“How do I begin a research paper?”

Anna Orlov began by jotting down her research question: Is Internet surveillance in the workplace fair or unfair to employees?

She had heard about managers watching the online behavior of employees—how employees use the Internet, what they write in their e‐mails, and so on. She thought the monitoring practices might be unfair but wanted to consider all sides of the issue. Orlov knew she would have to be open‐minded and flexible and revisit her main ideas as she examined the information and arguments in her sources.

With her research question in hand, Orlov worked with a writing tutor to break her research plan into several stages. Together they came up with the following list of tasks and identified pages in Writer’s Help that could provide more information and advice.

• Ask worthwhile questions about my topic.

  Exploring the subject

  Asking research questions

• Talk with a reference librarian about useful types of sources and where to find them.

  Mapping out a search strategy

• Consider how each source can contribute to my paper.

  Using sources for different purposes in MLA style; in APA style; in Chicago style.

• Decide which search results are worth a closer look.

  Selecting sources worth your time and attention

• Evaluate the sources.

  Reading sources critically

  Evaluating Web sources

• Take notes and keep track of sources.

  Making a working bibliography

  Keeping track of source materials

  Taking notes without plagiarizing

• Write a working thesis.

  Drafting a working thesis

  Forming a thesis in MLA style; in APA style; in Chicago style.

• Write a draft and integrate sources.

  Drafting the parts of a paper

  Integrating sources in MLA style; in APA style; in Chicago style.

• Document sources.

  Citing sources in MLA style; in APA style; in Chicago style.