The research paper is a project you will be assigned to complete when studying at higher levels of high school and college. The main aim of a research paper is exploration and identification of a scientific, social, technical, psychological, historical or other issues. Most students say that this task is one of the most daunting, but with good focus, organization, and planning you can make the process simple. In this article, we will discover the best way to write a research paper.

Step #1: Choose a good topic

• Choose a topic of your interest. Your success sometimes depends on the enthusiasm you can apply to the writing process. Of course, it comes from your interest only.
• Narrow the topic down. Do not write about religion in general, but rather about Hinduism, Buddhism, or Christianity.
• Before you start to research, ask your teacher for feedback about the chosen topic.
• Select a topic you can cope with. It is great to create yourself a challenge, but let’s be honest – it is better to avoid topics that are too specialized or technical. First, it might be hard to find enough materials. Second, you risk getting puzzled and stuck.

Step #2: Get enough materials

For a research paper, reliable and up-to-date sources are really important. Surf the Internet for background information. Start with encyclopedias and almanacs.

When searching source to use for your paper and locate on your bibliography page, pay attention to the websites domains: .edu, .gov, or .org are worth of your attention. More often these websites are educational and governmental, so you can use them as sources. Be attentive when choosing from .com websites. Many of them are great, but the information located there might be unverified. Beware of personal home pages, too.

Visit your college library for:

• Catalogs;
• Atlases;
• Encyclopedias and dictionaries;
• Newspapers and magazines.

When looking through the resources, bookmark useful websites and write down important ideas. These notes will save you from looking back again and again and wasting your time.

Step #3: Write your thesis

Look through your notes and pick the most important ideas and combine them into a sentence that expresses your topic. This is a declaration of your core thought. Most of your research paper will consist of evidence to prove your thesis.

Step #4: Write the entire essay

• Introduction. Make a brief explanation of your topic and the ways you are going to approach it. Explain some of your main points to make readers interested in your work and continue reading.
• Body. In your body paragraphs, you will present arguments and support them with the quotation from the reliable sources to prove your thesis statement. You have to provide supporting arguments for every point you make.
• Conclusion. Summarize your arguments and restate your core question. Show the reasons why you have arrived at this conclusion and suggest ideas for further research in this sphere.

Step #5: Revise it

Proofread your paper a couple of times for errors. If needed, rearrange your ideas to make the thoughts flow logically. Reorganize parts of your essay if needed, but always stick to your main goal. To make sure that your paper is free from grammar errors, use an online checker.

Checklist

• Did I include all necessary aspect to cover a topic entirely?
• Did I include the other sided of the coin and analyzed the arguments that do not agree with my belief?
• Are my arguments logical and relevant?
• Did I cite all the sources to ensure that my paper is free from plagiarism?
• Did I support my thesis statement with strong evidence?
• Do I have any repeating and unnecessary words in my paper?
• Are there any concepts or words that I don’t entirely understand?
• Are the paragraphs and paper parts linked logically?
• Are my quotations formatted correctly?
• Did I avoid using “I”, “we”, “our”, “you” and other personal pronouns?
• Are my points clear and interesting?
• Did my conclusion leave a sense of natural completion of my paper?

Ask for professional help

If you are not sure that you can handle the essay writing process on your own – find a reliable academic writing service to get some help. Using an ordered paper as a sample for your essay is ethical. Remember, when you use a professional essay as an educational tool – you are not plagiarizing.

With these tips and pieces of advice, your research paper writing will be more efficient and simple. Don’t forget to consult with this guideline any time you need a checklist for your work!