Are you a student who has always struggled with doing research papers? Do you dread doing these types of assignments when your professor assigns them to you? Are you simply someone that has never cared to do a lot of research prior to writing a research paper? If for any reason you are a student who does not like doing research papers then you may want to consider the following tips that will help you with all stages of research paper writing.
Pick Your Topic
When your professors assign a research paper, they may provide you with very broad topics. They may suggest you tackle a human rights issue or some other far-reaching social issue. Based on that main concept, jot down a few potential topics that fall under the categories specified by your professor. Once you have selected a topic, for example the civil rights movement, write down situations in history that support your topic, such as the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. With this information jotted down, you can move onto the next step.
Do Your Research
One of the most important parts of any research paper is actually doing research. Research will help you prove, support, and/or formulate your thesis statement when written after the research is completed. When researching your topic, it is essential that the information to prove your thesis is from reliable sources. With access to so much information on the web available, it is possible to find data that has no basis in fact but is more opinion.
Ensure that the information collected comes from resources, which include scholarly documents, books, newspapers, or other dependable resources. When quoting, or highlighting important information that you intend to use, make sure to make note of the required information to place in your works cited.
Write Your Thesis
Writing a thesis statement is typically the second step in the process of writing a research paper. When it is written prior to research, it can help direct where to go. When written after doing research, it can help better organize the information and data collected. When writing your thesis, try not to be too broad. You want need to write a thesis that gives a direction and a purpose to your paper; this does not mean it needs to be controversial, or revolutionary.
Write You Rough Draft
Once you have completed your research and organized it, it is time to start the process of writing your rough draft. The best place to start is to organize all of your thoughts into an outline that will be the basis for your paper. By having your outline handy, along with your organized notes, it will make it easier for you to write down your ideas as well as include necessary quotes and statistical data that in the body of your paper. Keep focused on each of the sections of your paper, so you have a natural flow from one point to the next.
Remember when creating your draft that plagiarism is something you should avoid. If you paraphrase or quote something from one of your resources, ensure that you use the correct citations. The last thing you want to do is simply copy and paste the information you have collected during your research. Not only are writing styles bound to be different but plagiarism is not legal.
Edit & Works Cited
The final step to any research paper is proofreading it to check for any errors in spelling and grammar. In addition to checking for errors, it is important to make sure that your research paper has a natural flow. Your paper needs to support your thesis as well as explain the specific points clearly and concisely. Be sure when writing your research paper to use sources that support your arguments and include the proper citations.
Along with the proper credits within the body of your research paper, you should have works cited that match the format of the paper you are writing. Examples of different types of writing styles include APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association).
By following the simple tips listed above you will be able to write a good research paper required by your professor. Take care to do each of the steps properly and make sure that you put together the best research paper possible. Be aware that doing research is the crucial part of any research paper and you cannot avoid it, no matter how much you may dislike the process.