The following points should be considered while writing a research paper; when properly followed they will make sure that you get an A plus grade in your research paper.
SELECTING A TOPIC: you should select a topic in which you have interest in, and which challenges you as well. The effort put into the research and the amount of enthusiasm you show while doing it depends on what your attitude is towards the selected topic. One should also look to get the teacher's approval of the topic before going ahead with a full scale research. Topics which are too specialized or technical, or if they have don't have enough source materials available, should be avoided.
LOOKING FOR INFORMATION: look for information on the net, you can also search for useful URL's for general information. Besides that, one can use online encyclopedias like Encarta, use search engine, browse the local library for atlases, encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, journals, government publications, etc. As a person gets more and more resources, he/she should write down the complete bibliographical information like authors name, title, date of publication, page numbers used, date of access, etc so that they can be properly referenced once the final paper is submitted.
THESIS STATEMENT: the thesis statement you choose will be a declaration of what you believe in, it is usually one sentence long and is finalized after a lot of critical. The major part of the research paper you write, will have arguments that will defend and support your thesis statement.
TENTATIVE OUTLINE: so that your research paper is organized in a logical way, and so that you have thought about your topic carefully, an outline should be created as the starting point of your written material. Outlines should be checked to make sure that the points which you have covered have a logical flow. The first tentative outline should have an introduction, a body, and conclusion.
ORGANIZATION OF NOTES: the organization of all the information you have collected should be based on the outline created by you. The research data collected should be critically analyzed, it should also be checked for its accuracy and the information should be verified whether it is obsolete or up-to-date. Organization of notes is perhaps the most important part of writing a research paper, in this phase you analyze and digest the information accumulated by you, and also to achieve what one of the main purposes of writing a research paper is, i.e. to learn something about the topic you have selected. Information that is irrelevant and which is not understood by you should not be included at any cost. To avoid the problem of plagiarism, one should use quotes and references very accurately and also try to write as many things in your own words as possible.
FIRST DRAFT: you should start with the very first topic you wrote down in the outline; one should also go through all the notes and information that has been gathered till that point. There are three options which can be used while writing this draft, you can summarize, give direct quotations, or paraphrase for the information you intend to use in the essay.
REVISION: in this part of research paper writing, you should read your paper and check for any errors. Rectify all the errors you can pinpoint and also try to get someone else to read the paper you have written.
FINAL PAPER: research papers should be properly typewritten and printed with a reasonably good quality. You should be aware of what the requirement of your essay is, and on what aspects your teacher is going to grade it on. Proofreading is also an important part of finalizing your paper, and finally aim to hand over the final paper a few days before the deadline, so that you have ample time for revision.
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