The Do's and Don'ts of Research Paper Writing Every Student Should Know

Most students face the challenge of writing a research paper during their academic careers. It is not an easy task, even if you have good writing skills as you have to come up with an interesting topic that persuades someone to have a read. A good paper answers the research question and proves the cogency of a provided thesis statement. It is also important to mention that academic advisors want their students to support their claims by carefully selecting materials and methods for their research.

 

Many people are afraid of writing a research paper because they have no idea how to do it. The fear of unknown overcomes and they start procrastinating. To all such students, our advice is not to worry and with some simple do’s and don’ts you will be able to write an intriguing paper.

 

Do’s

An intriguing research paper has a clear direction, so it is important to start with organizing all the information on the topic. The time you have spent in your research would be wasted if you are not able to organize your work in a specific order. Write a detailed outline somewhere and make sure to follow it all the way.

 

Building a strong argument is absolutely necessary for your research paper to leave an impact on the reader. For that, you must write a strong introduction. The introduction is a part where you describe the motives behind your research and justifies it. It must be interesting and precise.

 

No matter what topic you are writing about in your work, you need to validate your point of view. It is necessary to support your argument by research. You are actually not required to write your own point of view instead build on the work of other researchers. Ultimately your research paper will also serve as a mean for more research papers. 

 

Readers get tired when they read a series of lengthy sentences with multiple clauses. Similarly, they feel rushed by a series of short, terse sentences. As much as possible, vary the length and construction of your sentences.

 

Don’ts

Often students spend too little time doing research and get to writing as soon as possible. That is the biggest mistake you can make. Depending on the topic of research you would have to vary the time spent on it. The number of sources you consult for your research is also in correlation to the complexity of topic at hand.

 

Adding new points in the conclusion of the research paper is another common mistake made by students. The conclusion must provide an answer to your research question. You are not supposed to add to what you have already done.

 

Revision to your final draft will ensure that there are no grammatical or spelling mistakes. Any such mistakes cause the overall quality of your research paper to decline that will eventually reflect negatively on your grade. Also, avoid using slangs or clichés.