1. Researching An Academic Paper
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Krista J. Patriquin, PhD candidate & writing tutor
Dalhousie University

2. Getting to know you…
• Previous writing experience (lab reports,
English essays, literature reviews, research
projects?)
• Field of study
• Stage of thesis (just starting, data collection,
analysis, writing?)
forums.steampowered.com

3. Choosing a topic
• Do you have a topic already given by
supervisors?
• Do you have a general area of interest but no
specific topic yet?
• What makes a good topic?

4. Finding information
• Reliable sources (depends on discipline)
– Peer-reviewed articles
– Reference books
– Government records
– Case studies
– Technical reports
WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A SUITABLE SOURCE!
• Where to look 123rf.com
– Subject guides
– Library databases – e.g., Web of Science, Novanet
– On-line open source – e.g., try Google Scholar
• Ask library staff for help!

5. Finding information – cont’d
• Search terms
Be specific – HINT: use “and” to combine terms
• If too many papers – check relevance (more on
this later)
• If of interest but not directly relevant, put aside
for later
• If too few – consider looking for papers on
similar topic but in different systems
(e.g., organisms, locations, populations, concepts)

6. Go through process live:
Someone suggest a topic…
http://libraries.dal.ca/subject_guides.html

7. Finding information – cont’d
• Try to begin with review papers
• Filter information for relevance by
– Title
– Keywords
– Abstract
– Introduction
– Discussion
– Methods/Results
– If lit. review, look at table of contents picturesof.net
* Some fields may start with methods/results
• BEWARE sidetracks!!

8. Refining your topic/ Formulating a thesis
• Read over sources
• Ask questions like
– What is known about the topic?
– What are the gaps on the topic?
– What has been proposed as ‘future directions’?
– How can existing studies be improved?
– Can similar ideas be explored from a different perspective,
different focus group, etc? goodaboutlife.blogspot.com
• Come up with a specific question of interest
– Ask: Do I want to analyze, explain, or take a position on a topic?
– Ask: “How” or “Why” questions about a topic
– The possible answer to your question(s) is your thesis statement
See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

9. Formulating a thesis – cont’d
Types of theses:
• Analytical: assesses a particular issue
• Expository: explains a topic
• Argumentative: takes a position
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

10. REMEMBER: Writing is an iterative process
http://www.svhs.ccs.k12.nc.us/media/SeniorProject/Senior%20Project%20PowerPoints/Formulating%20a%20thesis%20and%20outline.pdf

11. What makes a good thesis?
• Clear, specific statement of topic/purpose
• Clear position – i.e., statement of goal, opinion or perspective
on the topic
• Overview of direction (i.e., what will be discussed)
• Importance of the paper clearly established
• Clear, simple language
• Arguable position(i.e., not just fact or opinion)
• Topic an be properly addressed within limitations of particular
guidelines
• Placement early in your paper – often at end of introduction
NOTE: Your thesis statement may change once you start reading
in more detail and start writing.
Adapted from http://www.westmount.ci.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/thesis.html

12. What makes a good thesis? Examples
“Last year saw a decrease in the number of ‘bad
girl’ roles in Hollywood”.
vs
“The decrease in 'bad girl' roles witnessed in 1998
reflects the conservative backlash against strong
female characters in the media”.
What was ‘wrong’ with the first statement?
Examples from http://www.stanford.edu/~steener/handouts/thesis.htm

13. Formulating a thesis – exercise
Identify type of thesis and what you expect the paper should contain (be specific).
1. “The life of the typical college student is characterized by time spent studying, attending
class, and socializing with peers.” = expository
Paper should:
“explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers”
2. “An analysis of the college admission process reveals one challenge facing counselors:
accepting students with high test scores or students with strong extracurricular
backgrounds.” = analytical
Paper should:
“explain the analysis of the college admission process…&…the challenge facing admissions
counselors”
3. “High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service
projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness.”
= argumentative
Paper should:
“present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue
community projects before entering college”
Adapted from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

14. Thesis exercise -2
• Write out a thesis statement on a topic of your
choice (can be related to your own research or
something else)
• Ask someone to read your thesis statement and
tell you in his/her own words what he or she
expects the paper to address.

