Research Paper Writing Guide

The research paper is an important and essential part of your education. Researching something involves the experience of finding and processing new information you get your hands on, the research process has become very complex as years have gone by, and the availability of electronic sources has opened up many new avenues of advanced research in a lot of fields. The basic purpose of research doesn’t only include presenting quotations, which in other words shows how you report what other people say, instead the main purpose is to closely analyze, process, and evaluation of the issues you are researching. You should also be ready to take the ownership of the knowledge you have discovered, information that supports what your opinion is. Since extra energy and time is required to write a research paper, one should plan very carefully and accordingly.

The process of research starts with the selection of a topic which is suitable for your course or purpose. The selected topic should let you formulate theories or answer questions through the generation of new ideas. The research paper also needs to have to have a clear thesis statement, purpose and a defined audience. As is the norm, you will start the writing process with your first draft; this draft is likely to be revised more than once so the writer shouldn’t panic if he/she finds errors in it the first time it is read again. 

After that you proofread the paper, edit it, and then prepare the research paper’s final copy. It is very important for the research paper to be correctly documented, and the readers should know the sources used in writing the paper. A problem with research papers is that it is very easy to have an incoherent peace of writing due to abundance of information available from several different sources; therefore, it is essential that you revise the paper carefully and check for unity and coherence in the structure of the essay. If any part or sentences strays away from the purpose of your research, then it should be eliminated from the final copy

After you have chosen your topic, you need to decide the resources that will be needed to provide you with the information you are looking for. Most of the research papers written in colleges depend on secondary data and topics on which research has already been done; however some may be based on your experiences, responses, and impressions. Writing advanced research papers will probably need you to accumulate, analyze, and take help from the work of other people. It is also very important to give credit for the ideas that you have taken from someone’s research, and to cite these sources a documentation style should be chosen which is according to your requirements. It doesn’t matter whatever documentation style you select, what is important is that you completely understand the format, and then use it consistently in the research paper.

Since there is an abundance of information available from various sources to aid in the research paper writing process, we should however be careful that all the sources are not equally reliable, accurate, and verifiable. This is a problem faced quite often by writers who use sources from the internet. Consequently, it is the responsibility of the writer to make sure that the sources are authentic and of high quality, and if they serve the purpose of your research. The primary sources you use are basically your imagination, knowledge and experiences you have had over your entire life, even though they might have been influenced by perceptions of the people who came before us, still it is a valuable resource in the process of writing a research paper. However, if you use the sources which are created by others, then you need to give proper references and credit to the source from where you got the information. The very last page of the research paper is called the bibliography, and it lists the sources used in the paper for research purposes. 

Research Paper Ideas To Impress Your Professor

One of the criterion a teacher sticks to in order to evaluate your research papers is the way it is written, namely the manner of expression produced by the author’s choice of words, grammatical structures, use of literary devices, and all the possible parts of language use. All together, the teacher evaluates your writing style.

Therefore, if you are aiming at high grades and a distinguish research paper, you should pay special attention to the layout of your research paper ideas in the first place.

First of all, you should remember that a research paper is a formal paper. Thus, you should obey all the principles of formal writing that include:

1. Sophisticated vocabulary;
2. Impersonal tone;
3. More frequent use of passive voice;
4. Complex sentence constructions;
5. Formal linking devices;
6. Punctuation;
7. Overall presentation.

Let’s look at these points one by one, so that you can ensure that your research paper meets the requirements of the formal writing.

1. Sophisticated Vocabulary
Sophisticated vocabulary is a must while writing a research paper. The use of thoughtful words will definitely impress the reader with your creativity, intelligence, and intimate knowledge of the research paper topic.

However, you should not overuse sophisticated vocabulary and put worldly words where they do not belong. Try to find the golden mean between the extremes and replace advanced vocabulary with commonly-used words when necessary.

Surely, in your research paper you will want to use some unusual terms or references that are not familiar to the general audience. Your desire to give your research paper a scientific flair is always welcome. However, be sure to define or explain the terms you use, even though you know that the teacher is familiar with them.

You should avoid clichés, which are overused, colloquial and idiomatic expressions, or trite expressions that have lost their impact in meaning. Think of proper synonims to frequently used words, and, for instance, write opportunity instead of chance, or it is a well-known fact rather than everyone knows.

And stick to the golden rule of writing a research paper, namely make sure there is not a single contraction in your research paper.

2. Impersonal Tone
It is important that your research paper has no references to yourself, such as "I think..." or "It is my conclusion that..." You should avoid such expressions and replace them with neutral expressions by means of infinitive, or the passive voice. It is one of the key points of successful research paper writing.

3. More Frequent Use of Passive Voice
The passive voice of written research papers is effective in creating a sense of objectivity, such as focusing attention on the thing acted upon. It is also useful when the subject acted upon is unknown or unimportant, or if you want to use long modifiers at the end of the sentence.

But beware, and eliminate the passive voice where active should be placed. The enduring use of passive voice obscures the meaning and makes for boring reading. A natural symbiosis of the passive and active voices can work miracles.

4. Sentence Construction
Make sure you vary sentence length and structure. Let various sentence constructions take place in your research paper: simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, complex-compound sentences.

In formal writing of research papers complex grammatical constructions are preferable. However, do not get caught into an endless loop of complex sentence structures and bring in your research paper simple sentences from time to time.

5. Formal Linking Devices
It is necessary to vary linking devices in your research paper. Instead of putting “for example” all the time, you can use “for instance”,” in particular”,” especially”. To express the effect you can vary the expressions like thus, therefore, as a result, consequently, so, as a consequence and so on.

If you face problems with finding synonyms, do not be lazy to go to a library and look up the words in a dictionary. Your efforts will be awarded hundred times, for the variety of linking devices guarantees a smooth flow of speech and a desired effect on the reader.

6. Punctuation
Every single writer should use punctuation in a wise manner to achieve the intended effect. Punctuation that is purely used can confuse the reader and leave him with no clear idea of what your research paper topic was all about.

Thus, keep the following punctuation caveats in mind: a period shows a full separation of ideas; comma and coordinating conjunction show such relationships as: addition, choice, consequence, contrast, or cause; a semicolon reveals that the second sentence completes the idea that was started in the first sentence.

Once you check your research paper for punctuation, the lion’s share of research paper writing is completed.

7. Overall presentation.
The overall presentation of a research paper counts greatly while evaluation; it has the power either to win the reader’s favor, or turn him down.

So, make sure your reader will be delighted at the sight of your research paper and make your research paper look properly. It means that, as a formal piece of writing, your research paper should not be brightly-colored or written in some funny font. Formal writing requires simplicity and accuracy.

Neatly laid out research paper ideas have all chances to be approved by your teacher.

By following the general principles of sentence construction, punctuation, and vocabulary use, you will be able to create a positive image of yourself as a bright, eloquent, and keen person, the one who is worth getting an excellent grade for their breath-taking research paper.