How to Write Your Research Paper

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. Understanding the topic

2. Doing the preliminary reading

3. Developing a thesis statement

4. Using a well-prepared template or outline

5. Writing and revising

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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. 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 the instructions of the asisgnment. If you have any questions, you should go back and ask questions of the TA or the instructor to clarify any misunderstandings.

Even after you start writing or finish your outline, you should continually look back at the assignment instructions to ensure that you are on the right path. If possible to do so, you should choose the assignment that you have prior knowledge of. This would make it easier to do research.

Alternatively, you can choose an assignment that you find interesting or even challenging if you are up to the task. Writing several thousand words on a topic that you find uninteresting would be quite a slog fest.

2. Do preliminary research

 You should find at least one or two model papers, book, or sources to start your preliminary reading. These are sources that properly cover the topic and that can be used as a template for your own essay. There are many options available to securing material for preliminary reading.

You could start by asking your professor or instructor. They will be in a position to advise you on what the best sources on the topics are. You may even elect to ask for model assignments. That is assignments from past students from previous semesters that the instructor scored high and sees as ideal models.

You can start the journey on your own and peruse the shelves of your library for authoritative sources. The key here is to make sure that the sources are credible and authoritative. Using the Internet is a good option, but you have to be careful here. You should be able to discern a credible source from a non-credible source.

The Internet is full of information that lacks credibility. Think of verifying teh credibility of your source by ensuring they satisfy the following checklist:

• They are written by credible authors

• They are books published by credible publishing houses

• They are papers published in peer-reviewed journals

• They can be found in physical libraries or credible online databases

This is important as the two or three sources that you begin with play a significant role in determining what your thesis statement will be. They also open the way for the other sources that you'll use as authoritative books rely on a network of references to bolster their arguments. You can take note of these references. Read them separately and later incorporate them into your final essay.

3. Formulate your thesis statement

The thesis statement can be described as the most important part of your essay. It serves as the basis of your whole argument. Bear this in mind when writing your outline. Before, during, and even after writing the outline, you should consult your thesis statement to make sure that you are on the right track. Here are three tips to folllow when formulating your thesis statement:

1. Read the appropriate sources. Locate the most relevant sources on the topic. Ask your professor for recommendations if you are not clear on what constitutes a credible or authoritative source.

2. Develop your position carefully. After doing the necessary reading, use your critical thinking skills to come up with new ideas or perspectives on the topic.

3. Refine your position. After writing down the first version of your thesis statement, review it to see how it can be improved. Think of asking your friends or professors for their opinions to see what changes or improvements can be made. 

4. Write a detailed outline

Before you start writing, you should create an outline for your article. You don't necessarily have to stick to this original outline. However, it will provide you with a frame of reference while writing your essay. Many students resent the idea of writing an outline before writing.

They genuinely think that jumping right into an essay is the ideal way to go about writing an essay. This could not be further from the truth. Academic writing is not a process that relies on artistic inspiration. Instead, it is a systematic process that involves careful reasoning and process.

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. 

5. Write and revise

I included writing and revision as a single step because the two are inseparable. Good writing is the result of constant revision. Writing a paper includes two phases: 1. Speedwriting and 2. Revision. Speed writing 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.

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? 

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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. 

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Good luck with your research writing.

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Copy 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