Easy Steps for Writing Research Papers

Easy Steps for Writing Research Papers Sydney

The purpose of a research paper can be for exploring and identifying scientific, technical and social issues. The research paper that you are writing may be for an academic requirement in your degree in University or you may be carrying out an independent research. Writing a research paper comprises of four main phases: choosing a topic, researching your topic, making an outline, and doing the actual writing in a structural way. Do not wait until the last minute to start working on your research paper because it is a lengthy piece of work and needs proper planning. The following steps may help you write a good research paper.

1. Choosing a topic – Your research area might cover a vast area of ideas and questions. Discuss your idea’s premise with your adviser or supervisor to help you narrow down your ideas to a central research topic. Choose a topic that you feel passionate about. The sharper your focus, the better your research paper. Frame your title that communicates your motive efficiently. Compose a title that is simple, attractive and accurately reflects the investigation.
2. Data Gathering – Once you have your research topic ready, gather relevant data, analyse it and organised it into plots and tables. Prepare figures, schemes and tables in a certified manner. Avoid excessive presentation of data/results without any discussion. In case of research in Arts and Humanities, there may not always be technical data. At such times, it is useful to use qualitative research techniques and data presentation. Remember to save the sources of your data and list them in the end as per academic Guidelines. Literature Review is an important part of data gathering and analysis. Support every statement you make with evidence.
3. Structure your paper – List down chapters and sub-headings of your envisaged paper. Start filling into the sections gradually. It sometimes helps to write the Introduction chapter, in the end, when you have written all other chapters. Include major findings in a style that a general readership can read and understand. Ideal structure consists of the following sections :

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Findings/Experimental Section
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements
• References
• Supporting Information

Your research paper should flow well. Ensure that each of your body paragraphs flows nicely into the one after it. If you’ve used a questionnaire, make sure to include it in Appendices. Write a conclusion that briefly summarizes your findings for the reader and provides a sense of closure.

4. Revise – Send drafts of your paper to your peers and supervisor for recommendations before finalizing it for submission to a journal. Get feedback from adviser and colleagues. Read the finalized paper carefully. Check for accuracy of figures and captions. Always submit the paper online along with a copyright form.

Note the readership of the journal if you are considering publishing your work. Avoid excessive usage of jargon. Use spell-check and run your draft through a plagiarism algorithm online. Email us if you have more queries about writing research papers.