15. Researching to support your thesis
• Refine your search:
– use terms specific to your thesis, use the word ‘and’ to
connect terms (For example social AND culture AND
bats), and/or use quotation marks around key terms.
• Look at relevant papers cited in those sources you
have already read
• Use the “Cited by” and “Related Records/Articles”
(or “Find similar results”) features in databases

16. Making notes
• Present information from other sources
in YOUR own words (paraphrasing).
• Use bibliographic software (e.g., Refworks) to
organize references
• Critically assess sources
www.estudentsguide.com

17. Evaluating findings: Points to consider
• What is the central argument/ thesis statement/
issue?
—Does it relate to your topic?
• What are the primary pieces of evidence?
– HINT: look at topic and concluding sentences
www.leimo.info

18. Evaluating findings: Points to consider
• Is the evidence convincing?
—Is it clear how evidence supports the
argument? If not, how can it be improved?
—Are alternatives considered?
—Are limitations considered?
—Is the evidence weak or strong?
www.leimo.info

19. Evaluating Findings: Points to Consider
• What is your opinion of the paper?
—Based on your evaluation, not on style
—Expected to include this in your own writing
e.g., “Although the study suggests that 85% of
drivers have never used alternative modes of
transportation, it did not include walking as an
option in its survey.”…
www.leimo.info

20. Making notes
• Keep a journal/document that includes
– Main ideas contained in sources; HINT: look at topic
sentences
– Only information directly related to YOUR thesis
– Your critical assessment of sources
– Distinction b/w authors’ info and your own comments
– Distinction b/w direct quotes and paraphrased
material
– NOTE: to do this, you will need to read thoroughly any
source at least two times (after the initial scan)
– YOUR own words. HINT: use point form!

21. Exercise
Look at the first page of a peer-reviewed article:
• What is the thesis statement/ purpose?
• What are the main arguments of each
paragraph?
• Are these arguments well supported?
• Are they relevant to the thesis/purpose?

22. Organizing your notes
• Spreadsheets
• Index cards
• Word documents with headings
• Organize by topic/argument
• INTEGRATE sources in your writing!!!

23. Getting Started
• Don’t try for perfection on the first go
• Make an outline!
• Talk to peers
• Refer back to notes
• Start with ‘easy’ sections: e.g., Methods, Results
• Do a rough Introduction first for direction
• BUT finalize your Introduction last

24. Outlines
By L. Weir

25. From the page on the right, create a formal, linear
outline.
Thesis: Opportunities for social learning depend on group
structure, which in turn depends on a number of intrinsic
and extrinsic influences on group living.

26. Exercise
• Create a thesis statement and outline for a
paper that answers the following:
“Do social networkers have rights to privacy?”
• Create a thesis and outline of the arguments
to support YES and another to support NO.

27. Writing a first draft
• Free-writing
• Keep draft open while reading/reviewing
notes
• Make notes to yourself IN your draft
• Include sources as you go?
– Pros: saves time looking things up later, limits risk
of plagiarism...
– Cons: disrupts flow of thought

28. Free-writing….
philo – eventhough they argue strong site philopatry despite seasonal
movement away from breeding sites, Poland et al. 2008 genetics suggests this
is only true at a broad scale, not local scale- probably not kin as expected b/c
Pomeroy et al’s paper was BS (Lehmann & Roussett 2010 REFS FOR SOCIAL
STRCUTURE...) and ecology (Miller-Butterworth et al. 2003). Scale of interest
– global population contains multiple communities (aka local groups or
demes) which in turn contain multiple cliques (Lehmann & Roussett 2010).
Distinction b/w dispersal and philopatry – dispersal often refers to where
juves of one or both sexes disperse away from natal territory/habitat and
other sex, then, remains. Natal philopatry, on the other hand, suggests that
both sexes disperse initially, but then one or both return at sexual maturity.
CHECK defs –NEED TO MAKE DISTINCTION?? IS END RESULT DIFFERENT??. Kin
structuring within an area typically arises when there is strong natal
philopatry of one or both sexes (e.g grey seals, Halichoerus grypus, Pomeroy
et al. 2000; cackling Canada geese, Branta canadensis minima, Fowler 2005;
southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonine, Fabiani et al. 2006; Campbell et al.
2008READ; Galápagos sea lions, Zalophus wollebaeki, Wolf & Trillmich 2008).
For example, matriarchal population genetic structure is common among
species (; xx) with male-biased dispersal and female natal philopatry (e.g.,
snow geese, Chen caerulescens Avise et al. 1992; xx...) In addition, groups of
long-lived organisms often consist of overlapping generations, thus creating
conditions for selective association based on age...

29. Writing a first draft
• Different starting points: beginning, middle,
end
• Use headings
– Write out tangential ideas where relevant, then
come back to what you were working on
• Use review function to make notes

30. Revising your drafts (YES, drafts)
• Use the “points to consider” for your own work
• Always ask:
– Is this relevant to my thesis?
– Is it clear how this supports my thesis?
– Is it logical?
– Is it organized?
– Does it flow?
• Consult your outline
• Read drafts aloud
• Use resources like OWL Purdue and Writing Centres

31. Exercise
• Write one paragraph based on your outline
• Swap paragraphs with someone and comment