Research paper–the very words send chills down the spines of students everywhere. If you’re a student, research papers are a reality of life and something you’ll be writing until your graduation day. There are some things you can do, and guidelines to follow that make writing a research paper little less painful.
Every good research paper begins with a https://researchpaperwriter.org/ good topic or idea. If possible, pick something that you’re interested in. Writing about something you enjoy can make all the difference. Also, consider the amount of information available on the topic. A topic can be too broad or too narrow–you want a topic you can cover fully, but not something so specific you aren’t able to find information from various sources.
You can conduct a quick search of books, encyclopedias, magazines, the Internet and journals to get an idea of how much information you can uncover on your topic. If sources become scarce, librarians can often help; take advantage of their knowledge.
Outlining
Outlining is a good idea for anyone writing a research paper–it will help you brainstorm ideas and keep them organized so your paper flows well.
You can develop outlines based on chronological events, cause-and-effect relationship, the logic of a position or the process of accomplishing something. Most word processors have an outline feature making it easy to create and edit an outline. Or, check an MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook for its recommended format.
Writing Your Paper
Research papers have different parts including a title page, abstract, body, conclusion and reference page. Each part has a specific purpose. This article is based on MLA documentation guidelines. Before beginning any research paper, make sure you know what style you should use and any other preferences the instructor may have.
Heading
The purpose of your title page or heading is to state the name of your paper and include other important information like your name, the instructor’s name, the name of the class and the date. Unless directed otherwise, the heading should appear at the top of the first page of your paper in the left-hand margin. The title of you paper should be centered–capitalize the first and all principal words but do not underline or bold your title.
Abstract
The purpose of the abstract is to give an overview of the paper. The abstract should contain the main thoughts and ideas of the paper but not be longer than a couple paragraphs.