When writing research papers and term papers, it’s good to have a plan of action for the research, note taking and writing process. After all, even professional writers don’t just sit down and write the final draft. The writing process starts with the research process. Writers need to locate secondary sources (books, periodicals, internet sources), some primary sources (interviews, surveys, observations, diaries, firsthand accounts of events), collect bibliography information on sources used, and take notes during the research process.

Research Supplies
Besides the resource materials  having a few other supplies on hand will help during the research process. A dictionary and thesaurus will help understand the resource materials and a writing style manual will assist the writer in quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing the material as well as creating the bibliography or list of works cited.

Notebooks and pens as well as highlighters are great for taking notes and highlighting important passages on photocopied pages from the resource materials. Index cards are great for organizing bibliography or list of works cited information. (Explanation on how to use the index  cards listed below in the bibliography section.)

Having access to a computer, word-processing program and a printer are also important. Some people find it easier to take notes by hand while others find it easier to type in the information. I recommend trying both methods then going with the one that works best for you.

Books

Search the school and public libraries’  electronic card catalogs for books that cover the topic chosen for the research or term paper. Check the publication dates on all books. The more recent the publication date, the more accurate the information is deemed to be. You don’t want to write a paper based on out of date information.

Checking the card catalogs for books can be done from any computer. It can even be done from home. Create and print out a list of the book titles along with the books’ authors and call numbers. Make a note of whether the book is available or checked out. Put in a “hold” request for books that are out or for books that might get checked out before you can get to the library. Also put in inter-library loan requests for books only available at another branch of the public library or at another campus of the school library system. Then when you go to the library the books you need will be ready and waiting for you.

Since reference books cannot be checked out of the library, they require a trip to the library. Look through the materials for the needed information. Obtain a library prepaid card and put some money on it for use at the copy machines. Make copies of the needed pages and be sure to record the bibliography information for each reference book source on the index cards. The benefit of having photocopies is that they can be highlighted and marked on.

Go through the bibliography section at the back of each book. These are the resources used by the books’ authors. See which of these books, periodicals and other resources are available at the library, book store or elsewhere. Check into them to see what information can be used to make the research or term paper better.

Periodicals

Periodicals include scholarly journals (i.e. JAMA, Quill), as well as main stream magazines and newspapers. Like books, periodical articles should be fairly recent; written within the last few years ideally. Ask the librarian for help looking up journals and magazines titles, and specific articles for your paper topic. The librarian will be able to tell you if the articles are available in the library or where and how they may be located. Some articles may only be available online or through backordering the issue containing the article. Keep in mind that ordering back issues and printing articles from the internet costs money.

Internet

Searching the internet for reliable websites and information can be tricky. There is so  much information out there and some of the websites are not known for providing reliable or accurate information. Some of the information can be downright misleading or just plain wrong. On top of that, you may discover that many sites copy articles from other sites word-for-word while claiming it’s their own work. This is still plagiarism, so don’t be tempted to copy their example. The best sites are government websites with a URL ending in “.gov”,  an academic institution website with a “.edu” URL ending, or any website from a professional organization that deals directly with your topic. A few examples include The Weather Channel, the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association to name a few.

Interviews and Other Primary Research

Primary research involves information the writer personally collects, not re-searched material. Researched material are considered those materials others have already searched for and found. Primary sources include diaries and firsthand accounts of events but they also cover interviews, surveys, observations and analysis performed by the writer of the term paper or research paper.

Interviews are question and answer sessions between the writer and one person or a small group of people (less than 10). Surveys are question and answer sessions either performed in person with a large group or, most likely, a written  document that the answering people fill out and turn back in to the writer giving the survey. Writers can include their observations of events or occurrences, anything that they witnessed themselves firsthand. Observations include descriptions of people, places, events. Analysis entails gathering data  (mathematical, scientific, social issues), then organizing and examining the information to make sense of it and connect it with the rest of the information used to write the paper.

The Bibliography / List of Works Cited

Once the resources have been chosen,. Make a bibliography entry for each one. Use the index cards for this purpose, one card for each resource. Write out the information for each resource in proper format for a bibliography or list of works cited, depending on the format that the teacher prefers – either APA or MLA.

Separate the cards by resource – books, periodicals, internet, primary resources. Then put them in alphabetical order. Identify each card with a letter  and a number. Letter marking: B: books, P: periodicals, I: internet, PS: primary sources. Numbering the cards in the order they appear after they are placed in alphabetical order. So the first book in the index cards would be marked as B1, the 4th periodical in the index cards would be marked P4, the second internet index card gets the marking I2 and the 5th primary resource is called PS5.

Use the card markers to mark identify any quotes, paraphrasing or summarizations you plan to use when writing the paper. This creates a link between the quote, paraphrase or summarized statement and the work being cited. Now that the cards are in order, they can be used to create the list of works cited or bibliography since they were recorded in the correct format.

Nowadays, incoming generations really rely now on the power of the “internet” when it comes to searching for information. Just type the word or phrase you’re looking for and click, there goes your answer. So why bother wasting time turning the pages of encyclopedias if in just a snap of a finger you have what you needed?

People underestimate the power of encyclopedias. Well, technically, all of them are primary sources which means, they are like the walls that can fully support your data. They are first hand accounts done by professionals and scholars.

On the other hand, internet info, I’m not saying all of them, are majority secondary or third hand sources which basically means that they have been edited or modified. They maybe data collected from several sources and were put together. However, the problem here is the errors which the writer or the author committed. He/she may have different understanding on the data than you, when you have actually seen the data. So it is like you’re just a kid listening to other’s story instead of you telling your own. Aside form that, your not 100% sure that the author is reliable. He/she maybe just a kid posting and posting wrong ideas for fun.

What I would like to convey here is that manual research is still stronger than any other. There is freedom in it, freedom to give your analysis, understanding, insights towards these first-based ideas. You also type your work after gathering the data so you become more familiarized with it because writing is the last stage of learning since you make an output out of your input. Unlike the one in the internet, some people also tend to “copy-paste” their works without ever reading them. So they don’t absorbed what must be absorbed. As they say, “No Pain, No Gain”, so working hard with your research will surely be a compacted and a strong one.