Directions for Composing a Research Paper on Classical Music

Composing a great research paper on classical music is really not much different than composing one in any other subject. You generally want get started as early as possible and spread out the major tasks over the entire period from the time you get the assignment to its due date. This keeps you from getting overwhelmed and can make all the difference between completing stellar work or one that is poorly written. Here are complete directions for composing a research paper on classical music:

Developing a Long-Term Writing Plan

The first thing you should do as soon as you receive your assignment is to develop a long-term writing plan for completing it. Make a list of all the tasks you will need to do and create a calendar working backwards from the due date.

Selecting a Topic and Writing a Thesis

Don’t overwhelm yourself with a poorly chosen topic. It shouldn’t be too broad that you can’t possibly cover it in-depth or too narrow that you can’t find enough supporting evidence for. Writing a draft thesis at this point will give you a bit of guidance as you start doing your research.

Searching for Supporting Content

Now it’s time to look for supporting evidence or examples to prove your thesis statement. You should primarily search for academic resources at your library. You might want to speak with the reference librarian to find out about how you can optimize your search to find the most relevant and current material.

Organize Thoughts in an Outline

Take your notes and organize them into related ideas. Take your best points of discussion and arrange them in an outline. Keep your reader in mind when you do this, since you’re going to want to present your ideas in a logical manner so that your argument is easily understood.

Write the First Draft and Revise It

Use your outline to help guide the first draft of your research paper on classical music. You should write quickly and efficiently without stopping to make corrections. You can set your paper aside for a few days before returning to it completely to revise it.

Edit and Proofread the Assignment

The final step in composing a great assignment is editing and proofreading. Even the best writers will make mistakes and this final step is your opportunity to fix errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Do this carefully and with attention to detail. It’s easy to miss small mistakes when you try to edit and proofread quickly.