How to write a research paper

Don’t let the idea of writing a research paper intimidate you. Boost your confidence by getting exhaustive information and specific tips to elevate your research and writing skills, simplifying the journey from a blank page to a submission-ready result. Our guide explains the basics of this assignment type and features key elements you need to know to succeed.

What is a research paper – in simple terms

You probably have written essays previously; a research paper is an extended version of an essay, only with more profound research and a convincing thesis statement that both elaborate on a relevant topic. The idea of your paper must be suitable to be analysed, provide solid ground to build further argumentation and allow execution of an independent analysis. It also must contribute to the field of knowledge yet already offer a sufficient number of acknowledged sources to build constructive and cohesive argumentation.

Sounds challenging? The process of writing this project is a little cumbersome, but it helps gain skills required in more advanced scholarly projects you’ll face before your graduation. Needless to say, research papers are the beginning steps of your academic career, but once you figure out how to write them, every subsequent paper won’t be a burden to you.

Getting started with a research paper

Every paper research starts off with an idea. Many find deciding on the topic of the paper the most difficult part of the writing process. It also heavily contributes to the success of your paper; if you pick a topic that’s too difficult to analyse, you risk failing your assignment. On the other hand, if you pick an idea that’s too broad or has previously conducted analysis, you risk decreasing the validity and reliability of your paper.

But first things first: start with a plan. Create a roadmap that will guide you through each step of the process. Ideally, create a timeline with set deadlines to ensure you’re on time with submission deadlines. And don’t be afraid to follow examples. Speaking of which…

#1 Use a research paper example

If you’ve never written a research essay before, you must collect good examples before getting down to writing a paper of your own. How can you create something without knowing what this something looks like? Go to your library or use any reliable scholarly database, e.g., Google Scholar. Using keywords relevant to your subject, phrases or even a specific sentence, you can easily locate reputable sources and download articles that can be used as samples in your study.

Finding good examples shouldn’t be difficult. It is also necessary to brainstorm ideas relevant to your future work. Reading through various articles (tip: you can read an abstract or a summary paragraph before reading the entire article to evaluate whether it is relevant to you), write down ideas that you find interesting.

Choose winning research paper topics

A preliminary reading of selected articles on the subject of your interest should result in a list of research topic ideas. Next, your goal is to determine which of these topics are worthy to be studied and which aren’t. Here’s how to find out:

• See if any other studies were done on the topic. Decide if you can conduct an original analysis without copying someone else’s study.
• See if there are enough sources to decide on a theoretical framework and develop a strong literature review.
• Try to place your subject of interest within a specific theoretical framework.
• Choose a topic that offers sufficient analysis and has enough sources in existing literature to support argumentation.

Finally, if you can’t decide between several equally excellent topics, write down a summary paragraph, noting every idea. Choose the one that sounds the most interesting to you as a writer and as a researcher.

Alternatively, you can benefit from online tools and AI to generate relevant topics. Most online generators are free, so don’t hesitate to take advantage of technological advancements.

Select your research paper format

Finding good research topics is going to be time-consuming unless you’ve decided it a long time ago. But the next step can reassure you that the idea you’ve chosen is the right one for you. You need to plan your research paper format, and the best way to do it is by writing a research proposal.

Your teacher might require you to do it as a mandatory assignment; if not, we still advise you to do it. Following initial instructions, there are specific features of the paper format you need to decide on before setting up to writing. Namely:

• What is your academic formatting style: APA, MLA, CMS, Harvard, or…?
• What are your limitations: volume, number of sources, scope of study, methods of conducting the study, etc.?
• What is your research question/problem, and what philosophy will you adhere to?
• Do you know the requirements for the structure?

The final question on this checklist is essential for creating a draft and developing an outline for your paper. As a rule, your instructor provides writing instructions. If not, you can adhere to the general guidelines and template provided below.

Here’s a comparative table of basic instructions for the three most popular formatting styles in academic papers.

Please keep in mind that these guidelines are generalised; your institution might have different requirements, so it is important to consult with your instructor.

Check your research essay structure

What should be included in your project? From featuring an Abstract to a Literature Review chapter, the parts of your paper must be described in detail in your instructions. A typical paper structure is as follows:

• Title Page (if required)
• A brief summary (150-250 words) of the paper, also referred to as an Abstract.
• Introduction with background information, problem statement and thesis statement. May include a research question and a brief overview of the paper.
• Literature Review is usually not required in this assignment type, however, might be requested by your instructor.
• Methodology with an explanation of the study philosophy and methods. Might require a detailed explanation of your research design (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods) if you plan to do the analysis yourself.
• Results include a presentation of your paper findings.
• Discussion is an interpretation of your results, usually supported by detailed explanations and reflections in regard to your initially proposed questions.
• Conclusion with a brief summary and implications of your project.
• A list of all sources cited in the paper.
• Appendices with supplementary material that didn’t make it to the original paper.

#2 Set deadlines in your research paper outline

You’re about to start working on a major project. If you think it’s easy to keep track of the tasks and findings in your head only, we advise you to reconsider this. The process of writing is a long one; but there are other assignments to deal with in parallel to writing, such as collecting sources, evaluating them and investigating links between them; ensuring a cohesive and logically solid narration; and finally, doing the analysis itself.

Many underestimate the importance of methods when writing this project. You need to be good at either qualitative or quantitative methods, and choosing between them will allow you to proceed next with your philosophy and design of study.

Thus, when planning the working process, every research paper writer saves as much time as possible for the analysis and interpretation of results. At first, many believe that the problematisation and putting it into empirical setting are troublesome, wasting time and energy on doing the literature review. Our advice is to focus less on background data and pay more attention to your own analysis.

Take any research report, and you will see that when the job is done, the only thing that makes it to the final report to demonstrate the importance of the conducted study is the study itself: the methods used, the results, the discussion and implications.

#3 Get qualified assistance

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BONUS: How to write an introduction for a research paper

If English is not your first language or you never felt comfortable writing essays, you might face writer’s block. In this case, the beginning point will be the most challenging for you.

Here are some useful tips to overcome your insecurities:

• Create as many drafts as possible. Don’t be afraid to type whatever comes to your mind and leave it for further editing. Give your brain and your hands full creative freedom.
• Follow an extract outline for your introduction: start with a hook (1-2 sentences) to present what the work will be about and proceed with brief background information. Then problematise your question or subject matter, putting it in an empirical setting and supporting it with a clear, concise thesis statement.
• Briefly provide an overview of the chapters that follow after the introduction.
• Download examples and use someone else’s introduction as a template – simply put your subjects and data.
• Practice your hooks, and feel free to leave your introduction unfinished. You can always come back to edit it later.

Doing an introduction first is important because it sets the direction for your further work. It is a guideline that you must follow throughout your project. Of course, it can be edited and adjusted, but once you have it ready, it will be easier for you to proceed to the next chapters of your project.

How to start a research paper: 3 hooks

There are three common ways to start your introduction:

• Aim to surprise: use a surprising fact or statistic, any striking piece of information that will provoke the reader.
• Aim to engage: ask an interesting question that will make your reader think about it and hence get engaged in your further narration.
• Aim to impress: relevant quotations aren’t favoured by many but they are always reliable to open an introductory paragraph.

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