To examine the author’s credibility or ethos—that is, how much you can believe of what the author has to say

Look for keywords related to your topic.

The challenge here is to conduct your search efficiently, so writers use strategies to help them find the sources that are most relevant and reliable while steering clear of sources that will not be useful.

A successful research process should go through these steps: Decide on the topic. Narrow the topic in order to narrow search parameters. Consider a question that your research will address. Generate sub-questions from your main question. Determine what kind of sources are best for your argument. Create a bibliography as you gather and reference sources

No matter what field of study you are interested in, you will most likely be asked to write a research paper during your academic career

ou will need to put your thoughts together in a logical, coherent manner. You may want to use the facts you have learned to create a narrative or to support an argument.

A thesis is weak when it contains an obvious fact or something that no one can disagree with or provides a dead end.

A thesis statement must present a relevant and specific argument. A factual statement often is not considered arguable. Be sure your thesis statement contains a point of view that can be supported with evidence.

Asking and then answering this question is vital to forming a thesis that is precise, forceful, and confident.

he textbook Successful Writing explains that writers need a thesis statement to provide a specific focus for their essay and to organize what they will discuss in the body of their writing

Topic sentence: summarizes the main idea of the paragraph; presents a claim that supports your thesis. Supporting sentences: examples, details, and explanations that support the topic sentence (and claim). Concluding sentence: gives the paragraph closure by relating the claim back to the topic sentence and thesis statement.

summarizes the main idea of the paragraph; presents a claim that supports your thesis.

Primary support should show, explain, or prove your main argument without delving into irrelevant details. When faced with lots of information that could be used to prove your thesis

Some writers like to begin the body paragraphs and then return to the introduction and conclusion once they know what it is they would like to focus on. There is no one right process. Find the process that works for you.

Three common ways to structure a paper are chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance

The textbook English for Business Success explains that your prewriting activities and readings can help you gather information for your assignment. The more you sort through the pieces of information you found,

Filling in small pieces with likely details from the past is fine, but outright fabricating is not.

To create an idea map, start with your general topic in a circle in the center of a blank sheet of paper. Then write specific ideas around it and use lines or arrows to connect them together. Add and cluster as many ideas as you can

However, regardless of genre, one can use some basic strategies to approach these assignments constructively.

he specific part of the country you live in, the people who make the rules, the counter culture that resists the people who make the rules, to name just a few. If you can specify which “society” you are referring to, you will not only clarify your analysis but also discover new insights concerning the significance of your perspective to a specific group.

thinking about audience has become so common that you may not even detect the audience-driven decisions.

Discourse Community Criteria: This graphic outlines the six key criteria that define a discourse community, including shared goals, communication mechanisms, participatory feedback, genre utilization, specialized vocabulary, and a level of expertise among members.