How To Complete A Research Paper

Students are used to writing essays and academic papers. Now, it is time to upgrade your writing skills and learn how to compose and complete a good research paper. Many students have no idea how to perform proper research, so they just pay research paper writing service to save time and focus on something else. Whenever we start writing a research paper, it feels like you do it the first time in your life, even if you have completed many of them.

A Step-by-step Approach To Complete A Research Paper:

Focus on choosing an exciting and informative a topic

The process of writing is more pleasant if you can select an educational topic, which holds your real interest. The most difficult is to start, and the following research paper ideas will help you a lot to organize your thoughts, ideas and to put them on writing. If you have to write a general question, you should find your approach, which suits your attention the most. Pick up the subject on which it is not difficult to find adequate information. We recommend you to do the preliminary research to see how much new information has been published. You should narrow the topic to a manageable size. If you can't find enough information, do not waste your free time, pick up another interesting topic, and proceed.

Preliminary reading/taking notes

When you start reading the information regarding your research project, use a notebook or index cards to write notes. Start reading general articles on the topic of your research and record the author, the article/book title, and other publication data. Make sure you use the correct format (MLA/APA), which is specified by your professor. In your notebook, you should write down information from an identified source. We encourage students to learn how to use index cards throughout their research process. They are the keys to organize the track of sources.

Organizing your outline

The outline must be based on your preliminary reading. You can use a mind map technique too. Make sure you have included valuable information, interesting points, as well as your thoughts regarding the topic. Note that a mind map is less linear. It may consist of questions to which you have to find answers. Try both methods and decide which works better for you. The goal is to group your content in logical groups. You should revise your mind map/outline several times.

Formulate a thesis statement

A thesis statement should be defined and focused. Make sure it includes three to five principals. First, you should craft a thesis statement that will consist of a couple of sentences, and later you will revise it if necessary. Take your time crafting this statement into one or two sentences. A well-written thesis statement will control the development of your entire research paper.

Research relevant facts

At this stage, it is time to start the in-depth research. You should use different sources of information: the internet, reference books, college database, newspaper articles, etc. While working on every source, you should write down in your notebook the information about a publication, which you will need on the bibliography page. You must write essential points, examples, and details. It is better to distinguish between quotes and paraphrasing. If you want to provide an opinion, use the one which is based on expert advice. Your reader will take it more valid than a general one. When it is possible, try to find recent research. And do not rely too much on online sources not to get upset.

Write the introduction, conclusion, and citations

Your final draft must include a brief introduction (one-paragraph size), an advisory body, compressed conclusion (not more than one paragraph), and, of course, a citation section with all the resources mentioned. Pay attention to all citations, which must appear in the correct format. It can be MLA, APA, or any other. You should discuss the format with your professor not to make a mistake. When you write the conclusion, make sure that it does not restate the thesis statement, but refer to it.

Proofreading activity

We recommend students to have enough time gap between when they finish writing the final draft and the moment they start applying the final corrections. Giving yourself a rest before proofreading is essential. You will have the vision, which is more conscious, objective, and critical. Do not forget to check your grammatical, punctuation, stylistic mistakes. Your word choice should be correct and adequate. The transitions between sections have to be smooth. Pay attention to the structure of sentences and their variety.

Conclusion

Writing a research paper requires time and passion. That is why we advised you to choose the topic of your interest at the very beginning of this article. When you enjoy the process, the final result will be positive.