Research Writing Basics (KS3–KS4)

Build credibility by choosing good sources, paraphrasing properly, and referencing your material.

Choosing credible sources

Not every web page is equally reliable. Use the CRAAP ideas to judge sources: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose.

Currency: Is the information up-to-date for your topic?
Relevance: Is the source appropriate for the depth of your research?
Authority: Who wrote it? Is the author an expert or an organisation you trust?
Accuracy: Are claims supported by evidence and references?
Purpose: Is the page trying to inform, persuade, sell, or entertain?

Paraphrase vs quote vs summary (with examples)

Original: "Regular recycling in school can reduce waste sent to landfill by up to 40% in a year."

Paraphrase (good): Recycling programmes can significantly cut the amount of waste a school sends to landfill, sometimes by about two-fifths each year.

Quote (when word-perfect): "Reduce waste sent to landfill by up to 40%" (keep quotes short).

Summary: A school recycling scheme can reduce landfill waste considerably.

Referencing basics and an example

Use your school's preferred system (Harvard is common). Inline citations show the source, and the bibliography lists full details.

Inline: (Smith, 2023)

Bibliography: Smith, J. (2023) Recycling in Schools. Education Trust. Available at: https://example.org (Accessed: 1 Jan 2024).

Avoiding plagiarism

Always cite the source of facts and ideas that are not your own.
When paraphrasing, change both words and sentence structure and still cite the source.
Use short quotations only when the original wording is important, and put them in quotation marks with a citation.

Practice tasks

Find one credible article about reducing plastic use in schools, write a one-sentence summary, and paraphrase one key point with an inline citation.
Create a short bibliography entry in Harvard style for that article.
Extension: compare two sources and write two paragraphs explaining which is more reliable and why.

Note-taking and organising evidence

Use a simple table or notebook for each source. Record the citation, one-sentence summary, key quotes, and why it supports your argument.

Source: ________________________
One-line summary: ________________________
Key quote (with page/paragraph): ________________________
How it supports your project: ________________________
Reliability notes (bias, date): ________________________

Annotated bibliography example

Smith, J. (2022) 'School recycling programmes', Education Journal. Available at: https://example.org (Accessed: 1 Jan 2024).

This article summarises evidence from five case studies of school recycling schemes and reports average waste reductions of 30–40%. Useful for showing real-world impact and providing statistics to support a project on reducing plastic use in schools.

Quick citation examples (Harvard & MLA)

Harvard (inline): (Smith, 2022)

Harvard (bibliography): Smith, J. (2022) School recycling programmes. Education Journal. Available at: https://example.org (Accessed: 1 Jan 2024).

MLA (in-text): (Smith 23)

MLA (Works Cited): Smith, John. "School recycling programmes." Education Journal, 2022, https://example.org. Accessed 1 Jan 2024.

Final checklist before submission

All sources cited inline and included in bibliography.
All paraphrases are in your own words and credited.
Key quotes are short and relevant, with page/paragraph markers.
Annotated notes and references are attached (if required by your teacher).