How to Write a Research Paper

One of the most complicated types of academic writing is a research paper. The goal of this writing is to analyze, interpret, and provide arguments in support of your substantial independent research.

Such writing is usually longer than essays. It shows both your writing and academic research skills. You need to reveal consistent knowledge of the topic by involving various sources. In addition, you should individually contribute to it and, to some extent, bring to life future debates.

This article speaks about the writing process and essential requirements for a research paper you need to know about and use.

Steps to Write a Research Paper

Here are the main steps you should take to write a comprehensive research paper that will deserve the highest grade.

Step 1. Do You Understand the Task?

Before starting to write, you receive an assignment task sheet from your professor. Look through it carefully and decide whether you properly understand:

• the goal;
• deadlines;
• length specifications;
• formatting;
• submission method.

Decide whether something is confusing in the assignment. You may need to ask your professor for clarification.

Then, you can plan your writing process but try to be realistic. Think well about how much time you need for research, writing, and editing to meet the deadline.

Step 2. Decide on the Topic

You can do this by brainstorming with a pen and paper. You may discuss your ideas with the professor or even with your classmates.

Take several minutes to write down everything that comes to your mind that could be interesting for others.

Look through research documents - they may inspire you. Pay attention to their parts for discussion and recommendations - they may contain something that should be further researched.

Step 3. Do Some Initial Research

Look through all the discussions around the topic. You can find the point that your paper will focus on. You may find them in journals, special books, or reliable websites. Look for something that does not support the ideas of your own but, on the contrary, opposes them.

Step 4. Make Up a Thesis Statement

This is your main argument, which defines your paper’s purpose and position. The thesis statement should answer your research questions. Try to demonstrate what arguments and evidence you are going to use.

Your thesis statement should be quite short but consistent and precise. Use a sentence or two to express your idea briefly. That can be a statement that evokes a need for further research and looking for evidence. Every paragraph of your future work should be closely connected to this statement in some way or even develop it.

Step 5. Make Up an Outline

You are sure to need a list of main topics, arguments, and facts that support your main statement. You should divide this list into sections. Give a heading to each of them. Your writing process will be clear and efficient when you use this list.

Step 6. Make Up an Outline

Your first draft should not be perfect at all. You will improve it later on. Your primary task is to write your paragraphs in a logical order, according to the outline. Look at whether you express your ideas clearly enough. When you return to this text for the second draft, you will need to know what you want to say.

Do not write the introduction yet. You may start with the most difficult or most interesting section. Or you may opt for writing some parts that are much easier than others.

Pay attention to the paragraph structure. Each of them should be about a single idea. That will help to see the overall picture of the paper at the end.

Keep track of all the citations you are using. You can omit some references accidentally, which will be considered plagiarism. When using a certain source, write down where this information comes from. Later on, you may use our free Citation Generator to format the reference list due to the required style.

Step 7. Create the Introduction

‘What?’ should specify the topic you are writing about. You can introduce the research background and define some terms and concepts you will be using further.

‘Why?’ is meant to explain the purpose of your research paper. You and your readers need to understand why you are writing all this, what is so brand new about that, and what issues it will solve.

‘How?’ explains what to expect from the rest of the paper. So, provide a map of what will be included. Try to present the basic parts of the paper in the appropriate order relevant to how you are discussing the things in your writing.

Step 8. Make Up the Interesting Main Body

Use your outline and try to make the most of it. It is your paper’s structure, though. It does not mean that by following it you will make your writing compelling. You may need to be flexible enough to change the places of the parts. Be sure that your thesis statement and topic sentences in every paragraph correspond to each other.

Make sure that different paragraphs do not repeat the same thing in other words. It is rather boring. You can speak about one idea in different paragraphs only if it is presented from different points of view.

Smooth and relevant transitions are an essential element of your writing. They make it easier for a reader to follow the course of your thoughts.

Step 9. Write the Effective Conclusion

The conclusion always gives the reader the feeling of completion. With the properly made conclusion, readers can even check whether they have understood everything said in the research paper correctly.

You may relate to the course of your paper briefly to track how well your arguments supported the thesis statement. That will provide the readers with the confidence that they have remembered everything said and considered it.

You can also discuss the possible consequences of your research paper and offer future students to continue this research in a certain way. You may also ask some questions that have not been answered in the paper but need their further solutions.

Step 10. Make the Second Draft

Now, it is time for the second draft. You should consider the following tips to make it more efficient:

1. Make sure that your paper corresponds to the assignment. You also need to check whether your second draft speaks about the same things as the first writing.
2. Take control of all hypotheses and assumptions. Look whether they have got enough support. If not, you may need to omit them.
3. Think about rearranging the ideas if you feel that they are not clearly organized.
4. Cut out all the ideas you do not find essential anymore. Some new considerations may have appeared in the research process, so you may want to focus more on them. These ideas may be more well-suited to the overall concept of your paper.

Step 11. Revise Your Final Version

Revision and proofreading should go at the end of your research paper writing. You need to check whether you have fully completed the initial assignment.

Final Thoughts

Now, you have learned much about how to write your research paper, what steps to follow, and what to avoid. You may need to reread this article to check and remember certain points.

The well-developed structure of your research paper will help make it more consistent and appealing both to readers and your professor. If you follow all the recommendations presented in the article, your writing will get the highest grades, and you will continue with your academic progress.