The definitive research paper guide, Writing Research Papers combines a traditional and practical approach to the research process with the latest information on electronic research and presentation.   This market-leading text provides students with step-by-step guidance through the research writing process, from selecting and narrowing a topic to formatting the finished document. Writing Research Papers backs up its instruction with the most complete array of samples of any writing guide of this nature. The text continues its extremely thorough and accurate coverage of citation styles for a wide variety of disciplines. The fourteenth edition maintains Lester's successful approach while bringing new writing and documentation updates to assist the student researcher in keeping pace with electronic sources.

Table of Contents:
Preface Chapter 1   Writing from Research    1a Why Do Research?    1b Learning The Conventions of Academic Writing    1c Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism    1d Understanding a Research Assignment    Understanding the Terminology    1e Establishing a Research Schedule   Chapter 2   Finding a Topic    2a Relating Your Personal Ideas to a Scholarly Problem    Connecting Personal Experience to Scholarly Topics    Speculating about Your Subject to Discover Ideas and to Focus on the    Issues 2b Talking with Others to Find and Refine the Topic    Personal Interviews and Discussions    Online Discussion Groups 2c   Using Online Searches to Refine Your Topic    Using an Online Subject Directory    Using an Internet Keyword Search 2d   Using the Library’s Electronic Databases to Find and Narrow a Subject 2e   Using the Library’s Electronic Book Catalog to Find a Topic 2f   Developing a Thesis Statement, Enthymeme, or Hypothesis 2g   Drafting a Research Proposal    The Short Proposal    The Long Proposal Your Research Project   Chapter 3   Organizing Ideas and Setting Goals 3a Using a Basic Order to Chart the Course of Your Work 3b Using Your Research Proposal to Direct Your Notetaking 3c Listing Key Terms and Phrases to Set Directions for Notetaking 3d Writing a Rough Outline 3e Using Questions to Identify Issues 3f Setting Goals by Using Organizational Patterns 3g Using Approaches across the Curriculum to Chart Your Ideas 3h Using Your Thesis to Chart the Direction of Your Research Your Research Project   Chapter 4 Gathering Sources Online 4a Beginning an Online Search    CHECKLIST: Evaluating Internet Sources 4b Reading an Online Address 4c Using Keyword and Boolean Expressions    Subject Directory Search Engines    Robot-Driven Search Engines    Metasearch Engines    Specialized Search Engines    Educational Search Engines    Educational Search Engines Maintained by Libraries 4d Using RSS and Social Bookmarking    RSS Feeds    Web and Social Bookmarking 4e Searching for  Articles in Journals and Magazines    Online journals    Online  Magazines 4f Searching for Articles in Newspapers and Media Sources 4g Searching for Photographs and Other Visual Sources 4h Accessing E-Books 4i Using Listserv, Usenet, Blogs, and Chat Groups    E-mail News Groups    Real-Time Chatting 4j Examining Library Holdings via Online Access 4k Finding an Internet Bibliography 4l Conducting Archival Research on the Internet    Go to the Library    Go to an Edited Search  Engine    Go to a Metasearch Engine    Go to a Listserv or Usenet Group    Utilize Newspaper Archives Your Research Project   Chapter 5   Gathering Data in the Library 5a Launching the Search 5b Developing a Working Bibliography 5c Finding Books on Your Topic    Using Your Library’s Electronic Book Catalog    Using the Library’s Bibliographies 5d Finding Articles in Magazines and Journals    Searching the General Indexes to Periodicals    Finding Indexes by Topic in Appendix B    Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature    Social Sciences Index    Humanities Index    Searching for an Index to Abstracts    Searching for Abstracts of Dissertations 5e Searching for a Biography    Biography  Index    Current  Biography Yearbook    Contemporary Authors    Dictionary of Literary Biography  5f Searching for Articles in the Newspaper Indexes 5g Searching Special Subject Directories 5h Searching for Government Documents 5i Searching for Essays within Books Your Research Project   Chapter 6   Conducting Field Research 6a Investigating Local Sources    Interviewing Knowledgeable People    Writing Letters and Corresponding by E-mail    Reading Personal Papers    Attending Lectures and Public Addresses 6b Investigating Government Documents 6c Examining Audiovisual Materials, Television, and Radio 6d Conducting a Survey with a Questionnaire 6e Conducting Experiments, Tests, and