Few things put more fear in academics than the research papers. These papers require them to put in long hours and lots of hard work. As long as a research paper writer knows how to write it, they will find it not so bad and less painful.
Let’s take a look at what a research paper is and its format before exploring how you can become a research paper writer .
Aspects of a research paper
A research paper is a piece of academic writing based on an author’s research. These Papers are similar to analytical essays, except that research papers emphasize the use of statistical data and pre existing research with a strict code for citations.
They provide:
- In-depth analysis
- Evaluation
- A detailed interpretation of a single topic.
Research papers are the essence of modern science and the most effective way to share information across a wide network.
Most people are familiar with research papers from school and colleges where the papers are used to test the knowledge of students and their research skills on some particular topic.
The length of a research paper depends on the topic or the assignment. Normally it ranges around 4000-6000 words.
The short papers are around 2000 words, while long papers are around 10000 words.
Steps to become a research paper writer
You should consider the following steps if you wish to become a research-oriented paper writer:
1. Understand the assignment
Review the assignment and read the writing prompt carefully.
Look for technical requirements like:
- Length
- Formatting requirements
- Citation style
Also pay attention to the particulars like whether you need to write an abstract or include a cover page.
After understanding the assignment, the next step is how to write the paper following the usual writing process, more or less.
2. Choose your topic
The student must choose their own topic in open ended assignments. As a research paper writer,choosing the topic is actually the most important decision to make before writing the paper.
You should choose a research paper topic that will provide enough content and substance for an entire research paper. Select a topic with enough data and complexity to enable a rich discussion.
Avoid general topics and instead stick with topics that are specific enough to cover all the relevant information without cutting too much.
3. Gather preliminary data
Find out what data is available for your topic as soon as possible to refine your topic and prepare your thesis statement.
Early research can help cut off any false information you have about the topic and disclose the best paths and approaches to find more material.
You can find sources online.
Remember to use credible sources like science journals or academic papers when searching online.
Sometimes you are required to submit a literature review that explains your sources and presents them to an authority for confirmation. This will help you build a good reputation as a research paper writer.
4. Write a thesis statement
Do this using what you found in your preliminary research. It summarizes what your research paper will be about. A thesis statement is the best answer to start a research paper.
The statement also makes it easy for other researchers to assess whether or not your paper is useful to them for their own research.
A good thesis statement mentions all the important parts of the discussion without disclosing too many details.
5. Determine supporting evidence
Find your supporting evidence by reading each source and taking notes from them. Isolate the information that is directly relevant to your topic.
Do not bog down your paper with unnecessary information.
Always write down page numbers to find the information later quickly. It is beneficial during citation time.
Use bibliography cards beside highlighting text and writing notes. Some bibliography cards are not necessary but some students find it useful to stay organized in their journey of becoming a research paper writer.
6. Write a research paper outline
Make a list of all the important categories and subtopics you need to cover.
Consider all the information you collected when compiling your supporting evidence and ask yourself what the best way to divide and categorize everything.
Once you have the list, consider the best order to present the information. If your information is straightforward, feel free to take a chronological approach and present the information in the order it happened.
7. Write the first draft
Start actually writing the research paper after finishing the outline.
This is the longest and most involved step, but if you have prepared your sources properly and written a thorough outline, everything should run smoothly.
One of the most common problems with writing long research papers is connecting paragraphs to each other. The longer your writing is, the harder it is to bind everything together smoothly.
That’s why, as a good research paper writer, you should use transition sentences to improve the flow of your paper.
8. Cite your sources correctly
Citations are part of research papers that make them different from more casual nonfiction like personal essays. Citing your sources validates your data and links your research paper to the greater scientific community.
You need to check the assignment to see which formatting style is required. Academic research papers normally follow one of the 2 formatting styles for citation:
- MLA (Modern Language Association)
- APA (American Psychological Association)
9. Edit and proofread
Go through your research paper to make corrections of all the mistakes by proofreading.
You can do it by dividing it into two parts like once for structural issues and once for word choice. Doing two different edits help you focus on one area at a time.
Conclusion
So, if you truly wish to become a proper research paper writer, then you should follow all the above steps and be ready to put in a lot of hard work. Best of luck for your journey!
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