Getting Started With Academic Writing
This page offers a collection of resources to help you plan, format, and write your academic paper. As a reminder, American National University follows the most current edition of the APA Style Manual, which outlines the formatting and citation standards required for your work.
Academic writing is a multi-step process and is best approached over time rather than in a single sitting. Thoughtful preparation before you begin writing can make the process smoother and help your paper feel more focused and cohesive. For detailed guidance on each stage of the writing process, refer to the ANU Library’s Getting Started Writing a Paper Guide.
Developing Research Questions and Problem Statements
A research question identifies what you plan to explore within your chosen topic and serves as the foundation for your paper. This question leads directly to your problem statement or thesis. Developing a strong research question requires familiarity with the topic—generally, the more you understand the subject area, the easier it is to form a focused and meaningful question. Your research question sets the direction for the entire paper.
Effective research questions are clearly defined and focused on a specific aspect of the topic, rather than the topic as a whole. They address issues that are complex enough to support analysis and discussion, allowing you to draw from multiple credible sources. A well-crafted question also maintains an appropriate scope, avoiding issues that are either too broad or too narrow.
The responses to your research question will shape your problem statement and help determine the overall structure of your paper. A strong problem statement acts as a guide throughout the research process, helping you stay focused as you gather and present evidence.
A clear problem statement or thesis should identify the issue being examined, narrow the focus to a specific context such as a population, region, or culture, explain why the issue matters, and propose a potential solution or approach for addressing the problem.
Annotated Bibliographies
Guide for Annotated Bibliographies Worksheet
APA Writing Resources
APA’s Student Title Page Guide
APA’s Student Paper Setup Guide
Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style
Links to Additional Writing Resources
General Writing Introduction by the OWL at Purdue University
Writing Basics by the University of Arizona Global Campus
Help with Grammar and Spelling using the Grammarly desktop app
