essay quran majeed in urdu

Essay On Quran In Urdu

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قرآن مجید کا مختصر تعارف

اللہ تعالٰی نے انسانوں کی ہدایت اور رہنمائی کے لیے انبیاء کرام اور رسول بھیجے جنہوں نے اللہ تعالی کے احکامات کو انسانوں تک پہنچایا اور ہدایت اور رہنمائی کا یہ سلسلہ ایک طویل عرصہ تک جاری رہا اور یہاں تک کہ جب انسان عقل و شعور کی اس منزل کو پہنچ گیا کہ اب اس کی ہدایت اور رہنمائی کی مزید ضرورت باقی نہیں رہی۔ تو اللہ تعالی نے نبوت کا سلسلہ ختم کر دیا اور نبی اکرم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو اپنا آخری نبی اور رسول بنا کر بھیجا اور انسانوں کے لیے تمام بہترین اصولوں کو ایک مجموعہ کی شکل میں حضرت محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے وسیلہ سے انسانوں کو عطا کر دیا جسے قرآن مجید کہا جاتا ہے۔

اللہ پاک کی آخری کتاب

قرآن مجید اللہ تعالی کی طرف سے عطا کی گئی ہدایت کی آخری کتاب ہے جس میں انسانوں کی رہنمائی کے تمام بہترین اصول بیان کر دیئے گئے ہیں۔ اللہ تعالی کی حکمت یہ تھی کہ اس سے پہلے نازل ہونے والے صحیفوں (چھوٹی کتابیں) کا مقررہ زمانہ گزر جانے کے بعد اور ان کے منسوخ ہو جانے کے بعد اللہ تعالی کی آخری کتاب قرآن مجید کو نازل کیا جائے جو قیامت تک انسانوں کے لئے اللہ تعالی کا آخری، مکمل اور ناقابل تنسیخ اور ہدایت نامہ ہو۔

قرآن مجید 114 سورتوں پر مشتمل ایک کتاب ہے جس کی تقسیم مکی اور مدنی سورتوں میں کی گئی ہے۔ قرآن مجید میں 6666 آیات اور 540 رکوع ہیں اور اس کے تیس پارے ہیں جن میں سے ہر پارے کو ایک عنوان دیا گیا ہے۔ قرآن مجید حضرت محمد مصطفی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم پر نازل کیا گیا اور اس کے نزول میں کل 23 سال کا وقت لگا۔

قرآن کریم کی سورتیں مکی اور مدنی سورتوں میں تقسیم شدہ ہیں۔ جو سورتیں حضرت محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے مدینہ ہجرت کرنے سے پہلے نازل ہوئیں، انہیں مکی سورتیں کہا گیا ہے اور جو حضرت محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے ہجرت مدینہ کے بعد نازل ہوئیں انہیں مدنی سورتیں کہا گیا ہے۔

مکی اور مدنی سورتوں میں طرزِ بیان، معنی اور مضامین کے لحاظ سے کافی فرق ہے۔ مثلاً مکہ مکرمہ میں جو آیات اور سورتیں نازل ہوئیں ان میں زیادہ اصول اور کلیاتِ دین کا بیان ہے۔توحید، رسالت اور آخرت جیسے بنیادی عقائد پر زور دیا گیا ہے۔ مدنی سورتوں کے مخاطب اہل کتاب اور مسلمان تھے اس لئے اس میں ان کا پورا لحاظ رکھا گیا ہے۔ اکثر مقامات پر قرآن مجید کو سابقہ آسمانی کتابوں کا مؤید اورمصدق بتایا گیا ہے۔مدنی سورتوں کا دوسرا امتیاز یہ ھے کہ ان میں اکثر و بیشتر عبادات اور معاملات سے متعلق احکامات، حلال وحرام، فرائض و واجبات اور ممنوعات سے متعلق مسائل کو بیان کیا گیا ہے۔

قرآن مجید کی امتیازی شان کی بدولت اللہ تعالی نے اس کی حفاظت کی ذمہ داری خود لی اور قیامت تک کے لئے اس کے ایک ایک حرف کی حفاظت کا انتظام کر دیا۔

( سورۃ الحجرات آیت نمبر 9 ۔ترجمہ)
“بے شک ہم نے قرآن کو اتارا اور بے شک ہم ہی اس کی حفاظت کرنے والے ہیں”