Observation Your Research Project   Chapter 7   Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism 7a Using Sources to Enhance your Credibility 7b Placing Your Work in Its Proper Context 7c Understanding Copyright 7d Avoiding Plagiarism    Common Knowledge    Correctly Borrowing from a Source 7e Sharing Credit in Collaborative Projects 7f Honoring and Crediting Sources in Online Classrooms 7g Seeking Permission to Publish Material on Your Web Site Your Research Project   Chapter 8   Reading and Evaluating Sources 8a Finding Reliable Sources 8b Selecting a Mix of both Primary and Secondary Sources 8c Evaluating Sources    Evaluating the Key Parts of an Article      Evaluating the Key Parts of a Book    Evaluating the Key Parts of an Internet Article 8d Outlining a Source 8e Summarizing a Source 8f Preparing an Annotated Bibliography 8g Preparing a Review of the Literature on a Topic Your Research Project   Chapter 9   Writing Effective Notes and Creating Outlines    Gathering Printouts, Photocopies, Scanned Images, and Downloaded Data    Writing Notes of High Quality 9a Creating Effective Notes    Honoring the Conventions of Research Style    Using a Computer for Notetaking 9b Writing Personal Notes 9c Writing Direct Quotation Notes    Quoting Primary Sources    Quoting Secondary Sources 9d Writing Paraphrased Notes 9e Writing Summary Notes 9f Writing Précis Notes    Use the Précis to Review Briefly an Article or  Book    Use the  Précis to Write an Annotated Bibliography    Use the  Précis in a Plot Summary Note    Use the  Précis As the  Form for an Abstract 9g   Writing Notes from Field Research 9h Creating Outlines Using Academic Models    A General All-Purpose Model    Model for Advancing Your Ideas and Theories    Model for the Analysis of Creative Works    Model for Argument and Persuasion Papers    Model for Analysis of History    Model for a Comparative Study 9i   Writing a Formal Outline    Using Standard Outline Symbols    Writing a Formal Topic Outline    Writing a Formal Sentence Outline Your Research Project   Chapter 10   Drafting the Paper in an Academic Style 10a Focusing Your Argument    Maintaining a Focus on Objective Facts and Subjective Ideas 10b Refining the Thesis Statement    Using Questions to Focus the Thesis    Adjust or Change Your Thesis during Research if Necessary 10c Writing an Academic Title 10d Drafting the Paper from Your Research Journal, Notes, and Computer Files   Writing from Your Notes   Writing with Unity and Coherence   Writing in the Proper Tense   Using the Language of the Discipline   Using Source Material to Enhance Your Writing   Writing in the Third Person   Writing with the Passive Voice in an Appropriate Manner 10e Using Visuals Effectively  in a Research Essay    File Formats 10f Avoiding Sexist and Biased Language Your Research Project   Chapter 11   Blending Reference Material into Your Writing by Using MLA Style 11a Blending Reference Citations into Your Text   Making a General Reference without a Page Number   Beginning with the Author and Ending with a Page Number   Putting the Page Number Immediately after the Name   Putting the Name and Page Number at the End of Borrowed Material 11b Citing a Source When No Author Is Listed   Citing the Title of a Magazine Article   Citing the Title of a Report   Citing the Name of a Publisher or a Corporate Body 11c Citing Nonprint Sources That Have No Page Number 11d Citing Internet Sources   Identify the Source with Name or Title   Identify the Nature of the Information and Its Credibility   Omitting Page and Paragraph Numbers to Internet Citations 11e Citing Indirect Sources 11f Citing Frequent Page References to the Same Work 11g Citing Material from Textbooks and Large Anthologies 11h Adding Extra Information to In-text Citations   One of Several Volumes   Two or More Works by the Same Writer   Several Authors in One Citation   Additional Information with the Page Number 11i Punctuating Citations Properly and With Consistency   Commas and Periods   Semicolons and Colons   Question Marks and Exclamation Marks   Single Quotation Marks 11j Indenting Long Quotations 11k Citing Poetry   Quoting Two Lines of Poetry or Less   Quoting Three Lines of Poetry or More   Indenting Turnovers for Long Lines of Poetry   Retaining Internal Quotations within a Block   Providing Translations 11l Handling Quotations from a Play 11m Altering Initial Capitals in Some Quoted Matter 11n Omitting Quoted Matter with Ellipsis Points 11o   Altering Quotations with Parentheses and Brackets    Parentheses    Brackets Your Research Project   Chapter 12   Writing the Introduction, Body, and Conclusion 12a Writing the Introduction of the Paper   Provide the Thesis Statement   Provide the Enthymeme   