Exploring a topic in depth . . .

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Exploring a topic in depth . . . From Reading to
Writing The Odyssey often raises questions in
readers minds Was Odysseus a real person? Were
the places mentioned in the poem real or
fictional? Who was Homer? Questions like these
could be the starting point for a
research report.
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Exploring a topic in depth . . . A research
report is a written report in which you
investigate an idea or a question. Research
skills can help you find and make use of the
information you needwhether youre looking for
the best pair of in-line skates or a part-time
job.
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B a s i c s i n a B o x
Research Report at a Glance
RUBRIC
Standards for Writing
A successful research report should

• follow a logical pattern of organization, using
  transitions between ideas
• summarize ideas in a satisfying conclusion
• provide a correctly formatted Works Cited list at
  the end of the paper

• include a strong introduction with a clear thesis
  statement
• use evidence from primary and secondary sources
  to develop and support ideas
• credit sources of information

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Writing Your Research Report
Writing to me is a voyage, an odyssey, a
discovery, because Im never certain of precisely
what I will find. Gabriel Fielding, British
physician and novelist
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Writing Your Research Report

• Find a topic that really interests you.
• Try creating a knowledge inventory. List
  everything you know about the assigned subject or
  about another subject youd like to explore.
• Underline topics that interest you and make a
  list of questions you have about these topics.

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Planning Your Research Report
1. Focus your topic. How much information is
available on your topic? Is there too much to
cover adequately in a short research paper? Is
there too little information to make the report
worthwhile? To either expand or narrow your
topic, try making a cluster diagram. 2. Set your
goals. What do you want to accomplish in your
report? Do you want to entertain your readers,
convince them of something, or share information
that you learn about your topic?
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Planning Your Research Report
3. Identify your audience. Who will read your
report? What will interest them most about your
topic? What do they already know? What do they
need to know? 4. Consider your purpose. What will
be the focus of your report? Identifying your
purpose by writing it in a single sentence will
guide your research and give you directions as
you work. Later on, you can revise this sentence
to become your thesis statement.
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Writing Your Research Report

• To gather information for your report
• Begin by reading one or two general articles on
  your topic, such as encyclopedias.
• Write a list of questions you want to answer
  about the topic and look for the answers to those
  questions as you research.

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Writing Your Research Report

• Look for primary sources, which offer first-hand
  information. Primary sources include letters,
  original literary works, diaries, journals, and
  historical documents.
• Review secondary sources, which provide
  interpretations, explanations, and comments on
  material from other sources. Encyclopedias,
  newspapers, and magazine articles are examples of
  secondary sources.

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Writing Your Research Report

• Evaluate Your Sources
• Not all sources of information are equally
  valuable. The following questions can help you
  evaluate and choose the best sources.
• Is the source up-to-date? Fields such as
  technology, science, and medicine change
  especially quickly. Use the most recent
  information you can find.

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Writing Your Research Report

• Is the source reliable? Look for sources whose
  authors are from respected universities,
  businesses, or other institutions.

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Writing Your Research Report
Make Source Cards Using index cards, create a
source card for each source you use. Number the
cards sequentially so you can easily refer to
them when you take notes and prepare your Works
Cited list. For library books, include the call
number so you can locate the book again if
necessary.
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Writing Your Research Report
Take Notes Record on index cards the information
you gather from your sources. Write just one
piece of information on each card so you can
easily rearrange the cards as you draft your
report. Label each card with the number of the
source card and the page number of the
information.
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Writing Your Research Report
Paraphrase. Restate ideas in your own words to
summarize them and to avoid plagiarism, which is
using someone elses material without permission.
Quotation. Write the quote exactly as it appears
in the source and enclose it in quotation marks.
Quote material for emphasis.
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Writing Your Research Report
Organize Your Material One way to organize your
research notes is to group your note cards by
main ideas. Think about the order in which you
want to discuss those ideas. Consider
chronological, cause-and-effect,
comparison-and-contrast, problem-solution, or a
mix of organizations to see which works the best.
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Writing Your Research Report
Organize Your Material Create an outline, using
your main ideas as the headings. Next, subdivide
the groups of note cards into smaller groups.
These will become the subheads in your outline.
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Writing Your Research Report
Using your outline as a guide, begin drafting
your report. Remember that your main goal is to
get your ideas down on paper. You can revise it
as much as you want later. At some point, write a
thesis statement that expresses the main idea of
your report. State your thesis clearly in the
introduction of your report.
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Writing Your Research Report
The body of your report supports your thesis.
Develop the main ideas of your outline using
examples, facts, statistics, anecdotes, and
quotations from your sources. Summarizes your
thesis in the conclusion.
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Writing Your Research Report
TARGET SKILL ELABORATING WITH FACTS AND
STATISTICS Facts and statistics can provide
strong support for your statements. A fact is a
statement that can be proved either by the use of
reference materials or by firsthand observation.
Statistics are facts expressed in numbers.
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Writing Your Research Report
Editing and Proofreading
TARGET SKILL COMBINING SENTENCES You can add
interest to your writing by varying the length of
your sentences. Try combining some shorter
sentences into longer, more interesting ones.
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Writing Your Research Report
Making a Works Cited List
When you have finished revising, editing, and
proofreading your report, make a Works Cited list
and attach it to the end of your paper.