If the teacher or professor assigns the topic, you have no choice but to use it. If you do have a choice, select a broad topic that you like, are interested in or will find challenging. Narrow the topic so that it can be researched. Make sure there is enough material available to give you the information needed. In middle school, start with a topic such as Germany. Then narrow it to a simplified specific period, such as the Hitler period. In high school, you may want to use a topic such as "Hitler's Rise to Power." This gives more focus, which older children can handle. On the college level, starting with "how" or "why" is preferable. Use the topic, "How Progaganda Enabled Hitler to Rise to Power." The topic should be appropriate for the grade level and should be stated accordingly.
Gather information and put your notes on index cards. Use the Internet and be sure to make note of your reference sources. Consult books, government pamphlets, almanacs, reports, newspapers and magazines. Try to locate an expert in the field for an interview. Include bibliographical material such as the author, title, publisher, publication date and page numbers.
Develop a thesis statement. This is a complete sentence that tells the main idea of the paper. It includes the topic, but also relates what you are going to do in the paper. For example, a topic "sports" is too broad. After you narrow it to "wrestling," you can write a thesis that may read "A study of wrestling will include different styles such as collegiate, international and grecoroman, issues with weight loss and lives of great wrestlers."
Organize your material. Create an outline. Begin with the introduction, which should include the thesis statement and some background material on the topic. Explain how you plan to approach the topic. Make it interesting so that the reader will want to continue reading the paper. Add a body section where you develop your ideas and support your thesis. Conclude by rewording the thesis, summarizing or explaining how you reached the conclusion. Put your note cards in the same order as the outline.
Write a preliminary copy. Follow the outline and describe your findings. Analyze your data and eliminate irrelevant material. Use footnotes if needed and add the bibliography at the end of the paper.
The final step is to revise your copy. Proofread for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation. Correct the errors. Check that each paragraph contains a topic sentence. Make sure that you have appropriate transitions between paragraphs. See that the paper says what you intended. Use all the material needed to give you a cohesive, informative research paper.