Let us not make any false assumptions from the start here. The task of researching and writing a research paper is hard. It will require a lot of dedication, effort, desire and focus. Unlike the standard essay papers that you are accustomed to, the research paper typically is ten times the length and requires a lot more in-depth and meaningful analysis then what you have done before.
With this in mind, it is good to start the project by knowing what is expected of you in terms of what to write and how to it. This article aims to do this by revealing the eight essential sections that need to be in your research paper.
Firstly you will need a title page. This seems obvious, but every year some students get it wrong and it will cost you marks. The title page is important because it needs to get the reader’s attention. Aim to write a succinct title that describes the purpose of the paper. If you are unsure, you can always look at past research papers for ideas.
Following the title page you will also need to write an Abstract. Actually it is better to write this last as it is basically a brief synopsis of the research paper. Simply write about everything that you have done, including the purpose of the research, your expectations, the results and your interpretation of those results. The abstract is designed to give the reader a snapshot of the entire paper in just a few sentences.
Unsurprisingly, the paper needs to include an Introduction. Use this section to provide information on the key research questions and issues. It does not need to be too long, perhaps just a couple of paragraphs. Write about the hypothesis and mention some of the key historical studies related to your work, before providing a basic description of what you hope the research will achieve.
It is very important to include a Methodology section within the research paper. The purpose of this is to provide sufficient information on what you did, so that any future researcher can replicate your experiment and results. Therefore it needs to be accurate and clearly written without any ambiguity.
The methodology needs to include information on how data was recorded, what participants were used, the selection process, the equipment and anything else relevant to the research.
Directly after the methodology section should be the results area. This is probably the simplest section to complete as you only need to record the results in their purest form. Do not write about the interpretation or analysis of the results in this section.
Probably the most important section in the research paper is the Discussion section. Once the results are known, this is the area where you need to write about the interpretation of those results. In relation to the initial hypothesis you can ask certain questions such as do the results validate or invalidate the initial claims.
With this in mind, what research can be further carried out to push the subject further. As this is your viewpoint, this section allows you to express personal opinions providing they are based on the actual findings.
Finally, you need to construct a brief section for all of the sources and other materials that you have used through your research and write up of the project. It is advisable to speak to a tutor for specific guidelines on what format you are expected to use here.
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