How to start your research paper

A research paper is a piece of academic writing based on its author’s original research on a particular topic, and the analysis and interpretation of the research findings. It can be either a term paper, a master’s thesis or a doctoral dissertation. Your attitude towards the topic may well determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm you put into your on a limited aspect, e. If you are uncertain as to what is expected of you in completing the assignment or project, re-read your assignment sheet carefully or ask your a subject you can manage. Use search engines and other search tools as a starting find books in the library use the opac (online public access catalog). Out public and university libraries, businesses, government agencies, as well as contact knowledgeable people in your and evaluate. Printout, photocopy, and take notes of relevant you gather your resources, jot down full bibliographical information (author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page numbers, urls, creation or modification dates on web pages, and your date of access) on your work sheet, printout, or enter the information on your laptop or desktop computer for later retrieval. The arguments you provide in your paper should be based on this cenral idea, that is why it is so important. The main portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief. Thesis statement should be provided early in your paper – in the introduction part, or in the second paragraph, if your paper is is impossible to create a thesis statement immediately when you have just started fulfilling your assignment. Before you write a thesis statement, you should collect, organize and analyze materials and your ideas. It will naturally change while you develop your away from generic and too fuzzy statements and arguments. The paper should present something new to the audience to make it interesting and educative to citing other authors in this section. Present your own ideas in your own words instead of simply copying from other writers. Thesis statement should do the following:Explain the readers how you interpret the subject of the the readers what to expect from your the question you were t your claim which other people may want to sure your thesis is you have time and opportunity, show it to your instructor to revise. Does it provide new/interesting information to your audience or does it simply state a generic fact? Remember that changing elements of your work in the process of writing and reviewing is normal. Research paper basically has the following structure:Title page (including the title, the author’s name, the name of a university or colledge, and the publication date). Body, which can be broken down in further sections, depending on the nature of research:Materials and s (what are the results obtained). It helps an author to make their key points clear for him/her and arrange mes the students are asked to submit formal outlines with their research a formal outline, numbers and letters are used to arrange topics and subtopics.

How to start a research paper

The topics denoted by their headings and subheadings should be grouped in a logical points of a research paper outline must relate to the same major topic that you first mentioned in your capital roman e of an outline:I. Concluding purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic carefully and organize it logically before you start writing. Check your outline to make sure that the points covered flow logically from one to the other. Make the first outline uction – state your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and why readers should be interested in your – this is where you present your arguments to support your thesis statement. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and end with the strongest argument for your final sion – restate or reword your thesis. Here you will analyze, synthesize, sort, and digest the information you have gathered and hopefully learn something about your topic which is the real purpose of doing a research paper in the first place. You must also be able to effectively communicate your thoughts, ideas, insights, and research findings to others through written words as in a report, an essay, a research or term paper, or through spoken words as in an oral or multimedia presentation with audio-visual not include any information that is not relevant to your topic, and do not include information that you do not understand. Make sure the information that you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own words, if possible. As you organize your notes, jot down detailed bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and have it ready to transfer to your works cited your own method to organize your notes. One method may be to mark with a different color ink or use a hi-liter to identify sections in your outline, e. Ia3b – meaning that the item “accessing www” belongs in the following location of your outline:I. This method will enable you to quickly put all your resources in the right place as you organize your notes according to your 6. With the capital roman numeral ize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you plan to use in your essay. Mark each card or sheet of paper clearly with your outline code or reference, e. Ib2a or iic, all your note cards or paper in the order of your outline, e. If using a word processor, create meaningful filenames that match your outline codes for easy cut and paste as you type up your final paper, e. Before you know it, you have a well organized term paper completed exactly as it is helpful to you, use a symbol such as “#” to mark the spot where you would like to check back later to edit a paragraph. Reorganize your outline if necessary, but always keep the purpose of your paper and your readers in mind. Correct all errors that you can spot and improve the overall quality of the paper to the best of your ability.

