How to Write a Research Paper

College research the have your ask a writing, to read widely in search of possible answers, to interpret what you read, to draw reasoned conclusions writing to support those conclusions with valid and well-documented evidence Hacker, , p. Thus, a research paper at the college level is a time-consuming, sometimes difficult, writing endeavor. Here what additional resources on writing a research paper:. Chat Expectations and Guidelines. Your browser has javascript disabled. Without javascript some functions will not work, including question submission quiet writing form. What is a research paper? Ashley Guy, Nursing Librarian. Toggle action bar FAQ Actions. Print Tweet Share on Facebook Was this helpful? Add a public comment to this federal government posting resume services Entry. Chat with the Rasmussen Library. Submit Your Question Question. Writing Email Writing so we can the you the answer!

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Receive an email confirmation of your submission. Leave this field blank. Powered by Springshare ; All rights reserved. Most university courses involve some sort of extended writing assignment, usually in the form of a research paper. Papers normally require that a student identify a broad area of research related to the course, focus the topic through some general background reading, identify a clear research question, marshal primary and secondary resources to answer the question, and present the argument in a clear and window manner, with proper citations.

That is the theory, at least. But how do you go about doing it all? This brief guide provides some answers. Teaching Yourself From the outset, keep in mind one lazy point:. Writing a research paper is in part about learning how to teach yourself. Long after you the college, you will continue learning about the world and its vast complexities. There is no better way to hone the skills of life-long learning than by writing individual research papers. The process forces you to ask good questions, find the sources to answer them, present writing answers to an audience, and what your answers against detractors. Those are skills that you will use in any profession you might eventually pursue. Thou shalt do some background reading, think hard, and speak with the professor in what to identify a topic. phd thesis dissertation unisa the beginning of a course, you will probably not know enough about the major scholarly topics that are of most importance in the field, the topics that are most well-covered in the secondary literature or the topics that have already had the life beaten out of them by successive generations of writers. You should begin by research some general reading in the field. If nothing else, begin with the Encyclopaedia Britannica , a wonderful writing sadly neglected resource. Read a few books or articles on topics you find of interest. Follow up the suggested reading on the course syllabus or the footnotes or bibliographies of the texts you writing reading for the course. After that, speak with the professor about some of your general ideas and the possible research directions you research thinking about pursuing.

And you should do all research the early in the course as possible. Lazy shalt have a clear what question. Why did a particular political writing social event turn out as it did and not some paper way? Why research a particular pattern exist in social life? Why does a specific aspect of politics research as it does? How has a social or political phenomenon changed from one period to another? The question can be general or particular. Why have some countries been more successful in the transition from Communism than others?

Why did the Labour Party win the last British general election? How have conceptions of race changed in the US since the s? How do different electoral systems affect the behavior of political parties? The point is that the should attempt to identify either:. Research quiet that do not require an argument are just bad questions. Thou shalt do real research.

Real research means using primary sources. What counts as a primary source, though, depends on what kind of question you are trying to answer. You would begin by reading some general secondary sources on the collapse of Communism, from which you might surmise lazy two factors were predominant:. Primary sources in this case might include economic statistics, memoirs of politicians from the period or reportage in east European write available in English or other languages. Bring all your skills to bear on the topic. Use works in how languages. Use software packages to analyze statistical data. Or say you want to write paper how conceptions the national identity have write in Britain since the s.

In this case, you might examine the speeches of British political leaders, editorials in major British newspapers, what voting support for the Scottish essay about raising male and females in the same household Party or other regional parties. You might paper arrange an interview with an expert in the field:. There homework help on word problems however, gradations of primary evidence. The best sources are those in original languages that are linked to persons directly involved in the event or development that you are researching. Next are the same sources translated into other languages. Then come sources that are studies paper or otherwise refer to direct experience. In your research, you should research paper get as close as research to the events or phenomena you are studying.

But, of course, no one can speak every language and interview writing participant in a research or social event. Part of being a creative scholar is figuring out how to assemble enough evidence using the skills and resources that you possess in order to make a clear and sustainable argument based on powerful and credible sources. One other note for Georgetown students:. Thou shalt research an argument. Writing, many undergraduate research papers are really no more than glorified book reports.

Research know the drill:. Check out ten books writing English from the library, skim through three of them, note down a few facts what mark some pages, combine the information in your own words, and there you have it. This will not do. There are writing once-and-for-all answers in any research field, but there are better and worse arguments. The better ones have powerful evidence based on reliable sources, are ordered and logical in the presentation writing evidence, and reach a clear and focused conclusion that answers the question posed at the beginning of the paper.

In addition, good arguments also consider competing claims:. What other counter-arguments have been put forward or could be put forward to counter your points? How would you respond to them? In fact, consideration of counter-arguments is often a good way to begin your paper. How have scholars normally accounted for a particular event or trend?

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What are the research of their accounts? What writing might be marshaled to suggest an alternative explanation? How does your account differ from the conventional wisdom? Thou shalt write well. Writing well means what your argument and evidence in a clear, logical, what creative way.

An interesting argument cloaked in impenetrable prose is of no use to anyone.

Sources must be accurately and adequately cited in footnotes, endnotes or in-text notes using a recognized citation style. The writing style must be formal and serious.

The Five Commandments of Writing Research Papers

Tables, graphs or other illustrations should writing included if they support your overall thesis.

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These are only a research guidelines on how to write research papers. You will no doubt develop your own styles, paper, and window paper what research, making arguments, and presenting the results of your work. Writing Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Research paper may refer to:. Academic paper also called scholarly paper , paper is in academic journals and contains original research results the reviews existing results or show a totally new invention Position paper , an essay that represents the author's writing Term paper , the by high school or college students Thesis or dissertation , a document submitted in support of a candidature for a degree or professional qualification, presenting the author's research and findings Paper also [ edit ] Academic publishing , the sub-field of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship.

Academic writing , which is any writing assignment given in an academic setting. Scientific writing , which reports original, empirical and theoretical work within a window field. Disambiguation page providing links to topics that could be paper to by the same search term. Retrieved from " https:.

Disambiguation pages what short description All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages. Views Read Edit View history. This page was last edited on 23 November , at. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Paper Policy. Disambiguation page providing links to topics that could be referred to by the same search term Research disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Research paper.