Bedminster School
Research Report Writing Manual
Grades 5 & 6
Research Report Writing Manual
This writing manual will help guide students through the research report writing process. Students will be lead through each step of this process with clear information, expectations, and examples. Students will be using this manual in the classroom and should make sure they refer to the appropriate step of the process at home to guide them in the correct format during each step of the writing process.
The purpose of a research report is to gather information and present ideas clearly in your own words.
By completing a research project students will:
- Use print and electronic library classification systems to locate information relevant to research questions.
- Draw conclusions from information gathered from multiple sources.
- Summarize and organize information by taking notes and outlining ideas.
- Write an informational report of several paragraphs that engage the interest of the reader, state a clear purpose, develop the topic, and conclude with a detailed summary.
- Write reports based on research with a scope narrow enough to be thoroughly covered, supporting the main ideas or topic with facts, examples and explanations from authoritative sources, and including a works consulted page.
- Produce a report using technology.
Steps to Writing a Research Report
The following is a list of the steps in research report writing:
- Choose a topic
- Narrow your topic
- Locate information sources
- Create a working bibliography
- Develop a shopping list of ideas/topics
- Read and take notes
- Organize your ideas by creating an outline
- Write a rough draft
- Revise and edit
- Publish a final copy
Be sure to organize your time and your materials. Use a calendar to keep track of each step and record the due dates. Plan extra time to visit the school media center and the public library. Keep a checklist of the steps you have completed. Make sure to keep a copy of the report assignment and the rubric with which you will be graded. Gather supplies such as paper, index cards, rubber bands, and a large envelope or folder in which to store your papers.
1. Choosing Your Topic
The first step in writing a research report is choosing a topic.
Think about your topic. A report written on a topic that interests you will result in a more successful report.
Ways to Find a Topic:
- Think about the assignment and list some topics of personal interest.
- Skim your textbook and list interesting topics.
- Explore the library-media center using books, articles, reference books, and audiovisuals to find possible topics of interest.
- Talk to friends, parents, and teachers about the assignment.
- Be original! Don’t select a topic just because a friend is doing a similar one. Take this opportunity to explore something new.
2. Narrowing Your Topic
Some topics are too general while some are too narrow. All subjects contain both broad, general topics and narrower subtopics.
Keep in mind:
- The length of your report (make sure the topic is not too broad or too narrow)
- How much information is available
You may want to read a general encyclopedia article about your topic. Brainstorm a list of questions that you or your readers would want answered.
3. Locate Information Sources
Before searching for information sources you must first identify and list as many key words as possible. Key words are important words that relate to the main idea. These are the words you will use to find information when searching card catalogs, databases, and search engines.
To identify key words think of:
- a general subject that contains each topic
- synonyms for each topic
- related topics
Use the computer catalog in your media center to find appropriate materials.
Think about the types of sources that you will need to find information about your topic. Which sources will provide answers to your questions quickly and easily? Which sources will provide reliable information?
If you need:
- general information, use books, references, encyclopedias, and web pages
- current facts and statistics, use magazine and news articles, and web pages
- historical information, use books, references, encyclopedias, and web pages
Identifying the Best and Most Reliable Sources of Information
Sources of information are not always reliable. How can you identify a reliable source of information?
To decide whether a source of information is reliable, consider these questions:
- Is the information credible? (Where did the information come from and who wrote the information. Is the person an expert or is the organization recognized as a leader in the field?)
- Is the information factual or is it an opinion?
- Is the information fair and objective?
- Is the information current?
- Is the information well organized and easy to understand?
4.Create a Working Bibliography
- Use a separate piece of paper for your bibliography.
- Double-space your bibliography.
- Center the words “Bibliography” at the top of the page.
- Put each source in alphabetical order by the first letter of the entry.
- Begin the first line of each entry at the left hand margin (do not indent).
- Indent the rest of the entry by hitting the tab key once (5 spaces).
- Do not number the sources.
- Refer to the sample citations page for specific examples of each type of entry.
Sample Citations
Book:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title. Place: Publisher, date of publication.
Parker, Donald. Writing the Research Paper. New York: Prentice Hall, 1997.
Book with Two Authors:
If there are two or three authors, list the first author’s last name then first name followed by the full names of the other authors in normal order.
Jones, Thomas, and Robert Evans. The African Nations. Englewood Cliffs: McGraw Hill,
1995.
Encyclopedia Article:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title.” Name of Encyclopedia. date ed.
Ames, Margaret G. “Sharks.” Encyclopedia Americana. 1991 ed.
Magazine Article:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Name of Magazine. volume
number (if any). date of publication: page number(s).
Hogan, Susan. “New Music.” People Weekly 15 February 1997: 48-51.
Newspaper Article:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Name of Newspaper date
of publication, section and page number.
Saxon, George. “Water Pollution.” New York Times 3 October 1997, B 5.
The Internet:
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name (if given). Title of Article. date of publication. date of
access <Internet address>.
Peterson, Susan Lynn. The Life of Martin Luther. 1999. 9 Mar. 2001
Computer Software (Disk and CD-ROM):
Author’s Last Name, First Name (if given). Title of Software. Version. CD-ROM. Place of
Publication: Name of Publisher, copyright date.
“Pimpernel.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th ed. CD-ROM.
Boston: Houghton, 2000.
Sample Bibliography:
Bibliography
“Astronomy.” World Book Encyclopedia. 1998 ed.
