How to Write a Research Paper: Effective Tips
Research papers are the backbone of most college courses you need to pass, but practicing your writing skills through many research papers doesn’t make them any less intimidating. Your professor views the research paper as your chance to show how big your interest on the particular subject is and how able you are to show skills of critical thinking, evaluation of sources, academic composition, and time management.
In this short guide on writing a research paper, we will provide you with effective tips on how to make your work easier and achieve better results in less time. Although the phases of any “how to write research paper” guide are quite simple when explained through tips, the actual process of writing research papers is complex, time-consuming, and messy.
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1. Think of a researchable topic, narrow it down and focus on it
The first stage of the research paper development process is to find a topic that awakens your true interest and focus on it. If you find this initial stage difficult, you should use the brainstorming technique – you will be surprised how many ideas are hidden in your brain cells, waiting to be unleashed. Since this is a research paper, the topic should be posed as a question or a problem that you will solve in the further discussion.
2. Research, research, research!
Now that you have the topic ready, you should focus on the process of researching, which will determine the complete success of your project. Research papers are mainly assigned because your professors want to see how able you are to discover relevant sources and use them for the development of a unique discussion. Googling your topic won’t do the trick; you will need to hit the library catalog and find authoritative sources in the form of published materials (books, journals, and other types of documents).
Separate your primary sources, but keep the secondary ones as well, because you never know when you will need to support your discussion with more references.
3. Gather information, group and document the sources
The research paper writing process requires systemization and organization in order to be effective. You need to develop your own system of organizing the material according to its importance, so you won’t get lost in the mess. The entire research phase of your project needs to include taking notes. Note down every single idea you have and all important information you stumble upon to. Don’t try to delude yourself by saying “I will remember this, there is no chance on earth I could forget this idea!” because you will most probably forget all about that brilliant idea by the time you get to the actual writing.
4. Outline!
This is the part most students skip, but it’s very important to outline the paper before you start writing it. Define the topic and think of a way to explain why it is significant. Outline the organizational plan of your paper and stick to that format if you want to maintain the focus and keep the discussion within the limits of relevance.
5. Start writing
Finally, it is time to start writing the research paper according to the outline you previously drafted. Start with the introduction and use that part of your paper to present the relevant background and contextual materials. If your terms and concepts require definitions, this is the place where you can provide them. The most important thing that should be contained in the introduction is the explanation of your paper’s focus and its unique purpose.
Continue using the outline when you write the body of the paper and integrate the relevant sources into a specific angle of discussion. Don’t merely report the publish work that’s founding your research; you need to summarize, explain, analyze, and evaluate it.
The conclusion should contain your summarized argument and tie all loose ends in a logical closure of the discussion. If some aspects of the topic need to be researched further, you can suggest the reader to get interested in specific materials.
6. You’re not done yet! You need to revise!
Your research paper will require revisions, no matter how perfect you think the first draft is. Check the organization of your paper and make sure that a logical flow of thought connects each sentence with the previous and the next one. Don’t be too attached to the content during the editing process – get rid of any unnecessary parts and add pieces of additional information where needed.
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