Did i leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper? It depends on the field of your studies or the requirements of your university/ are several formatting styles typically used. This edition recommends a single universal set of guidelines, which writers can apply to any kind of should necessarily ask your instuctor which formatting style is required for your paper and format it accordingly before 8. Type final formal reports or essays should be typewritten and printed, preferably on a good quality the assignment sheet again to be sure that you understand fully what is expected of you, and that your essay meets the requirements as specified by your teacher. Know how your essay will be ead final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation, missing or duplicated words. Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is clean, tidy, neat, and to have your final paper ready a day or two before the deadline. Before handing in your assignment for marking, ask yourself: “is this the very best that i can do? Guideshow to write a research ch, writing and style tation tips for public for a research moreliterature guidesanimal farm. Categories » education and communications » research and reviewedwikihow to start a research parts:sample research papersdeciding on a topicconstructing a thesisperforming researchstarting your research paperdrafting your research papercommunity q&a. Regardless of your level of education and chosen field, you’ll need to follow a few simple steps to get your research paper off the ground. You’ll need to decide on a topic, formulate a thesis statement, conduct research, organize your findings, and then set pen to paper or fingers to research scientific research literary research environmental research started early. College professors recommend that you get started on your research paper the day it is assigned. The more time and effort you put into it, the better your grade will be. If you are in school, you’ll need to read the prompt provided by your teacher. If you are writing a research paper for your job, know what your employer expects. You don’t want to start working on it and find out later that you need to start over again. Example, if you are writing a research paper for a college course, you should know how long it should be, what sources can be used, the topics you can choose from, and the deadline to turn it in. Once you understand the parameters, you can set out a schedule to complete the paper on time. The best way to narrow down a research paper is to see what else has been written on the subject. Consult google scholar or do a quick web search to see what the major trends example, if you are taking an american history course and you want to write a research paper on the origins of the american revolution, you’d probably want to begin by reading other books on the subject.

So you decide to focus — broadly — on the social origins of the american down your subject, if possible. Depending on the size requirements of your paper, you’ll need to narrow your research question. Papers that are really short — 1 to 2 pages — will need a narrower question than a dissertation spanning hundreds of pages. You might be able to cover this topic in 500 pages, but if you are writing a 20 page research paper for a class, you’ll need to focus your topic further. Try to formulate a question based on your narrowed field such as: what role did farmers play in the origins of the american revolution? Farmers refused to pay taxes on their is a good idea to start with several hypothetical thesis statements. If one proves to be false or isn’t supported by enough evidence, you can start in a new direction sure your thesis is explicit. Be sure to include all necessary information in it, so the reader knows exactly what you’ll argue over the course of the paper. Example: the quartering of british soldiers in the homes of poor farmers caused them to protest british taxes and to attack british is a single sentence thesis statement that addresses both why the farmers chose to revolt and how they did s your working thesis statement with others. Be sure to ask others to evaluate your thesis statement before you begin your research process. Your professor wanted to you to focus on the political causes of the american revolution, she might stop you from researching farmers. Depending on your project, you’ll need to find ways of collecting information to back up your claims. If your paper is on a science topic, you’ll need to set up an experiment and collect data from that experiment. If you are writing a history paper, you’ll need to find primary sources (information produced during the time under investigation) that support your thesis statement. Our paper on the role of farmers and the american revolution, we might need to visit local archives and the u. National archives and records administration to get the necessary you're feeling overwhelmed by the volume of research, see if your library has appointments with a research librarian. Librarians stay up to date with current trends in scholarship and can help guide your search. While you are performing your experiment or conducting research in an archive or a library, you’ll want to create a detailed record of your findings. Author, title, and publication information in your notes, so that you can type up a reference list at the end of your research paper. You can also use a program such as endnote, refworks, or latex to help you manage your a note sheet of quotations that you may want to use in your research paper.

