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The first step in writing a paper is selecting a topic. Your teacher may assign a topic or provide a list to choose from or you may choose your own topic. The following points may assist you:
- Be sure you understand the assignment.
- Choose a topic that interests you.
- Make sure you have enough sources to cover the topic and meet the requirements of the paper.
- Identify several back-up topics. Having additional ideas may save time if you are unable to locate information on the original topic.
- If you have many ideas, try to combine them to form one larger topic.
- Still having trouble? Try browsing through books on the subject or an encyclopedia to see if another topic interests you.
Online, check out the Idea Directory at Researchpaper.com.
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Your thesis. Your topic may be broad and you will need to focus on one specific idea. For some papers you will concentrate on one arguable point. Some good information on starting with a hypothesis and crafting a thesis can be found at Gale Term Paper: Crafting a Thesis - Evaluate Your Thesis and Sources |
