Preparing a Paper (Adair and Pullen, 2006, revised)

This page revises the 2006 text and links of Jimmy Adair and Michael Pullen's original Nexlearn tutorial

Selecting a Topic
Your topic will most likely come from an area of study within the discipline for which the paper is to be written. For example, an Old Testament paper might be an investigation of the various dates proposed for the exodus from Egypt. �

If a topic is not assigned or suggested, you might consider your readings for the class. Do they have seemingly contradictory statements? For example, does one Old Testament text give a 15th century timeframe for the exodus, but another gives a 13th century date? Each might have biblical and historical (archeological) evidence. Your paper could compare and contrast the arguments. Depending upon the setting, you might be asked to propose a date based on your research. �

The depth and scope of the topic will usually depend on the level of the course. A master's level course will require critical and analytical thinking, but will rarely require new, scholarly proposals. A doctoral level course will usually require that higher thought process, with the result of a paper that could be presented to the academic community. And, a dissertation should be a product that presents new ideas for the topic. For example, a master's level paper on the exodus would compare and constrast the generally proposed dates and may analyze them with a view towards choosing one as the most biblical and historical. A doctoral level paper might analyze the arguments and include the latest archeological evidence for and against each date. A dissertation would include original archeological data gathered from the Red Sea or the desert between Egypt and Israel and might even propose a different date based on this research. �

After your topic is selected, you will need to go to the next step -- gathering material. �

Gather Material
Once you have selected your topic, the next step is to gather information. Especially if you are not familiar with the topic, the best place to begin is with general sources: encyclopedias, topical dictionaries, text books, etc. are great places to start. These should provide you with an overview. Refer to the Online Resources page for some of these sources.

Types of Sources: Primary vs. Secondary Material
There are two types of material you can use for a research paper: primary and secondary material. Primary material is any document (use a loose definition for "document" -- it could include video, audio, diary, photograph, etc.) that was created by someone directly involved in the event, recorded during the event, or written/created by the person in question. Refering back to our "exodus" paper, a tablet recording something about the Hebrews in the land of Goshen would be a primary document. Obviously, primary material is usually more difficult to find and work with.

Secondary material includes anything written or recorded about the event or person. An article written about the exodus is secondary material. Secondary material usually has some degree of analysis about the event.

Depending on the level of your paper, you will be required to use varying levels of primary material. A scholarly paper (doctoral level) will require more use of primary material and less use of secondary material. A general paper may rely more on secondary material. �

With both types of material, you will need to evaluate the document for things like: accuracy, bias, reliability, etc. A document that represents itself as a diary kept by one of the Hebrews who left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea would be extremely valuable for your topic, but one should immediately question whether it really is what it says. �

Finding Primary Material
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Primary material may be difficult to find depending on the time period during which the event happened or the person lived. These may include:
 * Diaries, letters or speeches
 * Minutes of meetings
 * Interviews
 * News film or video of the event
 * Autobiographies
 * Official records
 * Poetry, drama, music, art
 * Novels
 * Relics or Artifacts (jewelry, pottery, clothing, tools

Translations of any of the writings can be considered primary, but using the original language is always best. �

Many of these that lend themselves to being offered electronically are being put online. Using your favorite search engine may give you a link to find them.

Finding Secondary Material
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Articles and books may be found on the Web, but you have a better chance of finding these by accessing an electronic database that contains the full-text of the documents. Through BH Carroll, you have access to OCLC's FirstSearch, Book.Logos.com (formerly SeminaryLibrary) and Questia which will allow you to find full-text articles and books. Check out the "Finding Online Material" page for more information.

Any secondary material you find on the Web should be evaluated carefully. Refer to the guide to Evaluating Web Resources to help you find and use reliable sources. �

For both types of material, one of the best ways to discover sources is by checking the bibliographies of sources you already have. And, when you find new sources, check their bibliographies for additional sources. This will also give you an idea of the leading sources on the topic. Those will be referenced the most.

Taking Notes
As you read through (or listen to or watch ...) the documents you gather, you will need to record the information so that you can organize and prepare your research paper (see the next steps). Here are some guidelines and hints for note-taking: �

Some people like to use 3 x 5 note cards; others like to use regular or legal size notebooks. Use whichever system best suits you. Either way, find something to keep your notes in so they stay orderly and don't get lost.
 * 1) On your notes, record the complete bibliographic information for the document (see the guide to Turabian in "Format the Paper"). You don't want to have to find the document again in order to get bibliographic information from it -- you may not be able to find it without the complete information.
 * 2) Get an overview of the document, if possible, before beginning. This will help you understand the organization of the material in the document. Recording a brief outline may help.
 * 3) As you read the document, record significant ideas in your own words. Only record direct quotes when they express the idea in a particularly interesting or unique way. If you do record a direct quote, be sure and designate that it is a quote (using quotation marks). Record page numbers for each idea documented (for footnote/endnote entries).
 * 4) Remember not to plagiarize. This means to appropriately document where your ideas came from and to give credit for any direct quotes included in your paper.
 * 5) Specifically record information that supports or contradicts information in other sources. This will help you support your thesis or give you ideas for analysis.

