Select a topic. Seek a topic that you have a particular interest in as well as one in which you feel you can find adequate information. For example, if you are studying to be a teacher, a paper on the intellectual development of students during their first years of school may be a wise choice, as there is copious information on this topic and it has relevance to you.
Gather information about the topic. Research the topic in question at your library as well as online. Look specifically for information from reputable sources to ensure that the facts are as reliable as possible.
Create an outline. Plan your paper by composing a thesis statement and selecting supports that prove the statement. Use this statement and supports to create your outline, placing the thesis statement in your introduction section and making each support its own paragraph. For example, if your thesis is that the learning accomplished during the first years of school is the most important learning students ever acquire, place this in your introduction and follow it up with supports that prove this stated fact.
Synthesize information from an assortment of sources. Merge all of the information that you have gathered on paper. Avoid clustering the information and placing all facts from one source in one section and another source in another; instead, you should intermix the information seamlessly. For example, if you find information on learning delays in several sources, merge these facts to create one paragraph on this topic.
Choose and follow a citation method. If completing this assignment for a class, follow your instructor's assigned citation method. Consult his syllabus or the project information sheet to see which method he prefers. In all likelihood, this will be APA style, as this is the style most commonly associated with the study of human development.
Revise and edit the paper for clarity and accuracy. You will likely spend just as much time, if not more, revising and editing your paper than you did writing it in the first place. Carefully read through your paper several times, seeking things that you should change. Also ask a friend or family member to look through the paper to ensure that you didn't accidentally read over some errors in your haste.