It is better to gather more than you need at this point, since you will need evidence from reputable sources to support your thesis. Blogs and other unauthoritative web sources are usually inappropriate for a research ze your notes. For our imaginary project, it would be best to put your notes on quartered british troops before notes on farmer's revolutionary actions. Example, if you discovered that farmers were primarily unhappy quartering british soldiers because they ate all their food, you’d want to include that information in your thesis red british troops consumed large quantities of food while housed with poor farmers. As such, farmers played a significant role in the origins of the american ng your research an outline. An outline is a great place to organize your thoughts before you sit down to write. Once you have a general idea of the trajectory of your paper, you'll be able to introduce it more efficiently. Start with your thesis at the beginning, then break it down into sections that back up your argument. Then insert information you found while researching into your outline that answers these can also write a prose outline, instead of a question-based outline. Place headers that are the subjects of each paragraph or section of your research paper. Be sure to gather bibliographic information as you with a factual statement about your subject. If you're writing a paper on the importance of comics, you could assert the importance of comic books since the 1930s. If you want to discuss the role of farmers in the american revolution, you can make a blanket statement about the complex causes of the revolutionary is how most people begin their research papers. These are so overused that they have become hackneyed, and they will damage your credibility as a writer before your reader has looked at another word. One of the best ways to begin a paper is to tell your audience what else exists. This will answer that nagging question in your readers' minds - why do i need to read this research paper? If your topic is more obscure or the audience knows nothing about it, you might need to start by establishing a baseline of knowledge. Example, if you want to write a research paper on philately (stamp collecting), you should probably begin by defining your key term. A story about an individual family that attacked a quartered british soldier in the middle of the night for eating all of their bread would be a suitable story for a paper on the role of farmers in the early american setting up this story at the beginning, you'd be able to return to it periodically over the course of your paper to illustrate points and to re-assert your thesis statement. Anecdotes or surprising facts can be a good way to hook your readers and lead in to your thesis statement.

If a biologist wanted to write a paper on the photosynthesis process in celery stalks, they might not want to begin with a story - especially not a hypothetical one. A celery stalk was basking in the sun working on its tan" would be a terrible way to begin a biology research paper. You aren't sure about how to start your essay, have a look at some published works in your subject. They'll be a lot fancier than your paper needs to be, but they can give you a sense of that subject's ng your research your first draft. During this draft, you will answer your primary question with your thesis statement and then systematically support that statement with evidence acquired during your research phase. It is easier to get all of your thoughts out on the paper (especially if you have a solid outline to follow) and then go back and edit. It will disrupt your thought writers find it helpful to write the body of the text and then return and write the introduction and conclusion. This gives them a better sense of what exactly they want to heck your work. A bibliography can include other works that you are aware of, but did not reference in the body of your general, bibliographies should be organized by type of source and by alphabetical order. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time before the deadline to submit your essay, especially if you are submitting it online. If many students all try to turn in their papers at 11:59pm, the servers could crash, making your paper do i do research about how video games affect children? For scientific studies related to videos games and children, interview the parents of kids who play video games, and perhaps conduct an experiment of your own at to write a to write a research to write a thesis to write a research to write a term to write a conclusion for a research to write a critical to write a good lab conclusion in to write a critique in five to find a vehicle's registered owner using a license plate s and citations. Research and uês: começar um trabalho de pesquisa, italiano: iniziare una tesina di ricerca, deutsch: eine belegarbeit erstellen, русский: начать писать исследование, 中文: 开始一篇研究论文, español: iniciar un trabajo de investigación, français: écrire un travail de recherche, bahasa indonesia: memulai makalah penelitian, nederlands: een onderzoeksverslag fan mail to to all authors for creating a page that has been read 243,347 this article help you? By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie version of how to start a research paper was reviewed by megan morgan on july 31, 2015. Articleshow to write a reporthow to write a research paperhow to write a thesis statementhow to write a research text shared under a creative commons d by answer ng and using a to use a to start (and complete) a research the butte college to start (and complete) a research ch and resources >. Sheethow to start (and complete) a research are a re-entry student and it's been fourteen years since you've written a paper. You coasted through high school on your charm and good looks and never actually wrote a research paper. You have written research papers, but every time is like the first time, and the first time was like a root canal. Here is a step-by-step approach to starting and completing a research and keep a mind map or the beginning and may read this tip sheet from start to finish before you begin your paper, or skip to the steps that are causing you the most grief. Choosing a topic: interest, information, and focusyour job will be more pleasant, and you will be more apt to retain information if you choose a topic that holds your interest.

