Writing for Research
Below are some suggestions for honing your writing skills for research.
Research Project Writing
Start writing at the very beginning of your research. This is a long-term project, with a paper you will revise many times, possibly tossing out whole parts mid-stream. You can’t wait until you feel you have all your data and sources sitting in front of you to begin.
Writing is a form of active thinking and you will benefit from researching and writing concurrently. It will allow you to work through aspects of your project and identify lines of inquiry or gaps in your data and sources, while deepening your project and informing your research process, such as items to look for when traveling to an archive.
Writing Tutoring
Peer and professional writing tutoring is available by appointment through the Writing Center in the CTLR. They can help you at any stage of your research writing. Also see their online resources for writing research papers.
Write Like a Scientist
Resources on science writing by genre and discipline are available from Professor Molly Costanza-Robinson, Alison Maxwell ’15, and the Writing Program.