?) Are there any misspellings on the site? (If there is one misspelling careless error more than three, don't use the page) Do the links on the page work? (If a few don't work, not a big problem, if most of the links don't work, the site isn't being maintained, and should not be used.)

You have all of your research, now it is time to write the paper. Don't forget to cite all of the research that you have collected using the preferred citation style of your instructor. If possible try to give yourself a couple of days to let the paper sit before you edit it. Look at a hard copy of the paper and check for mechanical errors (spelling, punctuation). Also try to imagine that you are the intended audience for the paper. Does your paper make sense? Are the arguments logical? Does the evidence presented support the arguments made? If you answered no to any of these questions, make the necessary changes to your paper.

Purdue's Online Writing Lab https://owl.english.purdue.edu/

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ENG101 - First-Year Composition

• ASSESSMENT 1
• Selecting Topics
• Information Cycle & Search Strategies
• Primary vs Secondary Sources
• Video & Images
• SIFT This link opens in a new window

Types of Research Essays

Pvcc english division writing rubric, pvcc eng101 handbook.

• Causal Analysis (Cause & Effect)
• Literary Analysis This link opens in a new window
• Literature Review This link opens in a new window
• Plagiarism & Copyright
• NoodleTools This link opens in a new window
• Research Basics by JSTOR This link opens in a new window
• Research eSkills This link opens in a new window
• ASSESSMENT 2

Use ONESearch to locate  articles off our many databases on any of your topics.

Search library resources for

articles, books, movies and more

There are multiple types of essays that everyone should be able to write or be familiar with and they are: analytical, argumentative (persuasive), cause & effect, compare & contrast, critical, definition & expository, descriptive, experimental research, interpretative, literary analysis, literature review,  reports, and surveys.

Analytical , the analytical research paper often begins with the student asking a question (a.k.a. a research question) on which he has taken no stance. such a paper is often an exercise in exploration and evaluation. this type of paper hopes to offer a well-supported critical analysis without necessarily persuading the reader to any particular way of thinking. , the kinds of instructions for an analytical assignment include: 'analyze', 'compare', 'contrast', 'relate', and 'examine'., example: do later school start times increase student success, argumentative (persuasive), the argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which the writer clearly introduces the topic and informs his audience exactly which stance he intends to take. an important goal of the argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic chosen should be debatable or controversial., the kinds of instructions for a persuasive assignment include: 'argue', 'evaluate', 'discuss', and 'take a position'. example: self-driving cars are dangerous and should be banned from the streets., the argumentative essay  - lois roma-deeley & john nelson, causal analysis - cause & effect  a cause is something that produces an event or condition; an effect is what results from an event or condition. the purpose of the cause-and-effect essay is to determine how various phenomena relate in terms of origins and results. sometimes the connection between cause and effect is clear, but often determining the exact relationship between the two is very difficult., causal analysis information  - lois roma-deeley & john nelson, compare & contrast, this essay is needed to analyze the differences between two subjects, authors, viewpoints, leadership styles, or other criteria and it is a common assignment for subjects such as literature, philosophy, social sciences, and many other disciplines. , writing the comparison essay  - lois roma-deeley & john nelson, critical , critical writing is common for research, postgraduate and advanced undergraduate writing. it has all the features of persuasive writing, with the added feature of at least one other point of view. while persuasive writing requires you to have your own point of view on an issue or topic, critical writing requires you to consider at least two points of view, including your own., for example, you may explain a researcher's interpretation or argument and then evaluate the merits of the argument, or give your own alternative interpretation. examples of critical writing assignments include a critique of a journal article or a literature review that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of existing research. the kinds of instructions for critical writing include: 'critique', 'debate', 'disagree' and 'evaluate'., characteristics of a critical thinker  - dr. tom butler,  it is a focused analysis of a piece of writing or a live performance. while it may contain a sentence or two of summary material, the critique will offer the reader a “considered evaluation” of the writing or performance in question., how to write a critique  - pvcc english division, definition & expository , an expository essay "exposes" the reader to a new topic; it informs the reader with descriptions or explanations of a subject. if you are writing an expository essay, your thesis statement should explain to the reader what they will learn in your essay. example: how to lead a healthy lifestyle on a tight budget., descriptive/narrative , the simplest type of academic writing is descriptive. its purpose is to provide facts or information. an example would be a summary of an article or a report of the results of an experiment. the kinds of instructions for a purely descriptive assignment include: 'identify', 'report', 'record', 'summarize' and 'define'.​, writing the descriptive/narrative essay  - lois roma-deeley & john nelson, experimental research, this essay is commonly written for biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology papers. it is used to describe an experimental research case in detail. the student conducts the experiment, shares their results and provides data evidence and sums up the case.  the paper describes your experiment with supporting data and an analysis of the experiment. experiments are aimed to explain some causation or predict a fact or reality with certain actions., interpretive,  this essay requires one to use the knowledge that he or she has gained from a particular case study situation, for example, a poem or work of art, or material from business and psychology fields. this paper requires using learned theoretical knowledge to write the paper and using supporting information for the thesis statement and findings., literary analysis, the purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and sometimes evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature. , literature review, a "literature review“ is a critical analysis of a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles” (university of wisconsin writing center)., outlines the case of a study situation. as a rule, such text includes the summary of a breakdown, situation, identification of the main issue, and recommendations, which means that it is basically a logical and detailed summary of some case study situation. a report is a mere restatement of the significant elements or components of a piece of writing or a live performance. it is, primarily, a summary of the substantial elements (the who, what, where, when and how) which are embedded in a piece of writing or a live performance. .

• English Division Writing Rubric (Based on Arizona State Standardswith college-level emphasis on higher order thinking skills, research, documentation, and manuscript preparation)
• PVCC ENG101 Handbook The ENG101 Handbook was created by PVCC professors Lois Roma-Deeley and John Nelson. This was created prior to the 2009 updates to MLA; therefore, if you use them, be aware you will need to update them. However, the instructions on how to write each essay type are clear and very helpful.
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English 101 (Holland)

• Finding Articles
• Outline & Thesis Statement
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• MLA Citation Guidelines

What's the Point?

This unit is intended to refresh your memory of how to work through the research process and begin work on your paper.

• Start by clicking through the Prezi about how the research process works.
• Watch the video on how to use brainstorming to bring focus to your topic .
• An outline can be a useful tool in keeping your paper focused, and many instructors ask to see one before you begin writing. The tab explains how to set one up.
• Finally, thesis statements can be a struggle for many students. The overview presented provides pointers on how to structure a thesis for your paper (It looks like a lot of text! But we promise it only takes a few minutes to read through).

Research and Writing

• The Research and Writing Process
• Focusing Your Topic
• How to Create an Outline
• Thesis Statements

Creating an Outline

An outline helps you plan out how the main body paragraphs of your paper will be used to support your thesis.

Microsoft Office Word has easy to use tools to create outlines. I like to start my outline with an introduction section. I can add lines ot my outline by hitting enter for additional numbered lines and hitting tab to create supporting points.

I'll use the numbered lines to outline my body paragraphs. Each body paragraph focuses on one main point which is presented and then supported. There are many ways to arrange the body paragraphs of your paper to best support your argument and it's worth checking out guides for ideas on how to best construct yours.

Once the main body paragraphs have been outlined, I'm going to start adding supporting evidence points. I like adding the direct quotes I've discovered during my research because they remind me of the exact point I was hoping to emphasize and speed up my writing process.

By keeping everything aligned this way, I can clearly see what parts of my outline are main body paragraphs and what points, or evidence, I will use to support them. If I mess something up, I can either hit the backspace button or I can use the decrease/increase indent buttons.

Outlines are only a guide -- they should be flexible . If you see holes in your research or argument, you should do additional work to address those issues. If the flow of your paper isn't right, feel free to move around paragraphs or sections until it sounds right and your argument is fully supported. Finally, if something simply doesn't fit, you shouldn't be afraid to delete it from your outline/paper entirely.

