A dreaded assignment in college is the research paper. Not only does it take up a lot of your time to create, but it is worth a big percentage of your grade, so it is something you cannot afford to ignore.

However, some tricks can help speed up the process, making it easier for you. So if you are dealing with a research paper right now, continue reading to know how to tackle it.

1. Pick a topic that is best for you

It is always hard to work on something that you do not know or that bores you. So if you are given a chance to choose, it is good to select a topic you are interested in. Not only will you enjoy the process, but you may even get a much higher score because you like it.

2. Come up with your thesis statement

Your research is based on your thesis statement. For example, if you have opted to disprove the thought that violent online games affect children negatively, your paper will be looking at the theories both for and against this idea. So it is necessary to figure out what you want to look into.

3. Find your sources

A research paper requires you to have many resources to prove your point. Aside from theories connected to your topic, you need to have past studies (e.g. experiments, observations) to compare your paper against.

If you are unable to find enough sources, perhaps because your idea is too new or access to such data is difficult, you will have to adjust your thesis statement or even think of a different topic.

4. Make detailed notes

It will be hard to remember everything you read. To save time, make detailed notes every time you start with a new source. You can then refer to your notes as you write.

5. The Introduction

This section introduces your reader to your paper. It should contain background information, so your reader knows the context of your problem. It helps to have interesting facts to catch your reader’s attention.

The introduction also presents the research question/s that you will be looking into, along with your paper’s limitations. Towards the end, you will state your thesis.

6. The Body

This is the middle of your paper. You present here the methodology, which explains the steps used to discover whether your thesis is correct or not. The findings and discussion sections show what happened after your experiment or observation.

7. The Conclusion

In this final section, you will summarize the main points of what happened in your research. Afterward, you share your thoughts about what should be done as a result of your study. A good “call to action” is often needed to motivate the reader to do something. The conclusion also mentions suggestions for future researchers to try.

8. Proofreading

Before you hand in your paper, make sure you have proofread your paper. As it is very long, you are expected to have several typos.

Summary

Although it is a challenging project, a research paper can be successfully made if you know what to do. So consider the suggestions above to help you with your paper.