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Homework Center – Writing Skills Research Papers Establish your topic. Look for sources of information. Read your sources and take notes. Organize your ideas. Write a first draft. Use footnotes or endnotes to document sources. Write a bibliography. Revise the first draft. Proofread the final draft. What is the first step in writing your paper? Establish Your Topic Try to pick a topic that’s fun and interesting. If your topic genuinely interests you, chances are you’ll enjoy spending time working on it and it won’t seem like a chore. Finding a topic can be difficult. Give yourself plenty of time to read and think about what you’d like to do. Trying to answer questions you have about a particular subject may lead you to a good paper idea. What subject(s) are you interested in? What interests you most about a particular subject? Is there anything you wonder about or are puzzled about with regard to that subject? Once you have a topic, you will probably need to narrow it down to something more manageable. For example, say you are assigned to write a 10-page paper, and you decide to do it on Ancient Egypt. However, since Ancient Egypt is a big topic, and you only have a limited number of pages, you will have to focus on something more specific having to do with that topic. Too general: Ancient Egypt. Revised: The building of the pyramids of Ancient Egypt. One method for coming up with a more specific focus is called brainstorming (or freewriting). Brainstorming is a useful way to let ideas you didn’t know you had come to the surface. Sit down with a pencil and paper, or at your computer, and write whatever comes into your head about your topic. Keep writing for a short but specific amount of time, say 3–5 minutes. Don’t stop to change what you’ve written or to correct spelling or grammar errors. After a few minutes, read through what you’ve written. You will probably throw out most of it, but some of what you’ve written may give you an idea that can be developed. Do some more brainstorming and see what else you can come up with. Back: to the Beginning Homework Center Home »Subjects: Geography | History | Language Arts | Mathematics | Science | Social Studies

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What is the first step in writing your paper?

Establish Your Topic

  • Try to pick a topic that’s fun and interesting. If your topic genuinely interests you, chances are you’ll enjoy spending time working on it and it won’t seem like a chore. Finding a topic can be difficult. Give yourself plenty of time to read and think about what you’d like to do. Trying to answer questions you have about a particular subject may lead you to a good paper idea.

  • What subject(s) are you interested in? What interests you most about a particular subject? Is there anything you wonder about or are puzzled about with regard to that subject?

Too general: Ancient Egypt.

Research Papers

  • Establish your topic. Look for sources of information. Read your sources and take notes. Organize your ideas. Write a first draft. Use footnotes or endnotes to document sources. Write a bibliography. Revise the first draft. Proofread the final draft.

Revised: The building of the pyramids of Ancient Egypt.

  • Sit down with a pencil and paper, or at your computer, and write whatever comes into your head about your topic. Keep writing for a short but specific amount of time, say 3–5 minutes. Don’t stop to change what you’ve written or to correct spelling or grammar errors. After a few minutes, read through what you’ve written. You will probably throw out most of it, but some of what you’ve written may give you an idea that can be developed. Do some more brainstorming and see what else you can come up with.

    Back: to the Beginning

  • Subjects: Geography | History | Language Arts | Mathematics | Science | Social Studies

.com/homework/t2picktopic.html

Sources +

Our Common Sources

Our Common Sources

How to Write an Essay (Advanced)

  • How to Write an Essay (Advanced)

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

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Current Events This Week: January 2023

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The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

  • Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • Current Events This Week: January 2023
  • African Americans by the Numbers
  • Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
  • The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales