Whether in high school or college, often one is required to develop a research paper for an assignment. Research paper writing has a specific focus and should not be confused with essays or thesis writing.
A research paper is not designed to offer new evidence or report on developing work but as a collation and presentation of existing work. The research is to uncover existing knowledge of a topic and synthesize a focused and coherent report on this subject. A research paper is not intended to prove a hypothetical point but to present an existing fact.
There are three directions you can take in designing your research paper. A simple analytical approach discusses the major points of your subject, evaluates them each in turn and then concludes with an evaluation of the research to the reader. An expository research paper does not so much offer altering viewpoints on your topic as it seeks to inform and explain what the subject matter is.
A much more involved research paper is the argumentative form. In this type of research paper you pick a point of view and present your research findings to prove your opening statements. One thing the person writing the research paper must be mindful of through the entire process is that they stay on focus. If the subsequent research convinces you to modify the original statement of purpose, you will have to revise your opening arguments and any other parts of your paper that this change entails.
Another aspect of research paper writing that is of the utmost importance is in keeping your source information accurate. A research paper is not creative writing and you will need to reference the sources of your facts and credit information used to their originators. There are several style sheets available for the proper footnote marking and systems of regulating the presentation of your source material. This formula is different for various institutions so checking for the authorized style sheet before starting the actual composition is very important. Those who grade the research paper will be especially critical of this area. It is essential you have your facts accurate and provable.
Once you have finished the first draft of your research paper it is a good idea to let it sit for awhile and then come back to reread it in an objective manner. No one is able or expected to be letter-perfect through the first writing. The cooling off period is necessary to take you far enough from the original creation that you can see within a later viewing any areas that need revision to tighten up to presentation of your information. While you can proofread your work to some degree, it is always recommended that you obtain a second person to proof it as well. They may catch grammar or typographical errors that have fallen into a "blind spot" for the original writer.
Critical areas of review at this point are the transition areas between proof points and that you have refined the data to a tight focus. Here you can see if certain patterns of extraneous words have "fluffed" your writing and you can eliminate the unnecessary wording.
The final part of research paper writing is to put your final version on the paper (or the required computer file format) that your specific institution requires. Even the presentation of the physical artifact of your research paper can have some weight on its final acceptance or rejection.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
KARNAK internet research site
By: Woollcott | 19-07-2008
Years ago I used a site named Karnak for my research. I can't find it any more. What happened
History of company
By: Theresa Walker | 18-07-2008
M&M Crown Realty, LLC has purchased the apartment building I have been residing for the past 35 years. I would like to know who are they?
What year was Kathy Ellis Murdered by her brother ...
By: elackey5921 | 09-07-2008
What year was Kathy Ellis Murdered by her brother Jerry Ellis in Cordele, Georgia?
Geneology
By: Marianne | 03-07-2008
Are there any FREE websites to research obituaries or geneology records?
What are the attribures that charaterize high ...
By: brenda allen | 02-07-2008
what are the attribures that charaterize high quality research.
Seeking information about steamship Mary Conley
By: Pat | 26-06-2008
seeking information about Steamship Mary Conley, sank in the Trinity River 1872 or 1873
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Writing Articles
Story Endings are Important, But How Do You Get There?
By: Mervyn Love | 23/07/2008
Should you know exactly how your story ends before you start or leave it to chance? Different writers go about it in different ways. Find out what suits you best.
Writing a Wedding Speech Made Easy
By: Duncan Gelby | 21/07/2008
Before we go into the nitty-gritty of how to prepare a wedding speech, you must keep the following basics in mind:
1. Your speech has to be short, say 5-7 minutes at the most.
2. Make your speech humorous - everyone will love it.
3. Focus the speech on the couple, not on...
How to Become a High-paid Marketing Consultant or Copywriter - Fast!
By: Dan Lok | 19/07/2008
Are you a marketing consultant or copywriter still looking for clients, and often wonder how most people really get clients to hire them? If you are, this article will prove VALUABLE to you in a moment. Here's why:
How To Choose A Topic For Your Book
By: Victor Epand | 18/07/2008
So, you have decided to be a writer. Great! Of course, the first step is to decide what to write about. And this is where most aspiring writers face their first hurdle. There is a plethora of topics to write about - what should one choose? This article will help you get over this first hurdle so that you can speedily get along on the way to writing your first book.
Learning to Write Through a RPG Game
By: Jacob Cohen-Donnelly | 17/07/2008
For a long time people have been afraid of what are known as "Role Playing Games" as there are some negative biases around those who play them. However, that is because most people are thinking of the old D&D type, or the newer World of Warcraft and similar games....
How To Write A College Term Paper
By: Daniel Millions | 17/07/2008
There are different ways to write but most professors what a specific format.
Article Marketing - is Your Article Headline Killing Your Article?
By: Barry McDonald | 17/07/2008
As you may know I wrote about this topic before in one of my other articles, but I feel it's important that I'm going to bring it up again.
Headlines like "Money" are what make's the world go around. We've become so busy and limited with our time nowadays that we...
Article Marketing Tips: 6 Ways to Get the Best Results From Your Articles
By: Barry McDonald | 17/07/2008
Here are 6 ways to help you get the most results from your article writing...
1. Is Your Article Relevant?
Before beginning your article for your chosen niche, have you done any research on what you're going to write about you? Could be writing an article that nobody wants?
So how do you...
Writing 
