Research is creating new knowledge. Do you know who said that?
Neil Armstrong, the first human being ever to set foot on a world outside the Earth's confines.
And you know what made that achievement possible? What enabled that historic feat of human ingenuity?
Research.
Research is the basis for every new invention, every new discovery, and every new scientific
development that brings mankind one step closer to the next stage of our evolution.
People conduct research in a variety of manners. Books, the internet, previous documents, testing,
and so on. But the one thing that's required to communicate all that information to your
fellow scientists, your classroom, or your tutor is a research paper.
Hi guys, this is Mark from Essaypro, and today we're going to teach you how to write a research
paper in just a few steps. We'll talk about the importance of research in general, discuss
the goals and objectives of a research paper, and show you the steps you need to take to
write a paper worth sharing with your peers.
But before we get into today's video, remember that we publish content every week, so don't
forget to subscribe to our channel, AND click that notification bell, so you never miss
any of the good stuff we make just for you.
First, let's define what a research paper is.
A research paper is a piece of academic writing based on the writer's original research on a given topic.
The piece reflects the analysis and theoretical interpretation of the findings of the research.
Let's stop here. Two words stand out in this paragraph: Academic and original.
Succeeding in Academia is not easy, but Essaypro can help you. We have over ten years of experience
backing us, so we have the know-how to help you be the best you can be. And we know that
a research paper is a big deal in an academic environment. It is a formal type of writing
that can make or break your semester. You see that second word on the screen?
A research paper must be original work. You can read and take notes and extract information from
other papers, but the content you write must be yours, and yours only. A plagiarized paper,
whether in part or whole, will earn you a failing grade, and might get you in big trouble.
So don't plagiarize.
Here at Essaypro, we are big on structure. We talked about before. Remember one of our
previous videos, how to write an article review. Remember how we discussed the importance of
structured writing? Structured writing is good writing. Keep this in mind, even for
your day-to-day activities. That is, email, and anything else you write for school or
work. If you frame your writing properly, it will look neat, elegant, coherent, and
easy to understand.
Structure, as always, is your friend.
Write an ace research paper in five easy steps.
Staring at a blank screen, with just a slowly blinking cursor to keep you company, can be
a daunting proposition. Scary, even. But you don't need to worry. Essaypro has your back.
We have a lot of combined years of experience in the business, and we have helped many of
you to succeed. And we can help you, too.
The good news is that you can write a whole research paper in just five simple steps.
Let's see how:
Step 1: Choose a topic that interests you and narrow it down
The first step to do anything is usually the hardest, they say. But remember, every journey
starts with a single step.
Usually, your teacher or tutor will ask you to write a paper on a specific subject. But
sometimes, if you're lucky, they might give you a choice. In this case, always choose
a topic that holds interest for you. Why? Because you will feel excited to research
it, and you will learn easily, because you want to learn it. Choosing a subject that
you don't care about, or even dislike, is the first step to ultimate failure.
Always choose a topic that you want to write about AND narrow the topic down.
Say that you pick Tropical diseases. There are dozens of such diseases. You'd spend
forever talking about them, and the paper would end up being broad, general, and vague.
How about narrowing the topic down to, say, The endemic of Tropical diseases in the Congo?
Better, isn't it. It focuses the idea on a specific area of the world. But it can be narrowed
down further still. We can also tweak the topic title a little, to help us along.
Ebola outbreaks in Congo over the last decade. Much better, isn't it.
But we can go one more step down the ladder.
2018 Ebola Outbreak in Congo. See how we went from one broad and vague concept
to a much more focussed and specific topic? Focusing on a single event
(the 2018 Ebola outbreak in this example) will enable you to structure your paper far better than if
you were just talk about 'tropical diseases'.
So, DO choose a topic that interests you;
DO narrow the topic down;
DO NOT lose focus.
Step 2: Research
Remember when we said that research creates new knowledge? We at Essaypro wholeheartedly
agree with this statement. Research does lead to the creation of knowledge, and knowledge
leads to great things. But we must approach the process with great care.
American historian Daniel Boorstin once said that “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is
the illusion of knowledge." And this is true. To think that you know something is worse
than not knowing it at all. There's only one thing that can help you acquire and retain
the knowledge you need for your paper. Research.
