Guide for Writing Your First Research Paper
At higher levels of education, students are expected to demonstrate their abilities through writing assignments, most of which involve research papers.
Research papers basically require students to select an area of research within their course, identify a topic and then focus on it. They then need to conduct the actual research, which includes reading literature and consulting multiple sources to come up with an answer for their main question.
In the end, they need to put everything down in writing and present their argument based on their findings and support it with citations. Some of the key elements of a good research paper are organization, simplicity, directness, formal language and proper citation.
If you are writing your first research paper, this guide will help familiarize you with the basics to get you started.
Instructions
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1
Picking an area of study
First of all you have to select an area for your research. You can choose any area of study related to your course, but it should be important, extensively discussed and having a range of literary writing pertaining to it.
For instance, if you are studying business administration, you can select a topic according to your specialization e.g. marketing or finance. There will be many central ideas and theories that hold importance in your discipline of choice, and your topic should ideally address them.
Once you create a list of potential topics, you can also seek assistance from your professor or instructor regarding your final choice. -
2
Start researching
After finalizing your topic, you will need to conduct an initial research on it. You can arrange interviews with experts in the field or working professionals to ask about the ongoing issues in the area of your research. Such interviews will help you gather preliminary information about the topic, which in turn will help you define the parameters of your research.
Broad reading is also a technique you should employ at this stage. Going through the basics related to your topic and making notes on the most common issues and questions that arise. -
3
Define a problem area to focus on
Your preliminary research will allow you to get more information related to your topic and the prevailing issues faced in the field. All this information should help you define the problem areas and pick one as your research problem, and essentially question.
However, keep in mind that the problem area you pick needs to be concise and simple to understand. For instance, if you are studying agriculture, you might want to consider whether artificial irrigation is feasible in dry lands for crop cultivation. -
4
Literature review
Once your problem area is defined, you will need to conduct narrow reading and review the existing literature on the issue. You might not have access to, or find literature that hits your specific problem, but as long as it deals with similar issues or the components of your problem, you can consult it.
Along the way you will also need to pick a side, a possible end result or conclusion that objectively appeals to you. Your narrow reading and literature review will then focus on proving your findings. At this stage, you simply need to make notes and mature your theory.
Moreover, reviewing literature requires you to be neutral but critical. You must consult both supporting and differing views to your own problem. -
5
Develop your theory
After completing your literature review, you have to develop your own theoretical framework in which you define and operationalize your variables (dependent and independent).
Furthermore, you also define the relationship of your variables and the direction of that relationship in your framework. Then, you have to develop your hypothesis and propositions in line with your collection of supporting and differing arguments. -
6
Research design
Based on your theoretical framework, you have to develop your research design. Research design is one of the most important parts of your research, in which you provide the details of the study and give information about sampling and data collection methods. -
7
Final touches
Now you need to work on your own research design and collect the required data to support your hypothesis.
Analyze your data, compile all the sections and write an executive summary in the end before you submit your paper. -
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General Tips for your first research paper
-Create an outline before you start compiling your paper.
-Use formal writing throughout.
-Remain as objective and critical as possible.
-Argue your point with facts and not mere opinions.
