Every person will have to write a
research paper writing at some point in their lifetime. If you do not know the steps to writing a research paper, then it can become an overwhelming proposition. However if you know the steps to writing a research paper, then the task is not at all daunting. Breaking a research paper into small steps also allows you to focus on one part of the research paper at a time, which will translate into a much better finished product. Here are the steps needed to write a successful research paper:
Pick a Topic
Write a Thesis
Research
Write an Outline
Write a Rough Draft
Make Corrections/Changes
Write a Final Copy
Despite the illusion, the custom
dissertation writing process (as with any
writing process) is quasi-linear at best. Follow the green navigation
bar on the left from top to bottom to follow the nine major steps in writing
a research paper, or if you're working on a particular step, click on
that step to jump ahead in the process.
The entire dissertation writing will require a lot of hard work on your part, but
the results will be more than satisfying if you give it your best. In
the end, you'll have passed an important "write of passage" <grin>
in your academic career and picked up a heap of useful skills along the
way.
Though we've laid the process out step by step, the hypertext capability
of the Web allows you to rewind and fast-forward at your own ease, pace,
and convenience. So for a picture of what the process will really
end up being like, see Cleveland State University Writing Center's map
of the writing process. Remember that our OWL
tutors are around to help you at any stage of the process. Email them
with any questions that you may have.
Now take a deep breath and click on Genre. The
journey's about to begin.
Getting Started
* Prepare yourself for the custom writing process: decide how much time you may dedicate to the work, arrange your personal time-table and stick to it. Be ready to work on a regular basis, working by fits and starts won’t do any good for your research papers. Give yourself enough time to collect the required material.
* Choose a topic that will involve you in the writing process completely, it should be original, valuable for the science, corresponding to your knowledge and skills and challenging too.
* Think over your thesis statement. Keep it concrete and precise, narrow or widen it if needed. Make sure there is enough available material on it. Ask for your professor’s advice about your thesis statement’s accuracy.
* Find out the quality of the materials at your library’s disposal and the way these materials are referenced. Consult a librarian about the rules set in the library.
Taking Notes
Make use of small colored cards. The color code will help you differentiate the numerous ideas of your research. Write all annotated bibliography information in the way you are going to do it in your research paper, thus you will have footnotes and citations already made.
Be accurate while writing down statistics, tables or direct quotes.
Outline
Create an outline of your research paper. This will be a shortened form of your research papers:
* Expand your thesis statement to a paragraph, analyze the purpose of your work and the ways to achieve it. This will be your introduction.
* Then propose the most important ideas in the form of headings and subheadings. Find a note card to illustrate each one of them. This will be the body of your work.
* Ensure you have covered all the points you talked about in the thesis statement, summarize them in your conclusion.
* We warn you: do not neglect the outline writing as its success almost guarantees the success of your research papers.
Writing Drafts
Make several rough drafts and one final draft. Write as much rough drafts as possible as it will improve the fluency of your writing language. Make all the necessary changes in the rough draft copy: correct grammar mistakes, spelling, style and format mistakes. Check paragraphs for unity and cohesion.
Proofreading
Do not hesitate to check your final draft over and over again. Pay special attention to referencing. Put aside your research paper, have some rest and do the same.
1. Select the topic of your
essay writing.
2. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay writing. For example: Information technology has revolutionized the way we work.
3. Outline your
essay writing into introductory, body and summary paragraphs.
4. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example: Home workers have grown from 150,000 to over 12 million in the past 5 years thanks to the wonders of the computer.
5. After this first sentence, add your thesis statement from above.
6. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. For example: The Internet has made this possible by extending the office into the home.
7. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement. For example: Technological innovation has thus made the traditional workplace obsolete.
8. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presented in the introductory paragraph are developed.
9. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples. For example: When the Internet was first introduced it was used primarily by scientists, now it is common in every classroom.
10. Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summary of that idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each body paragraph to support the central idea.
11. The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of the introductory paragrah.
12. Begin the summary paragrah by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body paragraphs. For example: The Internet in the home, benefits and ease of use of modern computer systems...
13. The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example: We have now passed from the industrial revolution to the information revolution.
14. Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you have shown in the essay. For example: The next step: The complete disappearance of the workplace.