Writing a Research Paper and How to Get Started

 

 

 

I’m Kate Devlin, a freelance editor and writer. Today, I’m going to give an overview of the process for writing a research paper.

Let’s get started!

You have a paper to write, what is the best way to get started?

When you sit down to write a paper, the first thing that might pop into your mind is—where do I start? I know it does for me. Here’s how best-selling writer Stephen King answers that question. Whenever someone asks him how he writes, he tells them, “One word at a time” and to me that’s what it really boils down to.

The thing about writing is that you just need to START. Fire up your computer or grab a notebook and start jotting down ideas about your topic. They don’t even have to be in complete sentences. Personally, before I’ve even started writing I’ve already been thinking about it a lot—like how I’m going to organize my ideas and where I’m going to start my research.

What are the steps to writing a research paper?

Once you know your topic, here are some steps to getting started:

1)     Sketch out an outline for your topic (including ideas, table of contents, headings, sections, etc.)

2)     Start researching and gathering data

3)     Gather your thoughts and start writing

4)     Review and edit (put your paper aside for a few hours or a day or two and edit again)

a.     Make changes/rewrite/check cited sources

b.     Fix errors/typos

c.      Format paper and follow required style guidelines (font, margins, line spacing, headers and footers, citing sources, etc.)

5)     Put together a bibliography/aka works cited/aka annotated bibliography, if required; follow the required style guidelines (i.e., APA, MLA)—there are many online resources for help with this.

6)     Have a trusted friend/classmate/colleague review/edit and give you feedback on your work

Do papers follow a specific structure?

Generally, papers follow the same basic structure no matter their length and include:

o   An Introduction – includes your topic sentence or thesis statement and presents what you are going to write about

o   Body – here you go into more detail on your topic and includes data to support your theory; this is also where you cite your sources as you write

o   Conclusion – summarizes your findings and wraps up your paper

o   Appendix – includes references mentioned in your paper

Remember to write clearly and concisely and to cite your sources—don’t copy or plagiarize anyone else’s work!

What is your experience with writing papers? Do you have tricks of your own that you’d like to share?

I’d love to answer any questions about editing or help you with your next project. You can post a question on the comments area here.

You can find me at Kate Devlin Editing Services or devlin.kate@gmail.com.