Research Papers

A RESEARCH PAPER is not a book report or an opinion essay. It is a deep dive where you INVESTIGATE a question, find EVIDENCE, and explain what you discovered. Professional scientists, journalists, and scholars write these their whole lives. In middle school, you learn the process.

**1. QUESTION** — what do you want to know?\n**2. SEARCH** — find trustworthy sources\n**3. READ & NOTE** — summarize what each source says\n**4. OUTLINE** — organize your findings\n**5. WRITE** — introduction, body, conclusion\n**6. REVISE & CITE** — polish + credit your sources\n\nEvery step matters. Skipping any = weak paper.

Weak question: "Dinosaurs"\n\nStrong question: "Why did the dinosaurs go extinct, and what evidence supports the leading theory?"\n\nGood research questions are:\n\n- **SPECIFIC** — narrow enough to answer in a paper\n- **ANSWERABLE** — facts and evidence exist\n- **INTERESTING** — you genuinely care\n- **ARGUABLE** — different people might answer differently\n\nSpend time on the question. It shapes the entire paper.

NOT all sources are equal.\n\n**STRONG sources:**\n- Academic journals\n- Books by experts\n- Government websites (.gov)\n- University sites (.edu)\n- Established newspapers\n- Encyclopedia references\n\n**WEAK sources:**\n- Random blog posts\n- Social media\n- Websites with no author\n- Outdated info (date matters!)\n- Sites trying to sell you something

As you read:\n\n- Write QUOTES in quotation marks (with the source + page number)\n- PARAPHRASE key ideas in your own words\n- Note the author, title, date of source\n- Organize notes by topic, not by source\n\nThis prevents accidental PLAGIARISM and makes writing easier.

**INTRODUCTION** (1 paragraph) — What is your question? Why does it matter? What is your THESIS (main answer)?\n\n**BODY** (3+ paragraphs) — Each paragraph = one main point backed by evidence.\n\n**CONCLUSION** (1 paragraph) — Restate the thesis. Summarize findings. Note what is still unknown.\n\n**WORKS CITED** — List every source you used, in MLA or APA format.

If you use someone else's ideas OR words, you MUST CITE them. Otherwise, it is PLAGIARISM — a form of cheating.\n\nIn-text citation: (Smith, 2021)\n\nWorks cited: "Smith, John. *Climate Change Today*. Oxford University Press, 2021."\n\nFormats: MLA (English class), APA (science), Chicago (history). Your teacher will say which.