The Steps You Need to Write a Research Paper STEP ONE: CHOOSE A TOPIC Select a specific, focused topic to research. Where do topic ideas come from? If ideas are not suggested in your study guide, you can often find a topic by looking through your textbooks, particularly in the sections that list suggestions for

A précis is a concise restating of a book, journal article, or some other work. The word comes from the Old French and means to “cut short” (dictionary.com), so this is essentially what writing a précis entails. The purpose is to explain the main points, the supporting points, and the outline of the original work,

DICTIONHow To Master Diction, Rhetoric, and StyleDiction refers to precision and clarity in word choice as well as appropriate levels of usage. Make certain that every word means exactly what you intend it to mean. Eliminate ambiguity. Avoid informal, colloquial, regional, dialectical, nonstandard, archaic, and cliché expressions.RHETORICRhetoric is the art of using language effectively. Rhetoric

“CRITICISM”: n. The art, skill or profession of making discriminating judgments and evaluations.THE ESSENCE OF CRITICAL THINKINGAsk Four Basic Questions as You Read / Listen: What is the book/message about as a whole? What is the author/speaker saying in detail, and how is it said? Is the book/message true, in whole or in part? What

 Writing Information and Help – Writing and Style Index An index of the Writing Information and Help pages on Trinity’s website for student writing help at all degree levels. The following pages will help students make the most of their writing skills. The first link is a full PDF of all the Writing Helps that

A good paragraph is a mini-essay. It should demonstrate three components: Introduction, i.e., a topic sentence Body, i.e., supporting details Conclusion or a transitional sentence to the paragraph that follows. A good paragraph is characterized by unity, coherence, and adequate development. Unity: State the main idea of the paragraph in a clearly constructed topic sentence. Make

Master the essentials of the sentence as an aid to clear thinking and effective writing. Writing a good sentence is an art, and you can master that art by developing your awareness of what makes a sentence work. As you become more familiar with the relationships among sentence elements, you will strengthen your writing skills