Planning a Research Paper

"Envision in Depth" contains a method for planning and proposing a research argument. It is a process that is made to give a person a solid base for a subject of a research paper.

The first thing a person should do is have a research log. This is to be used from the beginning of the research process to the end. It is a tool to gather information, take notes, and organize one's ideas.

The first action one must take is to select a topic or theme and to establish the parameters of this subject. Also consider what kind of research this topic will require. Next, one should make a set of questions about the final argument. These questions will be used to guide one's research and work.

The next step is to clarify one's topic. This can be done through prewriting.  The main purpose of prewriting is to organize the topics and areas of one's subject according to how they relate to each other. This is most easily done through visual or graphic brainstorming, which is mapping or webbing the ideas in relation to one another. After this, one should choose and topic and the ideas directly related to it for a topic for his/her research paper.

Next is the step of planning research. Free-writing is a good place to start. Free-writing should be done in the research log, and should have three major sections or paragraphs. The first is for explaining the topic and stating one's thesis. Next one should identify the sources he/she plans on using. Lastly, one should consider problems that may arise while researching the topic and consider ways to avoid or overcome them.

The next way to plan research should be to develop a hypothesis--a thesis that is argumentative and provable through the research one will be doing.

Finally, it is a good idea to make a research proposal, a method used in many professions. It should include the elements of background information one already knows about the topic, methods for researching the topic, the sources that will be used, a schedule to research effectively, and the significance of one's research paper.

All these steps, guided by one's interest in the subject, is an effective start of writing a research paper.