Cooke, Donald A. The Life and Death of Stars. New York: Crown Publishers,
1985.
Drew’s Astronomy Page. 2004. 24 February 2004
George, Michael. Stars. Mankato, Minnesota: Creative Education, Inc., 1992.
Nebula.” World Book Encyclopedia. 1998 ed.
“Stars.” World Book Encyclopedia. 1998 ed.
WMAP. 2004. 24 February 2004
5. Create a Shopping List of Ideas
Before taking notes you must make a “shopping list” of ideas. Your shopping list is a list of main ideas that you want to find out about your topic.
Example Shopping List:
Tornadoes
- Damage
- Kinds
- Speed
- Formation
- Location
- Survival / Safety
- Appearance / Description
- Movement
- Size
- Famous
- Path / Course
- Strength
The topics on your shopping list become the main ideas for your note cards.
6. Read and Take Notes
One of the challenges of preparing a research report is taking the information and putting it into your own words. Remember, plagiarism is copying someone else’s words or ideas.
Note taking is the most important part of your research. Notes are a brief summary of important information, not sentences copied word for word. Most research writers take notes on index cards. This allows you to easily sort your cards by subtopic. New information can be added quickly and notes that are no longer needed can be discarded.
When taking notes you need to look for facts. Facts are statements that can be proven.
Facts often appear as:
- Numbers
- Dates
- Names
- Things you can see
- Descriptions
- Time
- Places / Locations
- Things that happen
When reading, read a paragraph, cover the paragraph with your hand, pause and think about the information, rewrite the information in your own words. Use words and phrases only, not sentences.
Sample Card:
Your note cards should have your main idea or topic centered at the top of the card and your source letter to the left. You must also include the page number the information stated on and the page it ended on.
7. Creating an Outline
An outline allows you to organize your main ideas to guide you in writing your paper. You must use a logical method to organize your information such as time, sequence, or importance.
Steps to Create an Outline:
- Review your note cards and sort them into groups of related ideas. Create a list of main ideas each group represents. This list should be similar to your shopping list.
- Think of the most logical order in which to arrange your main ideas. Rewrite your list of main ideas in order.
- Read every note card in each group. What ideas support your main ideas? Identify the subheadings for each main idea. Write the main ideas and subheadings of your paper in correct outline format. (Use Roman numeral for the main ideas and capital letters for the subheadings.)
Sample Outline:
- Introduction
- Wildlife and Geography
- Great Barrier Reef
- Coral Reef
- Fish
- Outback
- Desert
- Animal Life
- Sports
- Cricket
- Olympic Games
- Horse Racing
- Sailing
- Surfing
- Yachting
- Culture
- Explorers
- Immigrants
- Aborigines
- Conclusion
8.Writing a First Draft
Once you have organized your notes and developed a plan for your report, you are ready to write your first draft. As you write, you will be expanding your notes into your own complete sentences and paragraphs.
Your report should have a well-developed beginning, middle, and end. Paragraphs should be organized carefully using topics sentences, supporting details, and transitions to connect your ideas.
Introduction:
The introduction expresses the main idea of the paper and sets the tone for the reader. When writing your introduction be sure to grab the reader’s attention by opening with a surprising fact or statistic, a question, or a quote.
Body Paragraphs:
These paragraphs develop the main idea with specific and supporting details. Use your outline to guide your writing. Write about each point in your outline using your note cards. Expand the topics, subtopics, and details from your outline. Write sentences that develop the ideas in your notes.
Conclusion:
A concluding paragraph summarizes or reviews the main ideas of your paper. It may offer a new idea or solution based on the facts of your paper. You could apply the ideas of the paper to personal insights or understanding.
Be sure to indent each new paragraph.
9. Revising and Editing
All drafts can be improved.
Take a break.
Read your draft out loud to hear how it sounds.
Add, delete, and reorder ideas.
Use the following six-trait checklist to improve your paper. This checklist will help you review your work for each trait and revise based on what you find. You may need to read your paper a few times and focus on one trait each time. Remember to take a break when you need to because a fresh set of eyes spot mistakes that are often missed.
10. Writing Your Final Draft
Preparing your report carefully and correctly assures that the work you have done will be presented in the best way possible.
Paper: Use white paper (8½ x 11 inches)
Margins: One-inch margins on all sides of the page
Spacing: Double-space the body of your report and your bibliography
Font: 12 point Times New Roman
Indentation: Indent the beginning of each new paragraph. Line up indentation of each paragraph in the report with the previous paragraph.
Visuals: All visuals should be in an appendix and referred to in the body of your text
Putting Your Finished Report in Order:
Body of Report (see sample on next page)
Appendix
Bibliography
John Smith
Miss Landwehrle
Language Arts / Social Studies
6 May 2005
Title of Report
Start typing the body of your report here. The introduction expresses the main idea of the paper and sets the tone for the reader. When writing your introduction be sure to grab the reader’s attention by opening with a surprising fact or statistic, a question, or a quote.
Your body paragraphs develop the main idea with specific and supporting details. Use your outline to guide your writing. Write about each point in your outline using your note cards. Expand the topics, subtopics, and details from your outline. Write sentences that develop the ideas in your notes.
Your concluding paragraph summarizes or reviews the main ideas of your paper. It may offer a new idea or solution based on the facts of your paper. You could apply the ideas of the paper to personal insights or understanding.
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