Exploring a topic in depth . . .From Reading to Writing The Odyssey often raises questions in readers’ minds: Was Odysseus a real person? Were the places mentioned in the poem real or fictional? Who was Homer? Questions like these could be the starting point for a research report.

Exploring a topic in depth . . .A research report is a written report in which you investigate an idea or a question. Research skills can help you find and make use of the information you need—whether you’re looking for the best pair of in-line skates or a part-time job.

B a s i c s i n a B o x

RUBRIC Standards for Writing

A successful research report should

• include a strong introduction with a clear thesis statement

• use evidence from primary and secondary sources to develop and support ideas

• credit sources of information

• follow a logical pattern of organization, using transitions between ideas

• summarize ideas in a satisfying conclusion

• provide a correctly formatted Works Cited list at the end of the paper

Research Report at a Glance

Writing Your Research Report

Writing to me is a voyage, an odyssey, a discovery, because I’m never certain of precisely what I will find.

Gabriel Fielding,British physician and novelist

Writing to me is a voyage, an odyssey, a discovery, because I’m never certain of precisely what I will find.

Gabriel Fielding,British physician and novelist

1 Prewriting and Exploring

Writing Your Research Report1 Prewriting and Exploring

Find a topic that really interests you.

Try creating a knowledge inventory. List everything you know about the assigned subject or about another subject you’d like to explore.

Underline topics that interest you and make a list of questions you have about these topics.

Planning Your Research Report

1. Focus your topic. How much information is

available on your topic? Is there too much to cover

adequately in a short research paper? Is there too

little information to make the report worthwhile? To

either expand or narrow your topic, try making a

cluster diagram.

2. Set your goals. What do you want to accomplish in

your report? Do you want to entertain your readers,

convince them of something, or share information

that you learn about your topic?

Planning Your Research Report

3. Identify your audience. Who will read your report?

What will interest them most about your topic? What

do they already know? What do they need to know?

4. Consider your purpose. What will be the focus of

your report? Identifying your purpose by writing it in a

single sentence will guide your research and give

you directions as you work. Later on, you can revise

this sentence to become your thesis statement.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

To gather information for your report:

Begin by reading one or two general articles on your topic, such as encyclopedias.

Write a list of questions you want to answer about the topic and look for the answers to those questions as you research.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Look for primary sources, which offer first-hand information. Primary sources include letters, original literary works, diaries, journals, and historical documents.

Review secondary sources, which provide interpretations, explanations, and comments on material from other sources. Encyclopedias, newspapers, and magazine articles are examples of secondary sources.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Evaluate Your Sources

Not all sources of information are equally

valuable. The following questions can help

you evaluate and choose the best sources.

Is the source up-to-date? Fields such

as technology, science, and medicine

change especially quickly. Use the most

recent information you can find.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Is the source reliable? Look for

sources whose authors are from

respected universities, businesses, or

other institutions.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Make Source Cards

Using index cards, create a source card for each source you use. Number the cards sequentially so you can easily refer to them when you take notes and prepare your Works Cited list. For library books, include the call number so you can locate the book again if necessary.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Take Notes

Record on index cards the information you gather from your sources. Write just one piece of information on each card so you can easily rearrange the cards as you draft your report. Label each card with the number of the source card and the page number of the information.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Paraphrase. Restate ideas in your own words to summarize them and to avoid plagiarism, which is using someone else’s material without permission.

Quotation. Write the quote exactly as it appears in the source and enclose it in quotation marks. Quote material for emphasis.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Organize Your Material

One way to organize your research notes is to group your note cards by main ideas. Think about the order in which you want to discuss those ideas. Consider chronological, cause-and-effect, comparison-and-contrast, problem-solution, or a mix of organizations to see which works the best.

Writing Your Research Report2 Researching

Organize Your Material

Create an outline, using your main ideas as the headings. Next, subdivide the groups of note cards into smaller groups. These will become the subheads in your outline.

Writing Your Research Report3 Drafting

Using your outline as a guide, begin drafting your report. Remember that your main goal is to get your ideas down on paper. You can revise it as much as you want later. At some point, write a thesis statement that expresses the main idea of your report. State your thesis clearly in the introduction of your report.

Writing Your Research Report3 Drafting

The body of your report supports your thesis. Develop the main ideas of your outline using examples, facts, statistics, anecdotes, and quotations from your sources.

Summarizes your thesis in the conclusion.

Writing Your Research Report4 Revising

TARGET SKILL

ELABORATING WITH FACTS AND STATISTICS

Facts and statistics can provide strong

support for your statements. A fact is a

statement that can be proved either by the

use of reference materials or by firsthand

observation. Statistics are facts expressed in

numbers.

Writing Your Research Report5 Editing and Proofreading

TARGET SKILL

COMBINING SENTENCES

You can add interest to your writing by

varying the length of your sentences. Try

combining some shorter sentences into

longer, more interesting ones.

Writing Your Research Report6 Making a Works Cited List

When you have finished revising, editing, and proofreading your report, make a Works Cited list and attach it to the end of your paper.