Thesis Statments

You need a good thesis statement for your essay but are having trouble getting started. You may have heard that your thesis needs to be specific and arguable, but still wonder what this really means.

Let's look at some examples. Imagine you're writing about John Hughes's film Sixteen Candles (1984).

You take a first pass at writing a thesis:

       Sixteen Candles is a romantic comedy about high school cliques.

Is this a strong thesis statement? Not yet, but it's a good start. You've focused on a topic - high school cliques - which is a smart move because you've settled on one of many possible angles. But the claim is weak because it's not yet arguable. Intelligent people would generally agree with this statement - so there's no real "news" for your reader. You want your thesis to say something surprising and debatable. If your thesis doesn't go beyond summarizing your source, it's descriptive and not yet argumentative.

The key words in the thesis statement are "romantic comedy" and "high school cliques." One way to sharpen the claim is to start asking questions .

For example, how does the film represent high school cliques in a surprising or complex way? how does the film reinforce stereotypes about high school groups and how does it undermine them? Or why does teh flim challenge our expectations about romantic comedies by focusing on high school cliques? If you can answer one of those questions (or others of your own), you'll have a strong thesis.

Tip: Asking "how" or "why" questions will help you refine your thesis, making it more arguable and interesting to your readers.

Take 2. You revise the thesis. Is it strong now?

       Sixteen Candles is a romantic comedy criticizing the divisiveness created by high school cliques.

You're getting closer. You're starting to take a stance by arguing that the film identifies "divisiveness" as a problem and criticizes it, but your readers will want to know how this plays out and why it's important. Right now, the thesis still sounds bland - not risky enough to be genuinely contentious.

Tip:  Keep raising questions that test your ideas. And ask yourself the "so what" question. Why is your thesis interesting or important?

Take 3. Let's try again. How about this version? 

       Although the film  Sixteen Candles  appears to reinforce stereotypes about high school cliques, it undermines them in important          ways, questioning its viewers' assumptions about what's normal. 

Bingo! This thesis statement is pretty strong. It challenges an obvious interpretation of the movie (that it just reinforces stereotypes), offering a new and more complex reading in its place. We also have a sense of why this argument is important. The film's larger goal, we learn, is to question what we think we understand about normalcy. 

What's a Strong Thesis?

As we've just seen, a strong thesis statement crystallizes your paper's argument and, most importantly, it's  arguable . 

This means two things. It goes beyond merely summarizing or describing to stake out an interpretation or position that's not obvious, and others could challenge for good reasons. It's also arguable in the literal sense that it can be argued , or supported through a thoughtful analysis of your sources. If your argument lacks evidence, readers will think your thesis statement is an opinion or belief as opposed to an argument. 

Exercises for Drafting an Arguable Thesis  

A good thesis will be  focused  on your object of study (as opposed to making a big claim about the world) and will introduce the key words  guiding your analysis. To get started, you might experiment with some of these "mad libs." They're thinking exercises that will help propel you toward an arguable thesis. 

By examining ___________________[topic/approach], we can see ____________________[thesis- the claim that's surprising, which is important because _____________________.[1]

" By examining   Sixteen Candles  through the lens of Georg Simmel's writing on fashion, we can see that the protagonist's interest in fashion as an expression of her conflicted desire to be seen as both unique and accepted by the group. This is important because  the film offers its viewers a glimpse into the ambivalent yearnings of middle class youth in the 1980s. 

Although readers might assume __________ [the commonplace idea you're challenging], I argue that _____________[your surprising claim]. 

Example: 

Although viewers might assume the romantic comedy  Sixteen Candles  is merely entertaining, I believe its message is political. The film uses the romance between Samantha, a middle class sophomore and Jake, an affluent senior, to reinforce the fantasy that anyone can become wealthy and successful with enough cunning and persistence. 

Still Having Trouble? Let's Back Up... 

It helps to understand why readers value the arguable thesis. What larger purpose does it serve? Your readers will bring a set of expectations to your essay. The better you can anticipate the expectations of your readers, the better you'll be able to persuade them to entertain seeing things your way. 

Academic readers (and readers more generally) read to learn something new. They want to see the writer challenge commonplaces - either everyday assumptions about your object of study or truisms in the scholarly literature. In other words, academic readers want to be surprised so that their thinking shifts or at least becomes more complex by the time they finish reading your essay. Good essays problematize what we think we know and offer an alternative explanation in its place. They leave their reader with a fresh perspective on a problem. 

We all bring important past experiences and beliefs to our interpretations of texts, objects, and problems. You can harness these observational powers to engage critically with what you are studying. The key is to be alert to what strikes you as strange, problematic, paradoxical, or puzzling about your object of study. If you can articulate this and a claim in response, you're well on your way to formulating an arguable thesis in your introduction. 

How do I set up a "problem" and an arguable thesis in response? 

All good writing has a purpose or motive for existing. Your thesis is your surprising response to this problem or motive. This is why it seldom makes sense to start a writing project by articulating the thesis. The first step is to articulate the question or problem your paper addresses. 

Here are some possible ways to introduce a conceptual problem in your paper's introduction. 

1. Challenge a commonplace interpretation (or your own first impressions). 

How are readers likely to interpret this source or issue? What might intelligent readers think at first glance? (Or, if you've been given secondary sources or have been asked to conduct research to locate secondary sources, what do other writers or scholars assume is true or important about your primary source or issue?). 

What does this commonplace interpretation leave out, overlook, or under-emphasize? 

2. Help your reader see the complexity of your topic.

 Identify and describe for your reader a paradox, puzzle, or contradiction in your primary source(s). 

What larger questions does this paradox or contradiction raise for you and your readers? 

3. If your assignment asks you to do research, piggyback off another scholar's research. 

Summarize for your reader another scholar's argument about your topic, primary source, or case study and tell your reader why this claim is interesting. 

Now, explain how you will extend this scholar's argument to explore an issue or case study that the scholar doesn't address fully. 

4. If your assignment asks you to do research, identify a gap in another scholar's or a group of scholars' research. 

Summarize for your reader another scholar's argument about your topic, primary source, or case study and tell your reader why this claim is interesting. Or, summarize how scholars in the field tend to approach your topic. 

Next, explain what important aspect this scholarly representation misses or distorts. Introduce your particular approach to your topic and its value. 

5. If your assignment asks you to do research, bring in a new lens for investigating your case study or problem. 

Summarize for your reader how a scholar or group of scholars has approached your topic. 

Introduce a theoretical source (possibly from another discipline) and explain how it helps you address this issue from a new and productive angle. 

Testing Your Thesis 

You can test your thesis statement's arguability by asking the following questions:

          Does my thesis only or mostly summarize my source? 

                 If so, try some of the exercises above to articulate your paper's conceptual problem or question. 

          Is my thesis arguable - can it be supported by evidence in my source, and is it surprising and contentious? 

                If not, return to your sources and practice the exercises above. 

           Is my thesis about my primary source or case study, or is it about the world? 

                If it's about the world, revise it so that it focuses on your primary source or case study. Remember you need solid evidence to support your thesis. 

"Formulating a Thesis" was written by Andrea Scott, Princeton University . CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

[1] Adapted from Erik Simpson’s “Five Ways of Looking at a Thesis” at http://www.math.grinnell.edu/~simpsone/Teaching/fiveways.html

Attribution

Information Literacy Tutorial  by  Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System  is licensed under a   Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License . Based on a work at  guides.library.uwm.edu

• Last Updated: Jul 23, 2024 11:54 AM
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English 101 (ENG 101): English Composition I: Getting Started

• Getting Started
• Discovery @ the Library: Articles, Books & Journals

Welcome to the English Composition I libguide! Use this guide to get started on your persuasive research paper assignment.

To begin, you will need to identify and research a political, legal, or social issue and determine whether you think a change should be made within the broader society. Then, you will need to argue convincingly. Ideally, you want to choose a narrow topic. Make sure you have your topic approved by your instructor before you begin researching. Try to choose an issue that intrigues you, since the genuine interest will result in a better final paper.

Make sure that you find quality sources. You can consult the videos below for help with this, or you can contact a librarian during our open hours via email, text, chat, or phone.

