Introduction

A research paper is often a frightening assignment to students because of its

length (usually 500 words or more) and the fact that it contains research and
therefore, does not come from the student’s imagination. Writing a research
paper is a test of a student’s ability to search out, recognize, accumulate,
organize, and interpret a set of facts on a given topic. The main goal of the
research paper is to teach the student how to gather necessary information from
A Simplified Approach the library and other media sources.

The main purpose of this handbook is to make the research paper seems less
to Research Writing intimidating and to provide research adviser and students with an
understanding of the process of writing the research paper from beginning to
end.
(P.A.S.S. Handbook)
for P.A.S.S Adviser & Students’ Use It is my hope that this handbook will help you understand the research process
more easily…Let’s get started!

Objectives
Students will be able to:
Ms. Kaye C. Mandia a) apply the concepts and theories in research writing,
Author b) use the skills in writing research,
c) describe each component of the research,
Ms. Gladys F. Mintu d) design a research paper either quantitative or qualitative research, and
Mr. Robert F. Norberte e) write a research paper.
Editors

Dr. Marl Ferenal

Dr. Remedios Lagera
Dr. Marjorie G. Tangog
Consultants
A.Y. 2015-2016
 The following sections give an overview of each component. Although
Getting started! each research proposal should follow this guideline, you will find that not all
sections are (equally) applicable for each project, since every research project is
What is a research paper? different. For instance, a paper that focuses on literature review or a theoretical
analysis requires a somewhat different research proposal than
A research paper is an investigative way of presenting ideas and facts. It a paper that reports an empirical study. Identify the aspects in each section that
is written report based on information collected from a variety of resources such are relevant to your paper. In total, the research proposal should not exceed 4-5
as encyclopedias, dictionaries, periodicals or magazines, newspapers, vertical pages. Useful resources are listed at the end of this guideline.
files, and the internet. This information is presented in an organized way and
covers a limited topic. I. TITLE PAGE
A research paper is usually composed of approximately 10% quotations, It gives the title of your research paper, name, grade & section and the
70% paraphrasing, and 10% your own words. course details for which you are submitting the proposal.
(Lester, J.D. 1998).
II. ABSTRACT
The purpose of the abstract is to give the reader a brief introductory
How To Write A Research Proposal? summary of the paper. The abstract should not be longer than 100-150 words. It
should address the following questions:
The starting point for every paper whether it is a term paper or a final
paper should be a thoroughly worked-out research proposal. Investing sufficient 1) What is the topic of research?
time and thought into writing a research proposal will yield a good return and 2) What is the research question?
can save you a lot of time, confusion and disappointment when actually writing 3) Why is this relevant?
your paper. 4) How do I study the topic?
5) What kind of findings do I anticipate?
A research proposal serves several purposes: 6) How will I interpret the findings?
 It gives an overview of the relevance and objective of a research project. 7) What are the implications of my research paper?
 It gives an overview of the content, the procedure and the timing of a res
 earch project. Even though the abstract comes first in a research proposal, it is
 It shows whether a research project is manageable in scope and timing. advisable to write it last, i.e. once you have spelt out all information in detail in
the later sections.
A research proposal has six key components:
 A title page III. RESEARCH DESCRIPTION
In this section, you give a detailed account of what, why and how you are
 An abstract which summarizes the project
going to write about. Write this section in a goal-directed manner. Do not
 A detailed description of the project
attempt to give an exhaustive overview of the literature you have read and do
 A time schedule for the project
not try to look at every angle of a problem. Rather, everything in this section
 An overview of the structure of the paper (Gliederung 2007) should relate clearly to your research question.
 References
 1) What is the research question?  Which criteria do you apply?
In the research question, you succinctly express the objective of your  How are you going to compare several
paper. If you feel your project cannot be formulated in a research texts/approaches/analyses?
question, there is something wrong with it. Every suitable paper c) Procedure:
addresses a clear research question.  In which order (of research sub-questions) do you tackle the
texts/approaches?
2) Why is this relevant?
In this section, you briefly explain why you consider the research If you carry out an empirical study, this section should include information
question to be relevant. What does your paper add to previous research about:
in the field?
a) Participants:
3) What do you want to study/write about?  How many?
Here, you zoom in on the particular topic/phenomenon/problem your  What are their characteristics or the selection criteria?
paper addresses to answer the research question. Make clear why your  Where and how are you going to recruit them?
topic, etc. is suitable for answering the research question.
b) Materials:
4) What did previous research find?  What are your experimental items like?
In this section, you provide a brief overview of the relevant literature.
Typically, you outline the different positions/approaches/theories in the c) Design of study:
field, identify flaws or lacunae in previous research, pinpoint open  How are you going to construct your items?
questions and show how your study follows up on or relates to previous  What are the conditions?
research. It is important to keep this section goal-oriented and brief.
 What is/are the independent variable/s? What is/are the
Typically, you do not need to cite more than 5-7 sources in this section.
dependent variable/s?
5) What is your hypothesis?
d) Method:
Formulate a clear and testable hypothesis. Unlike the research question,
 Name the method and explain why you opted for it. What task are
which is open, a hypothesis is a testable statement.
you going to use?
6) How do you want to test the hypothesis?
e) Procedure:
In this section, you outline the set-up of your study. If you write a paper
 How does the task work? How do the items get presented? What
based exclusively on previous literature, this section should include
do the participants do?
information about:
f) Predictions:
Sources:
a) Which texts/approaches/analyses are you going to use?  Break down the hypothesis into experimental predictions
b) Method and Analysis: according to the design, materials and method of your study.
 How are you going to analyze the texts/approaches/analyses?
 What do you look for?
g) Analysis: How to write a research paper?
 State how you are going to classify, group and analyze the results.
 Which comparisons are you going to make? STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC
 Which statistical analyses, if any, are you going to use (e.g.
frequencies, comparison of means, correlations, etc)? 1) Choose a topic which interests and challenges you. Your attitude towards
the topic may well determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm you
7) What are the expected findings? put into your research.
In this section, you anticipate the findings you think you are going to 2) Focus on a limited aspect, e.g. narrow it down from "Animals" to "Wild
obtain. Typically, these should be consistent with the prediction flowing Animals" to "Tiger".
from your hypothesis. Write this section in future tense. Do not make up 3) Obtain teacher approval for your topic before embarking on full scale
fake data or conclusions. research. If you are uncertain as to what is expected of you in completing
the assignment, re-read your assignment sheet carefully or ASK your
8) How do the findings speak to the hypothesis? teacher.
In this section, you explain how you interpret the findings in relation to 4) Select a subject you can manage. Avoid subjects that are too technical,
the hypothesis and how they confirm or disprove the hypothesis. It is learned, or specialized.
interesting to think about unexpected findings: What if the findings turn 5) Avoid topics that have only a very narrow range of source materials.
out differently? Are there any alternative interpretations?
STEP 2. FIND INFORMATION
9) What is the expected contribution of your study to the field/research Surf the Net.
question?
Here, you briefly summarize the impact you think your project will have. 1) For general or background information, check out useful URLs, general
information online, almanacs or encyclopedias online such as Britannica,
or Encarta, etc. Use Search Engines and other search tools as a starting
point.

