Understanding Research Papers - What Are They?
A research paper is a structured piece of academic writing that investigates a specific topic.
Research papers are generally longer (at least 5000 words) and more detailed than other kinds of academic writing.
Research papers are an important pillar of modern knowledge creation. Each research paper is like adding your voice to an ongoing academic dialogue. Your unique perspective, backed by solid research, becomes part of the collective understanding of a subject.
There are several types of research papers depending on your purpose and approach. To write any research paper, you need to use credible methods to build your argument, reference academic sources to support it and make an original contribution to the topic.
Now that you have a better idea let’s get into how to write a research paper for journal publication.
Step 1: Choose a Unique Research Topic
One of the most important steps in starting a research paper is choosing a topic that is interesting, original, and feasible for you.
So, what should a good research topic be like? Consider the following criteria when looking for a topic:
- It should be relevant to your field of study.
- It should be specific and focused enough to be manageable within the scope and time frame of your paper.
- It should be challenging and engaging enough to stimulate your curiosity and motivation.
- It should be significant and meaningful. It should contribute to the existing literature and address a unique research problem or question.
Tips to Find and Choose a Good Research Topic
Here’s how you can find a topic that follows this criteria:
- Brainstorm: Brainstorm potential topics that interest you or relate to your personal or professional experience. You can use mind maps, lists, or freewriting to generate ideas.
- Conduct Research: Do some background research on the topics that you have selected. You can use general reference sources, such as encyclopedias or textbooks, to get an overview of the topics and see what has been done before.
- Narrow Down the Topics: Narrow down your topics based on the availability and quality of sources, the feasibility and scope of the research, and your personal preferences.
- Select a Specific Topic: Select the topic that meets the criteria discussed above. You should also consult professors or friends for feedback and suggestions.
Here are some examples of good and bad research topics.
Too Broad: Effects of Social media on Teenagers Good Research Topic: How does social media affect the mental health of teenagers? |
Too Generic: Causes of drug addiction Good Research Topic: What are the causes of the opioid crisis in the Southwestern United States? |
Need more ideas for your research topic? Head to our list of interesting research paper topics to get creative ideas.
Step 2: Find and Review Relevant Sources
Once you have a topic, the next step is to engage in some preliminary research on the topic. You need to find and read sources that are relevant to your topic.
Sources are the materials that provide information, evidence, and arguments for your paper. These could be books, journal articles, reports, websites, etc. You should study and review sources that are credible, up-to-date, and appropriate for your field and purpose.
The aim of this step is to study and analyze what has already been written and published. This way, you can find research gaps, strong arguments, and sufficient data for you to build upon.
Here’s How to Find, Select, and Review Sources
To find and review relevant sources, you can follow these tips:
- Search Online Databases
To get started, use online databases and search engines to look for material on your topic.
You can use general databases, such as Google Scholar, or subject-specific databases, such as JSTOR, PubMed, or Project Muse, depending on your discipline and topic.
Moreover, using advanced search techniques such as keywords, Boolean operators, and filters can refine your search and get more relevant results.
- Head to Your Library
Use your institution's library to access sources that are not available online, such as books, journals, or newspapers. You can use the library catalog, the reference desk, or the librarian to find and locate sources that are relevant to your topic.
- Evaluate Research Material
Evaluate the sources that you have found based on their quality, reliability, and relevance.
You can use the CRAAP test to assess the sources. You need to look for the following:
- Currency: How recent is the source?
- Relevance: How close it is to your topic?
- Authority: Is the source peer-reviewed and academically sound?
- Accuracy: Is the information and argument presented objective and accurate?
- Purpose: What is the author’s purpose or goal for writing the piece?
Recent works can be more helpful in some cases, while older material might be more helpful, for instance, if you are doing a historical analysis. Similarly, the relevance and accuracy of your sources might change depending on your research goals.
So, before looking for sources, you should have clear research goals. You can create a checklist or a rubric to compare and rank the sources based on your criteria.
- Get Assistance From Your Academic Community
Finally, you should also consult your professors, classmates, or friends for feedback and suggestions on your sources. Experts in the field can be your best source of help for gathering research material.
- Conduct a Literature Review
Once you have selected the material, you should read and analyze it. This process is called the literature review.
