. . . The entire process . . . . from the initial formulation of an idea, through data collection, to the preparation of the final draft, complete with references in the correct format and margins . . . can be streamlined with the aid of your personal computer. (Rudestam and Newton 227)

Methods that were once considered perfectly acceptable -- searching the card catalogue in the library by hand, for instance, or formatting references without a bibliographic program -- are now regarded as methods which cost valuable time and waste energy. In most cases, this will prove a disadvantage in competitive classrooms. Learning to integrate certain basic software tools into the research and writing process, according to Rudestam and Newton, is essential for the successful student and professional:

. . .Students who are adept at using technology bring a wide range of valuable skills to the job market. Those who are reluctant to use the software tools available to them "remain frozen in the world of those who know only how to do word processing, a virtual computer illiterate in the world of the 21st century." (Rudestam and Newton 228)

Making sure you have and are familiar with the software you will need is a step that can save you time and energy as you work on your research paper. So we strongly advise that you spend some time at your computer making sure you have the right software tools, and that you know how to use them properly, now -- before you begin writing. Below, we have linked to a few tutorials and listed the software that is essential for students.

If you have trouble getting motivated for a research writing assignment, browse through our essay on The Importance of Writing Research Papers. It might help you understand just how critical these sorts of assignments are to a successful college experience (learning what you need to learn, in other words, to be ready for a career in the "Real World.")

Tutorials to help you do your practice session:

• Dr. Paper Software Quicktour
• Citation Quickstart

Here's a list of the software you will need to use:

• A good word processor.
• Bibliographic information and research note program.
• Internet browser.
• Your library's search system software.
• Templates to format documents.

• A good word processor.
  The word processor you use for your research paper needs to be able to handle page numbering and page headers (Wordpad, for instance, does NOT have these features), and it should have a good spell-checker. Microsoft Word is the one we recommend, since Dr Paper software works best with Microsoft Word -- but there are a number of others that will do the job: WordPerfect, Microsoft Works Word Processor, and Nota Bene. If you are new to word processing, or a little shaky on the basics (copying text, highlight text, deleting words, etc.) be sure to take some time and practice with your word processor. You don't want to be struggling with this when you start writing.

• Bibliographic Information and Research Note Program
  Using your computer to store your research notes (along with the information you will need to document your sources properly, and format your references automatically) is, quite simply, a good idea. It can mean as much as two or three hours of your time, and for longer papers, the difference between a good grade and a terrific grade.

  The reason for this is simple: one of the most important aspects of a research paper is (duh!) doing the research, and citing the sources you've read correctly. For this, you are going to need a bibliographic program. The Paper Proctor assumes that you have either Citation, or CiteWrite, because both of these programs help you organize your notes, with bibliographic information you will need to cite your sources (and avoid accidental plagiarism -- a mistake that can be considered quite serious by your instructor).

  If you have just started using Dr Paper's CiteWrite program, or Citation, take an hour or so to go through the tutorial. Once you start actually working on your paper, you'll be able to easily enter bibliographic information for everything you read, and enter note records for quotes you are considering using in the text of the discussion. When you are drafting the outline for your paper, you'll be able to sort through the notes you've taken quickly (this will be a big help, you'll find). Inserting Author-Date cites as you write, and formatting your reference list, too, for your final draft, will take no time at all.

• Internet browser.
  This may seem obvious, but it is important to mention it anyway. Most computers now have a browser, like Microsoft Explorer, or Mozilla Firefox, installed. So you shouldn't have to go looking for this software. If you've used the internet to research anything at all before, as well, you know about copying text from a web page, entering URLs on the address line, and copying text from the browser to another program.

  If you aren't sure how to save a web page, or copy text from a web page, take a quick run through the tutorial. You will need to know how to do this in order to be efficient in researching your topic.

• Your library's search system software.
  Most universities and college Libraries now have fairly sophisticated gateways to all sorts of research materials, and many of them have tutorials designed to introduce you to their search software -- and resources to help you locate books, journals, newspapers, and other printed materials.

  It is rather helpful to have some familiarity with the library resources at your disposal before you begin a research paper.

• Templates to format documents.
  When you start actually writing your paper, you don't want to spend a lot of time fussing with margins and page headers, or trying to get the spacing on the cover page exactly right according to the guidelines in your APA or MLA style guide. The Dr Paper templates create a document that is pre-formatted, with built-in styles for section headings, quotations, and body text.

  If you are new to the Dr Paper templates, browse through the Dr Paper Help topics, and then take the time to do a practice run, using the Dr Paper Quicktour.