Tips for Writing a Research Paper

Writing is not something that comes naturally for everyone. There are some people that are more naturally gifted with the ability to write better than others. However, no matter what your skill level of writing is, it is possible for you to write a research paper that clearly informs on any topic. There are some basic tips that you can follow which will enable you to write a research paper that is guaranteed to earn you a great grade. If you want to be sure that you write your next research paper effective, there are a few tips that you need to learn.

Here are the top tips to follow when writing a research paper:

Select a Topic

The thing that you need to be most concerned with is the topic that you choose. When you want to write a research paper, it is essential that you narrow down the topic and choose something that makes research easy. This means that you need to choose a topic for your research paper that has a lot of information that is accessible. It is difficult to write a research paper on any topic where little information exist. Once you have a topic chosen, you can begin the research aspect before you even write a word.

Read You Information

You need to make sure that you have thoroughly researched your topic and are informed before you begin writing. This means that you need to read over all the information that you have make sure that you have clearly read all content. This is the only way that you can clearly write on the topic.

Begin With a Thesis

You also need to be sure that you narrow down what you will be writing on by constructing an effective thesis. The thesis is the central idea that you will be covering with the research paper and it states what the main idea is. You need to make sure that the thesis you construct and goes along with the information that you have found on the topic that you have chosen. If you start with your thesis and use this as the controlling idea the entire way through the paper, you can be sure that you stay on track and that your paper effectively communicates the information that you want to get across to teh reader. You have to have a thesis to direct your writing.

5 Different Types of Research Papers

When making a research paper, it’s important to first understand what kind of research is being performed. This way, a researcher will be able to identify the objectives and state the process of the study.

There are a lot of different kinds of research papers and each one has its own goals and objectives that target different areas of knowledge and learning. Find out which kind you should use by reading through this academic guide on the different kinds of research papers.

1.         Argumentative – This type of research paper is used to explain different, opposing sides on a single, usually debated topic or idea. The researcher should be neutral on the topic, as it is the responsibility of the researcher to present ideas in a non-biased way. Facts are given to readers to support each side of the argument, and pros and cons are often commonly included to further highlight the reason for debate.

2.         Compare and Contrast – When discussing two different subjects, the compare and contrast research paper is most appropriate. This type of research paper aims to show readers how two subjects are the same and how they are different. A researcher highlights qualities of the two topics that are common among the two, and then discusses qualities that make them different.

3.         Cause and Effect – For topics that have a chain of events, the case and effect type of research paper is commonly used. This guides readers through a series of occurrences that lead from one scenario to another, hoping to show them how instances tie up to create the circumstances that happen around us.

4.         Analytical – From the word “analyze”, this type of research paper aims to discuss topics in depth to a reader without presenting a biased opinion from the researcher. Data is presented in a manner that describes and discusses a topic from all angles. This is best used with subjects that require in depth analysis and observation.

5.         Report – A report type of research paper is simply a document that states the different actions, processes, and activities that a researcher performed in order to come up with the information in their research. This outlines each step that was done to generate data, and discusses why these phases were of importance. Usually, a report is seen in the lab setting, where doctors and scientists need to jot down every step of the experimentation process to create a detailed log of their findings.