Gwinnett County Research Process
Lilburn Elementaryby Lisa Campbell
Media Specialist
Five Basic Steps
The “Well, Duh!” approach.
obvious
logical
Step 1. Planning
Pick a topic!
(“Well, Duh!)
Your topic is no doubt too large, so you must narrow it down
so you don’t go crazy
Trying to write a report on a huge topic is like trying to take
a sip from a fire hose
Information Overload
The internet doubles every three months!
Let’s say you want to do research on the Revolutionary War.
You check our catalog and see that we have 137 books on the
Revolutionary War.
The county databases have hundreds and hundreds of
articles
Too much! Where do you start?
How to narrow the fire hose
What small part of the revolutionary war really, really
interests you?
Uniforms?
Weapons?
Hospitals?
One battle?
One person?
You get the idea
Now you’re ready to pull your materials.
It’s no longer a fire hose of information, but a digestible amount of information.
That's it! Step 1 of the Research Process is
simply this:
• Pick a topic
• Narrow topic
• Select your materials
Step 2. Drafting
Take notes!
(“Well, Duh!”)
You’ll never remember all the things you are reading.
Every time you pull something from a website, book or
magazine, write down the source. This will make step 4
much easier.
Ok, you’ve got notes.
great stuff, but it is kind of a mess
Organize your cards and papers so it sounds good
and makes your point
Now you can write your first draft.
So, Step 2 is this:
• Take notes (with source information)
• Organize notes
• Write draft
Step 3. Revising
Read it to your parents, friends or teacher
They might have suggestions for you
Revise your report. Make it better.
Step 3 again:
• Share it.
• Get feedback.
• Revise it.
Step 4: Final Editing
Prepare the final version of your research.
Double check
grammar
spelling
Make sure the bibliography is complete and in the correct
format.
Ask Ms. Campbell for example sheet
Step 4 is:
• Finalize
• Double check grammar and spelling
• Check Bibliography
Step 5. Publishing/Presenting
Present your final report
Graciously accept the applause
think
How could you have improved it?
Review:
Step 1: Planning
• Pick a topic
• Narrow it down
• Select Materials
Step 2: Drafting
• Take notes
(with sources!)
• Organize notes
• Write first draft
Step 3: Revising
• Read it to several people.
• Get their feedback.
• Rewrite paper.
Step 4: Editing
• Final stab at perfect spelling, good grammar, and a logical paper.
•Make sure bibliography is complete and in the right format.
Step 5: Presenting/Publishing
• Present your research.
• Reflect on how it could have
been even better.
Quiz!
• What part of the research process involves taking notes?
• Step 1 – Planning• Step 2 – Drafting• Step 3 – Revising• Step 4 – Editing• Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing
Quiz!
• What part of the research process involves taking a final look at the grammar and spelling?
• Step 1 – Planning• Step 2 – Drafting• Step 3 – Revising• Step 4 – Editing• Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing
Quiz!
• What part of the research process involves rewriting your report after getting advice?
• Step 1 – Planning• Step 2 – Drafting• Step 3 – Revising• Step 4 – Editing• Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing
Quiz!
• In what part of the research process would you pull books for your report?
• Step 1 – Planning
• Step 2 – Drafting
• Step 3 – Revising
• Step 4 – Editing
• Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing
Quiz!
• In what part of the research process would you pick a topic?
• Step 1 – Planning
• Step 2 – Drafting
• Step 3 – Revising
• Step 4 – Editing
• Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing
Quiz!
• In what part of the research process would you read your report to your best friend?
• Step 1 – Planning
• Step 2 – Drafting
• Step 3 – Revising
• Step 4 – Editing
• Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing
Quiz!
• In what part of the research process would you take a bow and sign autographs?
• Step 1 – Planning
• Step 2 – Drafting
• Step 3 – Revising
• Step 4 – Editing
• Step 5 – Presenting/Publishing
