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person you can think of. Put some effort into finding someone just a little less famous. Fifty biology essays on James Watson will send your professor into a snooze, but one on Hans Krebs or E.O. Wilson might get her attention.

Narrow your topic: Instead of a birth-to-death biography, choose a pivotal moment in the life of the famous author you're writing about for English Literature. For that Psychology essay on depression, write about rates of depression in elderly who are living alone, or how depression is diagnosed and treated in young children, or the pros and cons of both cognitive therapy and drug therapy for depression. Check with your professor to see that you aren't narrowing yourself out of the requirements for the essay.

2) Tell a story
If the assignment is to write about "AIDS in America," don't write a paper about AIDS in America: "AIDS is a growing problem in America, blah, blah, blah..." Write about "Patricia," an AIDS patient and single mother in the Bronx who is struggling to finish college, raise her daughter, and stay alive while wrestling with a callous health care system. Contrast her with "Eric," son of a corporate CEO, who is doing well thanks to the fabulous medical care his father is providing. Both of these people you discovered through a little research in the article databases in your college library, with the help of the research librarian. Wouldn't you rather read a story about Patricia and Eric instead of a dull encyclopedia article on AIDS? So would your professor.

3) Sneak in the facts, and cite your sources
Use pertinent facts to support your story, and work them smoothly into the running narrative: "Patricia is just one of [insert statistic] single mothers in America each year who is diagnosed with AIDS (Jones, 2004). Like other young AIDS victims, Patricia's symptoms began with..." Study articles in news magazines to see how journalists do this, and try to emulate their style. Be sure to cite your sources using the style your professor has assigned. If your professor didn't assign a particular style, ask how he'd like you to cite your sources in the text and at the end of the paper.

4) Play journalist
Your research can extend beyond digging through books and articles for the facts. If the subject is appropriate, you might do a little social research yourself. For that Psychology essay on amnesia, interview a dozen people you know and find out what they "know" about amnesia, then write your article on common misconceptions about

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