Assignment Calculator

Step 8 – Write a First Draft

Congratulations! You have completed a large portion of the work needed to succeed in your research assignment.

You are now prepared to start writing your first draft. Here are essential resources to take advantage of while working on your draft.

the Writing Center provides both one-on-one help with a tutor as well as workshops. They also provide many online resources to help you with specific questions about grammar or writing.

 Peer Connections provides group and individual assistance in writing and basic skills in addition to tutoring in specific subject areas.

At the SJSU Student Computing Services Center in the King Library, you can borrow a laptop computer for four hours or up to seven days at a time.

 Before You Start Writing - Note Taking
There is no one way to take good notes. The important things to remember are to personalize your notes so they make sense to you and to keep your process consistent.

Here are some examples of ways to take notes:

• Note cards: one idea per card - can include a direct quote and/or your opinion on a topic. Include the author’s last name and the page number. These note cards can be shuffled around to create an outline
• Post-its: Add post-it notes to a spot on a page that includes an important idea or quote
• Type it: Copy and paste direct quotes and quickly create an outline using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Use colored fonts to code different ideas or different authors.
• Highlighters or color pens: Use pens to color code different ideas to differentiate others’ ideas from your own

 Class Assignment Example Two - An example of taking notes on a note card

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 Note!  Tips for Accuracy:

• Always note where you found your information so you can properly cite the sources later in your paper
• Authors cite other authors within their research. Be sure you know who is responsible for what you are citing
• Put quotation marks ("...") around direct quotes
• Try to keep all of your original research throughout your writing process in case you need the information later

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Contact the Reference Librarian if you need any additional help.

Accurate Documentation
When writing your paper, there are two places that you must give documentation. One is in-text when you talk about or quote from your research. The second is at the end of the paper in a Works Cited, References or Bibliography page.

We will discuss in Step 10: Final Paper and Citation Style Guides how to properly cite other people’s ideas. For now, while taking notes and writing your paper, be sure to document this information so you can properly cite the final draft of your paper.

Essential Information for Citing a Source

• Author's or editor’s full name
• Title of book or article
• Date of publication or the copyright date
• Any authors cited within research (if you have used their ideas in your paper)
• Page numbers
• If it is a journal article, the journal name and the volume and issue of the article
• If it is a book, the publisher's name
• If it is a website, the URL address and the date you accessed it

The more information, the better while taking notes. If you need any clarification on what these items are or where to locate them the reference librarian can help.

Here is one last item to think about while writing your paper.

Direct Quotes

• If you use a direct quote from your research, the author's name and citation need to be in the same sentence as the direct quote.
• Use either quotation marks (" ") or block quotes
• Refer to the particular citation style (MLA, APA, or Chicago) you are using to find when or how to use block quotes
• Be careful not to use too many quotes - Having too many quotes weakens a paper and shows your audience that you lack an opinion. Reduce the length of the quote to just the essential information
• A writer uses ellipses (...) before or after the important part of the sentence to shorten it

You are so close to completing your paper. Can you see the finish line? Now that you have a draft, proceed to Step 9: Work with Your Topic , to learn how to tie up loose ends, making your paper even stronger.

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“Before You Start Writing - Note Taking”, “Tips for Accuracy”, “Accurate Documentation”, “Essential information for citing a source”, and “Direct Quotes” is adapted from The Assignment Research Calculator by the Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, California at https://www.csufresno.edu/library/ARC2/steps/Step_7.shtml