Even if a general topic is assigned ("write about impacts of gmo crops on world food supply"), as much as possible find an approach that suits your interests. Your topic should be one on which you can find adequate information; you might need to do some preliminary research to determine this. Go to the reader's guide to periodical literature in the reference section of the library, or to an electronic database such as proquest or wilson web, and search for your topic. The butte college library reference librarians are more than happy to assist you at this (or any) stage of your research. Then, narrow your topic to manageable size:Too broad: childhood broad: eating d: juvenile d: anorexia you have decided on a topic and determined that enough information is available, you are ready to proceed. At this point, however, if you are having difficulty finding adequate quality information, stop wasting your time; find another topic. On an index card or in the notebook, record the author, article and/or book title, and all publication information in the correct format (mla or apa, for example) specified by your instructor. On the index cards or in your notebook, write down information you want to use from each identified source, including page numbers. Students use a particular index card method throughout the process of researching and writing that allows them great flexibility in organizing and re-organizing as well as in keeping track of sources; others color-code or otherwise identify groups of facts. Use any method that works for you in later drafting your paper, but always start with good recordkeeping. Organizing: mind map or outlinebased on your preliminary reading, draw up a working mind map or outline. You may revise this mind map or outline at any time; it is much easier to reorganize a paper by crossing out or adding sections to a mind map or outline than it is to laboriously start over with the writing itself. Take your time crafting this statement into one or two sentences, for it will control the direction and development of your entire more on developing thesis statements, see the tip sheets "developing a thesis and supporting arguments" and "how to structure an essay. Try the internet, electronic databases, reference books, newspaper articles, and books for a balance of sources. For each source, write down on an index card (or on a separate page of your notebook) the publication information you will need for your works cited (mla) or bibliography (apa) page. As you read, remember that an expert opinion is more valid than a general opinion, and for some topics (in science and history, for example), more recent research may be more valuable than older research. Avoid relying too heavily on internet sources, which vary widely in quality and authority and sometimes even disappear before you can complete your copy-and-paste from internet sources directly into any actual draft of your paper. Rethinking: matching mind map and thesisafter you have read deeply and gathered plenty of information, expand or revise your working mind map or outline by adding information, explanations, and examples. Aim for balance in developing each of your main points (they should be spelled out in your thesis statement). Return to the library for additional information if it is needed to evenly develop these points, or revise your thesis statement to better reflect what you have learned or the direction your paper seems to have taken.

