Learning the basics of writing a research paper during elementary school will help students develop strong writing and research skills. Elementary level research papers can differ from those of high school or college levels in that the information presented is usually more general and the paper is shorter. The writing style may not be as strict for elementary students, but the concepts are just as important.
Create a title for your paper that tells the reader what topic that it is about. Keep the title short and easy to read.
Create an outline for your paper. This will be used as a road map for writing your paper. A research paper will include an introduction, three to four sub-topics, a conclusion and a bibliography.
Gather your information by going to your school of local public library and searching for keywords in an encyclopedia. Make notes of information that you would like to include in your paper.
Write the introduction to your paper. This is a short paragraph that explains to the reader what the paper is about.
Create the sub-topics or body of the paper. A sub-topic is something that falls under the main category of the paper. For instance, if you are writing about the city in which you live in, have such sub-topics as population, state symbols or history of the city. Elementary students should pick three to four sub-topics to talk about in their paper.
Write two or three paragraphs for each sub-topic. Tell the reader the information that you found on each topic.
Write a conclusion, which is a paragraph that summarizes the information given in the paper without giving any new information.
Create the bibliography, which is a list of sources that were used for the information presented in the paper.
Review the paper for any writing errors, including misspelled words, incorrect punctuation and grammar mistakes. Correct the writing errors and check that the papers follows the outline.
- Understand what is expected of you and what your teacher wants in your paper. Always ask your teacher for help if you need it. Never copy information straight from a book or article; always use your own words.
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