How to write an effective research paper

How is a research paper different from a research proposal?

A research paper is different from a research proposal (also known as a prospectus), although the writing process is similar. The research works are intended to demonstrate the academic knowledge of a student on a subject. A proposal is a persuasive piece designed to convince your audience of the value of a research project. Think of the proposal as the pitch and paper as the finished product.

Immerse yourself in the research process.

Although we will focus more on the organization and writing of a research paper in this article, the research process is an important first step. The research will help you in several ways:

understanding your subject

formulating ideas for your work

develop a thesis statement

talking about your subject with authority

Gather resource materials and start reviewing them. Here are some good sources of information:

Academic google

Encyclopedias, almanacs and online databases.

Books and magazines

The newspapers

Publications, guides and government reports.

While reading and evaluating the information you discover, take notes. Keep a record of your reference materials so you can quote them and build your bibliography later. The Purdue online writing lab (OWL) and other websites of the university's writing lab are excellent resources to help you understand what information you will need to collect to cite the references correctly.

Organize before you start writing.

His research generated tons of ideas. Cool! Now you are ready to begin the process of organizing your presentation... before starting to write Do not skip the step of the organization, it is essential for the success of your work. Without it, your role will not be focused and you will spend much more time in the revision process trying to make sense of your confused thoughts.

The thesis statement

Most research papers start with a thesis statement at the end of an introductory paragraph. Even if it is not a requirement, it is a good idea to write a thesis statement when you begin to organize your research. Writing the thesis statement first is useful because each argument or point you make in your article should support this central idea that you are presenting.

Most research papers are classified into one of three categories: analytical, expository or argumentative. If you are presenting an information analysis, then your article is analytical. If you are writing to explain information, then your article is expository. If you are arguing a conclusion, then it is argumentative or persuasive. The statement of your thesis must match the type of paper you are writing.

Invest time in writing your thesis statement: it is the main idea of your article, from which everything else flows. Without a well-designed thesis statement, it is likely that your article ends up mixed and with an unclear purpose. Here is more guidance from Purdue OWL.

Contour

A scheme will help you organize your thoughts before going deeper into the writing process. Once you have developed your thesis statement, think about the main points you must present to support that statement. Those main points are your subtitles. Now, organize your thoughts and information below each subtitle.

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