There is no single "right" way to write a research paper, but the steps outlined in this guide can make your efforts at finding useful information and documenting your sources more efficient and effective!
Before diving into your research, take a moment to divide your topic into a few main concepts (keywords) then think of similiar or related words for each concept.
This list of words will be important once you start searching, especially if your first search attempts don’t find much that’s useful!
For example, two main elements of your topic are DISNEY and one of the topics below:
| 1st main concept | 2nd main concept | Words related to your 2nd main concept: |
| disney | technology | sound, cameras, color, animation |
| disney | fairy tales | folktales, culture, history americanization |
| disney | race | racial stereotypes, racism, south america |
| disney | propaganda | world war II, stereotypes |
| disney | women | girls, gender, sex role, princess, feminist |
Tip: Expand your list of keywords to expand your results
The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.
The land acknowledgement used at UC Santa Cruz was developed in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman and the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the UCSC Arboretum.
Santa Cruz, CA