How to Write a Good Research Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

What Is a Research Paper

A research paper is an extended essay that has different requirements. Research papers are usually longer than a regular research essay and more complex. Every academic research paper has a research question you will discuss and back up with evidence in your paper. A research paper is different from an essay in terms of structure, tone of voice, and presentation of arguments, facts, or information. The format of research papers is universal, although some teachers or journals might require a specific format.

So, what does a research paper consist of? Many students want to buy a research paper or get help writing a research paper and following this research paper guide could be a good start to help you learn the research paper basics.

1. The Introduction - the introduction presents your research question or hypothesis
2. The Body - the body of a research paper is complex and inclusive and it is the part where you will present and argue on your perspective and back it up with key findings
3. The Conclusion - the conclusion chapter of a research paper aims to summarize the findings and underlie the most important ones

How Long Should a Research Paper Be?

The research paper should be about 8 pages long. Research paper writing comes with many questions students have and one of them is about the length of the paper. The requirements about length are different from college to college, or journal to journal. However, if you write a college research paper, then the average length is about 6 to 10 pages. Students that write a research paper to accomplish a task at college are sometimes required to write at most 7 pages. Any example of research paper online is different, so it is important to pay attention to your requirements.

How to Structure a Research Paper

Writing research papers is a complex and demanding task, as you need to follow a lot of requirements and guidelines. However, this strict research essay structure allows students to organize the information better. This research paper guideline will offer you the information you need for creating a research paper that is among the best.

So, the structure of a research paper is similar to that of essays. You have an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, as it is usually longer than a regular essay, the body of a research paper is divided into four main parts.

• The Abstract

  - a short summarization of your entire research paper

• The Introduction

  • The Goal of Your Research Paper - what are you trying to solve? What question are you trying to find answers to?
  • Why is it important to research your chosen topic? - discuss the possible implications of the expected results

• The Body

  - the body of a research paper is complex and inclusive and it is the part where you will present and argue on different points such as:

  • Literature Review - presenting the main findings from other studies that support your hypothesis and research question
  • Method - where you offer information about how you conducted the research, the participants involved, what tests you have administered, and so on
  • Results - here you should describe how you have collected, analyzed, and grouped the answers to questionnaires or your study, statistic measurements, etc.

• The Conclusion

  • Conclusion - which are the main findings of your research paper?
  • Discussion - summarize and underlie the main findings and connect them with literature review

Writing a research paper or essay is a challenging task, but also one that helps you improve your writing and critical thinking skills. Writing a good research paper requires more effort, time, and resources on your part but with this guide to writing a research paper, you will nail it.

How to Start a Research Paper

Research paper writing requires good organization skills, as you need to take care of all the parts of the research paper. Usually, starting is the most difficult thing to do. And even though a research paper example would give you some ideas, you need to apply them to your requirements. So, how to start a research paper?

The first and most important step is to carefully read the guidelines as many teachers are offering important insights on what you need to write. The second step is choosing your topic, which is usually the most challenging task. Think about something you are passionate about that is also interesting for others. Moreover, avoid choosing a complex subject because you will only need to spend more time writing a research paper essay.

The next step is to start your research and see what other studies have been done on that topic. Organize your information in an outline to easily have access to it and organize it logically and coherently. After completing these steps, you should have a few ideas to start with. Creativity and imagination will follow as you will delve deeper into the subject.

How to Write an Abstract for a Research Paper

The abstract is a short summarization of the main idea of your research paper, the method, and results, and key finding. This paragraph is usually added at the beginning of the paper, right before the introduction and it should not exceed 300 words. When you start a research paper, it is important to not forget about the abstract as it is what readers will firstly get in contact with. Based on the information you include in your abstract, readers will decide if they want to read more on the subject. You can check every research paper sample and get a glimpse of how the researchers have created their abstract, to get a general idea of how it should look. Here are a few steps you should follow:

