Writing a college paper

Call me a nerd, but I love to write college essays. Checking out books, making outlines, and best of all! The rest of this post is available on my college site, College Compass. To read more about this decision, read my announcement. I'm Sara, a writer, programmer, and American in the Netherlands. This blog is about my life, discoveries, and mistakes.

How to Write a College Paper

There are two words that evoke instant anxiety in nearly every academic—research paper. A research paper is different from a research proposal also known as a prospectus , although the writing process is similar. 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. Write with confidence.

Get real-time suggestions wherever you write. Get Grammarly A prospectus is a formal proposal of a research project developed to convince a reader a professor or research committee, or later in life, a project coordinator, funding agency, or the like that the research can be carried out and will yield worthwhile results.

Research will help you in several ways:. 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.

Grammarly Premium identifies things that need to be cited and helps you cite them. Your research spawned tons of ideas. The thesis statement is a sentence that summarizes the main point of your essay and previews your supporting points.

The thesis statement is important because it guides your readers from the beginning of your essay by telling them the main idea and supporting points of your essay. Most research papers begin with a thesis statement at the end of an introductory paragraph. Most research papers fall into one of three categories: analytical, expository, or argumentative.

Without a well-thought-out thesis statement, your paper is likely to end up jumbled and with an unclear purpose. An outline will help you organize your thoughts before you dig into the writing process. Those main points are your sub-headings. Now, organize your thoughts and information under each sub-heading. Keep your focus narrow and avoid the kitchen sink approach. You know, the one where you throw in every bit of interesting research you uncovered, including the fungal growth in the U-joint of your kitchen sink?

Everything you learn may be fascinating, but not all of it is going to be relevant to your paper. Need more help? Grammarly can save you from misspellings, grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and other writing issues on all your favorite websites.

Your writing, at its best. Use Grammarly for mistake-free writing. Get Grammarly Here are the best elements to a research paper:. Craft a strong opening sentence that will engage the reader. Explain the purpose of your paper and how you plan to approach the topic. Is this a factual report? An analysis? A persuasive piece? Conclude the introductory paragraph with your thesis statement. The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions:.

Your paper may evolve, so keep it fluid, but do remember to stay focused on your thesis statement and proving your points. Organize first and use your sources as they become relevant. Consider the Rule of Three. Find supporting arguments for each point you make, and present a strong point first, followed by an even stronger one, and finish with your strongest point.

Most research papers conclude with a restated thesis statement. Present your thesis again, but reword it. Take a moment to explain why you believe those points support your case. If your research is inconclusive, take a moment to point out why you believe this topic bears further research. This part of the process is about much more than just fixing typos and adding or subtracting commas. 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.

Karen Hertzberg. Works on all your favorite websites. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. You have been successfully subscribed to the Grammarly blog.

You've Already Done Half the Work. Know Your Five-Paragraph Essay.

Illustration by The New York Times. By Farah Stockman and Carlos Mureithi. Tuition was due. The rent was, too.

With all the things you have going on as a student, writing a paper can seem like a daunting task.

Even as someone who basically writes papers for a living these days like this article , I still viewed every college paper with a tinge of dread. As I moved through college, however, I developed a system for cranking out papers in record time.

How to Write High-Quality Papers and Essays More Quickly

There are two words that evoke instant anxiety in nearly every academic—research paper. A research paper is different from a research proposal also known as a prospectus , although the writing process is similar. 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. Write with confidence.

How to write a research paper

Writing a good research paper can be daunting if you have never done it before. This guide walks you through everything you need to do to write an effective, impactful research paper. Here are the steps and resources you need to write a strong research paper, as well as a checklist to go over to be sure you wrote a good paper. Research writing can be a challenge, but with a little practice, it can become an important part of your academic and professional toolkit. The following steps will help you write a research paper, starting with nothing but an assignment or prompt and ending up with a well-crafted essay. The steps are:. Many students skip this step, and then wonder why they receive a low grade on a paper they worked hard on or were excited about. Spend time going over the assignment.

Read more about the latest news, rescheduled standardized tests, testing center closures, and how we can help, here: Peterson's response to COVID But you are not alone.

A research paper is any kind of academic writing based on original research which features analysis and interpretation from the author — and it can be a bit overwhelming to begin with! Table of contents Understand the assignment Understand your audience Choose a research paper topic Conduct preliminary research Develop a thesis statement Create a research paper outline Paragraph structure Write a first draft of the research paper Write an research paper introduction Write a compelling body of text Write the research paper conclusion The second draft The revision process Checklist.

The Ultimate Guide to Writing a College Paper

Genevieve Carlton. We appreciate her advice and you should too. A college paper is the standard assignment in humanities and social sciences. You need to master writing essays if you want to earn the best grades. But college essays are not rocket science. There are a lot of different approaches to writing an essay, but they all share one thing: start early! Instead, start at least two weeks before the due date. Btw, Shovel makes this easy. Just set that you want to get started 14 days before the essay is due. Why is it so important to start early? If you pull an all-nighter right before the due date, it will show. Writing a great paper takes time, so you need to start early. Your English professor wants you to emphasize narrative styles, while your art history professor cares about technique.

Writing a Research Paper

This page lists some of the stages involved in writing a library-based research paper. Although this list suggests that there is a simple, linear process to writing such a paper, the actual process of writing a research paper is often a messy and recursive one, so please use this outline as a flexible guide. This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels. Incorporating Interview Data. Additional Resources for Grants and Proposal Writing.