2) Pay attention to domain name extensions, e.g., .edu (educational

institution), .gov (government), or .org (non-profit organization). These
sites represent institutions and tend to be more reliable, but be watchful
of possible political bias in some government sites.

3) Be selective of .com (commercial) sites. Many .com sites are excellent;

however, a large number of them contain advertisements for products
and nothing else.

4) To find books in the Library use the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog).

Check out other print materials available in the Library:

 Almanacs, Atlases, AV Catalogs
  Encyclopedias and Dictionaries INTRODUCTION - State your topic and the purpose of your research paper
 Government Publications, Guides, Reports clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you
 Magazines, Newspapers plan to approach your topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison,
 Vertical Files or an analysis of a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in
your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic.
5) Check out Public and University Libraries, businesses, government
agencies, as well as contact knowledgeable people in your community. BODY - This is where you present your arguments to support your topic
statement. Remember step 3, i.e. find 3 supporting arguments for each position
6) Read and evaluate. Bookmark your favorite Internet sites. Printout, you take. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and end with
photocopy, and take notes of relevant information. the strongest argument for your final point.

7) As you gather your resources, jot down full bibliographical information CONCLUSION - Restate your topic. Summarize your arguments. Explain why you
(author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page have come to this particular conclusion.
numbers, URLs, creation or modification dates on Web pages, and your
date of access) on your work sheet, printout, or enter the information on
your laptop for later retrieval. STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES

