Planning a Research Paper

1
Planning a Research Paper

• Milly Grillone
• FAO Consultant

2
Writing as a Process
The communication of complex ideas is a process
that requires thinking and rethinking, working
and reworking
3
Before writing.

• Brainstorming
• write down your ideas just the way they come in
  your mind

Brainstorming
Choosing a Topic
4
.organize your ideas

• Imposing order on your ideas make the information
  
• easier to understand and
• easier to remember.
• If you choose a clear, recognizable pattern (on
  the level of the paragraph and also on the level
  of the whole essay body) you guide your reader in
  discovering relationships that connect things.

5
Thesis Statement

• The Thesis Statement is that sentence or two
  in your text that contains the
  FOCUS or CORE of your essay
• Try to narrow your topic.
• Example Agricultural Policy
  Agricultural Policy in the EU
  Agricultural Policy Changes in the EU
• The TS should remain FLEXIBLE until the paper is
  finished.
• If you discover new information that ought to
  be included in the TS, youll have to rewrite
  your TS. On the other hand if you discover that
  the TS appears to include things that you
  havent addressed, then you need to limit your
  TS.

Choosing a thesis
Brainstorming
Choosing a Topic
6
Structure of the Essay Outline

• INTRODUCTION-ARGUMENT-CONCLUSION
• Construct your Outline by listing all the
  important points you want to cover in your essay
• Provide one main point for each paragraph
• Start with the introduction under which you will
  write out your TS and work through LOGICALLY,
  point by point until you reach the conclusion

The Outline
Choosing a thesis
Brainstorming
Choosing a Topic
7
Structure of the Essay Outline (2)

• Group related ideas together under general
  headings and arrange them so they flow logically
• Each point in your outline should connect with
  the next
• Each main category should be linked to your
  thesis
• Focus your outline by discarding anything not
  useful or pertinent
• Categorize your points according to their
  importance, keeping in mind the method of
  organization you intend to use

8
Principles of Organization Transition between
Ideas

• Organize your information according to a
• Chronological Order (Order of Time)
• Following the order in which events occur
• Spatial Order
• Items are arranged according to their physical
  position or relationship
• Climactic Order (Order of Importance)
• Items are arranged from least important to most
  important

9
Principles of Organization (2)

• General to Specific Order
• Specific to General Order
• Simplest to Most Complex Order
• Topical Order

10
5 Golden Rules

• Try to be always
• Clear
• Simple
• Brief
• Coherent
• Logical

11
RESEARCH

• Reading or/and Field Research
• Collecting and verifying data

Research
The Outline
Choosing a thesis
Brainstorming
Choosing a Topic
12
RESEARCH (2)

• Selection of information
• Summary of information

13
Ready to start
14
Some Simple Rules...

• No comma between subject and verb
• Agriculture, is one of the main component of GDP
• Subject-Verb Agreement the subject and the verb
  must agree in number, both must be singular or
  both plural (? Arabic!)
• Syria have a comparative advantage
• The media was biased in its reporting of the
  event