Writing a Research Paper

Bibliography and Citation Resources

Elements of a Research Paper: [PRINTABLE COPY]

Formal Outline	This final outline of the contents of your paper is frequently required.
Title	The title should be both attention-catching and informative. If the paper defends a position, the title should reflect the position.
Title Page	This separate page for the title also lists the writer, class, and teacher names, the date, and any other information the teacher requests. Generally, all should be centered and appropriately capitalized.
Introduction	Use interesting details or a striking quote to draw readers into this brief overview of the topic.
Thesis Statement	The statement of your thesis, which may be more than one sentence, should appear in the introductory paragraph, sometimes at the end of the introductory paragraph.
Body	Paragraphs in the body of your paper should develop the main ideas that support the thesis statement.
Conclusion	The conclusion briefly restates the thesis in different words and summarizes the main points. Save a striking statistic or quote for the wrap-up.
Citations	The research paper must contain short references to credit sources. Use parenthetical citations or running notes unless instructed to do otherwise.
Works Cited list	Include all sources cited in an alphabetized listing. Citations are required! Wikipedia is NOT allowed as a primary source!

(Kinneavy & Warriner, Fifth Course 428)

ELEMENTS OF A REPORT: [PRINTABLE COPY]

Title	The title should be both attention-catching and informative. If the paper defends a position, the title should reflect the position.
Introduction	Use interesting details or a striking quote to draw readers into this brief overview of the topic.
Thesis Statement	The statement of your thesis, which may be more than one sentence, should appear in the introductory paragraph, sometimes at the end of the introductory paragraph.
Body	Paragraphs in the body of your paper should develop the main ideas that support the thesis statement.
Conclusion	The conclusion briefly restates the thesis in different words and summarizes the main points. Save a striking statistic or quote for the wrap-up.
Works Cited list	Include all sources cited in an alphabetized listing. Citations are required! Wikipedia is NOT allowed as a primary source!

(Kinneavy & Warriner, Fifth Course 428)

Bibliography and Citation Resources:

Research and Documentation Online - Science - Click tabs at the top for Humanities, Social Sciences, and History. An extensive annotated list of specialized sources for more than 30 disciplines. The resources are organized by type—databases and indexes, Web resources, and reference books—under four main categories: Humanities, Social Sciences, History, and Sciences.
APA Citation Style
APA Formatting and Style Guide - Purdue University
The Rensselaer Writing Center Handouts

Automatic Citation Engines

EasyBib - Free Automatic Bibliography Composer - MLA and APA formatting
BibMe - the fully automatic & free bibliography maker (MLA, APA & Chicago)
Son of Citation Machine - Citation Machine is an interactive web tool designed to assist high school, college, and university students, their teachers, and independent researchers in their effort to respect other people's intellectual properties.