Step 1: Select Topic

• Choose an area of interest to start your topic selection
  Use Explore by Topic to drill down into subject areas for more specific ideas
• Search for publications related to your topic
  Search every page of the entire Questia library for relevant books and articles
• Narrow down your topic to refine search results
  Organize your results by media or publication date;focus your research by using "Search within Results."

Step 2: Gather Information

• Formulate a research question(s) to guide your research


• Review content of relevant works
  Use online Table of Contents, Index, and Find function to quickly locate useful information
  
• Highlight interesting passages as you encounter them
  Highlight in up to 7 different colors: all highlights are saved, with links back to sources
• Make notes to capture thoughts, questions, and ideas as you read
  Place notes directly into the text with "Add a Note" function
• Refine your research question and do further information gathering if needed

Step 3: Write Paper

• Write down your working thesis or research question
• Review and reflect on work done
  All your work, including bookmarks, notes, and highlights, is saved in your workspace where it is easily organized and printed
• Construct your argument, with main points organized in an outline
• Write rough draft, expanding on outline as needed to fulfill paper length requirements
  Use your Bookshelf to quickly return to books later for additional material
• Include quotes that support your points
  Let "Quote and Cite" easily copy passages and create formatted footnotes
• Revise rough draft to ensure strong, logical argument

Step 4: Finalize Paper

• Document referenced works by creating a bibliography or Works Cited page
  Let Questia create a bibliography from your sources, in your choice of citation styles such as MLA, APA, or ASA
• Revise paper for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors
• Print out final revision of your paper and bibliography