How to Start a Research Paper - New Interesting Ideas (2022)
12 min read
Published on: Jan 13, 2023
Last updated on: Jan 13, 2023
12 min read
Published on: Jan 13, 2023
Last updated on: Jan 13, 2023
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If you are a college or a university student, you will know the struggle of writing an effective and compelling research paper for your degree.
Almost everywhere in the world, a student is asked to conduct research related to a certain topic or subject for his degree. Consequently, a student’s grades and career highly depend on this piece of academic writing.
For this purpose, it is very important to know what a research paper is and how it is written. Therefore, we have your back if you are writing a research paper for the first time and do not even know how to start a research paper.
Continue reading the blog to know how a research paper is written from scratch and make your paper win over the readers.
A research paper is much more than just summing up sources, collecting information, and finding literature reviews in the field. Instead, a research paper analyzes a particular perspective or presents an argument on a certain point.
It doesn’t matter what topic and field you are writing your research paper for; in the end, your paper should present your thinking and perspective backed up by the other author’s information and ideas.
In simple words, a research paper is detailed and the expanded form of an essay that is based on the analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of some arguments. To gather information for research papers, surveys in the field of knowledge are conducted to get the best and the most relevant information.
There are seven basic types of research papers:
Writing a research paper can be really daunting and time-consuming. Therefore, it is suggested that the students give enough time to their research and writing so that their effort is effective and reliable.
If you think that you will just jump straight into the writing process of a research paper, you are mistaken. A research paper requires planning before you start writing it.
It is important to know that a research paper requires a perfect beginning to have a flawless ending. You can never write a research paper successfully if you start research in a weak or a dull manner. Often, the beginning of a research paper is considered more difficult than conducting the whole research.
You need to be clear and focused when you start your research paper. A vague understanding of the topic or an argument will just confuse you, making you end up frustrated.
No matter which subjects or academic level you have to write a research paper for, some basic writing steps should be followed. Understand how to start a research paper by knowing the basic steps.
1. Follow the Guidelines
The first and foremost step to take towards writing a research paper is to read the guidelines and instructions provided and understand them thoroughly. For example, if an instructor has assigned you a research paper, you would be provided with the guidelines to do it.
Before you start writing your paper, understand the basic requirements. This is to make sure what the instructor is asking you and how you have to set your track for the research.
These instructions and guidelines will make you understand how to answer the research question and which approaches to use. Also, these instructions provide guidelines for formatting a research paper, such as which citation styles should be used in the paper, etc.
Reading the guidelines in detail will help you understand how your research paper should be outlined and how each section of it should be drafted.
2. Choose a Topic for Your Research Paper
Once you are clear about the guidelines and instructions, think about which topic you would like to research. If you have already been assigned a topic that this step is not for, but if not, then it is important to know that this process is essential and time taking.
Usually, people research the topics or issues that interest them or are related to their passion. Some people research a topic related to the field. Then, they are asked to write a paper to play safe.
Choosing a topic is time-consuming as you can not randomly choose a topic and start writing about it. There are a lot of things to consider while choosing a topic, such as:
If your topic lands on all the requirements, you have ‘the topic’ to write.
3. Research and Gather Information
Now that you have a topic in hand, brainstorm the good ideas related to the topic and start the research process. First, think of all the angles that your research topic has and is worth addressing. This is the most difficult step as it requires extensive searching and researching of information.
Look for the background information to have a foundation for your research paper topic. Read articles, journals, books, or other existing research papers related to your topic to get supporting information.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to take information from credible sources. You can get the desired information from the libraries or the internet. Just make sure they are reliable and credible.
Gather information and facts that perfectly back your topic and can be used as shreds of evidence to prove your point. It is mandatory to persuade your audience.
4. Draft an Outline
The information that you gather on the topic can overwhelm you as it is a lot. To best handle, the information, write an outline for the research. This outline or structure will act as a checklist and a placeholder for the information.
Write down the key ideas roughly to divide them among the sections of the research paper outline. This is not the final draft of your paper but rather a rough sketch of how your research paper will be.
The outline will just make your process easier and ensure that no important point and idea was missed in your paper. Also, the outline will help the writer stay focused on the topic and not let him wander around.
The basic outline of a research paper is of three equally important sections. The first part is the introduction. Following this comes the body where you support your thesis statement, and the last section is the conclusion. Divide your researched information into these sections.
5. Write a Thesis Statement
To start writing a research paper, you should have a thesis statement. A thesis statement is the main argument or the writer’s stance on which the entire writing is based. The thesis statement of a research paper is usually of a sentence or two that is the part of your introduction for a research paper.
The thesis statement sums up the whole research paper, and all the information provided in the paper works as evidence and proof to present the validity of the thesis statement.
To keep your audience intact to the topic and the main purpose of the research paper, keep referring them back to the thesis statement in your paper to help them stay on track.
Create a thesis statement that best describes your topic and supports it. Your thesis should make the audience clear about the topic and not confuse them, so choose wisely.
See a couple of examples of the thesis statement before you draft one for your paper. This is to give you an idea of how a perfect thesis statement is drafted.