Provide a Hypothesis   Relate to the Well Known   Provide Background Information   Review the Literature   Review the History and Background of the Subject   Take Exception to Critical Views   Challenge an Assumption   Provide a Brief Summary   Define Key Terms   Supply Data, Statistics, and Special Evidence 12b Writing the Body of the Research Paper   Organize by Chronology   Compare or Contrast Issues, Critical Views, and Literary Characters   Develop Cause and Effect   Define Your Key Terminology   Explain a Process   Ask Questions and Provide Answers   Cite Evidence from the Source Materials   Use a Variety of Other Methods 12c Writing the Conclusion of the Research Paper   Restate the Thesis and Reach beyond It   Close With an Effective Quotation   Return the Focus of a Literary Study to the Author   Compare the Past to the Present   Offer a Directive or Solution   Discuss Test Results Your Research Project   Chapter 13   Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting the Rough Draft 13a Conducting a Global Revision   Revising the Introduction   Revising the Body   Revising the Conclusion   Participating in Peer Review 13b Formatting the Paper to MLA Style   Title Page or Opening Page   Outline   Abstract   The Text of the Paper   Content Endnotes Page   Appendix   Works Cited 13c Editing Before Typing or Printing the Final Manuscript    Using the Computer to Edit Your Text 13d   Proofreading on the Screen and on the Printed Manuscript Your Research Project 13e Sample Research Papers in MLA Style   Short Literary Research Paper   Sample Research Paper    Chapter 14 Works Cited: MLA Style 14a Formatting the Works Cited Page    Index to Works Cited Models: MLA STYLE 14b Works Cited Form – Internet Sources 14c Works Cited Form – Citing Database and CD-ROM Sources    Other Electronic Sources 14d Works Cited Form – Books 14e Works Cited Form – Periodicals 14f Works Cited Form – Newspapers 14g Works Cited Form – Government Documents 14h Works Cited Form – Other Sources   Chapter 15 Writing in APA Style 15a Writing Theory, Reporting Test Results, or Reviewing Literature   Theoretical Article   Report of an Empirical Study   Review Article 15b Writing in the Proper Tense for an APA Research Paper 15c Using In-text Citations in APA Style 15d Preparing the List of References   Index to Bibliographic Models: APA style   Book   Periodical   Abstract   Review   Report   Nonprint Material   Internet Sources   World Wide Web Sites   Article from a Library Database   CD-ROM 15e Formatting an APA Paper   Theoretical Article   Report of Empirical Research   Review Article 15f Writing the Abstract 15g Sample Paper in APA Style   Chapter 16   The Footnote System: CMS Style 16a Inserting a Superscript Numeral in Your Text 16b Formatting and Writing the Footnotes 16c Writing Footnotes for Electronic Sources 16d Writing Subsequent Footnote References 16e Writing Endnotes rather than Footnotes 16f Writing Content Footnotes or Content Endnotes 16g Using the Footnote System for Papers in the Humanities 16h Writing a Bibliography Page for a Paper That Uses Footnotes 16i Sample Research Paper in the CMS Style   Chapter 17   CSE Style for the Natural and Applied Sciences    Guide by Discipline    Index to Bibliographic Models: CSE style 17a Writing In-Text Citations Using the CSE Citation-Sequence System 17b Writing a Reference Page 17c Writing In-Text Citations with Name and Year 17d Using Name-Year with Bibliography Entries 17e Sample Paper Using the CSE Citation-Sequence System   Chapter 18   Creating Electronic Research Projects 18a Beginning the Electronic Project 18b Building Electronic Presentations 18c Research Paper Web Pages and Sites Creating a Single Web Page Importing, Entering, and Modifying Text Citing Your Sources in a Web Research Paper 18d Using Graphics in Your Electronic Research Paper    Graphic File Formats    Creating Your Own Digital Graphics 18e Using Sound and Video in Your Electronic Research Paper 18f Preparing a Writing Portfolio 18g Presenting Research in Alternative Formats Your Research Project   Appendix A   Glossary: Rules and Techniques for Preparing the Manuscript in MLA Style Appendix B   Finding Reference Works for Your General Topic   Historic Issues of Events, People, and Artifacts   Scientific Issues in Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering   Issues of Health, Fitness, and Athletics   Social and Political Issues   Issues in the Arts, Literature, Music, and Language   Environmental Issues, Genetics, and the Earth Sciences   Issues in Communication and Information Technology   Issues in Religion, Philosophy, and Psychology   Issues in Business and Economics   Popular Culture, Current Events, and Modem Trends  Credits Index