How to write a research paper: did you know that...?

Research paper writing is one of the most common assignments you’ll have to do. Whether you’re in high school, college or university, the format and idea of the paper is mostly the same. You’ll be proving to your teacher that you can remember and use what he or she has been teaching you in class so far. To get started on your research paper, here are a few tips you can use.

Did you know that outlines save you time?

If you balk at the word ‘outline’ don’t worry – this is a simple way to get your ideas down ahead of time. Planning out what you want to write before you start is one of the key things that successful students do with every assignment. All it takes is a few minutes to look over the instructions from your teacher and make a template from it that you can use. Once you have a brief summary of each part of your research paper, all you have to do is expand on it and put in your research. Simple!

Did you know that you can find help online?

The best way to get help on a research paper is still to go to your teacher, because he or she is the one deciding your grade. For some students who don’t want to do that, or for whatever reason it isn’t an option, they go online. There are plenty of websites with tips on writing papers, topic ideas for your research, and even writers who will do your homework for you. Whatever help you might need, you can find it online.

Did you know that you should write a crappy first draft?

Yes, write badly on purpose. I don’t mean go out of your way to write badly, but just get your ideas and words out as fast as you can, without thought to the quality. The faster you get this done, the more time you’ll have for editing and making the bad rough draft shine. You can take any bad writing and fix it, but you can’t edit if you have no first draft to start with. Students often agonize over the first writing of the research paper, when they should be just getting it done and moving on. If your research is solid and you’ve done your topic justice, then all you need is to tweak the word usage and proofread, and then you’re done.