The second step to a great paper is research, research, research. If you picked a topic
that you enjoy reading about, or learning about, you will be totally engaged in the
research process. The outcome is bound to be much better if you enjoy the material.
There are tons of material available on the internet, so one single browsing session will
likely yield more than enough information to get you started. If the topic you picked is particularly
niche, you might also want to check out your local library, or second-hand book shops.
You never know what you might find.
While researching a particular topic, you're bound to find quotes from other authors. It's
a good idea to pick two or three of these to include in your own paper to support arguments
that you agree with, but if you do, always reference the original author.
So, DO your own research; DO use multiple sources;
DO use someone else's quotes and reference them;
DO NOT use too many quotes. A maximum of three will usually suffice.
Step 3: Create an organized outline
That browsing session, or your trip to the library, is likely to have left you with plenty
of ideas, scribbled notes, and reminders for later writing. This is well and good, but
it is now time to put all that stuff in the right order and create an outline for your paper.
And remember how Essaypro values structure? This is the time to apply that skill.
Take all those notes and scribbled words and create a logical outline for your paper.
We have to insist that creating a good outline is a crucial step that you cannot do without.
A working outline will visualize the structure that you have in mind and help you create
a logical flow of information.
The outline should include the key points or concepts that you want to highlight in your paper.
In our example, you might want to highlight primary facts about the Ebola
outbreak of 2018. That is, where it originated, how far it spread, talk about the deadly nature
of Ebola, international response, and aftermath, for example.
To put it visually, your outline for the chosen topic might look similar to this:
Title page (2018 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo); Abstract (Expand on the
title's proposition); Introduction (For example, a short intro about
the background to the outbreak); Body (Facts and key points);
Conclusion (closing statements about the aftermath and how to help prevent future outbreaks,for example).
Remember, these are just guidelines. You might need to add or remove sections based on the
topic you choose.
So, DO create a good outline with the main key points and facts;
DO tailor the outline to the paper you're writing;
DO NOT create a very long outline, as it will create confusion later on.
Step 4: Write your paper
When the time for writing comes around, you will be well prepared for it.
This is a good time for a quick recap. By now, you have:
Chosen a topic that interests you;
Done your research;
Created a sound outline.
These three points will at least ensure that you start the writing process on good footing.
Developing this paper should now be easier.
Every paper starts with a title. A good, relevant title is important to create
a positive first impression. When you see the right title on the paper,
or computer screen, things become a lot easier.
Try to keep the title as short and relevant as possible. Overly long-winded titles will
confuse the audience.
Titles like:
Deadly Ebola outbreak that happened in the Congo in 2018.
Circumstances and background about one of the deadliest outbreaks of the Ebola virus in Congo.
Ebola strikes again: An analysis of the deadly disease that killed thousands in the Democratic
Republic of Congo in 2018.
These titles are long-winded and very lazily worded.
They do mention the key facts, but these are buried under unnecessary adverbs and grammar
that leaves a lot to be desired.
The title that we would choose is: 2018 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
See how much shorter and sharper this is? It perfectly conveys all the key points, and
prompts the audience to keep reading.
The title should contain the keywords that represent what the paper is about.
So, when writing titles: DO keep it short, but relevant;
DO introduce keywords; DO NOT write long, lazy sentences.
Now, remember that outline you created? This is the time to use it. Follow the structure
(structure is your friend, remember? Always) and the writing should flow naturally.
If you stick to the outline, our Ebola paper should look something like this:
Title page; Abstract ;
Introduction; Body; Conclusion.
This outline contains all the necessary chapters to create a solid paper based on your research,
but always remember that these are just guidelines. Always write an outline that suits your own paper.
Step 5: Proofread
All the writing is done. Time to relax, right? Wrong. Your text might be written, but it's
far from ready to be shown.
Proofreading might be the last step of the process, but it's certainly one of the most important.
Read through the text, once, twice, three
times if necessary to make sure that it flows well, that it's grammatically sound, and that
it does the job it sets out to.
You might also consider cutting out extra words.
Adverbs tend to creep up here and there and make for lazy and awkward reading.
Off with as many adverbs as possible.
The final draft should be clean, legible, and comprehensible. Your marks depend on it.
And that's it. You are now more than ready to write a quality research paper.
Thanks for watching our video, and remember to subscribe to our channel.
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