Collecting data using relevant research methods (e.g.Reading the relevant texts closely (e.g.Searching for primary and secondary sources.This process varies according to your field of study and the scope of the assignment. Once you know your topic, it’s time to search for relevant sources and gather the information you need. For example, an appropriate topic for an essay might be narrowed down like this: Narrowing down a topic19th-century literature Novels in the romantic period The novels of Jane Austen The theme of theater in Mansfield Park Doing the research Narrow down your idea to a specific argument or question. Don’t pick anything too ambitious to cover within the word count, or too limited for you to find much to say. The scope depends on what type of text you’re writing-for example, an essay or a research paper will be less in-depth than a dissertation topic. If you have to come up with your own topic for an assignment, think of what you’ve covered in class- is there a particular area that intrigued, interested, or even confused you? Topics that left you with additional questions are perfect, as these are questions you can explore in your writing. Capitalizing chapter and section headingsīefore you start writing, you need to decide exactly what you’ll write about and do the necessary research.

Rough draft example writing process