AHS
RESEARCH
MANUAL
2011
Student: __________________________

TERESA STERCHI
KIM BROWN
AHS LIBRARY

CONTENTS
PREPARATION OF THE RESEARCH PAPER........................................................1
SELECTING AND LIMITING THE TOPIC............................................................1
PREPARING A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY AND EVALUATING SOURCES…………….2
READING AND TAKING NOTES........................................................................3
DEVELOPING A WORKING OUTLINE/PLAN…………………………………………………….5
DOCUMENTING AND CITING SOURCES USING MLA STYLE……………..……………..7
WRITING THE PAPER…………………………………..…………………...........................18
MLA STYLE OF PARENTHETICAL/IN-TEXT CITATIONS………………………………….19
PLACING CITATIONS IN THE PAPER…………………………………………………………..21
FORMATTING AND TYPING THE REPORT USING THE MLA STYLE…………………26
TYPING THE WORKS CITED PAGE AND SAMPLE TITLE PAGE..........................29

PREPARATION
Research is the process of gathering information from different sources on a particular topic. In daily life students may research buying a song on the Internet, buying a new
MP3 player, an iPod, or any other product of interest. At school, students may have to research a historical topic, an author or literary work, or a contemporary issue and present their findings in a paper, PowerPoint presentation, or in a movie format. All of this is part of the process of asking questions, looking at the available information, and coming to a conclusion based on the information found and then documenting the information used. While the process of researching varies, the following steps are useful in preparing the research paper:
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Selecting and limiting the topic
Preparing a working bibliography
Reading and taking notes
Formulating a thesis
Developing a working plan
Writing the first draft
Writing the revised