Nursing Programs

So you have been assigned a research paper and you are not sure where to start.  Here are the first few steps:

1. Read the Rubric for the assignment.  This will answer many of the questions you will have about the assignment, including the scope, length, and number of sources required for the assignment.  Keep this handy so you can refer back to it as you work through the assignment.  If you still have questions, please meet with your instructor for clarification.
2. Choose a Topic.  Based on the assignment requirements (per the Rubric), choose a topic.  Try to find a topic that topic that interest you.  For example, if you are interested in Geriatric Care, you can choose a topic related to Geriatric Care.
3. Create a Thesis Statement.  After you have chosen a topic, develop your thesis statement.  You might have to do some preliminary research of your topic to help form a strong thesis statement.  Your thesis statement is the main point, main idea or central message.  It is the one or two sentence(s) that establishes your stance on the main idea.  Read up on your topic.  You may find that you have to modify this statement after you start researching if your statement is too general (so much information that it is hard to keep your paper focused) or too narrow (so narrow that there is not a lot of information available).  Your Thesis statement is your "contract" with the reader that this is the "road map" to your writing.
4. Start Researching.  This is the information gathering stage of the process!  Use the Library's resources to research your topic.  If you need assistance with this, please refer to the Research Resource Tab or contact your Librarian Cassie Dixon for help.  Remember, as you do your research, make sure you annotate your sources and information so you can cite your information correctly.

So you have gathered all your information and are now ready to start writing your paper.  Now what?  Here are the next steps:

1. Review your Thesis Statement. Make sure that your thesis statement still fits with all the research you have found.  You may have to revise or rewrite your thesis based on your research. 
2. Create an Outline. Creating an Outline will help you organize your data and information.  It will also help you understand the flow of the information.  With an outline, you will make sure that you include all the relevant information. While is sounds like making an outline will increase the amount of time it will take to write your paper, this is not the case.   An outline forces you to "map out" your paper, allowing you to organize your topic and make sure it relates.  It allows to organize your thoughts and ideas.  Once you start writing, the process will flow together.  To create an outline:
   1. Start with your Thesis Statement (this will be introduced in your Introduction Paragraph)
   2. List the major points that support your thesis.  Create a new page for each point and label them (ie, I, II. III).
   3. For each major point, list supporting ideas and label them (ie, A, B, C) (by having each major point on a separate sheet of paper, it is easy to list these ideas and supporting information).
   4. If you need to sub-divide each supporting idea, continue to list them until your outline is developed (you can label them 1, 2, 3).
   5. Remember as you outline to keep your sources with the ideas so when it is time to write, you are able to cite your sources correctly.
3. Start Writing.  Now that the outline is done, start writing.  One tip is to not really write the introduction.  Just write your thesis statement and then start writing the body of the paper.  Once you have written the body of the paper, you can then focus on the Introduction and Conclusion. On the right are links to websites and videos which can help you in developing and refining your writing.
4. Revise! Revise! Revise!  This is one of the most important steps. 
   1. Take the time to make sure that your ideas are clearly organized and that they support your thesis. 
   2. Review your thesis statement and make sure it is not too broad or too narrow.
   3. Every paragraph should have a single topic that is related to the thesis statement and that the topic sentences are focused.
   4. Check that you have cited all your sources in-text correctly and that you are not accidently plagiarizing an idea (Plagiarism is NOT TOLERATED at Cabarrus College - see the Plagiarism Tab for more information).
   5. Ask the following questions - Who is my audience?, Am I objective?, Have I included enough information, but not too much information?
   6. Does the paper flow and are the transitions clear?
   7. Does the entire paper stay on topic?
   8. Make sure that the information in each paragraph moves from general to specific.  This helps support the main ideas.
   9. Review the paper with the Rubric to make sure that you have not missed something.
   10. Review your Introduction and Conclusion paragraphs.  You will probably need to revise them several times also.
   11. Proofread the paper - is the grammar, spelling, punctuation, and citation correct?  Remember, Cabarrus College uses APA citation rules (see APA Tab for more information).
   12. Take a day off (if you do not have a day, take at least an hour) and then come back and review your paper again with fresh eyes.  Do a final check of grammar, punctuation and spelling.  Make sure your ideas are cited correctly and the citation is done in the correct format.  Review the flow and tone of the paper.  Make sure everything is the way you want it.  If possible, get a family member or friend to review it and see how it flows for them.

So how do you write an effective paragraph? One way to build a strong paragraph is to use the "MEAL Plan".  What is the MEAL Plan?  MEAL stands for:

Main Idea

Evidence

Analysis

Link

So what does that mean?

Main Idea  This is the paragraphs purpose - what you are saying.  It is the assertion or statement of the paper's larger claim.  It is also called the "Topic Sentence" (even though it is called a "topic sentence" - it may be one or two sentences long).

Evidence  This is what proves your main idea.   It could be data, a chart, a table, personal experience, research data or information, or an image. 

Analysis  This is the interpretation of the above evidence. This part explains how the evidence proves what you are asserting in the paragraph.  Often Evidence and Analysis are hard to separate - sometimes one sentence will have both components. 

Link  This is where the paragraph is linked back to the larger claim - often it is implicit.  However, you need to make sure that the reader understands how your paragraph fits into the paper and how it links back to the thesis statement.  A reader should be able to say - "yes this idea is relevant to the paper."

Source:   Duke University (n.d.). Paragraphing:  The MEAL Plan.