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How to Write a Research/Term Paper

This guide will assist you in finding information and resources about how to write a research/term paper.

Understanding Assignments - What Do You Need to Do?

Video Summary
Reading your assignment when you receive it (and asking questions about anything you do not understand) prevents confusion and saves time down the road. As you read your assignment, look for these common parts:  

  • A one or two-sentence introduction
  • A list of thought-provoking questions or ideas  
  • Key verbs that indicate what you need to do 
  • Tips for success 
  • Information about format and logistics

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/
© 2010-2018 The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill

Understanding Writing Prompts & Assignments

Many instructors write their assignment prompts differently. By following a few steps, you can better understand the requirements for the assignment. The best way, as always, is to ask the instructor about anything confusing.

  1. Read the prompt the entire way through once. This gives you an overall view of what is going on.
  2. Underline or circle the portions that you absolutely must know. This information may include due date, research (source) requirements, page length, and format (MLA, APA, CMS).
  3. Underline or circle important phrases. You should know your instructor at least a little by now - what phrases do they use in class? Does he repeatedly say a specific word? If these are in the prompt, you know the instructor wants you to use them in the assignment.
  4. Think about how you will address the prompt. The prompt contains clues on how to write the assignment. Your instructor will often describe the ideas they want discussed either in questions, in bullet points, or in the text of the prompt. Think about each of these sentences and number them so that you can write a paragraph or section of your essay on that portion if necessary.
  5. Rank ideas in descending order, from most important to least important. Instructors may include more questions or talking points than you can cover in your assignment, so rank them in the order you think is more important. One area of the prompt may be more interesting to you than another.
  6. Ask your instructor questions if you have any.

After you are finished with these steps, ask yourself the following:

  1. What is the purpose of this assignment? Is my purpose to provide information without forming an argument, to construct an argument based on research, or analyze a poem and discuss its imagery?
  2. Who is my audience? Is my instructor my only audience? Who else might read this? Will it be posted online? What are my readers' needs and expectations?
  3. What resources do I need to begin work? Do I need to conduct literature (hermeneutic or historical) research, or do I need to review important literature on the topic and then conduct empirical research, such as a survey or an observation? How many sources are required?
  4. Who - beyond my instructor - can I contact to help me if I have questions? Do you have a writing lab or student service center that offers tutorials in writing?

Purdue OWL Writing Lab

Look Out for These Verbs

Informational Verbs
Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

define provide a subject’s meaning according to the perspective of a particular person, movement, institution, or school of thought. Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
describe provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
explain give reasons why or examples of how something happened
illustrate give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
summarize briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
trace outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
research gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relational Verbs
Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

compare show how two or more things are similar 
contrast show how two or more things are dissimilar
apply use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
cause show how one event or series of events made something else happen
relate show or describe the connections between things

Analytical Verbs
Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

assess summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
justify give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
evaluate/respond state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
support give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
synthesize put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
analyze determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
argue take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

Holy Names University