Few things strike more anxiety in teachers than the accursed research paper, a term synonymous with long hours and hard work. Luckily, there’s a secret that will help you get through them. As long as you already know how to write a research paper properly, you’ll find they’re not so awful or at least much less painful.
In this guide, we concisely provide an explanation of how to write an academic research paper step by step. This guide cover aspects like – how to start a research paper, how to write a research paper outline, how to use citations and the required evidence, and how to write a conclusion for a research paper. But prior to that, we get into the details of how to write a research paper, let’s get to know what a research paper is and the way it’s distinct from other writing.
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What is a research paper?
Basically, a research paper is another form of academic writing that gives an in-depth analysis, evaluation, or interpretation of a single topic, based on empirical evidence. Research papers are much like analytical write my essay, besides research papers emphasize using statistical information and preexisting research, in conjunction with a strict code for citations. Research papers are a bedrock of present-day science and the best way throughout an extensive network to share information.
However, from school; college publications, most people are familiar with research papers as they regularly use them to check a student’s understanding of a specific area or their research skills in general. We’ll quickly move to how to write a research paper. However, earlier than that, let’s hear about the appropriate length of a research paper.
How lengthy need to a research paper be?
The length of a research paper relies upon the subject or project. Typically, studies papers run around 4,000–6,000 phrases. However, it’s common to see short papers with around 2,000 phrases or lengthy papers with over 10,000 phrases. If you’re writing research paper for school, the advocated length needs to be provided in the project. Otherwise, allow your topic to dictate the length: Complicated topics or giant research would require more explanation. Now let’s move immediately to the steps of how to write a research paper.
Steps: How to Write a Research Paper
Here are the steps and sources you need to write a strong research paper, in addition to a checklist to move over to be sure you wrote a good paper. Research writing may be a challenge. However, with a little practice, it may become an essential part of your instructional and professional toolkit. Beginning with nothing but an assignment or prompt and finishing up with a well-crafted essay, the following steps will help you write a research paper. The steps of how to write a research paper are:
Step 1: Get Familiar with the Assignment
This can also sound obvious. However, it’s very vital to understand what your teacher or professor is requesting before you begin writing your research paper. This is the first and major answer to how to write a research paper. Most of the students skip this step, after which wonder why they receive a low grade on a paper they worked hard on or have been excited about. It’s often due to the fact they didn’t read the instructions.
Spend time going over the project. Look at the whole thing your instructor has provided you with. Carefully read the writing project, prompts, grading rubric, or every other material you’ve received. It would possibly also be beneficial to focus on and take notes on the project. Take time to recognize exactly what you’re being asked to write and how you’ll be graded on it. And in case you aren’t sure, ask. Before you even choose a topic, ask your instructor for an explanation. That way, you’ll be sure you’re on the correct path.
Step 2: Pick a Topic
This is the time to decide what to write about, once you understand what you’re being asked to write in your research paper. This very task can be daunting to you, however, don’t get too bent out of shape. It may be very beneficial to write about something you’re inquisitive about or obsessed with. However, don’t worry about choosing the perfect topic. In many cases, a debatable topic may be ideal, so you can exercise your capacity to objectively provide an explanation for differing positions, or even defend one of the projects that require that. This was the consecutive step when approaching how to write a research paper.
Step 3: Research
Research – Something that you have been waiting for! Probably the most important part when asked how to write a research paper. Different people will research a paper in different ways. So, this step is pretty flexible. However, move quite quickly and it’s also important to stay focused. Later, you can continue to have to write your research paper.
As you research, the key things to keep in mind are:
1) Skim,
2) Find trustworthy sources, and
3) Don’t ignore the information.
First off, skimming.
You don’t need to examine in-full everything ever written about your topic. In reality, you possibly can’t. Get comfortable reading through things speedy. Learn how to discover key points and arguments without getting slowed down and analyzing every word. Next, find reliable sources. Although this will run opposite to what you’ve been told, you may use Wikipedia to write a research paper.
However, you can not utilize that as a final and only source. You can use standard tools like Wikipedia to get familiar with a topic, find key phrases that may in addition drive your research, and quickly understand big amounts of information. But, for the information you use for your paper, you need to find reliable sources. Things that you’ve got learned from a Google search or Wikipedia article, take it and dig deeper.
Check various sources on the article, use key phrases from your internet search to search an educational database, or ask a professional whether or not what you found out is valid and if it is, wherein you may find a reliable source stating the same thing. So, simply to be clear: you may use Wikipedia as a start line in your research. However, you need not cite Wikipedia as one of the main sources for your research paper.
Finally, don’t forget about the information. This is what we recommend if you ask us how to write a research paper. You can find a piece of writing that says something you want it to say. Just because you find one article mentioning that something is true, that doesn’t always imply it is a proven fact that you may use in your research.
