Tips to Write a Research Paper – A Research Guide for Students

From conducting research to proofreading your paper, the process of writing a research paper that manages to impress all does not come easy. From the trickiest of arguments to collecting relevant information, a research paper poses more than one challenge for its successful completion. So if you are clueless about where to start or want to know how to write a brilliant research paper, then worry not. This blog aims at providing some surefire tricks to aid you in the process of writing a research paper.

The Pre-Writing Stage

• Select a topic

Selecting a topic for your research paper does not have to be all that difficult. Go for areas in your discipline that interest you. There is no point in being stuck with a topic you don't want to know more about simply because it "sounded cool" or you wanted your paper to stand out from the rest. It is okay to pick common topics as long as you can give them

your own twist. If it helps, try your hand at popular topics and choose a slant not often opted for. That will give your paper all the extra edge you need.

• Decide on the thesis statement

A thesis statement will guide your research, giving it a motive and a direction for investigation. It will help you stay focused on the subject. Hence, you need to prepare it right after picking the topic. Keep in mind that this will only be a working thesis, subject to alterations as you go along conducting research and uncovering new information regarding the topic. Your thesis statement should reflect the type of paper you are writing. Since it determines your approach to the study, your working thesis should hint at the angle you want to explore in your paper.

• Research like a pro

Know where to look for the information you need. If you are targeting offline modes of research, chat with the librarian for the best results. They can guide you on the collection of books, magazines, almanacs, telephone directories, or any other source of information that you might be looking for. As for online resources, Google Scholar can never go wrong. Type in your keywords, and you will end up with links to hundreds of web magazines, journals, articles, blog posts, news, and scholarly papers for your research.

• Create the outline

After you have gathered all the relevant information and completed your background research, create the framework for your paper. Know what goes where, and create a mental note of the structure for later. Not only will having a structure for the paper help you keep things on track, but it will also aid in organizing your thoughts and ideas much better when it is time to write.

The Writing Stage

• Segregate the task

Divide the research paper into sections that you can tackle easily. Use your intuitive skills and the information you have gathered to chalk up the chunks that will help you write the paper within tight deadlines. Go for the body paragraphs first, and then the conclusion. Leave the introduction to the end. Create a schedule for each section of your research paper and go by it. You can also arrange for positive incentives like your favorite snack right after you complete each section to keep things fun and engaging.

• Organize your arguments

Not many professors will teach you this trick, but it is as effective as they get. Prepare your arguments and supporting evidence in separate documents. Label them according to the sections they represent in your paper. You can copy and paste them later into the main research document as you go about filling in the outline of the paper. For example, the first body paragraph can have the label "Body paragraph 01". This way, you only need to write a topic sentence at the beginning and a linking sentence at the end of the portion labeled "Body paragraph 01" when you paste it into the main research document.

• Fill in the outline

Writing the paper will become much easier when you have an outline and arguments ready at hand. Follow the structure of the paper carefully to copy and paste the arguments, backing evidence, and your inferences in the correct order. Make sure that each paragraph starts with a topic sentence and ends with a linking one. Keep a check on the smooth, logical flow of arguments in your paper while filling in the outline.

The Post-Writing Stage

• Edit and proofread with care

Finally, the task of writing a research paper does not end at the writing stage itself. It is ideal that you take a break for a few days after finishing the writing bit. Come back to the editing stage with a rejuvenated mind. Look for factual and constructional errors. Eliminate redundancies, if any. Check for grammar and spelling errors thoroughly in the end. Give your paper a final polish, and you will be good to go.

Now that you know what it takes to write a research paper that impresses all and sundry, just go ahead and bookmark this blog right away. Refer to it whenever you need to write a research paper and go by the tips discussed here. Once you follow a proper plan and have a clear idea about how you want the paper to turn out, there will be no stopping you. Conquer writer’s block and confidence issues with the help of the tips discussed in this blog. It is time to show them what you are made of. Good luck with your research papers.