8) If printing from the Internet, it is wise to use a browser that provides you 1) Organize all the information you have gathered according to your outline.
with the URL and date of access on every printed page. Remember that an 2) Critically analyze your research data. Using the best available sources,
9) check for accuracy and verify that the information is factual, up-to-date,
10) article without bibliographical information is useless since you and correct.
cannot cite its source. 3) Opposing views should also be noted if they help to support your topic.
This is the most important stage in writing a research paper. Here you
STEP 3. STATE YOUR TOPIC will analyze, synthesize, sort, and digest the information you have
gathered and hopefully learn something about your topic which is the
Do some critical thinking and write your topic/title statement down in one real purpose of doing a research paper in the first place. You must also be
sentence. Your topic statement is like a declaration of your belief. The main able to effectively communicate your thoughts, ideas, insights, and
portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief. research findings to others through written words as in a report, an
essay, a research or term paper, or through spoken words as in an oral or
STEP 4. MAKE A TENTATIVE OUTLINE multimedia presentation with audio-visual aids.
The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic 4) Do not include any information that is not relevant to your topic, and do
carefully and organize it logically before you start writing. A good outline is the not include information that you do not understand. Make sure the
most important step in writing a good paper. Check your outline to make sure information that you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own
that the points covered flow logically from one to the other. words, if possible.
Include in your outline an INTRODUCTION, a BODY, and a CONCLUSION. 5) Plagiarism is definitely out of the question. Document all ideas borrowed
Make the first outline tentative. or quotes used very accurately. As you organize your notes, jot down
detailed bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and have it
ready to transfer to your Works Cited/ Bibliography page.
 Example (nonliterary):
Citing a Source
1) Paraphrasing is rephrasing an authority's words. Ideas taken from other The Navy has conducted research on dolphins in an effort to
sources and put in your own words must also be cited to give credit to the gain more knowledge
sources.
2) Quoting is rewriting, word-for-word, someone else's words. You must pay … Scientists and engineers have found that the dolphin
close attention to the original wording, spelling, and punctuation, and has a yielding skin. This skin gives slightly when the dolphin
follow them exactly. swims fast, without making its prey aware that it is coming. A
similar skin has been adapted for use by atomic submarines.
Short quotations, consisting of only one or two sentences, should be included in (Weller 203).
the text of your paper, set off by quotation marks.
Examples (nonliterary): STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT

It is the abortion restrictions imposed in the sixties by 1) Start with the first topic in your outline. Read all the relevant notes you
Bucharest's leader that "helped topple Ceausescu's regime have gathered.
23 years later" (Jones 36). 2) Summarize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you plan to use in
your essay.
or 3) Use a technique that suits you, e.g. write summaries, paraphrases or
quotations on note cards, or separate sheets of lined paper.
According to Joseph M. Colucci, head of fuels and
lubricants at General Motors Research Laboratories, STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT
unleaded premium gasoline has become a "marketing
phenomenon, causing people to buy higher octane gasoline 1) Read your paper for any errors in content. Arrange and rearrange ideas
for their cars than they really need" (8). to follow your outline.
2) Reorganize your outline if necessary, but always keep the purpose of your
Example (literary): paper and your readers in mind.

The young waiter rudely suggests that the old man has Checklist One:
no "regard for those who must work" (Kahan 66).  Is my topic statement concise and clear?
 Did I follow my outline? Did I miss anything?
Use block quotations for quotations with four or more printed lines.  Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence?
The entire quote should be indented ten spaces from left margin. Note: the  Are all sources cited to ensure that I am not plagiarizing?
period is placed immediately after the quote for blocked quotes.  Have I proved my thesis with strong supporting arguments?
 Have I made my intentions and points clear in the essay?
 Re-read your paper for grammatical errors. Use a dictionary or a
thesaurus as needed.
  Do a spell check if using a word processor. Correct all errors that you 7) Before handing in your assignment for marking ask yourself: "Is this the
can spot and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of VERY BEST that I can do?"
your ability.
 Get someone else to read it over. Sometimes a second pair of eyes can
see mistakes that you cannot. Writing a Bibliography Page

Checklist Two: The Bibliography page located at the end of the research paper contains a
 Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence? correct listing of all sources from which you quoted or paraphrased. ONLY
 Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples? SOURCES ACTUALLY USED IN A PAPER ARE TO BE CITED. Each entry on this
 Any run-on or unfinished sentences? page must contain all of the information needed for identification and library
 Any unnecessary or repetitious words? research. Entries on this page are listed in alphabetical order by the author's last
 Varying lengths of sentences? name (or the title of the source if no author is given).
 Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next? For detailed instructions on how to construct your bibliography page and
 Any spelling or grammatical errors? how to use citations in the essay, refer to the style instructions specified by your
 Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation? teacher which is APA style.
 Are all my citations accurate and in correct format?
 Did I avoid using contractions? Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not" Here are some examples:
instead of "don't"? (Source: American Psychological Association 2007. Writing a Research Report, ch.5)
 Did I use third person as much as possible? Avoid using phrases such
as "I think", "I guess", "I suppose" Journal Articles
 Have I made my points clear and interesting but remained objective? Single author:
Flora, S.R. (1990). Undermining intrinsic interest from the standpoint of a behaviorist.
 Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the
Psychological Record, 40(2), 323-346.
paper.
Zimmerman, B.J. (1985). The development of “intrinsic” motivation: A social learning
STEP 8. TYPE FINAL PAPER analysis. Annals of Child Development, 2, 117-160.