Step 4: Organize Your Research
Now what to do with all of this information that you’ve got ? Step 4 is all about getting organized. Like research, different people have distinct choices here. It also can depend on your project. Some type of bibliography (literally “book writing,” that is a listing of the books, articles, and other sources you have used for your research) is beneficial in terms of organizing your research.
If your instructor calls for you to turn in a bibliography with your research paper (think back to step #1 of how to write a research paper; you should already understand exactly what the assignment is by now!), create a bibliography that meets the necessities for the paper. If you’re simply making one only for yourself, think about how you would really like to arrange your research.
Step 5: Form a Thesis
Now that you know what you’ve been requested to do on how to write a research paper. Now, have selected a topic that suits the assignment, and have researched and prepared that research, you’re ready to articulate your personal opinion, argument, or assertion. Even in case you aren’t arguing for or towards something, your paper will require a thesis.
Take a short statement that you as researcher and author recommend for the readers of your paper is called a thesis as what you are attempting to provide an explanation for or prove. A starting point whilst writing a thesis might be to jot down a one-sentence answer to the question: what’s your paper about? The answer is probably something just like the following examples:
- My paper explains the connection between dogs and humans.
- It’s about college guidelines on freshmen living on campus.
- I wrote about perspectives on marriage in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
See, that wasn’t so difficult even in case you know nothing about how to write a research paper. But, this is only a start line and that’s important to remember. Many students stop right there after they don’t understand why their teacher graded them poorly on their thesis statement.
Step 6: Create an Outline
Like a bibliography, the way in which you create your outline can also additionally depend on your assignment. If your instructor requested you to turn in an outline, make certain to make an outline that follows the example, guidelines, or necessities you have been given. If you aren’t required to jot down an outline, it may still be a useful tool as you build your studies paper. Creating an outline is certainly about structuring your paper.
Don’t be too formulaic, however, it may be helpful to follow patterns and guides in the “how to write a research paper” procedure. You may have written three- or five-paragraph essays in high school, and it’s ok to apply those same styles to a college research paper. However, ensure that whatever format you pick makes sense for your paper.
Step 7: Write
And then, finally, it’s time to absolutely write your paper. You would possibly sense such as you need to have started writing sooner. However, rest assured: the work you have carried out up to this point is important. It will assist you to create a strong, clear, exciting research paper. As you write, don’t be a perfectionist. Don’t fear finding the ideal words, the use of the best grammar, or crafting the best title.
As you edit, there is time to perfect your research paper. Right now, you simply need to jot down in order to get the answer to how to write a research paper. It is probably beneficial to look over your research before you begin writing. However, don’t write immediately from your research. If you’re searching back and forth among your sources and your paper as you start writing, it’s easy to replicate thoughts without certainly creating your own work.
You have executed a lot of work already, so trust that and work from memory as you write your research paper. It is completely ok to look up a selected quote or statistic. However, in general, your thoughts need to be your own at this point. Working out of your own ideas will help you avoid plagiarism and get to understand how to write a research paper.
Step 8: Edit the content
Take a moment to congratulate yourself now that you’ve got a paper written. To get to this point, you have executed a whole lot of work! And then, get back to work. Before it’s prepared to turn in, you still need to edit your paper. Remember the way you weren’t supposed to fear about being perfect? You nevertheless don’t need to fear. However, to make your paper as perfect as you possibly can, it’s the right time. Start by modifying for content.
This means considering structure, organization, wording, and length. You carefully prepared your paper while you created an outline.
Step 9: Edit for Grammar
It is likewise important to edit for grammar in case you ask us how to write a research paper. This would possibly appear daunting. However, for research paper writing help there are plenty of tools and resources. Check out sources like Grammarly or Strunk and White’s Elements of Style in case you’re uncertain of what to do with commas, semicolons, or run-on sentences.
Like modifying for content, modifying for grammar would possibly take a few run-throughs. If you want to take a break, that’s fine whilst knowing nothing about how to write a research paper. It may even help you come to your paper feeling more focused, which is prime for catching and solving mistakes.
Step 10: Read your Research Paper and Submit
Once you’ve completed Steps 1 to 9th about how to write a research paper, it’s genuinely time to take a break. And if you are running out of time, give your paper a day or two or an hour or two, and give it a very last read-through. It may be beneficial to print a copy of your paper and read a hard copy when you have most effectively read through it on a screen thus far.
You would possibly notice errors or formatting problems that your eyes ignored while analyzing on your computer. Once you’ve got read your research paper for the very last time and double-checked that your paper does everything the assignment is asking for, it’s time to submit.
Final Thoughts
With how to write a research paper, don’t be afraid to reach out to your teacher for help. But be reasonable and accountable to write my research paper. If you log on the day earlier and see that the place wherein you’re supposed to turn to your assignment is locked or unavailable, send your teacher an e-mail in order that they let you submit your paper before it is due.
Just don’t expect them that will help you in the middle of the night, on a weekend, or minutes earlier than an assignment is due. You can take help from a research paper writing service too. This is so far the most reliable and time-saving.