Cite Your Sources

Why do you need to cite sources?

As the MLA Handbook (8th ed) will tell you:

“Academic writing is at its root a conversation among scholars about a topic or question. . . .Given the importance of this conversation to research, authors must have comprehensible, verifiable means of referring to one another’s work.  Such reference enable them to give credit to the precursors whose ideas they borrow, build on, or contradict and allow future researchers interested in the history of the conversation to trace it back to its beginning” (5).

As a student, part of your education includes learning documentation styles like MLA.  Learning MLA and other styles will help prepare you for other conventions and standards when you enter a career field.  Also, by carefully documenting your research and by identifying the ideas that you have borrowed, you will avoid plagiarism .  Plagiarism is a very serious offense involving the theft of intellectual property, and it can lead to embarrassment, loss of credibility, and even lawsuits (7).  You can avoid plagiarizing by citing other authors when you quote or paraphrase their words and ideas.  Check out the 'citation help' box (to the right) for resources on how to cite books, websites, and articles.  Make sure you are properly citing sources in your papers.

Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook, 8th edition, MLA, 2016.

Using Artemis Literary Sources

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• Last Updated: May 17, 2024 1:01 PM
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6 Outlining and Annotation

Just as there are different types of essays, there are different outline structures appropriate to different fields and different types of essay assignments. You’ll want to consult with your instructor about any specific organizational requirements, but the following will provide you with some basic examples of outline structures for research papers in several different fields. Pre-draft and Post Draft outlines.

Pre-Draft Outlines

Traditional outlining.

In many of your courses, you’ll be asked to write a traditional, thesis-based research essay. In this structure, you provide a thesis, usually at the end of your introduction, body paragraphs that support your thesis with research, and a conclusion to emphasize the key points of your research paper. You’ll likely encounter this type of assignment in classes in the humanities, but you may also be asked to write a traditional research paper in business classes and some introductory courses in the sciences and social sciences.

In the sample on this page, you’ll see a basic structure that can be modified to fit the length of your assignment. It’s important to note, in shorter research essays, each point of your outline might correspond to a single paragraph, but in longer research papers, you might develop each supporting point over several paragraphs.

Traditional Outline

• background, context for topic
• transition to thesis
• thesis statement
• Supporting Point 2
• Supporting Point 3
• Supporting Point 4
• review central ideas presented in the body and make connections to the thesis
• transition to closing thoughts
• closing thoughts

Traditional Outline Example

IMRAD Outlining

In many of your courses in the sciences and social sciences, such as sociology, psychology, and biology, you may be required to write a research paper using the IMRAD format.  IMRAD  stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. In this format, you present your research and discuss your methods for gathering research. Each section of the IMRAD structure can take several paragraphs to develop.

This structure is also sometimes referred to as the APA format, but be sure not to confuse this with the APA format for documentation of your research.

IMRAD Outline

• provide research question
• explain the significance
• review of background or known information on your topic
• describe your methods for gathering information
• explain your sources of information, both primary and secondary
• describe what you found out from your research.
• develop each point thoroughly, as this is the main section of your research paper
• explain the significance of your findings
• describe how they support your thesis
• discuss the limitations of your research

NOTE: APA does not recommend or require any particular outline for your papers. If you’ve seen sample papers following APA format, you may have seen the IMRAD format used, but this is not an official APA requirement. Your assignment  should always dictate outline structure, not a formatting style.

So you might have an assignment that requires APA format for the documentation but a very different organizational pattern. In fact, you may use the traditional outline for some projects written in APA format.

See It in Practice

In this videocast, you’ll see how our student writer has organized all of her research into a traditional outline.

Writing an Effective Outline

This checklist can help you write an effective outline for your assignment. It will also help you discover where you may need to do additional reading or prewriting.

• Do I have a controlling idea that guides the development of the entire piece of writing?
• Do I have three or more main points that I want to make in this piece of writing? Does each main point connect to my controlling idea?
• Is my outline in the best order—chronological order, spatial order, or order of importance—for me to present my main points? Will this order help me get my main point across?
• Do I have supporting details that will help me inform, explain, or prove my main points?
• Do I need to add more support? If so, where?
• Do I need to make any adjustments to my working thesis statement before I consider it the final version?

Key Takeaways

• Writers must put their ideas in order so the assignment makes sense. The most common orders are chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance.
• After gathering and evaluating the information you found for your essay, the next step is to write a working, or preliminary, thesis statement.
• The working thesis statement expresses the main idea that you want to develop in the entire piece of writing. It can be modified as you continue the writing process.
• Effective writers prepare a formal outline to organize their main ideas and supporting details in the order they will be presented.
• A topic outline uses words and phrases to express ideas.
• A sentence outline uses complete sentences to express ideas.
• The writer’s thesis statement begins the outline and the outline ends with suggestions for the concluding paragraph.

Outline Time?

When it is time for you to write your outline, if you are unsure about the structural requirements for your assignment, be sure to ask your professor.

In your outline, you should aim for a level of detail at least similar to what you see in the models, though more detail may be necessary, depending upon the length of your paper. A clear outline gives you a good plan for your paper and will help you determine whether you have a strong research focus before you begin drafting the paper.

It’s always a good idea to get feedback on your outline before heading into the drafting and integrating stage of your writing process. Share either a formal or informal

Post Draft Outline

A big huzzah–the rough drafts are done, which is a major hurdle.  I know there’s still a lot to do, but I think the hardest part’s out of the way.

Now, it’s time to turn away from the raw content creation of writing a draft and towards the fine-tuning, that transforms into polishing and shaping an effective essay.

Like a pre-draft outline, a post-draft outline is a useful tool for assessing the organization of your paper. After you’re done with a rough draft, creating a post-draft outline can help you see how your paper flows from beginning to end.

Annotations

Annotating  a text means that you actively engage with it by taking notes as you read, usually by marking the text in some way (underlining, highlighting, using symbols such as asterisks) as well as by writing down brief summaries, thoughts, or questions in the margins of the page.  If you are working with a textbook and prefer not to write in it, annotations can be made on sticky notes or on a separate sheet of paper.  Regardless of what method you choose, annotating not only directs your focus, but it also helps you retain that information.  Furthermore, annotating helps you to recall where important points are in the text if you must return to it for a writing assignment or class discussion.

Annotations should not consist of JUST symbols, highlighting, or underlining. Successful and thorough annotations should combine those visual elements with notes in the margin and written summaries; otherwise, you may not remember why you highlighted that word or sentence in the first place.

How to Annotate:

• Underline, highlight, or mark sections of the text that seem important, interesting, or confusing.
• Be selective about which sections to mark; if you end up highlighting most of a page or even most of a paragraph, nothing will stand out, and you will have defeated the purpose of annotating.
• Use symbols to represent your thoughts.
• Asterisks or stars might go next to an important sentence or idea.
• Question marks might indicate a point or section that you find confusing or questionable in some way.
• Exclamation marks might go next to a point that you find surprising.
• Abbreviations can represent your thoughts in the same way symbols can
• For example, you may write “Def.” or “Bkgnd” in the margins to label a section that provides definition or background info for an idea or concept.
• Think of typical terms that you would use to summarize or describe sections or ideas in a text, and come up with abbreviations that make sense to you.
• Write down questions that you have as you read.
• Identify transitional phrases or words that connect ideas or sections of the text.
• Mark words that are unfamiliar to you or keep a running list of those words in your notebook.
• Mark key terms or main ideas in topic sentences.
• Identify key concepts pertaining to the course discipline (i.e.–look for literary devices, such as irony, climax, or metaphor, when reading a short story in an English class).
• Identify the thesis statement in the text (if it is explicitly stated).

