How do you write a research paper? Do you have a specific strategy, or is it a chaotic activity of thoughts, words, and ideas?
The main problem most students have when it comes to writing a research paper from scratch relates to not knowing a proper structure and not knowing where to find the right sources to cite. Today we’re going to look through the basic sections your paper should include, and the principles of coming up with your own writing strategy. So, if you’re interested in a paper custom written from scratch you may try to order it from a service, or compose it yourself.
Writing a Research Paper: Key Principles and Basic Steps
The very first step for any research writing is organization. Choosing the right topic is what you should start with. The right topic is the one you will be able to cover in a way that is interesting and complete, but not overwhelming and boring. At the same time, it should be a topic of a manageable size. Don’t pick something too general to write about forever, or too specific to get stuck in the middle of the writing process. It definitely should be something that you’re interested in and have at least a superficial knowledge about. Working on the topic you like and understand is easier than that one, which is absolutely new to you. Always pick a topic you are ready to research.
The next step is the research itself. Here, you have to choose, find, and pull together all of the reliable sources which you want to get information from. Don’t stop on several famous sources only. Keep searching. Look for books, lectures, websites, journals, official statements, interviews, and reports, where you can get even more information. The more sources you have, the more objective your work will be. Most students don’t realize that the sources they can use for their paper are not limited to printed materials or websites only. It can be a visit to a museum, where you can learn a lot of useful information. Analyze your topic and decide what exactly will be best for you. In the beginning, find information which will be enough to compose an outline. This will be the core of the whole research. Write down all data needed for a paper, in an organized way. Don’t make it a chaotic collection of phrases, citations, and paragraphs.
If you don’t know how to organize the process of writing, use mobile and desktop applications as a helping tool. There are a lot of online platforms and programs, created for students and professional writers to help them by organizing their writing process in a logical manner. Some of the most popular ones are Scrivener, WiseMapping, and Coggle.
And now let’s look closer at the writing guidance itself, dividing our research paper into basic sections.
The Backbone of a Research Paper
What your professor expects to see in a research paper is a set of standard sections. Usually, those requirements are the same for most colleges and universities.
- Title page and Table of Contents;
- Abstract;
- Introduction;
- Literature Review;
- Methods;
- Results;
- Discussion;
- References.
Title page should be very accurate, concise, without punctuation and abbreviations preferably. An abstract is some sort of a summary for the whole paper. Here you explain the methods, aims, and results of the following research. An abstract should explain why the findings, described in your paper, are important. An introduction explains the motivation of the study. You list the questions addressed and the specific purposes set. You can also explain why you’ve decided to pick this topic specifically. Literature Review section explains what has already been said and researched in this field. In Methods section, you indicate the methods used in your work. Be clear, accurate, and concise.
In Results part, present what you’ve found through your research in a simple, short way. Here you can use figures, tables, which are relevant to what you’re writing. In Discussion session, your story can be more detailed, interpreting what you’ve found while doing a research. State whether you’ve reached the goal set at the beginning of the work, or not. Explain the limitations of your work and what would you like to do in the future if you had an opportunity to continue the research.
The last but not the least is the List of References. Here, you should list all of the sources, which you’ve cited in the paper. But don’t confuse it with a bibliography, while bibliography includes description and analysis of sources themselves. A references list is a set of sources, which are referenced in your work.
That’s all for the basic structure of an average research paper. Hopefully, you’ve found this information useful enough to write your own paper from scratch too.