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Published on: Jan 2, 2020
Last updated on: Jan 20, 2023
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Many students find it difficult to start a research paper and get stuck in the beginning. Due to unfamiliarity and inexperience, this type of paper becomes a real struggle.
But you can learn how to start a research paper and complete it easily with just a few simple steps.
A research paper is a formal, usually academic work that goes through researching and presenting findings. The process can be daunting for any student, but it doesn't have to be!
This guide will take you through the process of starting a research paper easily. Continue reading and find out how you can approach the introduction of your research paper.
Here, you can find a step-by-step guide on starting a research paper and presenting your topic to the reader.
Find a detailed description of each step in the following section.
1. Read Research Paper Guidelines
To write a successful research paper, it is important to go through the assignment guidelines first.
After understanding the assignment requirements, plan your time for the research process, writing, and editing of your research paper.
2. Decide on a Topic
There are many interesting research paper topics available online that you can choose from.
But a good approach is to have a broad subject area, narrow it down and choose a topic that you find interest in.
Make sure you choose a topic that has adequate information available. You can also choose a few topics, conduct a simple research on each of them, and then decide on one.
3. Conduct Initial Research
After deciding on the topic, the most exhausting part of a research paper is finding topic-related information from credible and reliable sources.
You can utilize various sources such as books, journals, websites to find convincing information for your research paper.
You can also find helpful material to formulate what/why/how to research questions at this stage.
4. Craft Research Paper Outline
Now it's time to create an outline for your research paper. A research paper outline will help you organize your research before you start the actual writing process.
It will basically be a list of key points, basic arguments, and evidence that you want to include in your paper.
The outline will give you a rough idea of what the paper will look like before starting writing your research paper.
5. Create a Thesis Statement
Now it's time to write a thesis statement to set the main focus of your research paper. A research paper thesis statement is a 1-2 sentence statement that should clearly inform the reader what the paper is going to address.
Take time to make your thesis flawless. You can also make changes in the thesis words and phrases during the writing process if there is any change of direction in the main argument.
6. Write a Brilliant Introduction
Writing the introduction of a research paper can be a daunting and time-consuming process. However, if you plan, choose an interesting topic, create an outline, it would not be difficult.
At this stage, you should have a strong thesis, background information, and research questions.
Now you need to create a hook statement to grab the reader’s attention while incorporating all the information in the introduction.
The hook statement may be:
Make sure your research paper introduction is not boring. After the hook statement, provide some background information, explain the main goal, and end it with a strong thesis statement.
Your introduction should address what, why, and how questions. The introductory paragraph should be composed in a way that the reader understands what the paper is about and why it is worth reading.
7. Revise Your Introduction
Once you are done with writing your introductory paragraph, read it one more time. Make sure it clearly conveys the main idea of your paper.
You can also leave this step for the last once you are done writing your research paper. But it would be helpful if you revise your introduction and make it perfect before starting writing the body paragraphs.
Take time with your introduction, and then start working on the rest of your paper.
A good introduction paragraph of a research paper should follow a certain structure. Therefore, this section of your research paper should not be so long.
You need to complete the introduction in a few numbers of sentences by clearly stating the main objective of your paper.
To know more about the research paper introduction, you can go through the following examples.
This research paper example guide will help you understand how to start and complete a research paper like a pro.
Writing a research paper about a person? Go through this example and learn how to start a research paper on this particular topic.
If you have decided to start your research paper with a quote, the following example will help you how to do it.
Hopefully, now you know that writing a research paper is not that challenging if you follow a proper structure.
But sometimes, students fail to choose an impressive topic or create a solid thesis for their paper.
If you cannot choose an interesting topic or write a compelling thesis, how can you make your introduction flawless?
Research paper writing is hard, especially when you get stuck in the first step, which is choosing a topic.
But you can get it done easily if you get help from a qualified essay writer online.
FreeEssayWriter.net provides the best research paper writing lab help for all academic levels. No matter if you are looking for free essays or a paper written from scratch, you can count on us.
All you have to do is place your order with your initial requirements and get it done by a professional.
WRITTEN BY
Jared P. (Law, Education)
Jared P. is a renowned author and writing service provider with over fifteen years of experience in the publishing industry. He has a Ph.D. degree in English Literature and has spent his entire career helping students achieve their academic goals by providing expert writing assistance.
Jared P. is a renowned author and writing service provider with over fifteen years of experience in the publishing industry. He has a Ph.D. degree in English Literature and has spent his entire career helping students achieve their academic goals by providing expert writing assistance.
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