قرآن مجید کے مختلف نام

قرآن مجید کے مختلف نام ہیں جن میں تقریبا 55 نام ایسے ہیں جنہیں خود قرآنی آیات سے اخذ کیا گیا۔ قرآن مجید کے یہ اسمائے مبارک قرآن مجید کا ایک تعارف پیش کرتے ہیں اور قرآن مجید کی نوعیت اور اس کی تعلیمات کی اہمیت واضح کرتے ہیں۔ ان میں چند اسمائے مبارک درج ذیل ہیں۔

قرآن مجید کا نزول اور ترتیب

قرآن پاک سے پہلے جو کتابیں انبیاء کرام پر نازل ہوئیں وہ ان کے بعد تحریری شکل میں مرتب کی گئیں۔ لیکن قرآن پاک کا پہلا نسخہ نبی اکرم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی زندگی میں تیار ہو چکا تھا۔ نبی اکرم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کاتبین وحی کی ایک جماعت کو مقرر کردیا تھا جو قرآنی آیات کا فریضہ سر انجام دیتی تھیں۔ نبی اکرم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے دنیا سے پردہ فرمانے کے وقت تک پورا قرآن پاک مختلف اجزا پر لکھا ہوا تھا۔

اس کے علاوہ کی صحابہ کرام کو قرآن پاک زبانی یاد بھی تھا۔ نبی کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے قرآن پاک کی سورتوں کی ترتیب بھی اپنی زندگی میں فرمادی تھی کیونکہ مختلف آیات کا نزول 23 سال کے عرصہ میں ہوا اس لیے قرآن پاک کی موجودہ ترتیب نزول کے اعتبار سے نہیں ہے بلکہ رسول اکرم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی ہدایت کے مطابق سورتوں کی ترتیب رکھی گئی ہے۔اب قرآن مجید کتابی شکل میں موجود ہے جس کی تقسیم سورتوں، آیات اور رکوع میں کی گئی ہے۔

قرآن مجید کی اہمیت

قرآن مجید کی اہمیت اس بات سے واضح ہے کہ اس میں جو شریعت عطا کی گئی ہے وہ ہر لحاظ سے جامع اور مکمل ہے۔ اس لیے پہلے آنے والے تمام انبیاء کرام علیہ الصلاۃ والسلام کی شریعتوں کو منسوخ کر دیا گیا۔سورہ آل عمران میں اللہ تعالی نے ارشاد فرمایا ہے کہ جو کوئی اسلام کے علاوہ کسی اور دین کو قبول کرے یا اسے تلاش کرے تو اسے ہرگز قبول نہیں کیا جائے گا۔

دین اصولوں کا مجموعہ ہوتا ہے جس پر عقائد کے حوالے سے زندگی گزارنے کا طریقہ کار چنا جاتا ہے۔ قرآن مجید میں وہ ضابطہ حیات مہیا کر دیا گیا جو ہر دور اور ہر معاشرے کے لئے یکسانیت اور کامل حیثیت رکھتا ہے۔قرآن مجید اسلام کی نظریاتی آسمانی کتاب ہے جس میں احکامات خداوندی اور انسانی زندگی کے نشیب و فراز کا حوالہ موجود ہے اور کئی سو سال گزر جانے کے بعد بھی اسی طرح محفوظ ہے۔اس کا مطالعہ کرنے اور اس میں دیے گئے احکامات پر عمل کرنے سے زندگی میں سکون اور اطمینان حاصل ہوتا ہے۔ بلکہ اس کی مدد سے احکامات پر عمل کرکے آخرت میں بھی کامیابی اور فلاح حاصل کی جا سکتی ہے۔اللہ پاک ہمیں قرآن پاک پڑھنے، اسے سمجھنے اور اس کے ذریعے اللہ پاک کے بتائے ہوئے احکامات پر چلنے کی توفیق عطا فرمائے۔ آمین۔

قرآن مجید پر ایک تقریر پڑھنے کے لئے یہاں کلک کریں!

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Essay on quran majeed in urdu written form.

