How I plan and organize a research paper!
Whenever I have a big paper (those 5 or more pages requiring many sources) I do it in step, keeping everything in a folder.
Any folder will work. I didn’t have any two pocket folders (those work best) so I just grabbed a manilla folder and washi tape. I’m more apt to do something if it looks cute, haha. The folder is just to hold everything, so I know when I throw it in my backpack in the morning, I have everything I need to work on it during breaks on campus.
At the beginning of the folder, I make a quick today list, or the process in which I want to start gathering materials and information. I state my topic here and a brief description of the the requirements so I can refer back to it. I make a list of the order I want to do things, i.e find summaries, find critical articles, pick out quotes from play/sources, do citations, make brief outline.
The index cards are used in different ways. I make one for each source I use and go ahead and make the MLA citation. I hate doing it, so I get it out of the way first. When I find a quote I want to use, I highlight it in the article and then I jot it down on an index card and label it with its source. It is so much easier than thumbing through 40 pages of articles looking for one quote you highlighted and wanted to use in a specific section. This is not for everyone, and I haven’t always used this method. Big papers, however, are harder for me to keep organized, so for this assignment they will be more helpful than time consuming. I just clip them to the folder
I create a little dashboard to the side using post its to track my progress and plan out what I need to do on certain nights to finish in a timely manner. I love this because everything is in the same place. I don’t have to have my planner, notebook, and book out. It’s all there.
I print my articles, staple them, and put then in the folder. There’s not really a system to this, they are just nice to always have on hand and not in electronic copy. I do not think having only a .pdf file will help. It is too easily lost and they are a pain to annotate. Also, I keep 2 copies of an outline in here. 2 just seems like a good number.
When I finish writing the paper, I put a copy in the folder to proofread. I like to make my corrections on paper and go back, so I do not lose the original. Once everything is done, I also put a copy of the final in the folder and file it away. I hoard everything.
GREAT FOR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS
High school students typically have to write their first thorough research paper by junior year. This is a good way to keep them organized and to make sure they have everything. If they turn in a folder this extensive, you can follow their thought process and better help them to improve on the next. It’s easy to use this method to show them the step by step process of writing a research paper.
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