Archmere Academy Library: 1. PLAN

What a Research Paper IS:

• The final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition.
• A work that changes as the writer explores and interprets information from what others say about a topic.
• An opportunity for the writer to engage in primary and secondary sources that offer unique perspectives on the writer's chosen topic and provide evidence for an informed conclusion.  

What a Research Paper IS NOT:

• An informed summary of a topic.
• A book report or editorial piece. 
• An overview of what the writer found during research.
• Filled with quotes and no interpretation by the writer. 
• A summary of your beliefs.

Research Strategy Worksheet

Primary and Secondary Sources Worksheet

History Day Research Starter Handout

NHD Research Tracker

NHD Note Taking Guide

NHD Thesis Development

NHD Theme & Thesis Connection Worksheet

STEP ONE:

Familiarize Yourself with Your Project!

This first step is very important! Make sure you understand your teacher's instructions, what their expectations are, and the schedule they expect you to stick to. If they want you to track your project in NoodleTools, make sure you understand how to use NoodleTools. Being thorough with this step will save a lot of heartache later on in the process!

STEP TWO:

Choose a Topic

• Select a topic within the assignment parameters. Your teacher will give you clear guidelines as to what you can and cannot write about. 
• It definitely helps to choose a topic that you're interested in or passionate about. Searching a topic with an eye to peripheral information could help you find an aspect of your main topic that fits within the project limits.
• Select a topic for which you can find a manageable amount of information. Do a preliminary search of information sources to determine whether existing sources will meet your needs. If you find too much information, you may need to narrow your topic; if you find too little, you may need to broaden your topic.
• Controversial topics can make lead to good research papers! They can stretch your beliefs, and give you the opportunity to objectively argue differing positions.

​​​​​​​Adapted from "Basic Steps in the Research Process" from North Hennepin Community College, 2020

STEP THREE:

Brainstorm! Mind map! Ask Questions!

Brainstorming is a great way to begin feeling out your topic. Start jotting down ideas or keywords, without worrying about grammar or organization. See where your random thoughts lead you! Use a notes app on your phone, or old-school paper Post-its. Throw your ideas onto a piece of paper - anything that you can do that makes the process easy.

Mind Mapping is a lot like brainstorming, but it's more organized as you start to gather your thoughts. Think of it as creating a flowchart of your ideas.

• Start with the main idea or topic in the center of a workspace.
• Create different branches for each category or idea.
• Include pictures, color codes, symbols, sketches, or anything else that works best for you as you go!

By Danny Stevens (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-2.5
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

---

Ask Effective Questions, make important connections. For this step, it helps to have done a little bit of preliminary research about your chosen topic, just to see what kind of information stands out to you. Interrogate that information - How? What if? Should? Why?

---

“How” questions: 

How does hindsight help us understand_____________?

How did _________ get this way?

How have particular lessons of the past instructed us for the future? How would you have solved (how should the President have solved)_______________?

How has _________ reflected the American dream over the course of the decades?

How have efforts of reform impacted__________ ? 

How significant were the efforts of individuals in _______________?

How did one area of culture influence another in a particular time period? (For instance, how did politics influence fashion? How did technology influence food?)

How has __________ changed over the period of _______ and why?

How did ______ play in a role in the evolution of the _____ century (decade)?

---

“Which” questions:

Which was the best (or three best) or worst: 

Events? Discoveries? People? Literary movement?  Legal decision?  Amendment? 

Which were the biggest mistakes?

Which two decades were the most similar or most different?  Why?

Which were the major conflicts within _________?  Have these conflicts been repeated? Which resolutions, or attempted resolutions were the most effective?  How would you have advised resolving these conflicts?

Which period (or region) would choose to live in?  Which would you definitely not choose to live in?

Which were the most influential catalysts for change in this area?

---

 “Why” questions:

            Why did the U.S. __________________ during this period?

 Why did _____________________ (women, slaves, Native Americans, a political group, the President, foreign governments) behave or respond as they did during __________________?

Adapted from "Research Guide: Asking Good Questions", https://sdst.libguides.com/c.php?g=690521&p=4883683, 2020

STEP FOUR:

Choosing and Using Keywords

At this stage in the process, it's helpful to look at your brainstorming and start to pull out keywords that you might be able to use in a search.

Tips for Keyword Searching

1. Choose keywords to represent the most important concepts in your topic. Make a list of possible keywords.
2. Use "and" to combine different keywords and narrow your search.
3. Use "or" to find alternate keywords and broaden your search.
4. Use truncation and wildcards carefully, to search for variations of words.
5. Evaluate your results, and revise your strategy as often as you need to. Don't stop at one search, especially if it isn't very successful.

Here's a video to help!