Quran-Majeed-URDU-Essay-IN-WRITTEN-FORM-2023-PDF

This Article features an Essay on Quran Majeed in Urdu Written Form, In this article, we will guide you through What is Quran, Some Basic History, Teachings of Quran Majeed and Quran and Modern era reaching upto a conclusion. This essay can be used by students or teachers who are aspiring to know and learn more about Quran Majeed and its Importance

قرآن پاک اسلامی عقیدے کا مقدس متن ہے۔ یہ خیال کیا جاتا ہے کہ یہ خدا کا کلام ہے جیسا کہ 23 سال کے عرصے میں نبی محمد پر نازل ہوا۔ قرآن عربی میں لکھا گیا ہے اور اس میں 114 ابواب، یا سورتیں ہیں، جنہیں آیات، یا آیات میں تقسیم کیا گیا ہے۔ مسلمانوں کا ماننا ہے کہ قرآن خدا کا لفظی لفظ ہے اور یہ انسانیت کے لیے خدا کے پیغام کا آخری اور مکمل وحی ہے۔

قرآن کو اسلامی عقیدے کی بنیاد سمجھا جاتا ہے اور مسلمانوں کی رہنمائی کا بنیادی ذریعہ ہے۔ یہ عقائد، عبادت، اخلاقیات، اور سماجی مسائل سمیت موضوعات کی ایک وسیع رینج کا احاطہ کرتا ہے۔ قرآن خدا کی وحدانیت اور خدا کے نبیوں بشمول آدم، ابراہیم، موسیٰ اور عیسیٰ پر ایمان کی تعلیم دیتا ہے۔ یہ دوسروں کے ساتھ مہربانی، شفقت اور انصاف کے ساتھ برتاؤ کرنے کی اہمیت بھی سکھاتا ہے، اور علم، حکمت اور ذاتی ترقی کے حصول کی حوصلہ افزائی کرتا ہے۔

Urdu Speech on “Father’s Day”

قرآن کو ایک ادبی شاہکار بھی سمجھا جاتا ہے اور اس کی فصاحت و بلاغت کی وجہ سے اس کی تعریف کی جاتی ہے۔ مسلمانوں کا ماننا ہے کہ قرآن زندگیوں کو بدلنے کی طاقت رکھتا ہے اور اسے باقاعدگی سے پڑھنے سے امن، سمجھ اور رہنمائی حاصل ہو سکتی ہے۔ بہت سے مسلمان روزانہ کی نمازوں میں قرآن کی تلاوت کرتے ہیں، اسے حفظ کرتے ہیں، اور حتیٰ کہ اپنی زندگی میں بھی اس کی تلاوت کرتے ہیں۔ قرآن کو بہت سے اسلامی فنون، جیسے خطاطی، شاعری اور موسیقی کے لیے بھی الہام کا ذریعہ سمجھا جاتا ہے۔

Teachings of Quran Majeed | قرآن کی تعلیمات

:قرآن میں بہت سے موضوعات پر تعلیمات موجود ہیں، بشمول

:عقائد قرآن خدا کی وحدانیت اور خدا کے نبیوں بشمول آدم، ابراہیم، موسیٰ اور عیسیٰ پر ایمان کی تعلیم دیتا ہے۔ یہ انبیاء کی ہدایت پر عمل کرنے اور خدا کی مرضی کے تابع ہونے کی اہمیت بھی سکھاتا ہے۔

:عبادت قرآن اسلامی عبادت کے اصول بیان کرتا ہے، بشمول اسلام کے پانچ ستون: ایمان کا اعلان، نماز، روزہ، صدقہ دینا، اور مکہ کی زیارت کرنا۔

:اخلاقیات قرآن ایمانداری، ہمدردی اور معافی جیسے اخلاقی اصول سکھاتا ہے۔ یہ مسلمانوں کی حوصلہ افزائی کرتا ہے کہ وہ دوسروں کے ساتھ مہربانی، ہمدردی اور انصاف کے ساتھ پیش آئیں اور نقصان دہ کاموں جیسے لالچ، غصہ اور حسد سے بچیں۔

:سماجی مسائل قرآن شادی، خاندان اور برادری جیسے مسائل کو حل کرتا ہے۔ یہ اپنے والدین کے ساتھ احترام اور دیکھ بھال کے ساتھ سلوک کرنے کی اہمیت سکھاتا ہے، اور افراد کو اپنی کمیونٹی کی دیکھ بھال کرنے اور کم خوش قسمت لوگوں کی فلاح و بہبود کے لیے ذمہ دار بننے کی ترغیب دیتا ہے۔

:علم اور حکمت قرآن علم اور حکمت کے حصول کی ترغیب دیتا ہے، اور سکھاتا ہے کہ حقیقی سمجھ خدا سے رہنمائی حاصل کرنے سے حاصل ہوتی ہے۔