Multiple authors:
1) All formal reports or essays should be typewritten using a word
Balsam, D.P., & Bondy, A.S. (1983). The negative side effects of reward. Journal of
processor. Applied Behavior Analysis, 16, 283-296.
2) Read the assignment sheet again to be sure that you understand fully
what is expected of you and that your essay meets the requirements as Hatano, G., Sigler, R.S., Richards, D.D., Inagaki, K., Stavy, R., & Wax, N. (1993). The
specified by your teacher. development of biological knowledge: A multi-national study. Cognitive
3) Know how your essay will be evaluated. Development, 8, 47-62.
4) Proofread final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation, missing or
duplicated words. Notes:
5) Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is clean, tidy, neat, and  Capitalize the first letter of the first word in the title of the article and of the first word
attractive. following a colon.
6) Aim to have your final paper ready a day or two before the deadline. This  Capitalize he first letter of each word in the name of the journal.
 Italicize the title of the journal, the volume number, and commas.
gives you peace of mind and a chance to triple check.
  If there are six or more authors, use the first author’s name and “et al.” even with the
first citation in the text (e.g. “Hatano et al. (1993) examined…”). Notes:
 For the text citation, indicate the original and new publication dates. For example, use
Books Locke (1960/1964) or Freud (1930/1961).
Single author:
Amabile, T.M. (1983). The social psychology of creativity. New York: Spinger-Verlag. Book chapter:
Asher, S.R., & Hymel, S. (1981). Children’s social competence in peer relations:
Toothaker, L.E. (1993). Multiple comparison procedures. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Sociometric and behavioral assessment. In J.K. Wine & M.D. Smye (Eds.), Social
competence (pp. 125-157). New York: Guilford Press.
Multiple authors:
Tegano, D.W., Moran, J.D., & Sawyers, J.K. (1991). Creativity in early childhood Corporate author:
classrooms. Washington, DC: National Educational Association. American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Notes:
 Capitalize the first letter of the first word in the title of the article and of the first word Magazines and Newspapers:
following a colon. Magazine:
 Italicize the title of the book. Lemonick, M.D. (1999, October 4). Smart genes? Time, 154, (11), 54-58.
 If the location of the publisher is not well known (e.g., Newbury Park), list the state.
Newspaper article:
Ray, B. (1999, November 5). Domestic violence growing concern in mid-Ohio valley.
Electronic sources: The Marietta Times, p. A1.
APA published an addendum to the standard style manual in 2007, focused entirely on
electronic sources (i.e., those that are available mainly through the internet). This document is
Newspaper article, no author:
freely available via internet and includes specific guidelines for citing documents using Digital
Seniors unimpressed with GOP Congress. (1999, November 4). The Marietta Times,
Object Identifier (DOI) codes when available, as well as proper format for citing electronic
p. A3.
books and journals articles retrieved from online. Here are a couple of general examples:

Hopkins, S.M., & Weathington, B.L. (2006). The relationships between justice Other Sources
perceptions, trust, and employee attitudes in a downsized organization. The Computer program:
Journal Of psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 140(5), 477-498. Allen, J.D., & Pittenger, D.J. (2000). Statistics Tutor (2 nd ed.)(Computer software). New
doi:10.3200/JRLP.140.5.477-498. York: Wiley.

Notes: Internet website:

 Include a DOI if the article has one and is therefore considered final. Otherwise, report National Alliance for the Mentally III (November, 1999). Schizophrenia. Retrieved
the URL from which you downloaded the source. 11/7/1999 from National Alliance for the Mentally III:
(http://www.nami.org/disorder/990305b.html).
 If the article is not final, or if its status is unclear, include the date on which you
accesses it as well as the full URL for the download.

Reprint of a classic text:

Locke, J. (1964). An essay concerning human understanding. (A.D. Woozley, Ed.).
Cleveland: Meridian Books. (Original work published 1690)

Translation of a book:
Freud, S. (1961). Civilization and its discontents. (J. Strachy, Trans.). New York: Norton.
(Original work published 1930)