A research paper is among the most challenging academic task assigned to students. Its primary purpose is to test your ability to document information and give helpful details by expressing your view on the research matter. To understand how to write this paper, you must go through some guidelines. As a research paper writer, you are required to have a good set of research, writing skills, time, and concentration for good results.

Also, you have to familiarize yourself with the assignment requirements. This will help you to get a clear objective on what to expect. In case you need any clarification on the instructions, do not hesitate to ask your professor. The next step is to organize your paper by defining the topic, the scope, and the results of your work.

Why choosing a research topic is important?

Always pick a topic that will keep you motivated throughout the research process. The effort you put into your topic choice can influence the quality of your paper and your grades. The most frequent and relevant topics are social, political, cultural, or technological issues. Ideally, among these topics, you will find the one that fulfills your interests by providing suitable content to keep you engaged.

Select your research sources

To succeed in research writing you are required to provide empirical evidence supporting your work. At this point, it is essential to categorize the types of information sources. There are two types of sources:

• Primary sources.
• Secondary sources.

The primary sources include surveys, statistical data, interviews, and legal and historical documents whereas, the secondary sources include books, articles, and many more.

When gathering your research data, you need to skim and narrow down your sources, especially when you come across a lot of data. It involves collecting useful sources and setting them aside to read later, rather than being stuck with sources you will not use. After skimming down your sources, organize them from the most to least critical sources or based on the order of your arguments.

Write your Research paper thesis

At this stage, you have to formulate a thesis. A thesis is a brief fact or theory that describes the essence of your research paper. In other words, the thesis statement emphasizes what the researcher is going to prove and explain to your readers.

A good thesis statement should be definitive, clear, straight to the point, and arguable Some students find it challenging to come up with a compelling thesis statement, so do not shy away to ask for assistance from your professor or write my thesis statement services.

Writing process

After you write your thesis statement, you can dive into writing your research paper. This step is the longest and the most involved; however, if you have correctly developed your sources and prepared a detailed outline, everything else should be easy.

Introduction

This section of a research essay should answer three questions: what, why, and how? In essence, the reader should understand what the paper is about, why it is worth reading, and how your arguments are presented.

What?  You should be specific about the research paper topic, provide brief background information, and define key concepts or theories.

Why? Answering this part is crucial, but also the most challenging part of the introduction. You should convince the reader about your new material and insights. Also, this part answers the most important issues that your paper presents and answers.

How? At this point, the reader what’s to know what to expect from the entire paper. The introduction should sum up the key components of the research paper in an orderly manner.

The Body

The body contains the details of your research paper. It is divided into several sections with headers to ease reading. Many writers face challenges when organizing an essay body, therefore it is advisable to use an outline. Research paper outline act as a guide when writing each paragraph. But you should be flexible and adjust the structure when you realize you can present your argument from a different viewpoint.

Each paragraph should present a unique argument. Therefore, avoid describing the same things in several paragraphs in a row. Always use distinct approaches to your argument. In other words, if two paragraphs discuss related theories, they must approach the topic in different ways. Ensure that you tie everything together smoothly, and use transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections to boost the flow of your paper.

The Conclusion

The conclusion section helps the reader out of your research paper’s argument, creating a sense of finality.

At this point, you should trace the course of the paper, and emphasize how your arguments support your thesis statement. Here, the reader understands how the writer settled the issues discussed in the introduction part. Note that you should not introduce new concepts or information to your conclusion.  

Cite your references

Citations are among the things that differentiate a research paper from personal essays. It helps to validate your data and support your arguments as well as link your paper to the greater scientific community. When citing your paper, you must follow specific formatting rules and guidelines. Therefore, you need to check your assignment requirements to see which essay format to use. Particularly, academic research projects follow one of two formatting styles (MLA & APA) to cite sources.

Proofreading and Editing

After completing the final draft of your paper, it is vital to proofread and edit it. The primary purpose of proofreading is to identify grammatical mistakes, check the flow of structure and ideas, readability, and finally, a valid conclusion. You can read your draft every few days to see if it reads well. This can aid you to discover previously invisible errors.

You can also ask your peers or parents to proofread your paper and listen to their opinion since they were not directly involved in the research paper. These steps will help in the overall success of your research paper.