There are computer programs that will help you with note-taking. Some of them will maintain a master bibliography for you (and put your citations in the correct form too). You may want to consider a purchase. �

In the next step, you will need to organize your research for the paper. �

Organize The Research
As you research your topic, an organization for the material may be quite logical. However, there are some general outlines that may help you. Generally speaking, an outline will go like this:


 * I. Introduction


 * II. Body


 * III. Conclusion

Of course, you will need to expand on that a bit. �

For a biography, it might go like this:


 * I. Introduction


 * II. Early Years


 * III. Educational Background


 * IV. Involvement in Ministry


 * 1) Years in the pastorate
 * 2) Youth for Christ
 * 3) Move to full-time evangelism


 * V. An analysis of his ministry


 * V1. Conclusion

For a topic, the outline might look like this:


 * I. Introduction


 * II. Presentation of the problem


 * 1) Relevant biblical texts
 * 2) Relevant archeological discoveries


 * III. Analysis of arguments


 * 1) Early date
 * 2) Late date


 * IV. Conclusion

If there are significant facts that need to be presented, they usually call for a section in the outline. If there are two or more competing ideas, they call for sub-sections within a main section. �

As the outline develops, notes can be organized accordingly. If you use notecards, they can be arranged according to the outline. However, remember that the outline can grow or change as the research dictates. �

When it appears that you have exhausted your sources for research (or you are coming up with the same information in all of the sources), it will be time to begin writing. Sources can be consulted again, if needed, and if new sources come to light, they should be reviewed as well.

Finally, it will be time to start writing.

Format the Paper
Your instructor may have specifics about the paper that are not according to any of the particular styles. Follow those specifics as instructed. If you are to prepare the paper according to Turabian, then you should follow the guidelines given in the most recent edition of Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. The text, and their official "Turabian Quick Guide" can be supplemented by several independent online summaries pages. Check them out to help you cite your sources properly.

Current guides: [Note: sites from University of Georgia Libraries, University of Southern Mississippi Library, Ohio State University Library, and Bridgewater State College Library guides, originally featured here, cover a previous edition of Turabian, and are omitted]
 * Butler University Libraries’ Citation Guide for "Chicago/Turabian Style"
 * Dallas Baptist University Writing Center’s "Turabian Packet"
 * Harding University Graduate School of Religion’s "Turabian Supplement"
 * University of Texas at Tyler Writing Center’s Guide for "Turabian"
 * University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Library’s Citing References: Turabian Style
 * Western Michigan University Libraries’ Turabian Style Guide

Anything not covered above or in Turabian should be checked in Chicago Manual of Style (most recent edition). One online source is from Texas A&M University Writer's Center, which contains much useful information.

As you begin the writing process, a rough draft should be prepared. Follow your outline, but revise it if your research and analysis leads. Begin your bibliography immediately (lest you forget to fill-out the entries later on).

Below are some general tips on the rough draft taken from the InfoPlease "Homework Center".

The purpose of the introduction is to:
 * let the reader know what the topic is
 * inform the reader about your point of view
 * arouse the reader's curiosity so that he or she will want to read about your topic
 * Limit each paragraph to one main idea. (Don't try to talk about more than one idea per paragraph.)
 * Prove your points continually by using specific examples and quotations from your note cards.
 * Use transition words to ensure a smooth flow of ideas from paragraph to paragraph.

The conclusion is the last paragraph of the paper. Its purpose is to:
 * summarize your points, leaving out specific examples
 * restate the main idea of the paper

After you have written the first draft, it will require revision -- no one creates a perfect paper on the first try. It is best if some time elapses before the revision because you will find that your writing that flowed so well when you first wrote it, hardly makes sense after 24 hours.

Good information on writing may be obtained from many of the online "Writing Centers." This link to the Texas A&M Writing Center.

(Add information from Write Tight) [this data is not supplied in the source]

As you revise, make sure your ideas flow logically and that they have sufficient support from your research. Also, begin checking for spelling and grammatical errors. And, remember, spell cheque cannot fined all the mistakes ewe May have maid. Some common mistakes that won't be caught -- other than those in the previous sentence -- are: their vs. there; its vs. it's; and your vs. you're. Using, for example, "your" when you mean "you're" (you are) will leave your instructor with a very poor impression of your work. �

READ: The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, chapter IV, "Words and Expressions Commonly Misused" �

When you believe your paper is in its final form, once again leave it for a while. Then, return and read it all the way through. See if your arguments still flow logically. Have all your non-original ideas been documented appropriately? Are the citations complete?

Finally, be sure the paper is in the correct form: title page, blank page (if required), etc. Your paper is now ready to be submitted.