Example of how to annotate a Journal Article:

Links to sample annotated texts  –  Journal article  (https://tinyurl.com/ybfz7uke) ·  Book chapter excerpt  (https://tinyurl.com/yd7pj379)

Basics of Annotating a Text

For three different but equally helpful videos on how to read actively and annotate a text, click on one of the links below:

“ How to Annotate ” (https://youtu.be/muZcJXlfCWs,  transcript  here )

“ 5 Active Reading Strategies ” (https://youtu.be/JL0pqJeE4_w, transcript  here )

“ 10 Active Reading Strategies ” (https://youtu.be/5j8H3F8EMNI, transcript  here )

ATTRIBUTIONS

• Content Adapted from Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL). (2020).  Excelsior College. Retrieved from https://owl.excelsior.edu/ licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-4.0 International License .
• Content Adapted from Composition II. Authored by : Alexis McMillan-Clifton.  Provided by : Tacoma Community College.  Located at :  http://www.tacomacc.edu . L icensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-4.0 International License .
• Reverse Outline is an unedited video from The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License .  The video can be found on their page https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reverse-outline/
• Content included from Let’s Get Writing ; Chapter 1 – Critical Reading  by Elizabeth Browning is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

English 101: Journey Into Open Copyright © 2021 by Christine Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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ENG 101: English Composition I

• Finding Articles
• Finding Books
• Citing Your Sources
• MLA Paper Format

Writing Your Paper: MLA

Mla style papers.

• Annotated Bibliographies
• Ask a Librarian

MLA Resources

• Ask the MLA Search a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the MLA style. If you donʻt see the answer youʻre looking for, ask the MLA yourself!
• Purdue OWL: MLA Style Guide This Purdue OWL citation guide will help you in citing your sources in the MLA (Modern Language Association) Style commonly used to cite sources within the area of language arts. You can find written and video instructions with examples on how to format your citations. Click on the title above to see more...

Always consult your assignment guidelines for course-specific formatting.

Things to know before you begin:

• Font:  An easily readable typeface (Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, etc...) that is maintained throughout the paper.
• Font Size:  11-13 point 
• Margins:  1 inch
• Paragraphs: All paragraphs should be indented.
• Spacing: All of the text in your paper should be double-spaced.

Typical MLA style papers have two sections:

• Works Cited

See the tabs below for a breakdown of how each portion should be formatted.

• Paper Templates
• Sample Papers
• Hanging Indents

Below you will find templates for MLA Style papers. Click the link to make a copy of the file. 

• Google Docs : To make a copy of this template you must first sign in to your Google account. After you’re signed in, click file and then click “make a copy.”
• Microsoft Word : To make a copy of this template, simply download the file. 

• MLA Style Paper Template - Word Make a copy of this Word Doc and change the pre-filled information to your own.

Below you will find an example of an accurately formatted MLA Style paper. 

• Sample Paper MLA: 3D Printing (.pdf) Click here to see a sample of an accurately formatted MLA style paper.
• Sample Paper MLA: 3D Printing Click here to see a sample of an accurately formatted MLA style paper.

• Your paper should have your name, your instructor's name, the class name, and the due date in the top left corner of the page. It should be double spaced and use the same font type and size as the rest of your paper.
• The title of your paper should be centered on the first line after your heading. It should be in Title Case and use the same font type and size as the rest of your paper.
• Place your last name and page numbers in the header in the same font type and size as the rest of your paper. Be sure to use the header function, do not type this into the body of your paper.

• Center the words "Works Cited" on the first line of a new page. If you only have a single reference, use "Work Cited" instead.
• Your citations should be alphabetical.
• All entries should be double-spaced with no extra lines between them.
• Be sure to use a hanging indent for any citations that require more than one line. 

Need help formatting your MLA style citations using the 8th edition of the  Modern Language Association Handbook ? Click the image or link below to go to the citation guide.

• MLA Style Citations

Need help learning what hanging indents are and how to create them using Google Docs or Microsoft Word? 

• Hanging Indents This page gives a brief description of what they are, where to find information on when and how to properly use them, and also video tutorials on how to create them.
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ENG 101 - Current Issues / Topics

Eng 101: Current Issues / Topics

This guide is designed to help you complete a research paper about a current or controversial issue in English 101. Follow the steps below in order - each step builds on the one before it, guiding you through the research project. We offer research advice/tips, as well as recommended sources, citation help, etc.

What's in this Guide:

• Next: 1. Getting Started >>
• 1. Getting Started
• 2. Explore Topics and Issues
• 3. Narrow Your Topic
• 4. Find Sources
• 5. Cite Your Sources
• 6. Write Your Annotated Bib
• 7. Write Your Paper

Questions? Ask a Librarian

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English 101: English Composition I: Picking a Topic

• Picking a Topic
• Creating a Thesis Statement
• Doing Research
• Creating an Essay
• English Tutoring
• Learning Resource Center This link opens in a new window

The first step to writing an essay or a research paper is to pick or choose a topic (brainstorm). There many strategies that can be used to brainstorm. This page will cover the following:

• Freewriting
• Listing/Bulleting
• Questioning
• Three Perspectives

Freewriting - a writing exercise in which a person writes quickly and continuously, with a free association of ideas, especially as a means of initiating a more focused composition.

Questioning - ask a series of questions and write responses to them. Most common way is to ask who , what , when , why , where , and how questions?

Three (3) Perspectives - to examine something from a different perspective to see it mor completely, or at least in a completely different way.

This strategy requires you to answer of set of questions for each of the three perspectives, then look for interesting relationships or mismatched you can explore:

• Describe your subject in detail.
• What is your topic?
• What are its components?
• What are its interesting or distinguishing features?
• What are its puzzles?
• Distinguish you subject from those that are similar to it.
• How is you subject unlike others?
• What is the history of your subject?
• How has it changed over time? Why?
• What are the significant events that have influenced you subject?
• What is you subject related to?
• What is it influenced by? How?
• What does it influence? How?
• Who has a stake in your topic? Why?
• What fields do you draw on for study of your subject? Why?
• How has your subject been approached by others?
• How is their work related to yours?

Listing or Bulleting - to create a list of ideas that you stop and think about as you create.

Clustering - creating a word map to create a visual image of your ideas.

Cubing - looking at your topic from six different directions, just as a cube is six-sided.

On a clean sheet of paper, consider your topic, and respond to these six commands:

• Describe it.
• Compare it.
• Associate it.
• Analyze it.
• Argue for and against it.

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101 research paper topics.