Drafting: beginning in the middlewrite the body of the paper, starting with the thesis statement and omitting for now the introduction (unless you already know exactly how to begin, but few writers do). Revising: organization and attributionread, revise, and make sure that your ideas are clearly organized and that they support your thesis statement. If any paragraph does not, take it out, or revise your thesis if you think it is warranted. Check that you have quoted and paraphrased accurately, and that you have acknowledged your sources even for your paraphrasing. Every single idea that did not come to you as a personal epiphany or as a result of your own methodical reasoning should be attributed to its more on writing papers that stay on-topic, see the tip sheets "developing a thesis and supporting arguments" and "how to structure an essay. Proofreading: time and objectivitytime permitting, allow a few days to elapse between the time you finish writing your last draft and the time you begin to make final corrections. On your final read, check for grammar, punctuation, correct word choice, adequate and smooth transitions, sentence structure, and sentence variety. Ellis ng your research g an introductory ng your research paper: writing an introductory for the dreaded paper? If you planned your paper out, then most of the introductory paragraph is already written. Never start your paper saying, "in this paper, i will" or "this paper is about. If you've already planned which order to write the points in the paper, you already know which order to place them in your introductory paragraph. You don't have to include every single point, but make sure the important ones get in the previous sentences have been building up to this: your thesis. Your thesis statement expresses the overall idea of your paper and show where you stand on the topic. Indiana university has a great tutorial for writing thesis 's an introductory paragraph for a paper i wrote. I started the paper with a factoid, then presented each main point of my paper and then ended with my thesis statement. Remember if you're picking a side, you give the other side first and then your i can give my pro-graphic novel further expands my pro-graphic novel is my thesis statement. Categories » education and communications » research and reviewedwikihow to write a research parts:introducing the topic of the paperestablishing the context for your paperspecifying your research questions and hypothesisresearch introduction helpcommunity q& introduction to a research paper can be the most challenging part of the paper to write. The length of the introduction will vary depending on the type of research paper you are writing. An introduction should announce your topic, provide context and a rationale for your work, before stating your research questions and hypothesis. Well-written introductions set the tone for the paper, catch the reader's interest, and communicate the hypothesis or thesis ucing the topic of the ce your research topic.

You can start your introduction with a few sentences which announce the topic of your paper and give an indication of the kind of research questions you will be asking. This is a good way to introduce your readers to your topic and pique their interest. 1] the first few sentences should act as an indication of a broader problem which you will then focus in on more closely in the rest of your introduction, leading to your specific research scientific papers this is sometimes known as an "inverted triangle", where you start with the broadest material at the start, before zooming in on the specifics. When you write a research paper for publication you will be required to submit it along with a series of key words which give a quick indication of the areas of research you are may also have certain key words in your title which you want to establish and emphasise in your introduction. Example, if you were writing a paper about the behaviour of mice when exposed to a particular substance, you would include the word "mice", and the scientific name of the relevant compound in the first sentences. You were writing a history paper about the impact of the first world war on gender relations in britain, you should mention those key words in your first few any key terms or concepts. It may be necessary for you to clarify any key terms or concepts early on in your introduction. You need to express yourself clearly throughout your paper so if you leave an unfamiliar term or concept unexplained you risk your readers not having a clear understanding of your argument. Is especially important if you are attempting to develop a new conceptualization that uses language and terminology your readers may be unfamiliar uce the topic through an anecdote or quotation. If you are writing a humanities or social science essay you can find more literary ways to begin your introduction and announce the topic of your paper. It is common for humanities essays in particular to begin with an illustrative anecdote or quotation that points to the topic of the research. This is a variation of the "inverted triangle" technique and can generate interest in your paper in a more imaginative way and demonstrate an engaging writing you use an anecdote ensure that is short and highly relevant for your research. It has to function in the same way as an alternative opening, namely to announce the topic of your research paper to your example, if you were writing a sociology paper about re-offending rates among young offenders, you could include a brief story of one person whose story reflects and introduces your kind of approach is generally not appropriate for the introduction to a natural or physical sciences research paper where the writing conventions are ishing the context for your e a brief literature review. Depending on the overall length of your paper, it will be necessary to include a review of the existing literature already published in the field. This is an important element of your paper which demonstrates that you have a strong knowledge and understanding of the debates and scholarship in your area. You should aim to indicate that you have a broad knowledge, but that you are engaging in the specific debates most relevant to your own is important to be concise in the introduction, so provide an overview on recent developments in the primary research rather than a lengthy discussion. Can follow the "inverted triangle" principle to focus in from the broader themes to those to which you are making a direct contribution with your paper. Strong literature review presents important background information to your own research and indicates the importance of the field. A concise but comprehensive literature review can be a very effective way to frame your own research paper. As you develop your introduction, you can move from the literature to focus in on your own work and its position relevant to the broader making clear reference to existing work you can demonstrate explicitly the specific contribution you are making to move the field can identify a gap in the existing scholarship and explain how you are addressing it and moving understanding forward.

