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- Four Important Things to Remember
- Understand The Assignment
- Choose A Topic That Motivates You
- Ask A Research Question
- Focus/Refine Your Topic
- Identify Appropriate Sources
- Start Thinking About A Thesis Statement
- Use The Catalogue to Find …
- Evaluate What You Have Found
- Make Sense of Your Research Sources
Writing a research paper is a process, so you sometimes have to backtrack. It requires patience and time management.Start your research earlyAsk for help from the Library's Research Help servicesand the Student Learning CommonsThere is no such thing as a stupid question!Determine the objectives and scopeLook for key words that describe main tasks for the assignmentEducate yourself … find something new. Originality does count!Defend yourself … justify a positionEstablish yourself … expand your expertiseA sound research question (why? how? when? What if?) can help you work toward a solid thesis statementAvoid too narrow a question, or you may not find many research sourcesBreak the project into chunks of work (Hint: schedule those chunks into your calendar)Review class notes/assigned readingsUse the Library databases to find relevant journal articles and other resourcesWork from the general to the specific, e.g. find background information firstCritically evaluate what you have foundA thesis expresses your main position and forecasts what your paper will discussA solid thesis is debatable, requiring supporting evidence (e.g. your research)You don’t need to finalize your thesis until you’ve gathered your materials and written at least one draft!Search the Library Cataloguefor: 1. Books (e.g. The Hours, by Michael Cunningham) | Films & Music | Reports 2. Journals and journal articles Tip: If the SFU library doesn’t have what you’re looking for, you can request it online from another library. For more tips, see the Library Catalogue search guide.
Found too many sources? You may need to narrow your topicFound too few sources? Broaden your topic or choose other relevant keywordsChoose scholarly journals over popular magazinesAre your sources relevant? Biased? Too old?Use key words to help you organize your materials logicallyRefine your thesis statement based on research materialsCreate a “working” outline to reflect your evidence and order of presentationDraft your paper based on this planConsultations, workshops, and videos. You can also meet with someone one-on-one to receive feedback on your writing (the SLC provides writing consultations on all 3 campuses and online through WriteAway), take a free workshop to learn about writing strategies in a group setting, or watch one of our academic writing strategy videos, about all stages and phases of the writing process.
Simon Fraser University respectfully acknowledges the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Qayqayt, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo and Tsawwassen peoples on whose unceded traditional territories our three campuses reside.
T: 250-387-5629 F: 250-387-1696. Processing information access requests. If your department receives a request for access to information, please contact archives @sfu.ca for guidance on how to fulfill the request.
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By email. To request an unofficial transcript by email, please provide the following information: Attached photocopies of two pieces of SFU or government-issued identification (for example, SFU student card, driver’s licence, BC Services Card, passport). One must be a piece of photo ID. Please use “Unofficial Transcript” as your subject ...
