MLA handbook for writers of research papers， theses， and dissertations

THE RESEARCH PAPER
Like other forms of writing， the research paper should be
characterized by lucid， coherent exposition. No set of conven-
tions for preparing a manuscript can replace lively and intelli-
gent writing. Unlike some other forms of writing， however， the
research paper requires writers to seek out and investigate
sources of information other than their own personal knowl-
edge and experience. Research into a topic will yield new
information， sharpen perception of a problem， and lend au-
thority to some hypotheses. The research paper， the final
product of research， is not a collection of other persons opin-
ions but a carefully constructed presentation of an idea---or
series of ideas--that relies on other sources for clarification
and verification. Learned facts and borrowed opinions must be
fully documented in the research paper， usually through end-
notes or footnotes， but always in such a manner that they
support rather than overshadow the paper itself.
2 SELECTING A TOPIC
All writing begins with a topic. If you have some freedom in
choosing a topic， look for one that interests you and that can
be treated effectively within the imposed limits of time and
space. \"Twentieth-Century Literature\" would not be a suit-
able choice for a term paper or even a dissertation. Students
and scholars alike frequently begin with a fairly general topic
and subsequently refine it， by research， into a more specific
one. The student whose initial topic is \"The Imagery of Words-
worth s Prelude，\" for instance， might， after some careful
thought and reading， decide to focus on \"Nature Imagery in
Book I of Wordsworth s Prelude\"; the topic \"Modern Avia-
tion\" could be narrowed to \"The SS2F an~ the Environment.\"
(On selecting a dissertation topic， see Ap~ndlx， Sec.