Crafting An Exceptional Research Report
How does a research paper differ from a research proposal?
A research paper is different from a research proposal (also known as a prospectus), although the writing process is similar. Research papers are intended to demonstrate a student’s academic knowledge of a subject. A proposal is a persuasive piece meant to convince its audience of the value of a research project. Think of the proposal as the pitch and the paper as the finished product.
Dig into the research process.
Although we’ll focus more on the organization and writing of a research paper in this article, the research process is an important first step. Research will help you in several ways:
- Grasp your subject.
- Pick ideas for your paper.
- Developing a thesis statement on our topic with authority.
- Gather resource materials and begin reviewing them.
- As you read and evaluate the information you discover, take notes. Keep track of your reference materials so you can cite them and build your bibliography later. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) and other university writing lab websites are excellent resources to help you understand what information you’ll need to collect to properly cite references.
Organize before you start writing.
- Your research spawned tons of ideas. Great! Now you’re ready to begin the process of organizing your presentation . . . before you begin writing. Don’t skip the organization step—it’s critical to your paper’s success. Without it, your paper will lack focus and you’ll spend much more time in the revision process trying to make sense of your jumbled thoughts.
The Outline
- An outline will help you organize your thoughts before you dig into the writing process. Once you’ve developed your thesis statement, think about the main points you’ll need to present to support that statement. Those main points are your sub-headings. Now, organize your thoughts and information under each sub-heading.
Writing the Research Paper
- The good news is, once you reach this point in the process you’re likely to feel energized by all the ideas and thoughts you’ve uncovered in your research, and you’ll have a clear direction because you’ve taken the time to create a thesis statement and organize your presentation with an outline.
Checklist for Revising Your Research Paper Draft
- Make sure you allow time to revise and edit after you’ve completed your first draft. This part of the process is about much more than just fixing typos and adding or subtracting commas. Here’s a handy checklist to help you make sure your paper is on point.
- Developmental Edit
- Is your thesis statement clear and concise?
- Is your paper well-organized and does it flow from beginning to end with logical transitions?
- Do your ideas follow a logical sequence in each paragraph?
- Have you used concrete details and facts and avoided generalizations?
- Do your arguments support and prove your thesis?
- Have you avoided repetition?
- Are your sources properly cited?
- Have you checked for accidental plagiarism?
- Line Edit
- Is your language clear and specific?
- Do your sentences flow smoothly and clearly? (Hint: Read your paper aloud to help you catch syntax problems.)
- Have you avoided filler words and phrases?
- Have you checked for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation? (Hint: grammarly.com can help!)
- Thorough research, thoughtful organization and presentation, and attention to detail in your developmental and final line edit will help you succeed in crafting a winning research paper.
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