High School College Prep Research Paper Writing

This eight-week course is designed to equip students to write a college-level research paper, from the initial stages of developing a topic or thesis, through the research and note-taking process, to a revised and polished final draft. Students in this class will be held to higher standards and more rigorous feedback than in our basic Research Paper Workshop. 

Note: The nature of Research Paper Workshops makes them valuable to retake as often as you like. By selecting a different paper topic each time, students will benefit from multiple experiences with these courses. We recommend college-bound students complete no fewer than three formal research papers in their high school years.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students who complete the course will be able to…

• define the various types of research papers.
• create a clear and concise topic sentence or thesis statement.
• identify and collect appropriate, varied, and useful research material.
• use a note card system for taking notes.
• organize and outline the paper prior to composing a first draft.
• properly cite sources in the paper according to MLA standards.
• create a properly formatted works cited page.
• draft and revise an informative and/or persuasive research paper written at an acceptable college level.
• respond to feedback on their writing through revising and proofreading.