WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS
REGENT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
1999
BY GARRY HANVEY
A. WHY WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER?
1. Teaches skills of gathering, interpreting and communicating ideas impartially, honestly and clearly
2. Offers experience in locating information quickly and acquaints you with available resources
3. Offers a broader and more thorough grasp of important subjects
4. Teaches selectivity by requiring you to judge the relative importance of data to your specific context and purpose
5. Develops your writing skills and vocabulary so that you may communicate more effectively
6. Develops your critical thinking skills
B. WHAT IS A RESEARCH PAPER?
1. An unbiased account of a topic, documented and supported with pertinent and valid information
2. Two Kinds of Research Papers:
a. Argumentative:
Attempts to prove that something is right or wrong, true or untrue, good or bad, desirable or undesirable
b. Informational:
Surveys a subject by drawing upon pertinent references; touches upon the highlights without attempting to prove or disprove anything
3. What the Professor is looking for in a research paper
a. A short, engaging statement of purpose and scope
b. Evidence presented in a clearly logical manner - an obvious flow of thought
c. Adequate documentation of your evidence
d. Thoughtful interaction with the primary and secondary sources and with the Biblical text
e. Conciseness, consistency and simplicity as opposed to verbosity, incongruity, and convoluted arguments
e. A conclusion consisting of a few remarks that summarize the highlights of your research and are clearly based upon your evidence
C. HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER
1. Choose Your Subject
START EARLY!
Interest
Choose a subject that:
Fires you up
How do your personal interests relate to this particular course? Example: Music -- Church History
Computers? Possible effects of the Internet on World-Wide Missions or the growth of Cults
You have a strong opinion about but willing to change
Controversy over "Contemporary" Christian Music
WARNING: Don't allow personal prejudices to mar your paper. Be willing to set aside biases and examine the facts objectively
You always wanted to explore
Worship in the Early Church
Review class notes
Scan Table of Contents in Magazines - great source because these articles are limited in scope and will help you limit your subject
Read Editorial pages in the local newspaper
Scan the Bibliography in your course syllabus
You've had a question about
Why did the early church fathers preach against instrumental music?
Is there a certain style of music that can be said to be "ungodly" or "godly"?
Will be fruitful & practical in ministry
Will I be able to use this paper in my ministry 10 years from now?
Viability
Your subject should be:
Within the parameters of the particular course
Backed up with adequate bibliographical sources
The object of serious research
If it cannot be found in books or serious articles - unsuitable
Must have enough sources to work with - 8 to 10 minimum
Not too complex for your degree of expertise
"A Comparison of Jesus' Healing Power with Nuclear Fusion"
2. Limit Your Subject
The Limits Already Set:
Time
Course parameters
Maximum Pages
Your subject must be something related to your course that you can research and write about in less than 4 to 6 weeks and cover adequately in less than 10-12 pages
Three Practical Ways:
1. Ask Questions
Write down a possible subject:
Music in the Early Church
Write down all the questions that come to mind:
What did it sound like?
What instruments did they use?
What was early church teaching on music?
From what influences did early church music derive?
What would be the "cut-off" dates - 200 AD, 300 AD?
Why did the early church fathers teach against instrumental music?
2. Break it Down
Write down a possible subject
Make it more specific - step by step
Music
Christian Music
Early Christian Music
Instrumental Music in Early Church
Exclusion of Instrumental Music in Early Church
3. Brainstorming
Interact with colleagues - "bounce" ideas around
3. Read a General Article
Biblical Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia of Early Christianity
Note scope and limits of the subject
Note interesting & challenging ideas or questions
Ask: Is this true? Why is this true?
Gain a general understanding of the issues
Check out the Bibliography!!
Most of your sources have already been found for you and are listed here. They themselves will lead you to others - especially PRIMARY SOURCES
Begin to check out and scan those that look the most promising
4. Formulate a Tentative Thesis and Outline
a. The Tentative Thesis Statement
1) After observing and selecting meaningful details during preliminary reading, crystallize a statement of truth - in one simple sentence which you intend to prove
2) This is the central idea of your paper, stated in a single, complete sentence
3) It defines the scope of your paper and determines how the paper is written
4) Example: The question, "Why do Christians get sick?" is based upon a false premise, but may be answered honestly and biblically.
b. The Tentative Outline
1) Ask:
How can I prove my thesis statement?
What are the major ideas?
In what order do they belong?
2) Two or three basic points should emerge:
The Underlying Premise of the Question
The Underlying Premise is False
Honest and Biblical Answers to the Question
3) This will form a "skeleton" to be "fleshed out" later on and shows you exactly what kind of research you have left to do
4) Characteristics of a good outline
a. Each heading should directly relate to the thesis statement
b. It should have an obvious, logical sequence or flow of thought
5) As you read and think, begin to "flesh out" your outline in sentence form (see handout)
6) If you have doubts, submit your sentence outline to your instructor for his or her input
5. Prepare a Working Bibliography
A Preliminary, Working Bibliography will:
a. Ensure that adequate information on your subject is readily available and that your thesis is not trite or worn-out
b. Allow time to order any pertinent published materials through interlibrary loan service
c. Offer familiarity with the research that has already been done on your topic
d. Provide a listing of a variety of titles that helps you to see how your chosen thesis may be further limited or broadened
6. Take Notes From Relevant Sources
Best to use a combination of the old "note-card" method and the "word-processor" method
a. Keep a notepad handy,
As you read, jot down any thoughts that seem important to your thesis. Be sure to note the title, author, and page number of the source that inspired your musings
b. Make xerox copies of the relevant portions of books and articles.
