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Download
a step-by-step guide to writing
a research report 
Define your task
What
are you going to write? Will
you be responding to a question,
making an argument, stating
an opinion, or comparing two
different things? Can you easily define
your topic? If your topic is
too broad, focus in on one aspect of it.
Resources
you can use to define your task:
Subject
Browse
Study
Guides
30-day
news archive
Encyclopædia
Britannica
Internet
Guide
Go
to:
Seek Sources of Information
What kinds of information will
be useful for completing your
task? Consider the Internet,
your lecture notes, primary
sources, secondary sources,
reference works.
Information
sources on BritannicaSchool:
30-day
news archive
Journal
and magazine articles
Internet
Guide
Study
Guides in math, language
arts, and science
Merriam-Webster
Dictionary and Thesaurus
Encyclopædia
Britannica
Go
to:
Locate & Access Relevant
Information
Where are the
sources of information you identified
in Step Two? Where is the relevant
information within each
source? If you’re looking
in the encyclopedia, for example,
you will find that the subject
headings are very broad —
use the contents to help you
narrow down and focus your report
on one manageable topic.
Resources
for helping you locate relevant
sources:
Advanced
Search. You will type in
key words related to your topic.
If you’re having trouble
finding material related to
your topic go to search
help.
Site
map will help you see where
each source is located and get
to it quickly.
Study
Guides include topic lists
to help you locate guides related
to your research.
Internet
Guide provides a searchable
database in all subject areas.
You can use the same key words
you used in your advanced search
to search the Internet Guide.
Encyclopædia
Britannica. Don’t forget
the encyclopedia! Each entry
provides an index listing which
will help you locate related
topics or narrow down your search.
Merriam-Webster
Dictionary and Thesaurus.
In case you need to look up
an unfamiliar or confusing term
during your research.
Go
to:
Identify Most Useful Information
How can each source
help you the most? You need
to identify — from within
each source — the most
helpful facts or arguments to
help you complete your report.
You can use background or historical
information from the encyclopedia
or Study Guides, or read the
most recent updates from news
or magazine articles. The dictionary
and thesaurus can help you understand
information you find.
Tip:
Use the BritannicaSchool Note-taking
tool, and save your notes to
the Britannica Workspace for
easy online access to your research.
Resources:
Internet
Guide
Encyclopædia
Britannica
Merriam-Webster
Dictionary and Thesaurus
Journal
and magazine articles
30-day
news archive
Study
Guides
Workspace
Note-taking
tool
Go
to:
Synthesize
This is where you start
putting it all together. Organize
your information into a coherent,
logical sequence. Compose your
report based on the information
you’ve found and notes
you’ve taken, keeping in
mind the task you’ve been
assigned. Carefully craft your
arguments or analysis into a
well-structured, polished presentation.
Be sure to cite your sources
according to your teacher’s
— or the assignment’s
— guidelines.
Go
to:
Evaluate!
Were You Successful in Completing
Your Task?
When finished, evaluate
how well you did on your term
paper or research report. Did
you answer all the questions
you set out to answer? Were
you effective in gathering your
sources and explaining your
thesis? How well did you defend
your thesis?
Go
to:
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