• Why do we sleep ?
• How do GPS systems work?
• Who was the first person to reach the North Pole ?
• Did anybody ever escape Alcatraz ?
• What was life like for a gladiator ?
• What are the effects of prolonged steroid use on the human body?
• What happened during the Salem witch trials ?
• Are there any effective means of repelling insects ?
• How did trains and railroads change life in America?
• What may have occurred during the Roswell  UFO incident of 1947?
• How is bulletproof clothing made?
• What Olympic events were practiced in ancient Greece?
• What are the major theories explaining the disappearance of the dinosaurs ?
• How was the skateboard invented and how has it changed over the years?
• How did the long bow contribute to English military dominance?
• What caused the stock market crash of 2008?
• How did Cleopatra come to power in Egypt what did she do during her reign?
• How has airport security intensified since September 11 th , 2001?
• What is life like inside of a beehive ?
• Where did hip hop originate and who were its founders?
• What makes the platypus a unique and interesting mammal?
• How does tobacco use affect the human body?
• How do computer viruses spread and in what ways do they affect computers?
• What is daily life like for a Buddhist monk ?
• What are the origins of the conflict in Darfur ?
• How did gunpowder change warfare?
• In what ways do Wal-Mart stores affect local economies?
• How were cats and dogs domesticated and for what purposes?
• What do historians know about ninjas ?
• How has the music industry been affected by the internet and digital downloading?
• What were the circumstances surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden ?
• What was the women’s suffrage movement and how did it change America?
• What efforts are being taken to protect endangered wildlife ?
• How much does the war on drugs cost Americans each year?
• How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?
• Are humans still evolving ?
• What technologies are available to home owners to help them conserve energy ?
• How have oil spills affected the planet and what steps are being taken to prevent them?
• What was the Magna Carta and how did it change England?
• What is the curse of the pharaohs?
• Why was Socrates executed?
• What nonlethal weapons are used by police to subdue rioters?
• How does the prison population in America compare to other nations?
• How did ancient sailors navigate the globe?
• Can gamblers ever acquire a statistical advantage over the house in casino games?
• What is alchemy and how has it been attempted?
• How are black holes formed?
• How was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln plotted and executed?
• Do the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks?
• How do submarines work?
• Do lie detector tests accurately determine truthful statements?
• How did Cold War tension affect the US and the world?
• What happened to the lost settlers at Roanoke ?
• How does a hybrid car save energy?
• What ingredients can be found inside of a hotdog ?
• How did Julius Caesar affect Rome?
• What are some common sleep disorders and how are they treated?
• How did the Freedom Riders change society?
• How is internet censorship used in China and around the world?
• What was the code of the Bushido and how did it affect samurai warriors ?
• What are the risks of artificial tanning or prolonged exposure to the sun?
• What programs are available to help war veterans get back into society?
• What steps are involved in creating a movie or television show?
• How have the film and music industries dealt with piracy ?
• How did Joan of Arc change history?
• What responsibilities do secret service agents have?
• How does a shark hunt?
• What dangers and hardships did Lewis and Clark face when exploring the Midwest?
• Has the Patriot Act prevented or stopped terrorist acts in America?
• Do states that allow citizens to carry guns have higher or lower crime rates?
• How are the Great Depression and the Great Recession similar and different?
• What are the dangers of scuba diving and underwater exploration?
• How does the human brain store and retrieve memories ?
• What was the Manhattan Project and what impact did it have on the world?
• How does stealth technology shield aircraft from radar?
• What causes tornadoes ?
• Why did Martin Luther protest against the Catholic Church?
• How does a search engine work?
• What are the current capabilities and future goals of genetic engineers ?
• How did the Roman Empire fall?
• What obstacles faced scientists in breaking the sound barrier ?
• How did the black plague affect Europe?
• What happened to Amelia Earhart ?
• What are the dangers and hazards of using nuclear power ?
• How did Genghis Khan conquer Persia?
• What architectural marvels were found in Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire ?
• From where does spam email come and can we stop it?
• How does night vision work?
• How did journalists influence US war efforts in Vietnam ?
• What are the benefits and hazards of medical marijuana ?
• What causes desert mirages and how do they affect wanderers?
• What was the cultural significance of the first moon landing ?
• What are sinkholes and how are they formed?
• Have any psychics ever solved crimes or prevented them from occurring?
• Who is Vlad the Impaler and what is his connection to Count Dracula ?
• What are the risks of climate change and global warming ?
• What treatments are available to people infected with HIV and are they effective?
• Who was a greater inventor, Leonardo di Vinci or Thomas Edison ?
• How are the Chinese and American economies similar and different?
• Why was communism unsuccessful in so many countries?
• In what ways do video games affect children and teenagers?

923 Comments

I like using this website when I assist kids with learning as a lot of these topics are quickly covered in the school systems. Thankyou

Mackenah Nicole Molina

Wow! I always have trouble deiciding what to do a research project on but this list has totally solved that. Now my only problem is choosing what idea on this list I should do first!

Most of these my teacher rejected because apparently ‘these aren’t grade level topics, and I doubt they interest you”

I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like you will have a potentially valuable character-building experience in the short-term.

Edwin Augusto Galindo Cuba

THIS SITE IS AWESOME, THERE ARE LOTS OF TOPICS TO LEARN AND MASTER OUR SKILLS!

research kid

I need one about animals, please. I have been challenged to a animal research project, Due Friday. I have no clue what to research! somebody help, thanks for reading!

You can do one on bats

For international studies you can do Defense and Security.

This was very helpful.

Research on Ben Franklin? I think THAT will get a real charge out of everyone (hehehehegetit)

Mandy Maher

“Is it possible to colonize Mars?”

maddy burney

these are silly topics

thx for making this real.

more gaming questions!!!!!!

Is it still considered stealing if you don’t get caught?

Yes, yes it is still considered stealing.

I need topics on memes

Mary Nnamani

Please I need project topics on Language Literature

Marcella Vallarino

I would appreciate a list of survey questions for middle school grades 6-8

I need a research topics about public sector management

I NEED FIVE EXAMPLES EACH ON QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH (EDUCATION, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, ECONOMY AND ENGINEERING)

publish research that are interesting please……

hey can you do one on the burmiueda triangle

Anybody know video games effect kids,and,teens. There Fun!!

they’re

I need a topic about woman history if any of u can find 1 please that would be great!

You could research about the history of the astronauts, and of human past (WWI, WWII, etc.)

so about women? Manitoba Women Win the Right to Vote in Municipal Elections, The First Women, January 23, 1849: Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to graduate from medical school and become a doctor in the United States, Rosa Parks Civil Rights Equal Pay. I have way more. so if you need more just ask.

communism is good

what are you a communist?!?!

Did FDR know about the upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor on 07 DEC 1941.

do you know how babies are born

Christine Singu

kindly assist with a research topic in the field of accounting or auditing

need more about US army

Please can yiu give me a topic in education

I think one should be how can music/Video games can affect the life for people

or How Do Video Games Affect Teenagers?

zimbabwe leader

I think a good topic is supporting the confederate flag!

Need a research topic within the context of students union government and dues payments

do more weird ones plz

joyce alcantara

Hi pls po can you give me a topic relate for humanities pls thank u.

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Databases and Web Resources for Generating Topic Ideas

• ProCon.org ProCon is a private, nonprofit organization that provides nonpartison information about controversial issues.
• Points of View Reference Center The Points of View Reference Center helps you identify paper topics topics and the different points of view within them.
• New York Times Topics This is a list of current topics and links to articles on these topics from the New York Times.
• SIRS Researcher The SIRS Researcher contains short essays that present different and often clashing sides on an issue. This is another useful resource for generating topic ideas.

Idea Generation Techniques

• Silent writing technique for generating ideas Brief description of the silent writing technique used to generate ideas without the limitations of brainstorming.
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English 101 - Proposal Research Paper: Welcome

• Choosing a Topic and Search Tips
• Find Articles & More
• Evaluating Sources
• Citation & Writing

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Study Guide for The Proposal Research Paper

Planning your Research

As you start planning your research paper, check out the University of Minnesota's Assignment Calculator . It can help you determine how much time you will need to complete various aspects of your research and writing, given your starting date and due date.

• Next: Choosing a Topic and Search Tips >>
• Last Updated: Aug 7, 2024 12:56 PM
• URL: https://libguides.msjc.edu/c.php?g=96396

How to write a Research Paper – Step by Step Guide

A Step-by-Step Guide to writing a research paper

Introduction:

Writing a research paper is a job that we all have to do in our academic life. A research paper represents the ideas of the person who writes it. In simple words, a research paper presents an original idea and substantiates it with logical arguments. Writing a research paper in the domain of English literature is very different compared to writing research articles in other domains. Literature inclines towards abstract thinking. In other subjects, one has to stick to the facts. Howsoever you try, disputing an idea of science becomes very difficult. On the other hand, to contradict an idea in the purview of literature, you just need a systematic flow of arguments (logical and valid) and it’s done! So, writing a research paper in the field of English literature becomes easy if arguments are strong, in a sequence and wisely crafted.

Step 1: Choose the topic of your research paper:

This is one of the most vital parts. Choosing a topic is a crucial choice to make and it has to be taken seriously. You have to choose the area of your interest in English literature and then narrow it down to the area of your expertise. You cannot write a paper on the topics which are wider than a Doctoral thesis! So, you have to be precise and wise while choosing your topic.

An example: Suppose a person has adequate knowledge about Matthew Arnold. Can he write a research article on Arnold alone? No! He will need to bring the topic to some specific idea related to Arnold. The possibilities may be in his prose or poetry writing. In certain states in India, students work on topics like “Matthew Arnold as a poet” and “Matthew Arnold as a great prose writer” which is invalid, injustice and academically a sin. It should not be encouraged! Someone being a poet cannot be a subject of a research article. Any special quality of someone’s poetry writing can certainly be an interesting topic of a research paper – now you must have the idea. ‘Hopelessness and Despair in the poetry of Matthew Arnold’ can be a topic for a brilliant research paper. The hint is very simple – narrow it down to the speciality and you will have your topic ready!

