How to Write a Research Paper


How to write a research paper topcorrect blog

Writing a research article is no easy feat. In fact, it may seem like a mammoth task, considering how much research, evaluation and writing goes into it. Whilst writing a research paper is never going to be a walk in the park, you can make the process as pain-free and, more importantly, stress-free as possible, by following topcorrect’s guide on how to write a research paper.

Topic

Before you can even contemplate writing a research paper, you need a topic. Not just any old topic, oh no, it needs to be a topic with a specific angle, which has sufficient research material and, this is something you must, must bear in mind, is a topic which interests you. Without a specific angle, considerable research and motivation to research the topic, you will find writing a research paper to be an uphill battle.

Research

Whichever source you’re looking at, you must bear your topic in mind and decide if the source is relevant to your argument or not. This will save you time and allow you to focus on building a strong argument. Make sure you research a wide variety of sources, so you can get a profound knowledge of your research topic. Think journals, books, academic articles, journalistic articles and search online. Once, you’ve found sources, keep them organised. Ensure you catalogue them, so you don’t have to waste time at the end, finding out where your sources came from.

Plan

Giving yourself sufficient time to plan and structure your research paper will help your writing greatly. Having a clear idea of your argument’s direction will save you time and stress, as you will have a vision as to where your argument is going. When planning your academic paper, you must always have your topic at the forefront of your mind. Ask yourself why it is significant and its relevance. Once you’ve outlined the topic and its importance, you must consider your line of argument. This is why the structure of your argument is vital. Make the plan support the argument and you will find your structure will aid your argument greatly.

Writing

Now, finally, onto the actual writing. Hopefully, with a comprehensive plan, most of the hard work will have been done for you. However, bear these points in mind:

Ensure your points, not your sources, dictate your argument. Whilst sources are essential to supporting your argument, the points you are making are more important. This is why you need to do more than just report your source – you need to summarise, analyse, evaluate and explain it to show deep understanding of the source.

When it comes to concluding, summarise the argument. This reminds the reader of your argument and gives it clarity. If you feel there is any scope for further research, now is time to suggest new research topics related to your paper. Then weigh up the argument before you and make your conclusion, which should be backed up by the points you made previously.

Once you’ve written everything else, now is time to write the introduction. You may think it’s bizarre that the introduction is saved until last. However, your argument may have changed since you have written your research paper, so your introduction needs to reflect the final product. Introduce the topic, the background material and explain your focus and argument behind the paper. It should pave way for your argument to come.

For more resources about research paper writing, check out The University of Wisconsin – Madison’s guide.

Revision

Of course, topcorrect are big advocates of revision. Because after all of your hard work, surely you want to make sure you hand in the best possible academic paper possible, right?

First and foremost, check the overall structure – does it support your argument? Is it a logical flow? Is the structure coherent?

Then check through your paragraphs – do they transition easily? Do the ideas develop in the paragraph easily? Are you using specific language to summarise and evaluate the points?

And lastly, check your spelling, grammar and sentence structure. If you don’t feel confident doing this yourself, enlist someone whose grammar and spelling is sound, or even better, here at topcorrect, we can give you a helping hand.

Writing a research paper takes a lot of time, effort and research. But if you bear the above points in mind, you will know what to do for every stage of the research paper writing process.

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