How to Write a Research Paper

So you want to learn how to write a research paper!  On this page you’ll find tips about putting your research paper together. You’ll also be see a detailed overview and plan for a research paper about ragtime.

Usually a research paper has these parts:

• An introduction that a) provides background and b) states the point you’re going to make (also called a thesis and usually placed at the end of the first paragraph)
• Three reasons why your thesis is true OR three deeper points about your thesis. For example, your thesis could be that homeschooling is beneficial to children. Your three “reasons” could explore three ways that children benefit from homeschooling.
• A conclusion that wraps up your paper.

Some advice:

• Always, ALWAYS check with your instructor to see how he or she wants the paper done. Instructors often want a research paper to be put together in a particular way. Follow those instructions in every detail.
• Get your thesis approved early. If your thesis is wrong, your whole paper will fall apart.
• Once you’ve started writing, share drafts with your instructor. (This means you can’t write your paper the night before!) Getting feedback from your instructor is the surest way to get a good grade.
• Ask a librarian for help. Librarians are experts in research. Professional people (I’m one!) often go to librarians for help – you should be doing that too.

A note to the student: As you read these instructions, you’re going to see that there’s a lot here. Don’t be overwhelmed!Here are some tips: Read the instructions below several times. Think about three. A good research paper usually gives three reasons why something is true. (If you were living at home and wanted your parents to give you permission to do something special with your friends, you might try to come up with three reasons. That’s how a research paper works.) Pay attention to the colors in the sample outline below. The colors will help you pick out the three parts.

Let’s get started! Our topic is going to be ragtime music.

Ragtime was popular in the United States from around 1897 to 1918. It started as an African-American musical form and quickly became popular with mainstream America. You’re going to learn how you might organize a research paper about ragtime. Once you know how to do that, you’ll have a good understanding of how a research paper is put together.

Overview

A research paper begins with an introductory paragraph that does three jobs: Stimulates your readers’ interest, provides background, and states the point you’re going to make in your research paper (the thesis). The thesis for this research paper will be that ragtime was a turning point in American music.

Notice that the thesis is a statement, not a question. You can’t prove a question!

The next part of the research paper is the body: Three reasons why the thesis is true or three ideas that support your thesis.

So…why was ragtime a turning point in American music?

-It was the first musical collaboration between blacks and whites.

-It was the first original American music.

-It made America a world musical leader.

That’s your outline – the overall design for your paper.

Now start filling in those three ideas. You will need several paragraphs about each idea: collaboration between blacks and whites,  the originality of ragtime, and how ragtime made America a world musical leader.

You’ll always need to quote experts to back up your points. For example, if you’re writing a paper about ragtime, you’d almost certainly need to include some quotations from Edward Berlin, who’s written two important books about the history of ragtime. A librarian can help you find books, magazines, and websites to quote.

The research paper will end with a conclusion paragraph that summarizes what’s been said about ragtime. NEVER add a new argument here. Just wrap up what you’ve already said.

So let’s say that you’ve made your outline and done your research. The next step is to fill in the parts of your outline. What points will you make about black-white collaboration, the originality of ragtime, and musicians from other countries who were inspired by ragtime?

Here’s what you’d probably come up with. (This is an expanded outline.)

Expanded OutlineRagtime: A Turning Point in American Music

[1^st paragraph] Introduction

• Attention-getter (interesting fact or story)
• Background explaining what ragtime is
• Quotation from an authority
• Thesis: The ragtime era was a turning point in American musical history.

[2^nd paragraph]  First reason: Ragtime was the first musical collaboration between blacks and whites

• White businessman John Stark and black composer Scott Joplin
• Quotation from an authority

[3^rd paragraph]  more about collaboration

• The story of Joseph Lamb, a young white composer helped by Scott Joplin
• Quotation from an authority

[4^th paragraph]  more about collaboration

• Although ragtime was based on African rhythms, many white men and women composed ragtime (May Irwin, William Krell, Muriel Pollock, and others)
• Quotation from an authority

 

[5^th paragraph]  Second reason: Ragtime was America’s first original music

• Ragtime used syncopation and African polyrhythms (multiple rhythms)
• Quotation from an authority

[6^th paragraph]  more about America’s original music

• Ragtime blended African and European musical ideas
• Quotation from an authority

[7^th paragraph]  more about America’s original music

• Ragtime used folk themes in serious, full-length artistic works, such as operas
• Quotation from an authority

 

[8^th paragraph]  Third reason: Ragtime made America a world musical leader for the first time

• Czech composer Antonin Dvorak visited the US and urged American composers to incorporate black musical ideas into their compositions
• Quotation from an authority

[9^th paragraph]  more about world leader in music

• European composers Debussy and Ravel used ideas from ragtime in their music
• Quotation from an authority

[10^th paragraph]  more about world leader in music

• European composers Stravinsky and Milhaud used ideas from ragtime in their music
• Quotation from an authority

[11^thparagraph]  ConclusionRestate the main point and summarize what the research paper said about ragtime[last page]  Works CitedAn alphabetical list of books, articles, websites, and other sources you used, in the format preferred by your educational institution (usually MLA or APA)

The First Page

And here, to help you see how the parts fit together, is the first page of the actual research paper. Compare what’s written here to the expanded outline above (introductory paragraph and first supporting idea). Notice how quotations from experts support the points made here. It’s a good idea to get a quotation from an expert about the importance of your topic into your first paragraph.

Ragtime: A Turning Point in American Music

“One hundred years ago, ragtime was king” (Birnbaum). Its “irresistible, foot-tapping, rhythmic impulse” captivated Americans at the beginning of the twentieth century and won the respect of European musical innovators (Berlin xvii). Ragtime, a blend of African rhythms and traditional European musical forms, was created by African-American musicians. Soon, however, it made its way into the musical mainstream. From about 1897 to 1918, ragtime was wildly popular in the United States and Europe. Although it was largely forgotten for more than 40 years, a ragtime revival began in the 1970s. Once again musicians were composing and performing ragtime, and musical historians explored its origins and development. Today the ragtime era is widely recognized to have been a turning point in American musical history.

First, ragtime was the first musical collaboration between blacks and whites. Scott Joplin, the most famous ragtime composer, got his start when white businessman John Stark published Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag.” Although few black composers were paid royalties for their work in those days, Stark agreed to pay Joplin for each copy sold. According to Edward Berlin, this contract “gave him sufficient income to change the conditions and course of his life” (56). Sales from this one piece of music enabled Joplin to “meet most of his basic expenses” (Berlin 58).

 

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