ted with ample evidence. The main difference between an essay and a research paper is that the former can mainly involve your personal experience on a subject, whereas the latter deals with analysis and evaluation of information that you know about the subject along with supporting expert opinion. As such, when you write a research paper, you need to investigate and analyze information taken from reliable sources in the corresponding field of knowledge.
In this article, you will find guidelines on how to organize your research paper and make navigation through it as easy as possible. Besides, you will learn the basics of how to formulate a strong thesis statement, develop research questions, organize body paragraphs, and document your sources.
Tips on Research Paper Writing
1) If you were not assigned a topic by your professor, make sure you select a topic that matches your research field and academic interest. Make sure you select a topic you are curious about so that the whole process of research is not boring.
2) Design an outline. It will serve as a backbone for your paper and will help you maintain better organization of writing. If you need some outline examples, you can easily find them online.
3) Plan the pre-writing stage. Brainstorm ideas taken from multiple sources. As you read some information from textbooks, articles or journals, make sure you take notes and jot down important information that will fit well into your research.
4) Formulate a strong thesis statement, where you introduce the main focus of the paper in a brief and concise way. You may develop a rough version of thesis during your pre-writing stage. It is totally understandable that you may modify it. Nonetheless, it is essential to develop a thesis that will guide your research.
5) Double-check the paper for transitions to ensure that the paragraphs and ideas are logically united. Besides, make it clear what you plan to write next.
6) Make sure that the use of citations, quotes, statistics, facts, and figures is well-balanced. Do not make your paper look like a compilation of quotations. Make sure you incorporate your own analysis. When using a direct quotes, make sure they are relevant to the paper topic and the realm of your studies.
7) Avoid plagiarism and make sure you cite materials properly according to the required citation style.
8) Keep the list of your sources from the very beginning of writing. Do not postpone the process of reference list organization till the very end. It is far easier to insert in-text citation as you are writing the body of the paper. Therefore, a “running bibliography” is a better option than struggling with references organization upon the order completion.
9) Study the style standards carefully and make sure you are aware of the latest style updates. Make sure that all indentions, headings, subheadings, and page formats are formatted in accordance with the academic style requirements. Make sure you follow the required edition of the style since some professors may give preference to the older ones.
10) After the paper completion, formulate a clear and effective title for your research work. It should be brief but convey the central message as effectively as possible.
As a student, your task is to write dozens of research papers. You will have to deal with a great number of topics and a heap of research paper instructions. You cannot simply ignore it, because each research paper contributes to your final grade. No matter if you are an undergraduate or a graduate student, you certainly feel worried about your writing skills. Many students have exceptional skills and talents for writing research papers, but they fail simply because they do not have enough confidence to begin the process of writing. Do not worry. You can certainly write a paper that meets all requirements developed by your professor. Forget about your anxiety. Forget about your fears. It is your time to excel in research paper writing. Follow our recommendations, and you will enjoy the process, as well as the result. You will remember it as some o