Many students are getting tons of assignments during the lockdown. According to teachers, these assignments will help students in knowing the subjects better. But what if you are not familiar with research papers? Then check our blog to know how to write a research paper.
If you are a college student, then probably you have to write a research paper. But do you know what research paper is? A research paper is an academic writing which is based on the original research of the author. It includes featured analysis and interpretations from the author. Also, it contains arguments based on a thesis with reliable sources. But it can be overwhelming, to begin with. Thus there are also some tips and tricks on how to write a good research paper that you should try.
Steps About How to Write a Research Paper
During these online classes, you have to complete so many research papers. Thus here are some steps that you should follow to write a research paper.
Step1: Understand the assignment
It is essential to understand what teachers have asked you to write in a research paper. There are different formats of research papers like MLA, APA, and so on. Select a format for your writing style. So it means that you should be well aware of the subject of your paper.
Most of the time, students skip this step and wonder why they received low grades. Well, now you know why it is so important to read the instructions. Carefully check if you have received all the prompts and other related materials from your teacher or not. Take your time to have a complete understanding of the assignment.
Step2: Select Interesting Topic
Since you have understood what you are asked to write, now it’s time to select some interesting topic. While selecting the theme for your paper, avoid controversial topics. It would be great if you write about topics that you are interested in or passionate about, but don’t stress about choosing a perfect topic. Even if your topic is boring, your writing skills can modify it to become interesting. So everything depends on you. While choosing your subject, keep in mind the guidelines given by your instructor.
Step3: Research Work
For knowing how to write a research paper, first focus on your research work. This step is flexible since every person researches it in their way. So you can show your creativity here. However, there are three standard tips that you should follow:
- Skimming
Since you can’t read everything related to your topic, read critical points and arguments about the topic.
- Search Reliable Sources
You should rely on the comprehensive sources to get familiar with the topic so that you can understand a large amount of information quickly.
- Information
Even if you find an article that has all the information that you wanted, always check the sources. Your research should be based on facts.
Step4: Organize the Research Paper
Now you have all the information, but you must be wondering what to do with it? Thus organize it to form the assignment. Go to step 1 and check what your teacher has asked for, fill the information accordingly. Also, you can use sticky notes to keep track of the related information. It will help you to outline a plan in your mind about how you are going to use the information.
Step5: Give a Thesis
Well, when you ask someone how to write a research paper, they’ll recommend you to just add research work in it. But we believe there must be a thesis in your research paper. To explain, a thesis is a short statement that you write to show what is the crucial point of your research paper. Even if you don’t agree with some arguments, add them to your analysis, then mention what your thesis is about all the points that you have mentioned.
Step6: Write the Paper
Finally, you are good to write the paper. At this point, don’t worry about using the perfect title and error-free writing. It’s just that you have to write. Trust whatever you had read before and started memorizing it and write. Writing by remembering will help you in avoiding plagiarism as well as maintain the creativity of your work. Besides this, you can take help from others’ work if you have to add quotes or statistics.
Step7: Edit Your Content
Now that you have completed the fundamental part about how to write a research paper, it’s time to edit like a pro. But first, take a moment and pat yourself. You have done a lot to reach this point. So let’s begin with the editing part. Check your research paper if it meets the guidelines mentioned by your teacher or not. Go through the whole research paper; make it error-free. Your paper can be long or short. It should meet the standard length. You can also give it to someone else for proofreading.
So if you want to know how to write a research paper, then check all the steps. Write an effective topic for your research paper, frame it well. Good luck!