You should identify, analyze, and synthesize the key theories, concepts, empirical studies, and debates about your chosen topic. With a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge, you establish context for your research. Moreover, you also highlight the gaps that justify your research.
Step 3: Craft Your Research Questions or Hypothesis
Now, with a clear topic and sufficient information due to extensive research and literature review, you are all set to craft your central research questions, problem statement, or hypothesis. These are the central points that guide your overall inquiry and analysis.
So, what is the difference between research questions, hypotheses, and problem statements, and which one should you focus on?
A research question is a clear, focused, and specific question that you want to answer with your research. Meanwhile, a hypothesis is a tentative answer to a question that can be tested by scientific methods. A problem statement, on the other hand, is a descriptive statement that explains the main focus of the paper.
This table will help you understand them better:
Research Question | Hypothesis | Problem Statement | |
Purpose | Seeks to explore, describe, or understand a phenomenon. | Proposes a specific relationship or effect to be tested. | Identifies an issue or challenge requiring investigation. |
Nature | Open-ended, posing a question without suggesting an answer. | Positively or negatively states the expected relationship. | Describes the existing problem without suggesting a solution. |
Format | Typically begins with "What," "How," "Why," or similar words. | Stated in an "If...then..." format, making a clear prediction. | Presents a concise overview of the problem and its context. |
Disciplines | Mostly used in social sciences and humanities subjects. | Common in natural sciences, forensic sciences, and other scientific subjects. | Used in all disciplines to explain the main problem. |
Example | "What is the impact of social media on youth mental health?" | "If exposure to social media is reduced, then youth mental health will improve." | "The increasing prevalence of social media has been associated with a decline in youth mental health." |
Tips to Craft Better Research Questions or Hypothesis
To craft your research questions or hypothesis, you can follow these tips:
- Conduct a Literature Review: Review your topic and the literature that you have found. Identify the gaps, problems, or issues that need further investigation.
- Address Gaps in the Literature: Formulate one or more research questions that address the gap, problem, or issue that you have identified. Make sure your questions are clear, specific, and researchable within the scope and time frame of your paper.
- Craft a Hypothesis for Scientific Research: If your research involves testing a relationship between two or more variables, formulate a hypothesis that states your prediction of the outcome of your research. Make sure your hypothesis is based on existing theories and knowledge and that it is testable, falsifiable, and measurable.
- Evaluate Relevance & Originality: Evaluate your research questions or hypotheses based on their relevance, significance, and originality. You can use a checklist to compare and rank your questions or hypotheses based on these criteria.
- Choose the Most Suitable Question: Select the best research question or hypothesis that aligns with your research purpose and method. Ask for feedback and suggestions from your experts in the field on your question or hypothesis.
Step 4: Think & Organize Your Ideas and Arguments
With your initial hypothesis or research questions, you can start thinking about the information and arguments you need to proceed. Write down your ideas and arguments and outline them in a coherent and logical structure.
A well-organized paper helps the reader follow your reasoning, understand your main points, and see how they are connected and supported by evidence.
H2- How to Make Your Research Paper Outline
To organize your ideas and arguments, you can follow these tips:
- Start with the Research Question/Hypothesis: Write your research question or hypothesis in the beginning. They’ll serve as a guide to determine the main purpose and goal of your paper.
- Create an Organized Structure: Create a framework of sections, headings, and subheadings. It could include sections such as literature review, methodology, and discussion.
- Fill in the Structure with Specific Points: Add your points, ideas, and arguments under each section. You could use short bullets or longer topic sentences to express one idea at a time.
- Add Sources: Add sources or evidence that support your ideas and arguments. These can be facts, statistics, examples, quotations, or paraphrases from your sources.
Here’s a template of what your research paper outline could look like:
Topic or Title of the Research Research Questions / Hypothesis Add Questions / Hypothesis
Literature Review
…and so on Methodology Add points about your methodology Discussion
…and so on Conclusion
|
Step 5: Write a First Draft
Now that you have an outline, you can get right into writing. Remember, the first draft is not meant to be perfect. Instead, you write it to help you shape your ideas and arguments into a coherent and logical text.
How to Start Your First Draft
To write a first draft, you should follow these tips:
- Start with the Easy Part: Start with the section that is easiest or most comfortable for you to write. You don't have to write the sections in the order they appear in the paper. You can write the introduction and conclusion later, after you have written the body of the paper.
