RESEARCH IN PHILOSOPHY:
A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS

Michael S. Russo
Molloy College

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There is more to writing a good research paper than just spending a  few hours the night before the paper is due frantically hashing out yours ideas on paper. Indeed, the art of producing a research paper is much like the art involved in building a cathedral. No one in his right mind would begin to build a cathedral by haphazardly slopping together whatever raw  material happened to be lying around and hoping that the finished product  comes out professionally. This may be the way to build a shack for  pigs, but it is not going to create the great Notre Dame  Cathedral.

Before you begin building any structure, it is important to  take the time to plan out the project and to carefully organize your building materials. Once you have detailed blueprints of the project developed, your raw materials gathered together, and have chosen a professional crew to do the actual work, the act of building itself becomes relatively  simple.
The same is true in writing a research paper. The time you spend gathering and organizing raw data will ultimately help make the act of writing that much easier. It will also make your finished product far more coherent and well-written.

This guide has been created to assist you in the process of producing an academic research paper in the discipline of Philosophy. Various steps in this process have been laid out for you, which, if  followed carefully, should enable you to improve both your research and writing abilities.
©  Michael S. Russo, 2002.  Updated 2011.  All of  the content on this webpage is copyright.  The materials on this webpage may not be modified, posted or transmitted without the prior consent of the  author.  Permission is granted to print out copies for educational purposes and for personal use only. No permission is granted for commercial use.