How to Write a Research Paper

How to Write a Research Paper

Research papers form a part of a student’s assessment from high school to college. Students present research papers to demonstrate their levels of understanding of a particular topic.  Writing a research paper can be an overwhelming task, but with proper guidelines, students can produce good papers. Writing research papers requires several considerations, the first one being the topic choice.

Tips concerning the topic choice

Students need to choose an interesting topic that is challenging, a challenging topic will require more research efforts and the author will be interested in learning more about the processes of researching.

1. A good research topic should be clear and focus on one area.  For example, instead of choosing a topic about world religion, the topic should be narrowed down to Buddhism;
2. Before choosing a research topic, it’s important to obtain approval from the lecturer   because research papers are a part of class assignments;
3. When choosing a good research topic, students should avoid technical topics;
4. Students should avoid topics with limited source materials.

Below are examples of research topics on different subject areas.

1. Topics on health
2. Topics on athletes
3. Topics on alcohol
4. Topics on bullying

Health

1. Why do routine exercises need to be part of an organization’s policy?
2. The relationship between heart diseases and body weight
3. The impact of nutritional education in schools
4. HIV testing and cultural norms
5. Eating disorders among teenagers

Athletes

1. Shoe companies should provide free products to high school athletes
2. What career options are available for upcoming athletes?
3. The use of steroids in diminishing athlete credibility
4. Why are male-dominated sports televised?
5. Drug testing among high school athletes should be compulsory

Alcohol

1. Why many artists are abusing alcohol?
2. Drunkenness is the beginning of the crime
3. Traffic accidents related to alcohol abuse
4. The common practice of bribing the electorate with drinks
5. Increased alcohol use among city dwellers

Bullying

1. Bullying in schools is becoming rampant
2. Workplace bullying is on the increase
3. Long-term effects of bullying
4. Effects of cyberbullying among teenagers
5. Understanding the bullying cycle: why do people who get bullied become bullies?

Research papers structure

• Outline writing
• Introduction writing
• Thesis writing
• Body paragraphs writing
• Conclusion writing

Outline tips

When writing a research paper, an outline is important because it assists the writer to focus on the main topic. Research generates a lot of information, an outline helps the writer to keep track of the relevant information needed for his research topic. The following tips can guide a writer when developing an outline.

An outline should consist of three main parts including:

• the introduction,
• the research body,
• and the conclusion.

1. Writing an outline requires the author to use either numerical or alphabetical structure. The research outline needs to be structured using a series of either letters or numbers;
2. When developing a sentence outline,  all the headings and sub-headings should start with capital letters;
3. An outline should not belong; an outline should be one-quarter of the total paper;
4. When writing an outline, every heading and sub-heading need to use a parallel structure, if a heading begins with a verb the other headings need to be the same;
5. The first main heading need to be similar to the second heading, for example, the main heading needs to highlight the main task of the research, and the sub-heading needs to expand on the main topic idea.

Tips concerning introduction

1. When writing the introduction of a research paper, a thesis statement should state the purpose of the research. A thesis statement is a short statement that presents what your research intends to achieve;
2. The introduction should state a brief background of the topic;
3. The introduction needs to indicate the reason for choosing a particular topic or why the research is relevant;
4. An introduction needs to include the research approach the author will use;
5. The introduction should include a brief overview of the main points of the topic for the readers to have an idea of what to expect.

Tips on thesis writing

1. The thesis statement should contain two sentences to present the topic and also should indicate the author’s position;
2. The thesis needs to be brief with a specified number of pages with clear ideas of the topic;
3. The thesis statement is meant to announce the topic. Therefore, it needs to reveal the plan the author will use to evaluate his argument;
4. When writing a thesis statement, the author needs to avoid broad ideas but focus on the real ideas he wants to put across;
5. When writing a thesis, the author needs to use his word to develop credibility.

Tips on body paragraphs

1. The body of the research needs to highlight all the arguments to support the thesis;
2. The body should contain three main points to support the thesis statement;
3. The author needs to begin with a strong argument, but reserve the strongest argument to present his final point;
4. Each sentence of the body should start with a short phrase known as a topic sentence to guide the readers on what the research is trying to explain;
5. The research body needs to include the main ideas and supporting details of the ideas. These include information like statistics, quotes, and facts that can be used to support the research arguments.

Tips on conclusion writing

1. The conclusion should summarize the main point, but use different wording to show the audience the logic behind the research;
2. The conclusion needs to present a provocative insight or end with a quotation for the research details;
3. A conclusion can also indicate the cause of olfaction or a solution to the research issues. The conclusion can also include questions for further investigation;
4. The conclusion section needs to revisit the research in the introduction part to remind the readers of what the paper aims at achieving. For example, if the research started by describing a clinical problem, the conclusion should end with the same to create a better understanding of the research;
5. The conclusion should also suggest implications that would enrich the audience’s life. Therefore, the conclusion should give the reader something to take away to help him view a situation differently.

Finalizing the paper

After finishing the first draft of the research, the second part is to revise the written content to correct any spelling and grammar mistakes.  Revising the paper means reviewing the content by analyzing arguments and structure according to the standard requirements of a research paper.

Proofreading and editing should be done before submitting the final paper. It is important to check for the logical structure of the paper by re-reading your paper and also making sure that the quotes and citations are presented accurately. The research title should be clear to the audience for them to know what to expect

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