Career I-Research Paper Guidelines
Use these websites to begin your research. Research a career field you are
interested in pursuing. Use the research to complete sections 1-4.
Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://bls.gov –Click on Publications, Occupational Outlook
Handbook
Adventures in Education: http://www.aie.org/index.cfm --Click on High School Student
ACT: http://www.act.org/ --Click on Education, Students, College Planning or Career
Planning
Peterson’s Planner for college/career college searches: http://www.petersons.com/
Career Resource Center: http://www.careers.org/
http://www.hoovers.com/free/ --Click on Industries, Industry Overviews or Industry A-Z
Today’s Military: http://www.todaysmilitary.com/careers
Monster.com: http://career-advice.monster.com/ --Scroll to bottom, View Information by
Category
Explore Career Profiles: http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/
Career One Stop: http://www.acinet.org/acinet/
Career Overview: http://www.careeroverview.com/
Missouri Career Report Card:
http://ded.mo.gov/researchandplanning/occupations/mo_grades.stm
Section 1: What I Know, Assume, or Imagine (1/2-3/4 page)—OWN WORDS
Grab your reader’s attention with an interesting lead.
Write this section in first person, which means you CAN talk about yourself as
“I”.
Tell what career you decided to research on and why you are interested in this
particular field. The message of this paper needs to be something more than “I
want to be a ____ when I grow up.”
Tell what you already know about his career BEFORE doing any research. There
are no wrong answers here. Think of this as your hypothesis.
Write any questions you still have about it. What do you hope to find out? This
will become your overarching or essential question for your paper.
Section 2: The Search Process (2-3 pages)—QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, SUMMARIZING
Tell about the places you went to research and what you found out.
Describe any problems you had in locating information and how you resolved
them.
Explain how you changed or revised your search questions (what you hope to find
out).
Highlight the happenings and facts that help you to understand your career better.
Do not feel obligated to tell everything especially the boring “stuff”.
DOCUMENT everything. DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE SIGNAL PHRASES
AND PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION. (Last name or Web site, p #)
Include at least four of the following elements in your search:
o Tasks/Responsibilities: What will you actually be doing?
o Work Environment: Describe the physical/social surroundings.
o Working days/hours
o Aptitudes and abilities: What special skills, talents, and personality traits
are needed for your career?
o Education and training: How much time, money, effort will be required?
INCLUDE COLLEGE/TRAINING INFORMATION HERE.
Location Type of school
Admission requirements School expenses
Academic/training programs Financial Aid
o Salary and benefits: What are some factors that could affect your earning
potential?
o Career outlook: What are the current employment statistics about this job?
What will your career look like in 10 years? With growth in the global
economy, will your career involve international possibilities?
Section 3: What I Discovered (1/2-1 page)—OWN WORDS, SUMMARIZING
Re-evaluate your search and summarize what you found.
You can tell about the difficulties and successes of your search.
Connect your ideas to the questions you developed in section 1. Did you find out
everything you wanted to know?
Section 4: What This Means to Me (1/2-1 page)—OWN WORDS
Describe how you have developed as a researcher. Include what you plan to
differently in your next research project or investigation (think big picture).
Did some of your ideas about this chosen career change?
Why is this career more or less important to you now?
DON’T FORGET YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE (at least sources) ON A SEPARATE SHEET
OF PAPER!!
***You may use www.easybib.com to help you format your Works Cited page correctly. Be
sure to include all information that is available to you for proper citation. Export into MS Word,
and easybib will automatically indent and alphabetize your list!