Research Writing (A to Z for Research Papers) – Self-Paced

COURSE CONTENT INFORMATION

This course is ready for placement on August 1, 2026.

Writing papers is an inevitable part of academia, and mastery of the form is critical for success regardless of intended field of study. It is not sufficient to be able to write a thesis statement and have strong topic sentences; students must also be able to use outside sources to develop ideas. Many students cringe when they hear the words “research paper,” but there is no need to fear!

In this introductory course, your student will practice and develop the skills necessary for conducting, managing, and presenting research. This course uses an incremental approach by beginning with guided research and gradually increasing skills and concepts to the final extended research paper. The teacher serves as a writing coach, guiding students every step of the way.

Skills learned in this class include choosing a topic, writing a thesis, conducting research through both primary and secondary sources, evaluating sources, using notecards, creating outlines, editing drafts, and compiling documentation. Students will also gain a solid understanding of plagiarism, including its ramifications and how to avoid it. Finally, they will learn to properly employ the most up-to-date MLA style, will practice APA style, and will have a brief introduction to Chicago style. Over the course of the semester, students will complete three different types of research papers (informative, persuasive, and comparative) and one annotated bibliography.

Please note that this course is designed for students who already know how to write well-developed, multi-paragraph essays.

SELF-PACED INFORMATION

Our self-paced offering allows students to work at their own pace in our learning management system. Students are provided with a full year of access from the date of login generation and access. Students who need to begin a course immediately or within a few days must pay in full. Payment plans are intended for future start dates and may delay course access.

Using a modular approach, this course is the equivalent of our regular live session course in terms of content, assessment, and feedback. Included in your purchase is a block of two hours of live meeting time with the teacher. This may be used in 15 minute increments. Once past the two hours, parents may purchase additional time (if necessary) from the instructor.

At the end of the twelve month time period or upon earlier completion of the course, a Final Grade PDF will be provided of the grade. Should the student not complete the course, an audit or the grade at the final week of the course completed by the student will be sent.

Questions? Write to registration@excelsiorclasses.com.

SPECIAL NOTE: There are no refunds for any self-paced course once the purchase has been made. Students are provided with a full year of access from date of login generation and access. When purchasing the course, please indicate your preferred start date for the student in the order notes section at checkout.

 

This course is NCAA-approved.

 

Please view prerequisites and required supplies below.