Read in detail – How to choose a research topic? 

Step 2: Collect information – primary and secondary sources:

Now that you have selected a topic for your research paper, you should find ‘credible sources’ that substantiate your ‘paper’s purpose’. Sources are divided into two major categories – primary and secondary. Primary sources are the materials produced by the people who feature in your topic. In the case of our example above, poetry by Matthew Arnold and other writings by him will be primary sources. Secondary sources are the writings ‘about the topic and anything related to the topic’. Therefore, you have to browse the internet, visit a library, check your bookshelves and do anything that will bring you information about the topic and anything that relates to the topic.

Step 3: Plan your research article:

Before you begin writing the paper, it’s always wise to have a clear plan in your mind. Planning a research paper in the domain of English literature should always begin with a clear ‘purpose of research’ in your mind. Why are you writing this paper? What point do you want to make? How significant is that point? Do you have your arguments to support the point (or idea) that you want to establish? Do you have enough credible sources that support the arguments you want to make in the body of the paper? If all the answers are positive, move to the next step and begin writing the drafts for your paper.

Step 4: Writing the first draft of your research paper:

Now it comes to writing the paper’s first draft. Before you begin writing, have a clear picture of your paper in your mind. It will make the job easier. What does a research paper look like? Or, rather, what’s the ideal structure of a research paper?

Beginning – Introduce your idea that drives the research paper. How do you approach that idea? What is your paper – an analysis, review of a book or two ideas compared or something else. The introduction must tell the story of your research in brief – ideas, a highlight or arguments and the glimpse of conclusion. It is generally advised that the introduction part should be written in the end so that you have the final research paper clearly justified, introduced and highlighted at the beginning itself.

Middle – And here goes the meat of your paper. All that you have to emphasise, euphemise, compare, collaborate and break down will take place in the middle or the body of your research paper. Please be careful once you begin writing the body of your paper. This is what will impact your readers (or the examiners or the teachers) the most. You have to be disciplined, systematic, clever and also no-nonsense. Make your points and support them with your arguments. Arguments should be logical and based on textual proofs (if required). Analyse, compare or collaborate as required to make your arguments sharp and supportive to the proposition that you make. The example topic of a research paper that we chose somewhere above in this article – Hopelessness and Despair in the Poetry of Matthew Arnold will require the person writing this paper to convince the readers (and so on) that actually Arnold’s poetry gives a sign of the two negative attitudes picked as the topic. It would be wise to analyse the works (and instances from them, to be specific) The Scholar Gypsy, Empedocles on Etna, Dover Beach and others that support the proposition made in the topic for research. You can use primary and secondary sources and cite them wisely as required. You have to convince the readers of your paper that what you propose in the purpose of the research paper stands on the ground as a logical and valid proposition.

End – Or the conclusion of a research paper that should be written wisely and carefully. You can use a few of your strongest arguments here to strike the final balance and make your proposition justified. After a few of your strongest arguments are made, you can briefly summarise your research topic and exhibit your skills of writing to close the lid by justifying why you are proposing that you have concluded what you began. Make sure that you leave the least possible loopholes for conjecture after you conclude your paper.

Reference: You can use two of the most used styles (or rather only used) to give a list of references in your paper – APA or MLA. Whatever you choose needs to be constant throughout the paper.

To summarise, here is what a research paper should look like:

• Introduction
• A list of References

Step 5: Read & re-read your draft: It gives you the chance to judge your research paper and find the possible shortcomings so that you can make amends and finalise your paper before you print it out for your academic requirements. While you read your first draft, treat it with a purpose to find contradictions and conjecture points as much as possible. Wherever you find the chances of contradiction possible, you have to make those arguments forceful and more logical and substantiate them to bypass the fear of being contradicted (and defeated). Let us be clear – it is English literature we are dealing with and there will be contradictions. Don’t fear it. However, make sure your arguments are not defeated. The defeat means your paper will not hold up to the scrutiny of the experts. And this is why you need to read and re-read the first draft of your literature research paper.

Step 6: Finalise & print your research paper: After reading your paper 1 or 2 times, you should be sure what needs to be changed and otherwise. Finalise it so that it appears the best and sounds good to be the final version. Print your work in the best possible quality and you are done! If there is a verbal question-answer associated with the paper you prepare, make sure you understand it completely and are ready for the questions from any possible side of your topic.

This was our step-by-step guide to writing a research paper in the field of English literature. We hope you have found it useful. We will write more articles associated with the concept – such as choosing a research topic, building arguments, writing powerful introductions. Make sure you subscribe to our website so that you are notified whenever we post a new article on English Literature Education! All the best with your paper!

More guides on How to Subjects: 

How to Study Poetry?

Read related articles from this category:

Bildungsroman – literary term definition, examples, notes & help you need

List of important literary terms associated with studying drama or play – Literature Guides

What is Drama? What is Drama in Literature? Features, Types & Details Students Must Know

Have something to say? Add your comments:

9 Comments . Leave new

Thank you so much, explanation about research work is a nice manner. (private information retracted)

Very well written article! Thanks for this. I was confused about my research paper. I am sure I can do it now.

Quite resourceful. thank you.

Very nice reseach paper

It was very nice reading, helpful for writing research paper.

Thanks for your kind sharing of the information

Normally, I don’t leave any replies after reading a blog, but I couldn’t help this time. I found this blog very useful. So, I’m writing my research paper and I’ve been racking my brain and the internet for a good topic, plus trying to learn how to write a research paper. Thank you so much for putting this up!

I want to work on The French Revolution and its impact on romantic poetry. Please help in this regard.

Thanks a lot for the information.

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English 101: Controversial Issues Paper: Research Paper Process Guide

• Research Paper Process Guide
• Literature Guide

Choose your topic

Can't think of a topic , brainstorm..

• What aspects of your research assignment are you interested in?
• What time period of geographic area are you interested in?
• What do you already know about the topic?

Some tips to consider:

• Be sure to pick something that genuinely interests you.
• Ask your instructor, a librarian, or even a classmate for advice or feedback on paper topic ideas.
• Finally, once you've settled on something you want to work on, try to express it as a question. 

General Reference Resources

Browsing  a general reference resource on some subjects areas that interest you might give you some good ideas. 

• Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Broad subject general reference database searching hundreds of encyclopedias and other reference works. Provides subject/topic maps.
• Ebooks from Gale This link opens in a new window A broad ranging general reference collection of ebooks. Search thousands of authoritative reference sources across all fields and disciplines.

Current events

Read through current newspapers and see what is happening in the news that interests you.

• Newsstand This link opens in a new window This newspaper resource allows users to search articles instantly by title, headline, date, author, newspaper section, or other fields. Provides access to more than 2,300 major U.S. regional, national, and local newspapers, as well as leading titles from around the world. It also includes thousands of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts.

A few "Hot Topic" sources

Here are a few places that outline many important social issues.

• Controversial Issue Projects Ideas 301 Prompts for Argumentative Writing asking questions about some of the more debatable issues of the day.
• Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window Provides content to help assess and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills. This database assembles controversial information in a non-biased manner for evaluation by the patron.
• Opposing Viewpoints: Gale in Context This link opens in a new window Covers today's hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. This cross-curricular resource supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Includes viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, etc. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science,etc.

Keywords and Subjects

Need help finding the right search terms to help you broaden or narrow your search? 

• Library 101: Identify keywords

Do your research

Gather information to support your argument.

Now that you know what you're writing about, you need to gather your research. This includes your topic's background, current events, data and statistics, and expert opinion and analysis. For this, there are a variety of different resources we like:

This is where you wrap your head around your topic. Look here to find topic overviews; definitions; and to get a general sense of important events, people, and key concepts.

Here are some place to look for information to understand what how your topic is understood within a bigger picture. This might include: current events, historical context, cultural attitudes, literary themes, scientific perspectives, or political controversies.