Be sure to make a copy of the book's bibliographical information and make this the first page of your copy
c. At your computer, make a separate file (with a descriptive file name) for each major sub-point of your outline.
As you read over your copied material, type in any relevant musings, arguments, and quotes, again, making sure that you include the bibliographical information
7. Write the First Draft
a. Re-check your thesis;
Be sure that it clearly and specifically states exactly what your gathered data adds up to. Have you found any sources that seriously refute your thesis? Can you adequately answer their arguments?
b. Re-check your outline;
Be sure that every sub-heading is directly relevant to the previous one and that every major heading is directly relevant to the thesis. Is there an obvious and logical flow of thought?
c. Don't begin with the introduction.
Wait until your paper is completed so you can see what you're introducing.
d. Begin to further "flesh-out" your outline, beginning with your first point.
Don't "copy and paste" in your initial musings from the relevant files. This tends to make your dull and choppy. Either print them out, or open a separate window on your screen, then rewrite your notes. Plunge right in as if you were writing a short essay with your first major point as your thesis. Write down or type all the information you wish to convey about this major point and its subdivisions. Forget about style for now - first you need to capture your thoughts so that you can think about them.
e. Re-write.
As you sit back and read what you've written. Edit it for clarity and conciseness. Delete and reword clumsy phrases. You may want to use the "Track Revisions" feature on your word processor so that you can see the changes you've made. Learn to interact with your own writing - add meat to your arguments, cut out the "fat"
f. "Copy and paste" in any relevant quotes you have gathered.
1. Always footnote as you insert quotations so that you won't forget later on.
2. When using a quote, work it into the text smoothly with a transitional sentence.
3. Quoted material should not amount to more than 20% of your whole paper. The average research paper is around 2000 words. This would mean your total quotes should be no more than 400 words.
4. Avoid using quotations unless it is absolutely essential that the words of another person be included. The bulk of your paper should come from your own ideas.
5. Even paraphrased material should be acknowledged with a footnote citing the author and work. Plagiarism is a sin!
6. Be sure to footnote each quote and paraphrase, you'll use these footnotes to build your final bibliography later on.
g. Take a break!
Take a nap, do something physical, watch TV, or eat a snack. It's probably not a good idea to try to finish more than one major point of your paper in one day.
h. Repeat steps 4-7 for each major point.
8. Re-read and Revise; Viewing the Paper as a whole
a. Read it out loud
It sometimes helps to hear what you've written. You'll probably hear things that don't sound right and don't flow well
b. Check the grammar and style
The university computers have a "grammar checker" in the Word processing program. Give it a try, it sometimes gives you better ideas and will especially help with "run-on" sentences
Remove colloquialisms and slang
Find out if your instructor prefers the "literary first person plural - we," or first person singular - "I"
Make abundant use of the dictionary and thesaurus. If you find yourself using the same words too often, look for a different wording
c. Check the spelling
Most word processors also have a "spell checker" - however, these cannot be trusted implicitly since computers aren't able to recognize context. For example, a spell checker won't catch "I went to sea the doctor."
d. Check the transitions
The transitions from paragraph to paragraph, section to section, are of major importance, but commonly neglected. Spend time thinking about how you make these as smooth and as logical as possible.
e. Check for redundancy
One of the most common mistakes in writing papers is repetition. This is especially true of Seminary students! A research paper is not the same thing as a sermon; nor is it a lecture. Make sure everything in your paper NEEDS to be there - if not, delete it. A "padded" paper is boring and pointless.
9. Write the Introduction and Conclusion
a. Introduction
1) Point out the timeliness and value of your research in one or two sentences
2) Explain your particular approach to the topic
3) Inform as to the various aspects of the topic other than your focus
4) Provide a relevant anecdote to lead into your subject
5) Provide a short summary of the main points of your paper
b. Conclusion
1) This is the most valuable part of the paper and must be clear and concise
2) Restate your thesis and demonstrate how your material supports it
3) Consider the ramifications and general implications of your main points
4) The conclusion is the only truly "original" part of your paper; it shows the value of your research and your understanding of the material you have presented.
10. Build the Final Bibliography
a. "Copy and paste" Footnotes
1) In your word processor, open the "footnote" section
2) "Copy and paste" all of the footnotes into a blank page at the end of your paper
b. Reformat the material into bibliographical form
1) Delete footnote and page numbers, place author's last names first, use hanging indents, etc.
2) If you have less than 10 sources, you'll need to head back to the library!