Quite often, students can look at a blank sheet of paper for a long time and do not know how to approach writing a research paper. This type of academic assignment is very complex and often confusing. Besides, the writing of a research paper greatly influences the final grade of each student at the end of the year.
Even teachers know that writing a research paper is one of the most critical tasks. Nevertheless, academic writing turns out very helpful in developing the written and communication skills necessary for each student.
These skills seem very relevant for further studies in college or graduate school. Also, for some students, these skills will become competent in subsequent career accomplishments. So it is imperative to work hard enough to have written skills at the proper level.
How to choose a research topic
Often your research subject will be provided by a teacher. However, this is not always the case. If the choice of topic stays up to you, then approach this process wisely. First of all, think about choosing an interesting question in which you at least understand a little.
Thus, it will be much more enjoyable to conduct in-depth research on the selected issue. Besides, the writing process will become much simpler and faster. However, try not to choose those objects and topics that contain too many technical details or, conversely, talk about well-known things.
Do not forget that if choosing a too broad topic for your work is unlikely to cause any success. In this case, a paper turns into an informational review. Therefore, try to narrow in advance the topic that you want to study and also leave only the most exciting concepts and ideas. In this case, this will help to make your work more specific and manageable.
Creating a strong and understandable thesis
Before writing a scientific article create a working hypothesis. This way, you can direct your investigation to the right track and focus on specific details. The thesis must be brief and fully reflect the main idea of a paper. All the research work can be divided into three main categories:
- Argumentative or persuasive if you are arguing the conclusion;
- Expository when you explain information;
- Analytical when you present the analysis of specific data.
Engage in-depth research on a selected issue
In order for an article to turn out truly interesting, pay a lot of attention to analytical work. To do this, find as many primary and secondary sources of information on a topic as possible. Each of the references must be reliable and fulfill the role of evidence for your thesis.
At this stage, writing your work, objectively evaluate the sources of information and make relevant keynotes. Do not forget to immediately document all sources of information regarding the style specified in the requirements for writing paper. Among the most common formats for essays are the following:
- APA (American Psychological Association);
- MLA (Modern Language Association);
- Chicago;
- Harvard, etc.
If you know the format for editing your work in advance, make sure to check out the latest version of the manual for the chosen style. Later, use the notes that you made as part of the study as material for creating a bibliography.
Do not forget that quoting sources of information is a must. This way, you prove that your work is not plagiarism.
Take care to create a clear structure for your work
If in the framework of the study, you could find a considerable number of exciting ideas, then this does not end there. Now you need to create a clear structure and organize your thoughts in a logical chain. Pay attention when creating the structure of your work, because, without it, your project will be only a heap of various information.
In addition, having a structure will help to make your work more readable. Accordingly, the readership will subsequently appreciate your material. So using the plan helps to create an outstanding dissertation. A clear structure is nothing more than a roadmap that helps to guide your thoughts along the right path.
Pay attention to the subheadings of a paper
As part of writing an essay, ensure that all the arguments support the previously stated thesis. To do this, you will need to use the discussions as subheadings in the main body of your work.
Pay attention again to those notes that you made as part of the study. This way, you can organize all the information for each of the sub-titles. Then re-read again and make sure that the information in the subheadings corresponds to the content and accordingly supports the thesis.
Sections of your research
When writing a plan, adhere to the basic structure used to write research papers. Most often, this structure may look like this:
- A title page;
- An abstract;
- An introduction;
- A methodology section;
- Findings/results;
- Discussion;
- Conclusion.
Moreover, if you are writing a work that does not imply a long length, then the structure may look a little different:
- Introduction;
- Main paragraphs (3-5);
- Conclusion.
In any case, pay attention to all the recommendations that a professor provides students with. Thus, you definitely will not miss anything and will complete research work.