:ذاتی ترقی قرآن افراد کو ان کے اعمال پر غور کرنے اور ذاتی ترقی اور خود کی بہتری کے لیے کوشش کرنے کی ترغیب دیتا ہے۔

:امن اور ہم آہنگی قرآن سکھاتا ہے کہ امن اور ہم آہنگی خدا کی ہدایت پر عمل کرنے، دوسروں کے ساتھ حسن سلوک اور احترام سے پیش آنے اور معاشرے کی بہتری کے لیے کام کرنے سے حاصل کی جاسکتی ہے۔

Urdu Speech on “Markaz-e-Yaqeen Pakistan”

مجموعی طور پر، قرآن اسلامی عقیدے کی بنیاد ہے، مسلمانوں کے لیے رہنمائی کا بنیادی ذریعہ اور ایک ادبی شاہکار ہے۔ یہ عقائد، عبادت، اخلاقیات، اور سماجی مسائل کے ساتھ ساتھ علم، حکمت، ذاتی ترقی، امن اور ہم آہنگی کے حصول کی حوصلہ افزائی سمیت موضوعات کی ایک وسیع رینج کا احاطہ کرتا ہے۔

Quran Majeed revelence in Modern Time | دور حاضر میں قرآن مجید کی تجلی

Essay on Quran Majeed in Urdu Written Form

قرآن پاک مسلمانوں کے لیے انتہائی اہمیت کا حامل ہے کیونکہ اسے خدا کا کلام اور اسلامی عقیدے کی بنیاد سمجھا جاتا ہے۔ قرآن مسلمانوں کے لیے رہنمائی کا بنیادی ذریعہ ہے اور اسے انسانیت کے لیے خدا کے پیغام کا آخری اور مکمل وحی سمجھا جاتا ہے۔ مسلمانوں کا ماننا ہے کہ قرآن میں خدا کی وہ تعلیمات موجود ہیں جو ہر زمانے اور جگہوں سے متعلق ہیں، اور یہ کہ ایک نیک اور مکمل زندگی گزارنے کے لیے درکار رہنمائی فراہم کرتا ہے۔

قرآن کو زندگی کے تمام پہلوؤں بشمول عقائد، عبادات، اخلاقیات اور سماجی مسائل کے لیے رہنمائی کا ذریعہ سمجھا جاتا ہے۔ یہ خدا کی وحدانیت اور خدا کے نبیوں بشمول آدم، ابراہیم، موسیٰ اور عیسیٰ پر ایمان کی تعلیم دیتا ہے۔ یہ اسلامی عبادت کے اصول بھی بیان کرتا ہے، بشمول اسلام کے پانچ ستون: ایمان کا اعلان، نماز، روزہ، صدقہ دینا، اور مکہ کی زیارت کرنا۔ مزید برآں، یہ ایمانداری، ہمدردی، اور معافی جیسے اخلاقی اصول سکھاتا ہے اور مسلمانوں کو دوسروں کے ساتھ رحم، شفقت اور انصاف کے ساتھ برتاؤ کرنے کی ترغیب دیتا ہے۔

باقاعدگی سے قرآن پڑھنا مسلمانوں کے لیے ایک اہم عمل سمجھا جاتا ہے۔ بہت سے مسلمان روزانہ کی نمازوں میں قرآن کی تلاوت کرتے ہیں، اسے حفظ کرتے ہیں، اور حتیٰ کہ اپنی زندگی میں بھی اس کی تلاوت کرتے ہیں۔ یہ خیال کیا جاتا ہے کہ قرآن کو پڑھنے سے امن، سمجھ اور رہنمائی حاصل ہوتی ہے جو اسے تلاش کرتے ہیں۔ بہت سے مسلمان بھی قرآن کو بہت سے اسلامی فنون، جیسے خطاطی، شاعری اور موسیقی کے لیے الہام کا ذریعہ سمجھتے ہیں۔

قرآن خود غوروفکر اور ذاتی ترقی کی اہمیت بھی سکھاتا ہے۔ یہ افراد کو اپنے اعمال پر غور کرنے اور خود کو بہتر بنانے کی کوشش کرنے کی ترغیب دیتا ہے۔ یہ تعلیم، علم اور حکمت کی اہمیت بھی سکھاتا ہے۔

