The following links provide general guidelines for research papers and get you started.

      Twenty questions for research writing

      Writing the research paper step-by-step

      Research writing from Purdue University  (website)

Avoiding plagiarism

Learning how to summarize, synthesize, integrate and document outside references into your papers is what becoming a scholar is all about. “Avoiding Plagiarism” teaches you to identify what information needs to be documented and what doesn’t. It provides examples of documenting sources in four styles and can be viewed as either a PDF file or a PowerPoint.

Documentation styles

The following links provide examples and tips for integrating direct quotations and paraphrased information into your paper, citing your sources within the body of the paper, and compiling the list of references used at the end. The three most commonly used documentation styles are provided. Check with your professor for the style preferred.

MLA        Modern Language Association

                 Quoting/paraphrasing (handout)

                 Works cited (handout)

                 Librarylink

                 MLA website

APA        American Psychological Association

                 Quoting/paraphrasing (handout)

                 References (handout)

                 Librarylink

                 APA website   

                 PowerPoint or PDF file

CMS        Chicago Manual of Style

                 Quoting/paraphrasing (handout)

                 Citation Quick Guide (handout)

                 Librarylink

                 CMS website