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Techniques To Writing A College Research Paper

Topic Summary

In summary, writing a college research paper is something that requires time, preparation and knowledge of what you are writing about. What does this mean? It means that you cannot come up with a good research paper without doing some research, having a proper layout, as well as locating reliable sources to support your argument.

NOTE: Considered as a type of academic writing, research papers should provide noteworthy and theoretical information, which has been properly researched on. On the other hand, this paper can have argument-based information based on a thesis with enough evidence to prove otherwise from several reliable sources.

It is advisable to follow the techniques below


•    Select a topic that inspires you
•    Find reliable sources
•    Organize your notes
•    Brainstorm a substantial outline
•    Write the first draft
•    Go through your draft, edit it and re-write it again
•    Create a clean research paper

The million-dollar question is, how do you achieve this? Well, to get started, you have to give yourself enough time to work. For example, for a research paper of about 20 – 25 pages, you should consider giving yourself about one month to collect the library research and all necessary materials. This is a task that should take you a minimum of about one week.

Beginning your paper with a solid thesis statement is vital. The thesis statement is the question you plan to answer using the document. Not all professors will request for your thesis before you begin researching and writing the paper. As such, to come up with an excellent argument, you need to:

•    Keep it simple as possible (it is not necessary to have a big subject to work on)
•    Make it direct and accurate (keep it narrow to make your job easier)
•    Make sure your ideas will work

Secondly, take enough notes to refer when
writing a college research paper. The first document should be your rough draft. Using color code is the best idea to deal with a subject that has two or more main ideas. This technique will make your work easier Do not forget to include the author’s name, page number or date at the top of your cards. Make sure that you are accurate as much as possible.

The next step is coming up with an outline. Keep in mind your research paper will only be as interesting as the writing framework you create. For this reason;

•    The introduction should be at the top, which should be your thesis statement that has been expanded into a paragraph
•    Below the thesis should be your first main introduction heading. Do not forget to use subheadings to make your paper readable and organized.
•    Use your notes to create an excellent introduction

You should expand your thesis, and it should be definite and concise. Avoid using words such as, “I think…” or  ”In my opinion… ” these words will reduce the credibility of your paper.

REMEMBER: What you should be doing at this point; is creating a rough draft before coming up with the main document.

After you have completed your draft, go through it several times while editing it. The moment you have completed writing and edited the rough draft, you can now begin writing the main paper. Never forget to add the final word. Indeed writing a college research paper is easy if only you follow the correct steps.

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