The Dreaded Research Paper
Not many people like to write a research paper. Just the thought makes some students want to run and hide. Hearing your professor assign a research paper as part of the requirements of a class is dreaded by most students. They begin looking for ways to avoid the assignment. Perhaps some of this dread comes from not having been taught well how to write an excellent research paper. It does not have to be as hard as it seems.
Writing a research paper does take careful thought and planning. The first thing to consider is what topic you hope to write about. If your professor or teacher has assigned you a specific topic then you can skip this step. If you get to choose your own topic you must be sure to choose it well. Starting with a poor topic is a bad way to begin a research paper. In choosing a topic it is important to think about the required length of the paper. If the requirement for the research paper is five pages or if it is twenty pages you will probably want different topics. Choose a topic that you can cover in the length you must reach. Be careful that you do not choose to narrow of a topic or too broad of a topic.
Once your topic is chosen, it is time to do just what the name of your paper suggests: research. Begin to think about places to gather reliable information for your topic. You can spend an afternoon at a local library and probably find enough sources to get you going. Or begin your search online and discover the wide range of search engines and research databases that are available for public use.
It may be overwhelming when you first begin to gather information because you may find more information than you need. Just gather it and worry about narrowing the information down to only what you need later. You may begin to realize as you research that you can narrow your topic even further to become more specific. If you are having trouble finding enough information for your research paper you will have to consider making your topic broader or perhaps even changing it to something else.
Once you have researched for your paper it is time to begin the writing process. A great way to begin the process of writing is to form an outline. Starting with an outline for your research paper will allow you to organize all of the information you have researched and see what areas you may need to gather more information for. An outline gives a roadmap of sorts to guide you as you begin to write.
It is often normal to begin your research paper by writing a thesis statement. Form a solid thesis and then just begin to write. Do not worry to much right now, just get something down on paper. You will have plenty of time as you revise and write another draft to make changes to your work. Write, write, write. Writing will take the majority of your time. It is very normal to write two, three or even four drafts of a research paper before it is ready to turn in. So persevere and stick with it.
Writing an effective research paper does not have to be stressful. Following simple and structured steps can make it easy to fulfill an assignment well. The best way to start a great paper is just to begin. So what are you waiting for? Start writing a great research paper today.
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