Research Paper/Expository

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper is a form of essay that evaluates a chosen topic through additional research from a variety of sources. Throughout the research paper, the writer will analyze several different perspectives of a topic to prove their thesis sentence (or the point of the paper).

The Purpose of a Research Paper

Expand on the author’s previously known knowledge on a subject to seek expert knowledge–certified individuals who have found information through professional practices–ultimately building credibility as to why their thesis should be accepted as valuable.

Types of Research Papers

Analytical: when the writer of an essay investigates a question (often a how or why).

Argumentative or Persuasive: when the writer introduces both sides to a controversial topic but urges the reader to choose the side they believe in.

Informative: when the writer chooses a topic to inform the readers on.

Cause and Effect: when the writer chooses a topic to understand the correlation between action and results (often a why, what or how question).

Steps to Writing a Research Paper

Steps

Tips

StepsStep 1: Know what type of research paper you are writing.

TipsKnowing what type of research paper you make will guide you to choose a topic and create a thesis fit for the type of research paper.

StepsStep 2: Choose a topic/create a thesis statement.

TipsThe topic of your paper should be something you are interested in and want to deep-dive into research about for an extended period of time. As for your thesis statement, it should be effective as it's the base to your paper. To create an effective thesis statement, the writer must present the topic, state their point of view and outline the reasonings behind their positioning.

StepsStep 3: Find reliable sources and information to back up your topic.

TipsThe topic you chose should have sufficient enough research to draft a paper that meets your page requirement. A goal to strive for is 3-5 sources, preferably 1-2 sources per body paragraph. If you have difficulty finding reliable sources, you may need to reevaluate your topic, either by simplifying it or moving in a different direction.

StepsStep 4: Take notes.

TipsTaking notes as you find your information will be incredibly useful when it comes time to draft your paper. This could be statistics, an experiment, or any background information you think the reader might need to make sense of your topic. Make sure you make note of what source the information you gathered came from so you can cite it!

StepsStep 5: Organize your thoughts.

TipsCreate a layout of your paper. Come prepared with 3-5 body paragraph main ideas. Organize your notes into the main ideas. Be sure to figure out a flow to your paper that won’t make your ideas seem out of place (i.e. chronological).

StepsStep 6: Draft your paper.

TipsWrite! You can always rearrange sentences and ideas to what best fits your paper. Take risks with your writing, and if it doesn’t sound right, try again!

Layout of a Research Paper

Introduction

The introduction to any paper is important because its main purpose is to grab the reader’s attention. There are several techniques the writer can use to accomplish this:

A Quote: A quote from a scholar or expert about your research topic can grab a reader’s attention. It’s important to make your quote unpredictable and interesting to keep the reader’s attention–making them want to read more.
Fun Fact/Statistics: Everybody loves to learn! Find a fun fact or shocking statistic related to your research topic. A shock factor can really grasp a reader’s attention.
An Anecdote: An anecdote is a short, but impactful story. Anecdotes are also useful for providing real life examples on how your research topic has impacted you or someone else. From childhood to adulthood, everyone enjoys an interesting story!
Asking a Question: Curiosity thrives in the brain. Starting out with asking a question will only drive the reader to get their answer–which should be throughout your paper! After you’ve grabbed the reader’s attention, as the writer, you should make sure to explain your topic in-depth and the reasoning for why it’s important for the reader to understand. The reasoning can consist of your 3 (or more) main points the author will touch on throughout the body paragraphs. Most importantly, you will want to include your thesis in your introduction!

Each body paragraph should contain its own main point; it’s crucial to not put all of the main points into one body paragraph. The author’s body paragraphs should introduce the main point, explain why it’s important to the research, and include research findings. The writer will use the research findings to back up their main point. When including research findings, paraphrasing can help with the flow of your paper; it is still necessary for you to cite your source even when paraphrasing. The average amount of sentences in a body paragraph should be between 5-10 sentences (depending on the sentence length). As the writer, you want to be sure to not have an extremely lengthy paragraph and be aware of logical places to break to start a new paragraph. This will ease the flow of your paper and give time to your readers to be able to process what they read.

The conclusion sums up the paper in a paragraph. Your conclusion will restate the thesis by briefly summarizing the main points touched on and your stance. It will also include what you want the reader to take away from reading your paper. Finally, you will want to tie back to your attention getter–either explaining why a quote or statistic is clearly significant, completing your anecdote, or answering the question you posed.

Citing Your Sources

The way your citations will be cited at the end of your paper will differ with the format of citation you used (i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago). The most important thing to takeaway with citations is that you must give credit where credit is due; every source used in your paper must be cited

It is without a doubt important and necessary for the author to cite their sources that they used to develop their research paper. To help keep track of the sources used, here are some helpful tips!

Helpful Tips

Description

Helpful TipsHave a blank sheet for each source.

DescriptionIt could be helpful to have one page dedicated to one source, and the next page dedicated to another source. This will reduce the mix up of where you got the information and guarantee that you are citing the correct source.

Helpful TipsOrganize while you research!

DescriptionOrganize your research through your main points. Create a key to label your research, whether this be highlighting or writing a letter next to your research found.

Helpful TipsKeep track of your source's type.

DescriptionIt’s obvious that you should keep track of your sources, but you should also keep track of what source they are (i.e. website, journal). This will come in handy when you are creating your citations later.

Creating your sources page can differ through due to the different types of citations (i.e. MLA, APA, Chicago). However, no matter what citations you do, these few things stay the same.

Your sources will be on its own page. Make sure you enter down to a new page, or select page break on Google Docs or Microsoft Word and start your citations page from there.
The citations will be in alphabetical order. Citations are in alphabetical order determined on the first word of your citation; it could be a mix of author, title of work, or company.
Everything cited in your paper will be cited in the sources page. You do not want to miss out on giving credit to a source as it could result in plagiarism.

Everything that you cite in-text will go straight to your sources page. For more information on citation styles and how to properly cite them, check out the library’s citation website!