My daughter started high school a couple of weeks ago. She is now working on her first research paper in honors English.

This is the correct way to write a research paper:

1. Find information on the assigned topic.
2. Take notes on 3x5" notecards. Be sure to put everything in your own words, so you don't plagiarize by accident.
3. Arrange the notecards by topic.
4. Write an outline. The outline should include an introduction (with a thesis statement), three body sections, and a conclusion that restates the thesis.
5. Write a draft based on the outline.
6. Proofread the draft.
7. Make corrections.
8. Type it.
9. Turn it in.

I've taught at four institutions so far, and all of them required me to cover the traditional formal research paper. The assumption seems to be that professors in other departments give this sort of assignment frequently, and they believe it's the job of first-year composition instructors to make sure the students can complete it well.

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I've just started using Google Docs for a collaborative project, and I love it. The students seem pretty happy with it, as well. (They especially like the ability to revert to an earlier version.)

I know that a few other people on here are using it, too. How are you using it? What features do you find unusually helpful (or limiting)?