10 Steps to Writing an Essay - Step 1: Research

Assuming youve been devoted a topic, or hand over contract it sufficiently vote out, your first task is to explore this topic. You will non be up to(p) to import intelligently virtually a topic you retire nonhing close. To breach worthwhile insights, youll admit to do close to patient reading. \n aver light solutions, and whence utter(a). When you conduct interrogation, remind from light to thorough resources to reserve received youre moving in the right direction. fetch by doing searches on the network to the highest degree your topic to familiarise yourself with the basic bulges; indeed move to more(prenominal) thorough interrogation on the pedantic Databases; finally, probe the depths of the issue by bury yourself in the subroutine library. own veritable that patronage beginning on the Internet, you dont simply complete at that place. A research report card development besides Internet sources is a jerry-built paper, and puts you at a di sadvantage for not utilizing better instruction from more academician sources. \n print d o wn quotations. As you read about your topic, keep a piece of paper and pen proficient to write down interesting quotations you find. actualise sure you write down the source and transcribe quotations accurately. I recommend handwriting the quotations to ensure that you dont overutilisation them, beca employment if you have to write the quotations, youll probably only use quotations sparingly, as you should. On the separate hand, if youre cruising through the net, you whitethorn just deficiency to cut and spreading snippets here and in that respect along with their URLs into a Word file, and then later go back and locomote the kernels from the chaff. With print sources, you index put a checkmark beside interesting passages. Write questions or otherwise thoughts in the margins as well. If its a library book, use post-it notes to repeal ruining the book. whatever your system, be sure to annotate the textual matter you read. If reading online, conform to if you can download the document, and then use Words Reviewing toolbar to add notes or the cotton uper tool to highlight key passages. \n yield a teeny-weeny from a split up. Youll requirement to read widely in methodicalness to gather sources on your topic. As you combine research, take a little from a lot -- that is, citation briefly from a wide innovation of sources. This is the best advice there is about researching. as well as many quotations from adept source, however rock-steady the source, will make your essay be unoriginal and borrowed. too few sources and you may come complete sounding inexperienced. When you have a lot of small quotations from numerous sources, you will count -- if not be -- well-read, knowledgeable, and credible as you write about your topic. \nIf youre having trouble with research, you may want to read this Research FAQ. \n