Now that you have your thesis statement, you can begin research.
Why write a thesis statement first? Because it will save you from digging through tomes of information that you'll never use. The library is overflowing with volumes on the Civil War. If you know in advance that you are writing about the war's leaders, you can skim right over the books and chapters on the war's causes, race issues, etc. Knowing what you need will help you (and the librarian) find it quickly.
Research can also reveal if your thesis statement is too weak or insupportable. In that case, revising your thesis is usually an easy task.
When you find a quote or a fact you want to use in your essay, write it on a note card and label it so you know where it came from.
Also, write the sources you find on a sheet of paper or on separate note cards. Include the full name(s) of the author(s), publication title, article title, editor's full name, volume and/or issue number, publication date or copyright year, press name and city of publication, page number(s) that contain the information you want to use, Web URL, and the date you accessed the information. Not all sources will have (or require) all of this information. The point is to write down as much identifying information about the source as possible so you can correctly format your Works Cited page without having to look up the source again.
More on research later.
#6. Develop an Outline.
So you have a stellar thesis statement and some hard-hitting facts. Time to make an outline!
What's that? Your professor doesn't require an outline? Well, I do. So make one.
The ten minutes you spend making an outline will save you hours of writing on your draft. An outline organizes your points in a clear, logical fashion so you don't have to stop after every sentence and wonder what comes next. With an outline, you won't wander off topic or leave anything out. It will be the anchor you cling to when you're braindead at 3 a.m.
Start by writing the title of your essay at the top of a sheet of paper, followed by your thesis statement. Now write Roman numerals I, II, III and so on at the left-hand margin. These will represent your MAIN points or paragraph topics. The first and last points are always your introduction and conclusion respectively.
Let's say you're writing that Civil War paper. Your outline would look like this:
Thesis: The actions of Ulysses S. Grant, General Stonewall Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln shaped the outcome of the Civil War in profound, surprising ways.
I. Introduction
II.Ulysses S. Grant
A.
B.
III. Stonewall Jackson
A.
B.
IV. Abraham Lincoln
A. Freed the Slaves
1.
2.
B.
V. Conclusion
See those A's and B's? Those are SECONDARY points that support the main points. (I filled in one as an example.) The small 1's and 2's contain information that explains the secondary points. You can expand your outline as far as you want or need, and can even write out the points as full sentences instead of phrases.
Does the Grammar Nazi write an outline every time? Yes, she does!
#6. Write the first draft.
At last, you can sit down and write! With your assignment instructions, thesis statement, and outline GLUED TO YOUR ARM, this should be a much less painful process.
Most students start by writing the introduction (with the thesis statement as the LAST sentence in the paragraph) and finish with the conclusion. But you don't have to write that way. If you're itching to tackle the heart of your essay, you CAN write the body first! Just make sure all the parts are in the correct order before you submit your essay.
Oh, before I forget: SAVE, SAVE, SAVE your essay to YOUR computer (not the library's) or storage device every few minutes. A glitch, power outage, or an accidental click on the program's "Close" button could wipe out all your work. And then you'll cry.
#7. Format the Works Cited page.
As you wrote the first draft, you should have cited any researched information with the author's last name and page number in parenthesis (or in a footnote). The Works Cited page provides the full source details for that information. First, know what documentation style you are using: MLA, APA, etc. (Some professors require their own unique style.) Then arrange the sources in alphabetical order by the authors' LAST names. This means Graves, John L. comes BEFORE Zimmer, Alan.
#8. Revise
Finished with that first draft at last? Great. Save it one last time and leave it alone for a few hours. Go outside and toss a Frisbee, grab a snack in the student lounge, whatever. Then come back and print out your essay. Yes, on paper. Read it ALOUD. Yes, audibly. Any sentence or phrase that causes you to stumble or pause with wrinkled eyebrows needs to be reworked. Mark up any errors you see with a COLORED PEN. Then make the corrections on your computer. Print out a second copy. Have an intelligent friend, roommate, parent or classmate look it over. Make any needed corrections. Print a clean copy for your professor.
Now you should have an essay worthy of grading.
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