Preparing To Write A Research Paper: A Manual For Newbies

Even if you hate writing student research assignments it is something you will need to do through your school career (unless you pay someone for research paper help, of course). You can make the task a lot easier by getting familiar with the paper writing process. Check out this manual that will help newbies learn solid skills to prepare them for any writing assignment.

• Step 1: Setting Goals to Keep Yourself on Track

Staying on track is essential to prevent procrastination. If you are dealing with a particularly long assignment, break it up into individual parts and set deadlines based on how soon you need the writing assignment completed. Then, take responsibility for meeting these deadlines. If you don’t have time with your current day-to-day responsibilities, you could also find somewhere to buy a research paper .

• Step 2: Choosing What to Write About

Before you start researching, you need to know what to find information about. If your teacher has not provided topics, find one that interests you. Look online for research topic ideas, free write, or consider something that you want to learn. Once you choose a topic, do a little preliminary research so you can narrow or broaden it appropriately.

• Step 3: Discovering Information

Once you know the topic, you must start your research. To keep yourself organized, it is highly important that you come up with a system for documenting facts and sources. If you want the outlining stage to be easier, you may also want to develop a system for ranking facts according to significance.

As you choose sources, do your best to find information that is credible. Credible information (or a lack of) has the potential to make or break a paper. Choose academic sites, ‘.org’ sites, and ‘.gov’ sites for the majority of your research.

• Step 4: Drafting the Outline

The outlining phase is important, since it will help organize your thoughts (and your paper). It will help ensure you are presenting information in the most logical manner. Before you draft your outline, create your thesis statement (the main purpose of your paper) or a research question. Write this across the top to guide you, since the focus is proving this statement.

You want at least three heading sizes in your outline. One should be for main parts, such as the introduction, methods (when included), discussion, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You should also have heading sizes for the main point of each paragraph and the supporting details.

• Step 5: Creating the Rough Draft

Once you are ready for the real research paper writing to begin, you can create your first draft. To make proofreading incredibly easier, consider typing your draft into the computer. The advantage is that you can make changes and insert (or delete) information where needed, without messy cross-out markings all over your paper. If you have written a detailed outline, you are going to find this step (and the rest of the process) are incredibly easy.

• Step 6: Revising/Proofreading Your Work

After the first draft is finished, it is time to make the finishing touches. Start by reading the draft through for clarity and organization of your ideas. Once you are sure it flows nicely, read through and check spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Try slowing down as you proofread or reading aloud to be sure you do not overlook any issues.

Since you will be writing research papers the rest of your school career, you should familiarize yourself with the process now. You will find the above guide helpful in preparing you for future writing assignments.