Getting started

Make sure you are very clear about what you have to find out.

Consider what you already know about this subject.
If you don't know much about your topic at first, read an encyclopedia article to get some basic information. That will give you a better understanding of where to look for information about your topic. It might also help you think of interesting questions to ask.

Having some background information will enable you to think of what specifically you want to know more about.
Write down a thoughtful question. This will be your guiding question; it will keep you on track as you look for information for your project.
Some people find it helpful to make a list or diagram of questions or subtopics to find information about. Write the main idea, topic or subject in the center of a piece of paper. Draw a ring around it. Put different parts, subtopics or smaller questions about that main idea in boxes at the ends of lines coming out of the center ring.
It is often difficult to know what is too broad or too specific a question; it might be helpful check in with your teacher at this point if you are feeling overwhelmed.

Now that you know what question you will be trying to answer, choose some important or key words to use as search terms. These are the words you will look up in the index of books, on the library catalog, or in a search directory or search engine on the Internet.

Locating information

Think about where you might be able to find good information.
Books from your classroom or a library are not the only resource. Don't forget magazines and newspapers.
You might be able to learn lots of terrific stuff at a museum, historical park or site.
Perhaps you could talk to someone who knows about your topic, because of study, work or personal experience.
The Internet is a possibility, but you need to be very careful here. Anyone can post a website, so you must make sure the information is true, reliable and accurate. Ask your librarian or teacher to help you check if you aren't sure. Many websites that have the best information are written for adults who are scholars. If the site is too hard for you to understand, it won't help you learn much. There are usually many more children's books on a topic than there are good websites for kids about the same subject.

click here for a website evaluation checklist you can print out and use

Make a list of the possible sources for information that you have been able to think of. Go over this list with an adult. Plan to start collecting your sources as soon as possible.

Reading for information and taking notes

Every source you find will not necessarily contain exactly what you need. It might have lots of interesting facts that don't answer your question. Put it aside and look at other sources until you find one that has the specific information you need.

When you have decided on a helpful source, write down the title, author, and publisher, and keep it in a safe place. (Your teacher might expect more information, be sure to follow directions). If you are using a website, copy and paste the URL to a special page you will keep in your electronic files for this project. Do not lose this source information, written or electronic; you will need it later for your bibliography or sources cited page.

Read to learn. As you read, keep asking yourself, "What does that mean?" Read it again and think about it until it makes sense to you. If you can't understand most of what you are reading, try to find a book or website that was written for someone like you. You shouldn't have to ask an older person to explain everything.

Jot down notes as you read. Notes are reminders to yourself of particular details, facts or ideas you want to be sure to remember. Notes are in your own words. Be careful not to copy whole sentences from the book unless you are going to quote them. You need to read and understand and then explain in your own way. Your own words are the best words.
Make sure you keep track of not only what source you found the information in, but on what page too. This is important in case you or your teacher want to check something later on.

Check back to your guiding question, organizing diagram or outline to see if you have gotten answers and information on all the different subtopics you planned for. See if you ought to add a new subtopic if you've found lots of information on a new area of your main topic.

 

First Draft

Now you are ready to begin turning your notes into logical, interesting sentences. Don't worry about spelling and punctuation too much right now; get your ideas down. (When you have finished writing you will go back and revise and edit.) During this draft writing process, concentrate on turning the notes about each subtopic into a paragraph or series of paragraphs that make sense, explain what you have learned, and that flow together nicely. Take a look at your idea chart or outline if you need to decide what order to talk about each of your subtopics.

Some people find it easier to write the introduction and the conclusion after they have written the main part of their paper. If you are having trouble with an introduction, perhaps you might like to try this backwards approach.

 

Revising

A good technique for revising is to leave some time between writing and revising. If you can be away from your first draft for a day, you will be able to read it with a fresher eye and the things that need to be changed will be more obvious to you. Revising is an important step. This is your chance to make sure your paper makes good sense and actually says what you intended it to. This is also your chance to be honest and serious with yourself. Have you done the best work you are capable of doing on this project?

Read slowly over what you have written. Make sure that each sentence is really a sentence and that it makes sense. Remember all the rules about grammar and punctuation that your teacher expects you to be able to use. Don't forget to check your spelling.

Sometimes asking someone else to read and comment on your writing is helpful. This could be a classmate or a teacher or other grown-up.

Remember, even famous authors write and rewrite, correct and revise. Then their editors make more corrections and suggestions.

 

Giving credit

Just think about all the work you have done so far. (You are nearly finished.) Then think that somebody else also did lots of work, writing the book, doing the website or the artwork or giving you other information that has helped you with your project. You will want to give those people credit. Acknowledging the sources where you got information also helps those who would like to learn more about the topic after having read your report.

Each book, website or other source of information that you used must be properly listed so that its author gets the credit he or she deserves. Since you already have author, title and publisher information for every book, website, picture or person that gave you information you used in this project, this will be easy for you.

Follow your teacher's directions or choose the proper format listed below. The punctuation marks that are used are important, so be careful to copy them exactly. Arrange your bibliography in alphabetical order according to the first word in each entry. If you need more than one line for the information in a single entry, indent by five spaces any additional lines.

Book

Author's last name, first name. Title. City of publication: Publisher, Date of publication.

Encyclopedia article

"Article title." Title of Encyclopedia. Edition. Volume: pages you used.

Magazine article

Author's last name, first name. "Title of article." Title of magazine. Issue date: pages you used.

Website

Name of site. Web master's name or Name of Site Sponsor. (ie.name of group responsible for site) Date site was updated or last revised. Date you looked at the site. <URL> (ie.web address)

Interview

Last name of person you interviewed, first name. Kind of interview. (ie.personal, telephone, email, etc) Date of the interview.

Final Copy

Now you are ready to produce your final copy. Make sure you are clear about what your teacher expects to receive, and the format it must be in. Do you need to use a certain font or size type if you print your paper? Must you write in cursive as you copy it over neatly?

Here's a list of items teachers sometimes expect:
title page, table of contents, introduction or thesis statement, body, illustrations (properly credited), conclusion, bibliography or sources page.

Look over your project one last time.
You have worked hard and carefully and done your best. You know more about the research process now than when you began.
You can be proud of a job well done!