8th Grade Social Studies Research Tips
Research is done over a long period of time. It is a process with many steps, similiar in many ways to the writing process used in Language Arts class. Below you will find some helpful tips to remember when conducting research.
1. Choose a topic of interest to you and narrow the focus through preliminary research.
2. Write your "statement of controlling purpose" or preliminary "thesis" which will explain what your research will accomplish.
3. Search for source material to add to your working bibliography. These sources can be added to those found while doing your preliminary research.
4. Gather information using note cards as you read your sources in your working bibiligraphy indicating source material on each note card. This will help you organize your source information requiring citations later in the process.
5. Organize your material using graphic organizers or outlines.
6. Use your graphic organizers and note cards to write a rough draft. Remember to include citations when using paraphrased or quoted information.
7. Revise your rough draft. Consider the following questions when revising your work.
- Does it support the thesis statement?
- Is there a clear introduction, body, and conclusion?
- Is the thesis supported with examples from reliable sources?
- Did you avoid using slang?
- Does your conclusion summarize the main points and restate your thesis?
8. Read through your revised draft checking for proper citations.
9. Prepare the "Works Cited" (bibliography) page.
10. Prepare the final draft.
11. Proofread your final document.
**Although this process is associated with written reports, the process is the same for oral presentations, multimedia presentation, etc.