5 Tips on Writing Effective Research Papers

8 February, 2016

1. Make a good outline: The outline step in the writing process is important. It is always good to have an idea of what you are going to write about before you actually begin. This will help your make your writing appear more clear and focused. Outlining is also a good way to start when you are feeling unsure of where exactly to begin in your paper. This is a great strategy that will help you as you begin writing more and longer papers

2. Collect and review your sources before you begin writing: Good sources are critical to writing good research papers. Reviewing sources that you are going to use will not only be helpful for getting quotations for your paper, but can also give you more background on the topic. This can inform you when you are deciding on a thesis and developing your outline.

3. Come up with a strong thesis and at least three points to support your thesis:

Your thesis statement will provide the basis for the entire research paper. It is important to come up with a good, clear thesis that can be supported by your source material. Generally, you should also have at least three points that support your thesis. You should be able to support each of these points using the source material you reviewed earlier.

4. When sourcing material, provide the quote and one sentence before and after explaining the quote: One way that many students go wrong in writing is by dropping quotations into their work without providing context for the quote. You should learn to effectively explain the importance of each quote in the context of your paper as a whole. This should not merely be a summary of the quote, but should demonstrate that you reflected on the implications of the quote and how it supports your thesis.

5. Source your material properly: It is extremely important to properly source all of the material you use for your research paper. Find out from your teach before hand what format they prefer for citations and make sure it is followed. Improper citation of source materials can potentially be seen as plagiarism, so never copy a quote from a source without providing a citation!

About Tara L.

FrogTutoring Tutor Based in Memphis, TN

I am a senior Computer Science major at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. I hope to go on to be a software engineer after I graduate in the spring. Eventually I would like to go on to graduate school and earn my PhD. I have previously been a private tutor for high-school age students. I have worked with students in subjects ranging from math, science, and writing. I also have experience working with students doing college preparation, such as helping with college essay writing.