Writing a research paper is a matter of being well-read, doing the proper preparation, and practicing your academic writing. A research paper is something that all students and young scholars have to contend with.
What is a research paper? A research paper can go by many names. It could mean scientific reports that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. On the other hand, it could be academic essays that you have to write as part of coursework at university.
Here, we will focus on the research paper as an academic essay written by university students as part of coursework. A research paper is typically a document that follows the principles of academic writing. It has a clear structure and makes logical and objective arguments with supporting evidence.
This paper can be in the field of humanities or social science or it can be in the field of physical sciences. In the case of the physical sciences methodology and results are an essential part of the paper.
The principles that apply to a research paper can be equally relevant to a wide range of other forms of academic writing, including:
A master's thesis written by a student who needs to graduate
A PhD dissertation written by a PhD student
A manuscript written by a researcher for a journal
A grant proposal written by professors applying for grants
These academic documents are wide-ranging in terms of style and purpose. However, they are all united by a few underlying principles. Writing a good research paper involves doing five things well:
1. Choosing an appropriate topic
2. Doing the preliminary reading
4. Using a well-prepared template or outline
5. Relying on credible sources
Writing a research paper can be a challenge for most students and academics. Most research papers more or less follow a process that begins with the identification of a problem and ends with a “solution” or a keener understanding of what the problem is. Between the identification of the problem and potential solutions, there's a rigorous process that must be followed.
This includes providing background and context of the problem, methods to investigate and test it, and describe its wider significance. As a result, a very rigid structure was developed to write a research paper. This is called IMRAD, which stands for Introduction, Methods, Research, and Discussion. How well your paper turns out depends on how successful you are in following this IMRAD process and structure.
Steps to writing your research paper
Writing a research paper is important for students and scholars at various stages of their careers. It might be needed to pass your university course or a requirement to complete a master's or PhD degree. Whatever the case might be, the key to writing a successful research paper is preparing well and relying on well-established templates and reliable sources, which will be discussed in detail here.
So what even is a research paper? A research paper can be many things. It can be a scientific paper published in a scientific or academic journal. However, it can also be an academic essay for your final term paper in History or English Literature. Either way, there are universal principles that any academic paper can benefit from. And this is what we focus on in this article.
1. Choose a topic based on a proper understanding of the assignment
You should ensure that you understand the assignment. This could mean a university course essay. Woe to you if you go ahead to write a 5000-word paper that is unrelated to the assignment that you were given. All because you did not pay attention well enough to what was required.
To make sure that you are on the same page as your instructor, you should carefully read teh instructions of teh asisgnment. If you have any questions, you should go back and ask questions of the TA or the intructor to clarify any misunderstandings.
Even after you start writing or finished your outline, you should continually look back at the assignment intructions to ensure that you are on the right path.
2. Do preliminary research to narrow down the topic
You should find at least one or two model papers. These are papers that properly cover the topic and that can be used as a template or that can give you ideas on how to go about formulating your own topic.
3. Formulate your thesis statement
Depending on the type of research paper that you are writing, you should formulate a hypothesis, thesis, or research statement. Hypotheses and research statements are typical of papers meant for journal publication.
Thesis statements are what is expected for research papers at the university level. Either way, they should be clear and specific. A research paper tries to answer a very narrow problem.
So you should make sure that this is reflected in your thesis statement.
4. Conduct a thorough search of the literature
Before you start writing, you should search for and read reputable sources for information. Your initial reading should point you in the direction of the appropriate literature. Databases such as Google Scholar are quite useful in finding the appropriate literature. As much as possible, rely on current and high-quality sources. This would mean peer-reviewed papers and books written by experts in the field.
5. Write a detailed outline of the article
An outline will provide a roadmap to how your paper will turn out. Often, the final paper does not always look like the initial roadmap. But it will serve as a guide to ensure that you complete your paper on time. A detailed draft would be based on the readings you did so far. You can include ideas from the notes you take as you read as bullet points in the various sections of your draft.
6. Write each section of the paper
This is where you turn your ideas or bullet points into sentences. It does not have to be perfect. You should simply focus on the flow of ideas into logical sentences. You can always come back to make corrections.
7. Revise the paper
After writing the whole paper, you should go back and revise the whole article from the beginning. In this stage, you should look for the proper use of punctuation, such as commas, em dashes, colons, and semicolons. This would be proofreading. This you can do your own if you are proficient. If you don't have faith in your ability you can ask for help from a friend or even a professional editor.
Grammar or punctuation tools such as Grammarly and PerfectIt can also be used but with caution. More than that, you should look to fill in gaps in your logic or argument. Entire parts of the paper should be rewritten if your logic is too weak. Again, ideally, you should be able to do this on your own. But sometimes, it makes sense to get help from professional proofreading services.
To learn more about how professional editing services can help, please take a look at this previous article: What is academic editing?
Final thoughts on writing a research paper
Writing a research paper is a major accomplishment, and it’s one of the most difficult tasks associated with academic writing. It represents something of a hero’s journey if we are allowed to be dramatic.
As a researcher, you’re supposed to recognize and identify a problem. Investigate or approach at a unique angle using rigorous methodology.
The results that you discover should be properly explained and you should contextualize them to make people understand their importance and significance. A research paper, be it a final report for a university course, a thesis, or a paper meant for publication in a journal represents either the discovery or synthesis of new knowledge or at least a novel perspective.
It is a major undertaking that should be carried out painstakingly and with discipline. It is not simply a matter of putting pen to paper. It requires extensive research and training yourself in the discipline of scholarship. Scholarship can be likened to professional sports. In the same way that elite athletes have to practice for hours at a time every day, so should a scholar.
Get the FREE e-book on how to write a research paper
This article provides only a brief overview of what it takes to write a research paper. But this may not be enough. I have made available an E-Book to provide a more thorough account of what it takes to write a research paper. It includes many things that have been left out of the article:
A thorough description of the principles that go into writing a good research paper
A proper description of how to apply IMRAD
Details on the practical steps you should take
Numerous examples of each paper section
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Good luck with your research writing.
Cite this EminentEdit articleCopy and paste to cite this article. |
Antoine, M. (2024, July 13). How to Write Your Research Paper: An Introductory Guide. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/how-to-write-your-research-paper-an-introductory-guide |
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