7 Steps in Writing A Research Paper

7 Steps in Writing a Research Paper: Enjoy
Your Student Life
Are you staring at the blank page on your screen and have no idea how to approach
your challenging research paper? Research papers are complex and time-consuming
assignments and what is really important they make up a large part of student’s grade
in all classes. It’s not a secret that academic writing is hard but written communication
skills are essential for your success in college, graduate school, and in your future
career. That’s why you should work hard to master the art of paper writing.
If you are not sure where to start, read this article to learn about effective strategies
that make this process as painless as possible.
How to Write an APA Research Paper

We’ll break down the writing process into easy steps to help you understand how to
write a research paper fast no matter how long it must be.
Step 1. Choose a Topic
Sometimes college students are assigned with their research paper topics, but if you
are fortunate enough to have such an option, choose your topic wisely. First of all,
think about choosing a challenging topic you are interested in. Then, you won’t be
bored when doing the research because you are sure to discover something new and
you’ll enjoy the writing process. Don’t select subjects that are too technical or
general.
If your topic is too broad, your research paper is unlikely to be successful because it
will look like a general overview. You should narrow your topic down to a certain
aspect, concept or idea and make it specific and manageable. For example, if your
topic is “Global Warming”, you should narrow it to “Causes of Global Warming”,
“Impact of Global Warming on Human Health” or something like that.
Step 2. Write a Working Thesis Statement
Prepare a working thesis before you actually organize your research because it will
guide your investigation and will help you stay focused on your subject. Your thesis
statement should be concise and reflect the type of paper you are writing. All research
papers can be divided into 3 categories:
 argumentative or persuasive if you are arguing the conclusion;
 expository when you explain information;
 analytical when you present your analysis of certain information.
You have to devote enough of your precious time to creating a good strong thesis
statement so that your project has a clear purpose. Your thesis should be debatable
and narrow because your claims should be supported by evidence. If your claim is
broad, you will need more evidence to convince your readers that you are right. Here
is an example of a debatable thesis statement:
Climate change is the most pressing challenge facing the world today.
Step 3. Do Research on Your Topic
You should find enough secondary and primary credible sources on the subject of
your paper, carefully read all of them, and find relevant evidence to support your
thesis. At this stage, you should evaluate your sources, take notes, and start
documenting your sources according to a citation style specified by your instructor
(APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.)
Make sure you use the latest edition of a specific style guide. You will use your notes
about references later when writing your paper and building your bibliography. It’s
crucial to cite all sources that you used for quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing to
avoid plagiarism.
Step 4. Make a Good Outline
Your research has given you tons of great ideas. Now you have to organize them for
your impressive presentation. Don’t skip this vital step because without it, your
project will lack focus and you will need more time for revising your draft trying to
make sense of your jumbled thoughts. That’s why you need an outline. You have to
finalize your thesis and create a working outline that you plan to cover and that will
serve you as a roadmap and keep you focused.
Think about key points that you’ll need to develop to support your thesis statement.
You can use them as subheadings for the body of your paper. Look through your notes
and organize the information under each sub-heading. Make sure you include only
relevant information that fits under your sub-headings and directly supports your
thesis.
You should resist the temptation to include any information that doesn’t fit into your
outline no matter how interesting it is.
When writing an outline, you should keep in mind a typical research paper structure
that commonly includes:
 a title page;
 an abstract;
 an introduction;
 a methodology section;
 findings/results;
 discussion;
 conclusion.
But if your research paper is not long, its format may include an introduction, body
paragraphs, and a conclusion. In any case, you should follow specific guidelines
provided by your instructor.
Step 5. Create the First Draft
This is the middle of the process. You have a clear direction and it’s time to create the
first draft with a title, in-text citations, and a reference page.
The title is very important if you want to make a good impression on your readers
because it’s the first thing that they see. It forms their view on what exactly they
should expect in your paper. You should list the keywords that present the topic of
your paper, methods you used, and results that you achieved. Now create a sentence
that includes all the keywords that you have listed and delete the unnecessary words.
After that, you need to link the remaining ones. Finally, you have to delete non-
essential info and organize the remaining words in the logical order. You can also
include the subtitle. Make sure that your title is concise.
Afterwards, you need to write an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
These are the main parts of your paper so let us provide you with some details on how
to do it right.
How to Write an Introduction for a Research Paper

Start writing an intro. The introductory paragraph should begin with an attention
grabber that may be:
★ a provocative question;
★ statistics;
★ an anecdote;
★ unusual facts, etc.
You are writing an academic paper but that doesn’t mean you have to be boring. Next,
you need to provide the background information, explain your goals, and how you
plan to approach your research paper topic. You should finish your introduction with
your thesis statement or research question. This section of your paper is not long so
you are sure to finish it fast.
How to Write Body Paragraphs

Your outline will help you to complete this part of your paper. But you shouldn’t
think that you must strictly follow it. It may evolve and you are free to revise it and
make changes. The key thing is to stay on your track and focus on your thesis. You
should provide your points and support your main idea.
Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence and provide arguments and relevant
evidence to support it. You should write as many body paragraphs as you have the key
points.
How to Write a Conclusion for a Research Paper

Most research papers end with restarting their thesis statements. You can also do it but
you shouldn’t repeat it word for word. Paraphrase it or summarize the key points of
your paper. You may emphasize the significance of your findings as well. A good idea
is to provide some recommendations based on the results of your investigation or
suggest some directions for further research.
Your rough draft is ready. Wondering what to do next? Go on reading to find some
tips on how to revise your research paper.
How to Make Your Paper Perfect

No one can write their first draft perfectly. So, if you want to make a good impression
on your professor and earn a high grade, you should revise your draft to make sure
that your project is on point. Be ready that you may need to revise your project more
than once because it is really worth doing.
Step 6. Revise, Edit and Proofread

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7 Steps in Writing a Research Paper: Enjoy

Your Student Life

How to Write an APA Research Paper

Step 1. Choose a Topic

Step 2. Write a Working Thesis Statement

Step 3. Do Research on Your Topic

Step 4. Make a Good Outline

Step 5. Create the First Draft

How to Write an Introduction for a Research Paper

How to Write Body Paragraphs

How to Write a Conclusion for a Research Paper

How to Make Your Paper Perfect

Step 6. Revise, Edit and Proofread

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