6. Write a Brilliant Paper Introduction
Writing the introduction paragraph could be both difficult and confusing for many students. Therefore, it is better to write the introduction after writing the entire paper so that you do not miss any important detail. However, if you already have your paper’s outline, thesis statement, and background research in line, writing an introduction will not be as difficult.
7. Write Down the Paper
The final step is to write the paper. Once you are done with all the previous steps, it is time to begin the writing process. But once you are done with these steps, the writing part becomes easy. When writing, make sure to cite everything carefully.
An introduction is written to grab your audience’s attention towards the writing so you can talk about the topic in detail. The hook grabs the attention of the readers in the introduction which motivates a reader to read further.
To write an introduction effectively for a research paper, draft your interesting introductory paragraphs and best describe the topic. Keep in mind that the purpose of the introduction is to make the audience familiar with the topic and not reveal unnecessary information.
So the starting point of the introduction is the hook, following which comes the background information on the topic. This is the basis of your topic, and brief information about it is given to the readers.
Following the background information on the topic comes the main argument or the writer’s stance which is called a thesis statement.
All of these components are very important to draft an accurate introduction. You cannot make anyone forcefully read your work if it doesn’t interest them. So draft your introduction in a way that makes your audience attentively read your paper and get persuaded.
A good research paper will follow some specific structure and design. For example, you will need to mention and discuss some important things here. Here are some things that you should include in your paper’s introduction paragraph;
A good thesis statement must not only highlight the main point but should also discuss the main research problem. The main aim is to keep the readers engaged when reading your paper.
Since the introduction is an important part of a paper, there are many students that worry about writing it. If you are also struggling with it, here are some tips to help you get started.
Following these tips will allow you to write a good and engaging introductory paragraph easily.
Here is a sample research paper introduction on greenhouse and their effects on global warming;
Are greenhouses the reasons behind global warming? The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from the sun warms the earth's surface. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane trap heat in the atmosphere and cause the earth's temperature to rise.
There is a lot of evidence that suggests that greenhouse gases and global warming are linked. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally, for example, ozone occurs in the upper atmosphere, while others such as carbon dioxide are produced by humans.
Greenhouse gases have become a big problem in recent years. The rise in global temperatures has led to increased sea levels, melting polar ice caps, and extreme weather events like droughts, heatwaves, and floods.
Many experts have suggested that the solution to this problem is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using technologies like carbon capture, solar power, and wind energy. Others believe that we should focus on adapting to climate change instead of trying to prevent it from happening in the first place.
There is no clear consensus among scientists about what needs to be done in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming. However, it is clear that something needs to be done in order to avert the potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change.
This paper will explore the link between greenhouse gases and global warming. It will discuss the evidence that suggests that they are connected and examine the possible solutions to this problem.
Here is a breakdown of the introduction;
| Hook Statement | Are greenhouses the reasons behind global warming? |
| Background Detail | There is a lot of evidence that suggests that greenhouse gases and global warming are linked. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally, for example, ozone occurs in the upper atmosphere, while others such as carbon dioxide are produced by humans. Greenhouse gases have become a big problem in recent years. The rise in global temperatures has led to increased sea levels, melting polar ice caps, and extreme weather events like droughts, heatwaves, and floods. |
| Research Problem | There is no clear consensus among scientists about what needs to be done in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming. |
| Thesis Statement | This paper will explore the link between greenhouse gases and global warming. It will discuss the evidence that suggests that they are connected and examine the possible solutions to this problem. |
Just as the introduction is important for a research paper, the conclusion is also important to be drafted. The conclusion is the final verdict provided by the writer that sums up all his talk about the research.
We all know the importance of a strong ending. However, to write a good and effective conclusion, start a thesis statement again to show people that you are still sticking to what you said earlier.
After the restatement of the thesis statement is done, summarize the main ideas and key points presented in your paper. This will help your audience revise the reasons you used to back up your argument and prove your stance.
At last, present the CTA. The ‘Call-To-Action’ is for the audience to know what should be done regarding the problem or an issue. In the conclusion of the research paper, a researcher also asks for further research on the topic.
The importance of writing a research paper perfectly can not be denied. Through writing a research paper, an instructor assesses the student’s ability to think, analyze, evaluate, and interpret a piece of information.
For writing a perfect research paper, it is important to have good writing and analyzing skills. However, if you lack these skills or lack to pay attention because you have other submissions to deal with, we have your back.
To write a perfect research paper, you need to have great writing and analytical skills. If you lack any of these skills or can’t pay attention because of other submissions. Then we are the ones who will help with that!
We, at EssayWriter.college, provide expert writing services to students. Our professionals are experts in all fields and disciplines and provide all sorts of academic writing services to clients.
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WRITTEN BY
Nova A. (Marketing, Literature)
Nova Allison is a skilled Digital Content Strategist with eight years of experience in crafting scientific and technical content. What makes Nova’s online content plans stand out is her perfect mix of engaging and informative writing styles. Her years of writing experience have polished her skills in writing accurate technical content.
Nova Allison is a skilled Digital Content Strategist with eight years of experience in crafting scientific and technical content. What makes Nova’s online content plans stand out is her perfect mix of engaging and informative writing styles. Her years of writing experience have polished her skills in writing accurate technical content.
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