Once you have framed your work within a broader context you can elaborate more fully on the rationale of your research and its particular strengths and importance. The rationale should clearly and concisely indicate the value of your paper and its contribution to the field. 9] try to go beyond saying that you are filling a gap in the scholarship and emphasise the positive contribution of your example, if you are writing a scientific paper you could stress the merits of the experimental approach or models you have what is novel in your research and the significance of your new approach, but don't give too much detail in the introduction. Once you have indicated where your research sits in the field and the general rationale for your paper, you can specify the research questions the paper addresses. Research question or questions generally come towards the end of the introduction, and should be concise and closely focused. Research question might recall some of the key words established in the first few sentences and the title of your example of a research question could be "what were the consequences of the north american free trade agreement on the mexican export economy? After you have specified your research questions you need to give a clear and concise articulation of your hypothesis, or your thesis statement. This is a statement which indicates your essay will make a specific contribution and have a clear result rather than just covering a broader topic. 13] you should make it clear briefly how you came to this hypothesis in a way which references your discussion of the existing possible try to avoid using the word "hypothesis" and rather make this implicit in your writing. 14] this can make your writing appear less a scientific paper, giving a clear one-sentence overview of your results and their relation to your hypothesis makes the information clear and accessible. In some cases the final part of an introduction to a research paper will be a few lines that provide an overview of the structure of the body of the paper. 16] this could simply give an outline of how you have organised the paper and how it is broken down into is not always necessary and you should pay attention to the writing conventions in your a natural sciences paper, for example, there is a fairly rigid structure which you will be following. Humanities or social science paper will most likely present more opportunities to deviate in how you structure your ch introduction scientific research research introduction for research introduction many words should it have? Do a sentence to get the reader interested in your topic and a sentence to state your thesis. You also want to include a few sentences briefly outlining the important points in the paper and some background information, if necessary. The "i am" signifies that would i write a research introduction about addiction to online gaming? Outline the basic points of the research you plan to present in the rest of your paper without getting into specifics. Use the intro to provide justification for the rest of the paper being do i write a research introduction on the high school drop out rate? The best thing you can start with is a catchy piece of information or can i write a research introduction about the effects of gadgets to students academic performance? The introduction an introduction to the field and provide a starting point for the research?

More unanswered your research papers' outline to help you decide what information to include when writing an er drafting your introduction after you have already completed the rest of your research paper. Writing introductions last can help ensure that you don't leave out any major emotional or sensational introductions; these can create distrust in the lly avoid using personal pronouns in your introduction, such as "i," "me," "we," "us," "my," "mine," or "our. Keep the introduction as concise as possible by saving specific details for the body of your to publish a research to write a to write a research to write a thesis to write a term to write a conclusion for a research to write a critical to write a good lab conclusion in to write a critique in five to find a vehicle's registered owner using a license plate s and citations. Http:///~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/ries: research and ñol: escribir la introducción para una investigación, português: escrever uma introdução de pesquisa, italiano: scrivere l'introduzione di una ricerca, deutsch: die einleitung einer forschungsarbeit schreiben, français: écrire l'introduction d'un travail de recherche, русский: написать введение к исследовательской работе, 中文: 写论文引言, bahasa indonesia: menulis pendahuluan penelitian, nederlands: de inleiding van een onderzoek schrijven, العربية: كتابتك لمقدمة بحث, 日本語: 研究論文の序論を書く, ไทย: เขียนบทนำงานวิจัย. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie version of how to write a research introduction was reviewed by megan morgan on august 20, 2015. My research topic was on 'differentiation strategies and implementation in mathematics in the primary classroom. Gave a brief clear point of view about how i am supposed to write the paper. Articleshow to publish a research paperhow to write a reporthow to write a research paperhow to write a thesis text shared under a creative commons d by answer questions.