• History Reference Center This link opens in a new window Covering both U.S. and world history topics, this is a full-text database featuring historical reference books, magazines, journals and thousands of primary source documents. Offers full text from reference books, encyclopedias, and non-fiction books, and includes photos, maps, and videos.

Here's where you find information about your topic's bigger impact, how this is an issue that affects something larger and is meaningful in a broad way. This typically means statistics, but might also mean finding many examples from other sources to support your observations.

• Statista This link opens in a new window An online statistics portal that provides access to data from market and opinion research institutions, as well as from business organizations and government institutions.
• Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Polling statistics on matters of national and global importance
• Statistics Research Guide
• Census Data Produced by the Census Bureau, this is the premier source for population, housing, economic, and geographic data.

Credible Support and Analysis

Because you are making a claim, you need to lean on the credibility of scholars or experts to help support and ground your argument. Here are a number of databases to find peer-reviewed articles on many topics from a variety of subject areas:

• Academic OneFile: Gale This link opens in a new window A broad subject database which includes peer-reviewed journals, magazines, reference sets and podcasts covering the areas of criminal justice, history, economics, marketing, and psychology. Also includes podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning.
• Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window Academic Search Complete offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, providing users access to critical information from many sources unique to this database. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and more. Topical Video Content Academic Search Complete offers access to video content from the Associated Press, the world’s leading news agency. Videos relevant to the search terms will appear in a carousel in the result list. With footage from 1930 to the present and updated monthly, this collection of more than 75,000 videos covers a wide variety of topics.

Best Bet! Controversial Issues Databases

For a deeper investigation into your topics, books are always going to be helpful.

• Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window ● Browse by category or enter words in search box ● Filter by "Points of View" or "Academic Journal" sources
• Opposing Viewpoints: Gale in Context This link opens in a new window ● Browse by Category or enter words in search box ● Filter by "Viewpoints," "Academic Journals," or "Reference" sources

All Library Databases

• Library Research Databases Search for article databases, electronic journals, image collections, statistical sources, and more. If you know where you want to go or would like to browse by subject are, go to the full list of library databases. You can sort by subject area, type of material, and database name.

Search the Library Catalog

Primo is our main search function. Go here to see all of our books, articles, and more.

Research Process Overview

Research basics: a step-by-step guide.

Develop a topic Select a Topic | Develop Research Questions | Identify Keywords | Find Background Information | Refine a Topic

Locate information Books & E-Books | Videos & Images | Articles  | Websites | Search Strategies

Types of Information Information Sources  | Examples of Information Sources  |  Types of Periodicals

Evaluate Help! My News is Fake!  | What Can I Do?  | Let's Check a Claim  |  Check your own claim!​

Write Grammar and Figures of Speech  |  Take Notes | Outline the Paper  

Cite Plagiarism | MLA Format |  APA Format | APA Examples | Annotated Bibliographies  | Additional Citation Styles and Sources

Creating PowerPoint Presentations

Looking for help using TCTC Library Resources? 

• Library Instruction and Online Tutorials Our online Library Tutorials will guide you through the process with both printable handouts and online videos.

Have a specific question?

• Ask a librarian Need help? Ask a librarian! We're available via online chat, email, and phone. Or check out our FAQs to see if someone has already asked your question.

This guide was developed with the Johnson & Wales University Denver Library and is used with permission.

A little more about print titles and the library catalog

Using the library catalog.

Using the catalog isn't difficult, but it can be a little tricky.

• Library Catalog You can always get to the catalog under the "Find" tab at the top of the page under "get Books."

The materials in the Tri-County Technical College Library are organized so that materials on similar subjects are shelved together. We use the Library of Congress classification system to organize our books. It is used by most research and academic libraries in the United States.

• Library of Congress (LC) Classification System Learn more about the Library of Congress classification system and its various categories here.

How to find books using the Library of Congress Classification system 

Each item is given a subject heading that corresponds to a call number which identifies the location of the item on a shelf. 

Items are arranged on the shelves from left to right, top to bottom, according to call numbers. Call numbers are read in this format:

Search Strategies

The keywords you use can have a profound impact on the results of your research. Using the “right” words will speed up the research process, while the “wrong” words can bring to it to a halt.

Before you can begin searching for information, you need to identify keywords related to your topic.

• Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms.
• Find pictures related to your topic, then describe them.
• Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend.
• Use a keyword generator .

Limiting Searches

It is common for an initial search to return an overwhelming number of results. Refining the results allows you to identify exactly the most relevant content.

Each database is a little different, but there are a few common ways to limit your search:

"Show only"

• Peer-Reviewed Journals
• Full Text Online 

"Refine my results"

• Resource type (i.e. Journals, Magazines, Reviews, Critical Essays, Books, Topic Overviews)
• Subject: Depending upon the search, this section lists various standard subject categories and allows the results to be limited to the chosen subject.
• Publication year
• Date: This section allows you to limit the results to items created in particular time periods.You can type dates into the boxes or sometimes there will be a date slider to determine your date search range.
• Often, there will be a “More options” choice--it might be designated by a plus (+) sign--where you will find a full list of available search-refining options; only the most first few will be initially visible. 

Combining and clearing refinements

After you have chosen one refinement, it is possible to continue to choose additional refinements. The results list will then show only results that meet the criteria for all the selected refinements. In most databases the selected refinements are displayed at the top of the results list. To remove a refinement, you will click on the X near its box. Doing so will start a new search without that refinement.

Sorting Results

Your results are sorted by what the database thinks is most relevant to your search. But there are almost always other ways to sort your results. Some of the various sort methods include: 

• Relevance: This tends to be the default sorting method.
• Date: By either newest or oldest
• Author: Alphabetically, by either A-Z or Z-A
• Title:  Alphabetically, by either A-Z or Z-A

A few special things:

All databases have their own unique features for doing typical search procedures that are worth using to help limit your results. Some of these include:

• Search within results
• Search history
• Related articles and links.

Citation information

This guide will help you with the following: 

• Tips to help you  avoid plagiarism
• Some information about MLA Formatting  
• Some information about APA Formatting and Example APA Citations
• Help you understand what an Annotated Bibliography is and how to make one
• To offer some additional citation style tools and information

Need more help?

Did you miss the library workshop for your English 101 or 103 class? Are you taking English online? Or do you just need a refresher on how to do research for a paper? Here are videos that tell you about each step of the research process.

• English 101 Research Paper Worksheet 2016
• Getting Started 2016
• Information Literacy 2016
• Evaluating Sources 2016
• Reference Sources 2016
• Journals vs Magazines 2016
• Database Searching 2016
• Searching for Journals in Databases 2016
• Using the “Find Anything” Search Engine 2016
• eBooks 2016
• Library Books: Print and Online 2016
• How to use the library videos in Blackboard 2016
• Next: Literature Guide >>
• Last Updated: May 30, 2024 11:48 AM
• URL: https://library.tctc.edu/eng101

101 English Research Paper Topics, Questions and Ideas

English Research Paper Topics and Ideas

When it comes to English, there is no limit to the topics you can research about. English research paper topic is the question you’re going to answer in your paper based on your research. However, choosing an interesting topic that will capture the attention of your readers and show your academic prowess can be challenging. The trick to getting an idea worth writing about which will also give you a good grade is to pick a topic that you’re interested in and that which you have some background knowledge. It must also be narrow yet have adequate research material and be related to the specific class you’re currently taking. If you’re having trouble finding a good research topic, here are helpful tools on how to get started.

How to Select the Best English Research Paper Topics? Here Is the Easiest Way

Knowing how to select the best research paper topic is an essential skill that every student must have. It is crucial not only for English courses but also for other assignment papers that you will need to write. Selecting a great paper topic starts with choosing a topic of interest. You then need to do background research and brainstorm different ideas.

During the research, you also need to note down various keywords which will help you narrow down your topic. Finally, you need to use the why, who, what and when questions to get different aspects of the topic and to create an outline of how your content is going to look like.

