The following checklist is designed to guide you through each of the items related to researching an essay.
| Component |
Item |
Questions / Issues |
| Defining a topic and thesis |
Selection |
- Does your topic fit within the scope of your course?
|
| Focus |
- Is your topic focused enough to be both feasible and manageable?
|
| Research question |
- Does your thesis statement ask a how or why type of question?
|
| Position |
- Is your thesis statement specific, explanatory, and argumentative?
|
| Building a bibliography |
Sources |
- Do you have a sufficient mix of books, journal articles, and/or other types of material?
|
| Selection |
- Have you checked that your sources are accurate / acceptable?
- Are some of your secondary sources recent?
|
| Taking notes |
Reference |
- Do your notes record where you found your research material?
|
| Style |
- Do your notes indicate whether you wrote them in your own words or whether you copied them exactly from the source material?
|
| Retention |
|
Feedback/Errata