WSU EMPOWER - Starting Your Research

EMPOWER - Starting Your Research: Page 10 of 11

Research is a Process

It is difficult to choose resources for your paper until you have a good understanding about what you what to write about. A research process can help researchers stay focused. Although this appears to be linear, researchers frequently have to back up to a previous step (or several!) to complete a final research project or paper.

Understand the assignment

Get a basic understanding of the topic

Note related concepts and the broader category or discipline

Write a thesis statement

Create a simple outline

State your topic as a research question

Find an answer(s) and information in various appropriate resources

Summarize information and draw conclusions

Finish the outline

Write the first draft of the paper

Critique the paper

Write the final paper

This tutorial focuses on the steps needed to select and use information resources.

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