Even with all the information, keep in mind the length, due date and makes sure your topic meets all the assignment requirements.  However, don’t be so focused on your topic that you fail to modify it based on the research. In most instances, during the research process, it is normal to find some other aspects of the topic that are more interesting. So be flexible!

List of English Research Paper Topics for All Students

Your ideal paper topic should be written as a thesis statement. The thesis statement should be between one and two sentences. Keep in mind that the title of your paper may not be the same as your thesis statement, but both should convey the purpose and focus of your research. In English literature, there are so many topics at your disposal that it might overwhelm you. The best way to go about choosing your topic is to look at the different categories.

Look at the similarities between the two genres in the story or what are the differences. Is one genre more effective than the other and how each genre is portrayed in the story? You can also explain how a particular genre emerged or literature in current society.

What issues do the characters try to bring out ion the story? Or how are the characters important to the novel and how do they reflect in real society?  These are some of the research topics you can consider.

• Gender Roles

How is the gender portrayed in the story? What are the roles of men and women in the novel? You can examine equality or gender expectations as part of your research topics.

• Culture and Literature

What cultural issues is the book addressing?

• Politics and Religion

In the novel is there any connection between politics and religion? What beliefs is the book promoting?

Interesting 101 English Research Paper Topics

• Role of technology in economics
• Advantages of studying internationally versus locally
• Importance of teamwork collaboration for nurses
• School-based mandatory student drug testing approach work to reduce illicit substance use in adolescents
• Does pissing on demand: workplace drug testing and the rise of the detox industry by Kenneth D. Tunnell advocate for invasiveness?
• Psychological factors that influence consumer choice
• Should Drug testing be mandatory for student-athletes?
• The benefits of drug testing for welfare individuals
• Employee drug testing can result in business productivity
• Biblical allegories in modern literature
• Steinberg display hypocrisy of modern Christianity
• In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, rose of Sharon’s baby is a symbol of hope or death
• Important themes in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and their reflection in today’s society
• Is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck an educative classic novel or a controversial piece of writing?
• Today’s immigrant can relate to the Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• The issue of accessibility of contraceptives for high school students
• Sexism in the media industry
• Whether or not convicted criminals should be eligible for social welfare
• How hunting can become a necessary means in some cases
• Drawbacks of a democratic political system
• The issue of firearms and whether or not they should be registered with the police
• Effects of gangs in poor urban centers
• The pros and cons of legalizing prostitution
• How early modern treatment of extremes resonate in present-day culture in Excess and the Mean in Early Modern English Literature by Joshua Scodel
• How individual freedom and modern English culture is portrayed in Excess and the Mean in Early Modern English Literature by Joshua Scodel
• How the pleasure of literature can lead to a dark side? Use the book Futile Pleasures: Early Modern Literature and the Limits of Utility by Corey McEleney
• In the book Animal Characters: Nonhuman Beings in Early Modern Literature by Bruce Thomas explain how animal characters relate to the emerging economy and culture of the European Renaissance
• The relationship between literary form and code of conduct in the book Rhetoric and Courtliness in Early Modern Literature by Jennifer Richards
• Importance of digitization of medical records
• The issue of feminist women being too harsh on other women who don’t support the movement
• Life in London in the 18 th century
• Ethical use of stem cells
• Golan Heights and its importance to the Israelites
• Various conflicts that have revolved around the Golan Heights
• The issue of who are the legal occupants of Golan Height
• Strange medieval family laws and their influence on society
• The significance of the little bird in Trifles by Susan Glaspell
• Changes in the role of women from Susan Glaspell’s Trifles
• Use The Monk by Matthew Lewis as a response to formal realism.
• The role of feminine men and masculine men in The Monk by Matthew Lewis
• Feminism in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles
• The role of violence in Victorian society in Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
• Literary criticism of The Monk by Mathew Lewis
• Sea symbolism in Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
• How is the Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold a presentation of a changing world?
• Is Susan Glaspell’s trifle the ultimate women suffrage story?
• The Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold is a mockery of the Victorian society
• Compare and contrast the Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S Eliot
• The perception of how women love in the legend of La Llorona
• The expectation of women in Marge Piercy’s Barbie Doll
• Unfair treatment of women in the poem A work of Artifice by Marge Piercy
• Discuss the theme of industrialization, corruption, and capitalism using Williams Blake’s London
• London in the eighteenth century by William Blake’s London
• Criticism of gender roles in The Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
• Social distinction in The Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
• Dehumanization effects of colonialism in Heart of Darkness by Josef Conrad
• The theme of racism in Heart of Darkness by Josef Conrad
• How the characters portray differences in social class in Pamela by Samuel Richardson
• Teachers using modern technology affect the quality of education
• How modern-day heroes shape young people
• How marriage has changed for modern society
• The link between illegal immigration and terrorism
• The drawbacks of online dating apps
• European influence on fashion in the world
• How myths about eating certain foods are affecting health
• Are UFOS a reality or fiction?
• Pros and Cons of e-learning
• Is bodybuilding only for boosting ego or for health reasons
• The America dream for immigrants and minorities
• How technology is revolutionizing terrorism
• Eliminating the SAT for college admission can make education better
• How the role of women in the military and battlefield has changed?
• How depression affects human behavior
• The genetic link to optimism can shape attitudes. Explain
• Violent discipline by caregivers affects a child’s mental growth
• Therapy and how it can be an effective rehabilitation method for hardcore prisoners
• Secondhand smoke is the major cause of lung cancer deaths
• How alternative medicine for cancer is unsafe
• Children should be taught at school about various types of sexual orientation
• Cybercrime is the new terrorism
• The impact of Bioterrorism
• The refugee crisis is increasing terrorism
• Social media and modeling industry: Is social media making it easy for models to become rich?
• Industrialization and agricultural activities are the greatest contributors to climate change
• Effects of commercialization of sports
• Negative effects of doing the wrong exercises
• Dangers of consuming organic foods
• Dangers of weight lifting on women
• Whether or not sports betting should be regulated
• Should gambling addiction be ranked in the same category as hard drugs?
• Athletes are excelling because of their professional trainers
• The modern pop musician has more influence than musicians of 80s
• The definition of feminism has changed since the 18th century
• Going to music school influences the success of a modern musician
• Tobacco advertising and its effects
• How obsession with healthy eating can drive more people into anorexia
• The link between Social media and suicide for teenagers and youths
• Should it be mandatory for parents to control their kid’s social media accounts
• The civil rights movement and the effects
• Analysis of strategies used to alter consumer attitudes
• Globalization and how it affects the economy

Examples of English Research Paper Questions

One of the main parts of writing English research paper is to define the research paper question. The question often leads to a hypothesis or thesis statement. Good research questions will generally be based on the who, why, how and what type of questions.

For example, what are the main questions that a reader might ask in this topic or what are your opinions about the topic and who is affected by it? How is the culture portrayed in that particular novel or book? Which political values is the novel questioning? What are the differences and similarities between the two characters?

Once you have a couple of various research questions, you can choose the top three questions and use them to generate a thesis statement.  You can then construct your paper around good research questions. If you don’t have a clue what to write, here are a couple of questions to inspire you.

• Is random drug testing in a workplace ethical and necessary?
• Do pharmaceutical companies view Ebola vaccine as unprofitable?
• Has the role of the first lady changed?
• Does motivation play a role in human development?
• Should the use of marijuana be regulated?
• Have the effects of religious cults changed today as compared to those in ancient society?
• Is technology affecting health management?
• Is it ethical to wear fur coats?
• If a college education is made free, will it be more or less qualitative?
• Are standardized tests a good way to evaluate a student’s knowledge?

How to Come up with the Best English Research Paper Ideas

The main point of choosing a research topic is to go for aspects of the subjects that you understood better and that which interests you the most. What’s great about a teacher asking you to come up with a research topic is that you can go in any direction that you want. You can look at imagery within the novel, or discuss the allegory of two random but related novels.

However, the process of coming up with English research paper topic that will impress your lecturer is not easy. If you don’t understand your assignments, then don’t hesitate to use our services. Feel free to call us now, and we will help you narrow down good topics that your lecturer will love.

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