How to Write a Documentary Paper

Writing a documentary paper requires much research on the computer.

A documentary paper examines historical and/or current events, posing questions for the reader. They are critical analyses of an event supported by thorough research. Some of the content of documentary papers is similar to that of film or television documentaries. The papers can include such topics as presidents who owned slaves and popular culture in the 19th century. In the 1930s, James Agee wrote a documentary paper, "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" (see Reference 1), that included photographs by Walker Evans. It is still widely read today.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet connection

Instructions

1. Write down topics that come to mind. You may have a choice of topics or a topic that an instructor has given you.

2. Highlight the topic that interests you and that you know the most about. A topic for a documentary paper could be "Gypsy Life in Early 20th Century Europe."

3. Make an outline. Use phrases for subtopics and supporting details.

4. Write a thesis statement, one sentence that describes what the paper is about, for example, "The treatment of 20th century European Gypsies created extreme hardships in their lives." Because you have written your outline, you know what the documentary paper is going to contain.

5. Type in the words of a subtopic into a search engine to find information about it.

6. Read the information, then fill in the outline. Repeat for each subtopic until the outline is complete.

7. Write the paper, using the outline as a guide. Use the format specified by your instructor, APA or MLA, for example.

8. Edit the paper, including punctuation and grammar corrections. Move sections of the paper to make it flow smoothly. Add transition sentences as needed.

9. Submit the paper in your online course drop box or print it out and give to instructor in class.

Tips & Warnings

• Organization is the key to writing a documentary paper, because you will be gathering a great deal of information.

• Among the most important information you can acquire for a documentary paper are accounts of people who were alive at the time of the event.

• Use reputable websites, such as those ending in .edu or .gov.

• If you copy information verbatim from a website, use an in-text citation.

References

• Hanover College: The Historical Significance of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men; Matt Coogle
• Indiana University: How to Write a Thesis Statement; January 2008