- Follow the Outline: Follow your outline and write down your ideas and arguments in a clear and concise way. Also, try to mention your sources along the way. You can use direct quotations, paraphrases, or summaries from your sources.
- Write in your Original Style: Write in your own words and voice. Write clearly, concisely, and accurately, and avoid using jargon, slang, or vague terms.
- Write the Introduction: Introduce your topic, provide background information, and state your research question or hypothesis in the research paper introduction.
- Present Your Ideas: In the body, Present your ideas and arguments in a logical order, using sections, headings, subheadings, transitions, topic sentences.
- Write the Conclusion: When writing the conclusion, restate your research question or hypothesis, summarize your main points, and discuss the implications or recommendations of your research.
Step 6: Revise Your Writing
Once you complete writing your first draft, you have to start revising and improving it. Editing your research paper helps you improve its quality, clarity, and coherence and ensure that it meets the requirements and expectations of your audience.
Revise your writing by checking and correcting any errors, inconsistencies, or gaps in your content, structure, and style.
However, this step can take longer than you think. This is where the majority of your writing takes shape, and your ideas become clearer. So pay full attention when you’re about to write your second draft.
Tips for Revising Your Paper Effectively
Follow these tips to make this step a success:
- Read your paper aloud or have someone else read it to you. This can help you spot any problems with your flow, logic, or language that you might have missed while writing.
- Get feedback and suggestions from your instructor, editor, or friends to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your paper.
- Focus on the higher-order concerns first. This includes your purpose, thesis, main points, evidence, and organization.
Here are some points to keep in mind when revising your research paper:
- Purpose: Check if your paper fulfills the purpose you set for yourself. For example, if you are writing an analytical research paper, make sure that your paper analyzes the topic or issue from different perspectives and provides a critical evaluation.
- Hypothesis: Check if your hypothesis is clear, specific, and arguable and if it reflects the main idea and argument of your paper.
- Main points: Check if your main points are relevant and sufficient for a research question or hypothesis.
- Evidence: Check if your evidence is reliable, relevant, and representative of your topic and your argument. For example, if your evidence is a quotation from a journal article, make sure that the source is credible and the quotation is relevant to your poi
- Organization: Check if your paper is organized into a logical and coherent structure, with appropriate sections, headings, subheadings, and transitions.
Finally, focus on the lower-order concerns, such as your grammar, punctuation, and word choice. Make sure that your paper is accurate, precise, and concise and that it follows the conventions of academic writing.
Step 7: Format Your Paper
Formatting is an essential part of academic writing. A correct and accurate research paper format helps you present your information in a consistent and professional manner.
It also makes your paper easily readable for editors and readers, making it easier to ensure that the paper is plagiarism-free and professionally written. Research journals, university departments, and professors recommend specific formatting styles to writers, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and others.
How to Format Your Research Paper
Use these tips when it’s the formatting stage.
- First of all, know which style your editor or professor recommends. There are a variety of standard styles used by different universities, disciplines, and journals. Read their guidelines or ask away for clarity.
- Each style has different formatting rules. Once you know which one to apply, use its formatting guide and set your paper according to its instructions.
- There are a few common formatting conventions that you can apply to your document. These include:
- 12-font size for normal text,
- A readable font style such as Times New Roman
- Double line-spacing
- A separate bibliography / works cited page for references.
- Get help from a professional editor to ensure that your formatting is accurate and correct according to the specified style.
Step 8: Cite Your Sources
With a correctly formatted draft in front of you, you are now ready to turn your attention to citations.
Citing your sources is essential in academic writing, as it shows where you have taken information, evidence, and arguments from other sources and gives proper credit to the original authors. It also ensures that the paper is plagiarism-free and that every idea is attributed accurately to its origin.
Moreover, citing your sources also allows the reader to consult your sources for themselves and conduct further study.
Here’s How to Ensure Accurate Citations
Keep these points in mind when you’re citing your sources.
- Know Your Citation Style
To cite your sources, you need to follow a specific citation style, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. Each citation style has its own rules and guidelines for how to format your citations and references.
- Two Types of Citations
There are two main types of citations that you need to include in your paper: in-text citations and reference list citations.
In-text citations are brief references that appear within the text of your paper right after you mention an idea from another source. They indicate that the idea presented is not the author’s own and is correctly attributed to its origin.
