What is a Research Paper?
As per the research paper definition, this is an academic assignment that involves extensive research, presents a comprehensive analysis, and gives an understandable interpretation of existing facts.
Research papers are usually referred to as long and detailed essays with in-depth research and substantial analysis. Research papers are usually divided into a number of sections covering different perspectives of the research being conducted.
These sections include the introduction of the topic, the research methodology being followed, your findings, and finally the conclusion of your research.
So let’s see how to write a research paper with all the above elements.
How to Start a Research Paper?
A research paper with a strong introduction can convince your reader to read the whole paper. Following are the tips to write a perfect start for your paper:
- Give a thorough read to guidelines. This will help you get all the possible hints and not miss any requirements.
- If you have been assigned a topic, conduct thorough research on it before starting the writing process.
- If you don’t have an assigned topic, brainstorm to make a good topic choice.
- Make your pre-writing process productive and gather all the references and relevant information that can help you later.
- Structure and organize all the gathered data and create an outline.
- Write a strong thesis statement presenting your research idea clearly.
Following the above tips will surely help you give a captivating and appealing start to your research paper.
Research Paper Outline
“How to create a research paper outline? ”
Here is a sample research paper outline for your help;
Research Paper Outline
1. Introduction
A. Main introductory sentence
B. Supporting details, arguments, quotes
C. Supporting details, arguments, quotes
D. Thesis Statement
2. Body Paragraphs
A. 1st Support paragraph
B. 2nd Supporting paragraph
C. 3rd Supporting paragraph
3. Conclusion
A. Restatement of the thesis statement
B. First supporting sentence
C. second supporting sentence
D. Final views, additional questions, and future implications.
How to Write a Research Paper?
“How to write an introduction for a research paper?”
Follow the below steps to write a well-structured, organized, and comprehensive research paper.
1. Understand What Your Paper Requires
Before starting the writing process, make sure that you are well aware of your paper’s requirements. Think about what your topic demands and how can you best meet these demands.
This understanding will help you complete your research paper without missing any requirements.
Following are the tips that can help you develop a better understanding of your paper’s requirements.
- Read the given instructions carefully and ask your instructor about any possible confusion at the moment.
- Identify and understand the purpose of your research. Whether it is to inform people or prompt them to take a specific course of action.
- Read and remember the deadline, submission method, and formatting style.
- List down the key points that you intend to cover in your paper.
- Decide a timeframe in which you have to start and complete your paper.
2. Know your Readers
Knowing and understanding your audience is also one of the crucial steps in any type of writing. This understanding will help you know your audience’s background and expertise level.
It will also affect the writer’s word choice, writing style, and type of information to be included in the paper.
3. Make a Logical Topic Choice
Go for the topics that are neither too broad nor very technical. Discuss the possible topic choices with your instructor or field expert.
Also, conduct thorough research to explore every aspect of the topic. This will help you a lot to make the right topic choice.
4. Conduct a Thorough Research
Strong research from multiple sources will help you discover every perspective of the topic. It will help you find relevant ideas and directions to write down your paper.
The research will also help you to have strong evidence to support your viewpoint. You can direct your research as per the following criteria:
- Check the possible gaps in previous work and research on them.
- Identify and accommodate the recent developments in your research.
- Check for any intellectual debates that can be helpful to back up your argument.
- If you are thinking to present any unique perspective research it well and present it with substantial evidence.
This research will help you develop your research question and strong arguments for the paper. The research will also help you identify and improve the possible flaws in the topic.
5. Build a Strong Thesis Statement
Building a strong thesis statement is the next crucial step in thesis writing. A strong thesis statement serves as a foundation for your research paper.
A good thesis statement should be direct, concise, and comprehensive. The thesis statement serves as a roadmap for the reader and a guide for the research paper writer.
Although the thesis statement is written at the start of the essay, it should be revised and updated throughout the writing process.
6. Create a Well Structured Outline
A well-structured outline will help you organize your information and ideas well. This writing layout will help you make your paper organized and coherent.
The outline of the research paper includes key points, arguments, methodology, findings, and conclusion of your research. So spending time creating a well-structured outline will surely be rewarding.
Here are the parts of the research paper that can help you build your outline:
1. Research Paper Title Page
2. Acknowledgments
3. Table of Contents
4. Abstract
5. Introduction and Background
6. Main ideas and arguments in body paragraphs
7. Literature Review of previous papers published
8. Research methodology utilized.
9. Results you obtained from the research.
10. Discussion on the findings
11. Conclusion of your research.
12. Bibliography
7. Write the Draft of the Research Paper
Once you are done with the above steps, craft a draft of your paper. This draft will help you:
- Transform ideas into arguments.
- List the evidence to support your arguments.
- Create a rough final outlook.
- Adopt a proper format.
- Improved paper organization
- Improved organization and explanation of your ideas
- Improve your citation and references.
Research Paper Examples
Most students look for a research paper example before beginning to write one on their own. Here are some research paper examples to assist you:
Here is a sample research paper pdf that will help you understand what a research paper should look like.
Thinking how to write an abstract? Looking for a research paper abstract example? Find one here:
Review this sample to know how to write a literature review:
Good Research Paper Topics
Now that you have learned how to write a research paper, you would probably be looking for research paper topics.
Here is a list of topics that can get you writing
- What is the best way to prevent school violence? Is it the responsibility of schools or parents?
- What are the causes of drug and alcohol abuse, pregnancy, and suicide? How can they be prevented?
- How do we balance zero tolerance for violence with being able to show flexibility when appropriate?
- Should corporal punishment be allowed in schools?
- Are exams an effective way to assess students' knowledge and skills? Should they be replaced with another form of assessment?
- Compare and contrast the rates of injury recovery and overcoming illness based on cultural parameters.
- Examine the modern history of viral epidemics, researching how various viruses emerged and spread.
- Compare and contrast the treatments for congenital heart disease and other forms of heart disease.
- Debate whether or not occasional depression is a natural state that should be accepted, or if it should be treated as a disorder.
- Investigate Sociopathy, determine its biological and psychological roots, typical patterns, and potentials for treatment
So, there you have it – a basic guide to writing a research paper. It may seem daunting, but with the right tools and some practice, you can do it!
If you need more help getting started or want someone else to take care of the hard work for you, reach out to TheEssayWritingService.com.
With experienced writers on staff, we can help you get your research paper written quickly and easily so that you can focus on what’s important – your studies.