1. Write your abstract after you have written the entire research paper. You will have all the information you need already organized, so you only need to include in one paragraph the most important parts
2. Extract key sentences - choosing the most important information from each section might be difficult, so extracting key sentences from each chapter could be a good start. You will probably have more than you need, but you will take care of this with the next step
3. Identify if there is any redundant information or if you can shorten the length of the phrases. Keep in mind that the narrative should flow smoothly
4. Avoid using jargon, abbreviations, acronyms, citations, or illustrations. The abstract should be short, simple, and concise

How to Write an Introduction for a Research Paper

Besides the abstract, the introduction of a research paper is very important. If you are looking for ideas on how to write a research paper introduction, these guidelines will help you organize it clearly and logically. How you write the introduction is essential because readers pay great attention to how the information is organized. There are some questions you could answer in the introduction and an outline will help you structure the information better.

1. Present your topic - the presentation of your topic should be general, as you will explore it more in the body. It is important to state some intriguing facts that help you hook the reader but that are relevant to your research paper too
2. Explain concepts - if your topic is a complex one, then you will probably introduce some of the terms here. Whatever complex words or phrases you will be going to use, make sure you explain the concepts so that everyone will be on the same page
3. Link the Topic With the Literature Review - this is a great way of opening the body, but also of backing up your research question or hypothesis with proof. However, as this will be more thoroughly explored in the body section, you should find a balance. Try to mention enough details to hook the reader, but do not share all the information. This will also help you highlight the importance of researching your chosen topic and its possible implications

How to Write a Body of a Research Paper

How to do a research paper is one of the most common questions students ask themselves, but we hope we have already shed some light on research papers writing. The body paragraph of any research paper is usually the most complex one, as you need to discuss various topics here. You will need to organize and structure the information on three main chapters: literature review, method, and results. Even though it may sound simple, this is usually the most challenging part of a research paper, but one that will help you improve your writing and critical thinking skills. So, how to write a research paper body?

1. Present the literature review - this is the chapter where you should present all the key findings you extracted from other research papers, studies, news, or other relevant sources. The literature review should present arguments that led you to choose this research topic and made you believe that the implication will be huge and important. For sure there are already scientists that investigated something similar, whose results can support your research. Make sure you make a comprehensive and clear review of the literature for your research paper essay. Here you can also present your hypothesis and organize them clearly and logically
2. Present the research method - the next chapter presents the method you have chosen to investigate your research hypothesis. Many methods can be used to do research. One of the most common ones is the one of answering a questionnaire that investigates specific factors. The method chapter should offer information about the number of participants, how they found out about your study, and their demographics. Moreover, additional information about the statistical properties of the test you have used need to be mentioned here
3. Present the results - the results chapter should not be confused with the ones of conclusion or discussion. Research writing also involves using software for statistics or other apps that give you the insights you need on your research paper. Here is the chapter where you should mention all your results and add tables or graphs that easily show the difference between the data

How to Write a Conclusion of a Research Paper

Writing the conclusion of a research paper might be the easiest thing to do. Any research paper writer advises on following these steps:

1. Restate your topic and hypothesis - shortly brief the topic and the hypothesis of your research paper
2. Talk about the implications of your results - if you find it suitable, you can discuss this topic in a different chapter of your conclusion, called “Discussion”. Here you should explain the results and link them with the literature review (if they are supported by it)
3. Summarize - make a summarization of the main point of your research paper
4. End with your thoughts - at the end, it's important to share your thoughts and opinion on the topic and key findings

Conclusion

Writing research paper might be one of the most challenging tasks students need to accomplish. Some of these research papers are more complex than others, this is why their length and structure might be different from subject to subject. Research paper write or research paper help might be some of the most searched for on Google. However, this guide highlights the most important things to keep in mind when starting to write your research paper.

It is important to organize the information in a clear, simple, and logical way. Build a powerful abstract and introduction to hook the reader. Impress your readers with interesting facts and write a comprehensive literature review in the body. Describe accurately your research method and results. End your research paper with a conclusion where you discuss the implications of your results and briefly restate the topic. Do not forget that your personal opinion on the results is essential, so express your thoughts on the subject.