Meanwhile, reference list citations or bibliography are full references that appear at the end of your paper. This separate section aims to provide the complete information of each source that you have cited in your paper.
To cite your sources, you can follow these tips:
- Use Citation Generators: You don’t have to remember the rules of your citation style. Instead, you can use citation generator software to ensure correct citations of your sources.
- Use Quotation Marks for Direct Quotations: You should use quotation marks when you quote a source word for word.
- Paraphrase or Summarize the Source: You can paraphrase or summarize when you put a source into your own words and cite the source immediately after it.
- Use a Signal Phrase: You can also use a signal phrase when you introduce a source with the author's name. That is, you can mention the source in the sentence. For example, “According to Smith’s 2020 article, …”
- Generate Bibliography Automatically: Let your citation management program automatically generate a complete bibliography or reference list to provide the full information of each source that you have cited in your paper. However, make sure that you’ve selected the required citation format.
Step 9: Proofread Your Paper
Finally, when all is set and done, there still remains one last thing for you to do: proofread!
When writing a research paper, you can’t be too careful. There is always something you can improve, tweak, or rephrase in general to make it better. Final proofreading allows you to find such opportunities and polish your paper even further. This helps you improve its readability, accuracy, and presentation.
Proofreading Tips for Finalizing Your Research Paper
To proofread your paper, you can follow these tips:
- Read Your Paper after some Time: Print out your paper or read it on a different device. This can help you spot any errors that you might have missed on your screen.
- Read your Paper Thoroughly: Read your paper slowly and carefully, paying attention to every word, sentence, and punctuation mark. You can also read your paper backwards or out loud to catch any errors that you might have skipped over.
- Use Online Tools: Use online tools and resources to help you proofread your paper. These tools can help you check and correct your writing for various aspects, such as grammar, style, structure, and format.
- Ask Someone to Proofread: Ask someone else to proofread your paper, preferably a professional in your field. They can provide you with a fresh perspective and a different set of eyes to catch any errors that you might have missed.
Research Paper Writing Process Checklist
Use this checklist to keep track of your progress and ensure that you’re doing each step right.
Selecting a Topic | |
The topic is relevant to my field of study. | |
The topic is specific and focused within the scope of my paper. | |
The topic is challenging and meaningful, contributing to existing literature. | |
Finding and Reviewing Sources | |
I have searched online databases and libraries for credible sources. I have used advanced search techniques to refine my results. | |
I have evaluated sources for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. | |
I have discussed the material with professionals in the field/ | |
Crafting Research Questions or Hypothesis | |
I have identified gaps or issues in the existing literature to address in my research. | |
My research questions are clear, specific, and researchable. | |
If applicable, my hypothesis has clear variables and is testable. | |
Organizing Ideas and Arguments | |
I have outlined my paper with sections, headings, and subheadings. | |
My ideas and arguments are organized logically and coherently. | |
I have included supporting evidence from credible sources. | |
Writing a First Draft | |
I have started with the section that is easiest or most comfortable for me. | |
My introduction provides background information and states my research question or hypothesis. | |
I have presented my ideas and arguments clearly and concisely. | |
Revising Your Writing | |
I have read my paper aloud to identify flow, logic, or language issues. | |
I have sought feedback from peers or instructors on the strengths and weaknesses of my paper. | |
I have focused on higher-order concerns like purpose, thesis, main points, evidence, and organization. | |
Formatting Your Paper | |
I have identified and followed the specific formatting style recommended to me. | |
My paper is formatted with the correct font size, line spacing, and other style-specific requirements. | |
Citing Your Sources | |
I have used the correct citation style (APA, MLA, etc.) for in-text citations and references. | |
I have cited every idea or point that is taken from or inspired by an external source. | |
Proofreading Your Paper | |
I have carefully proofread my paper for grammar, punctuation, and word choice. | |
I have used online tools or professional help to assist in the final proofreading process. |
To conclude, with this 9-step systematic approach, writing a well-crafted research paper becomes more achievable.
Remember, research writing is not a one-time activity but a big project requiring a whole journey. This guide has provided you with the essential resources and a roadmap to help you make this journey effective, simpler, and fruitful. But we know it’s too much to remember. So as you write paper, revisit this guide whenever you need guidance and tips.
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