College research papers are a far cry from typical high school essays. Research papers often require in-depth research and detailed editing for multiple chapters within your paper.
Many college students experience a challenge when learning how to write academic papers. Besides struggling with the purpose of research papers, students may also have a hard time managing the time allocated to complete academic essays.
This article will tackle the structure and steps for writing your essay, helping you to manage academic research papers with more ease.
What is research writing?
Research writing is writing that investigates an issue of academic interest. These papers are usually assigned as part of academic tests or at the end of a degree program.
Unlike common writing tasks, research papers take a piecemeal approach to critically analyse various aspects of an argument and come up with a coherent, logical case in support of your thesis.
How to structure a research paper
It is vital to understand the order of a research paper for an easy time with the collection of information and writing. Some of the key parts of the research paper include:
- Title page - contains the title of your paper and various administrative details. The title should be catchy to grab a reader’s attention and to introduce your thesis.
- Abstract - this section should offer a quick summary for a reader to get a gist of your key research objectives, methodology, and findings. However, limit this section to precise sentences as opposed to diving deep into various arguments within your paper.
- Acknowledgments - a short section acknowledging all people who offered you the assistance that was crucial to completing your paper.
- Introduction - this chapter tackles the background of your topic and introduces the research questions you intend to address within your paper. This section should, however, not touch on the findings but rather speculate on the impact that your research could have on a field.
- Materials and methods - chapter responsible for outlining your research procedures in detail to allow for replication by fellow scholars looking to test your findings.
- Results - in this chapter, discuss your findings and highlight the relationship between various research variables. However, refrain from hypothesizing the implications of findings in the results section.
- Discussion - here, analyse the results deeper and present your arguments to show how the results address your research objectives.
- Conclusion - the chapter that ties your arguments together while offering a summary of your major findings. This section may also acknowledge the limitations of your research and make recommendations for subsequent research on the topic.
- References
- Appendices
Research paper guidelines
- Your research paper should have a clear purpose expressed as a thesis.
- A research paper should tackle a new perspective and make a meaningful addition to a topic.
- All claims within your paper should be backed with relevant evidence for credibility. Avoid emotive, biased arguments as this may weaken your claims, resulting in subpar performance.
- Read essay guidelines from your tutor to establish the rules you ought to follow when writing your essay and also to identify the acceptable scope for your arguments.
- Format your paper according to the recommended referencing style
- Properly acknowledge the authors for various sources used in support of various claims within your paper. Poor referencing may amount to plagiarism and expose you to severe consequences.
- Acknowledge data gaps and limitations of your research
How to quickly write a research paper
- Always start your writing with research. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the research topic and also to figure out the best approach to your research paper. Research also allows you to identify arguments in support of your claims, reducing any confusion in your writing stage.
- Prepare an outline of your essay for an easier time with writing. the outline allows you to gauge the completeness of your paper and to organize your ideas for a coherent argument. A good outline will help keep you on track with your arguments without the interference of the ideas that you encounter during research.
- Delegate editing to a service or an expert and handle each section as you progress with your writing. this will allow you to focus on your writing and research without compromising the overall quality of your paper or surpassing your deadlines.
- Take breaks within your essay writing sessions to recharge your focus, ensuring maximum productivity in each session.
- Find a conducive environment for writing to master maximum concentration for maximum productivity in each writing session.
