II.A. BUDGETING YOUR TIME

     One of the most difficult, yet most important, parts of writing a research paper is budgeting your time.  You may be tempted to put off beginning because you think that you have a very long time to work, but then at the end you will be rushed and tired.
     A quality paper demands something better.  Some authorities suggest that you divide your time into thirds.  During the first third of the time, select your topic and do the preliminary research.   During the second third of the time, develop the controlling idea or thesis and organize the ideas of your paper, doing additional research as necessary.  During the final third of the time, write, rewrite, and write, type, or word process the final copy.  Your teacher may provide a schedule of checkpoint dates to help you manage your time.  If not, it is a good idea to make one yourself.
     Each block of time has its own pitfalls.  You cannot spend too much time thinking about topics.  At a certain point you must make the decision about topic.  At the end of the first phase you will need to stop reading about the topic.  Going on and on in this phase often happens both because research is enjoyable and because you don't want to think about the paper.
     The second phase is the most important.  You must develop the organizing principle and write the thesis statement.  Thesis development and organizing the formation in some logical order are both time consuming and sometimes even frustrating.  Talking to other people about your ideas will often help you to decide the focus of your paper.
     The final phase will be the writing and rewriting of your paper to put it in final form.  Both will take time.  Remember that no good writer, not even a professional, can express his meaning clearly and artistically in one draft.  Following a style sheet to set up a title page, citations, and bibliography can consume many hours.  Be sure to allow enough time to do the job correctly.
     Without properly managed time, research writing can be a frustrating experience.  With good time management, research will be a rewarding learning experience.