آخر میں، قرآن پاک مسلمانوں کے لیے انتہائی اہمیت کا حامل ہے کیونکہ اسے اسلامی عقیدے کی بنیاد، مسلمانوں کے لیے رہنمائی کا بنیادی ذریعہ اور ایک ادبی شاہکار سمجھا جاتا ہے۔ اس میں عقائد، عبادت، اخلاقیات، اور سماجی مسائل سمیت وسیع موضوعات پر تعلیمات شامل ہیں، اور علم، حکمت، ذاتی ترقی، اور امن و ہم آہنگی کے حصول کی حوصلہ افزائی کرتی ہے۔

جدید دور میں قرآن کی مطابقت زندگی کے مختلف پہلوؤں میں دیکھی جا سکتی ہے۔ اخلاقیات، اخلاقیات اور سماجی مسائل پر اس کی تعلیمات آج کے معاشرے میں اب بھی انتہائی متعلقہ ہیں۔

;اخلاقیات اور اخلاقیات قرآن ایمانداری، ہمدردی اور معافی جیسے اخلاقی اصول سکھاتا ہے، جو آج کے معاشرے میں متعلقہ ہیں جہاں بہت سے لوگ دیانت اور اخلاقی اقدار کے مسائل سے نبرد آزما ہیں۔ دوسروں کے ساتھ مہربانی اور ہمدردی سے پیش آنے کے بارے میں قرآن کی تعلیمات کا اطلاق بہت سے حالات میں کیا جا سکتا ہے، بشمول کام کی جگہ پر تعلقات، سیاسی گفتگو، اور مختلف پس منظر کے لوگوں کے ساتھ تعامل۔

:سماجی مسائل قرآن شادی، خاندان، اور برادری جیسے مسائل کو حل کرتا ہے، جو جدید دور میں اب بھی متعلقہ ہیں۔ اپنے والدین کے ساتھ احترام اور نگہداشت کے ساتھ سلوک کرنے کی اہمیت، اور اپنی برادری اور کم خوش نصیبوں کی دیکھ بھال کی اہمیت پر اس کی تعلیمات کا اطلاق موجودہ سماجی مسائل جیسے بزرگوں کی دیکھ بھال اور غربت پر کیا جا سکتا ہے۔

:علم اور حکمت قرآن علم اور حکمت کے حصول کی حوصلہ افزائی کرتا ہے، جو آج کے معاشرے میں اہم اقدار ہیں، خاص طور پر ٹیکنالوجی اور سائنسی ترقی کی تیز رفتاری کی روشنی میں۔

:ذاتی ترقی قرآن افراد کو ان کے اعمال پر غور کرنے اور ذاتی ترقی اور خود کی بہتری کے لیے کوشش کرنے کی ترغیب دیتا ہے، جو کہ انفرادی فلاح اور مجموعی طور پر معاشرے کے لیے بہت ضروری ہے۔

:امن اور ہم آہنگی امن اور ہم آہنگی پر قرآن کی تعلیمات آج کی دنیا میں پہلے سے کہیں زیادہ اہم ہیں جہاں بڑے اور چھوٹے دونوں طرح کے تنازعات موجود ہیں۔ قرآن سکھاتا ہے کہ امن اور ہم آہنگی خدا کی ہدایت پر عمل کرنے، دوسروں کے ساتھ حسن سلوک اور احترام سے پیش آنے اور معاشرے کی بہتری کے لیے کام کرنے سے حاصل کی جاسکتی ہے۔

مزید یہ کہ قرآن جدید زندگی کے بہت سے شعبوں جیسے نفسیات، سماجیات اور سیاسیات میں بھی استعمال ہوا ہے۔ کچھ علماء اسے انسانی حقوق، سماجی انصاف اور موجودہ تنازعات جیسے مختلف مسائل کو سمجھنے کے لیے بھی استعمال کرتے ہیں۔ قرآن کو بہت سے اسلامی فنون، جیسے خطاطی، شاعری اور موسیقی کے لیے الہام کے ذریعہ کے طور پر بھی استعمال کیا جاتا ہے۔

Quran Majeed A Way of Life | قرآن مجید زندگی کا ایک طریقہ

آخر میں، جدید دور میں قرآن کی مطابقت اس کی اخلاقیات، اخلاقیات اور سماجی مسائل، علم، حکمت، ذاتی ترقی، اور امن اور ہم آہنگی کی حوصلہ افزائی میں دیکھی جا سکتی ہے۔ یہ مسلمانوں اور غیر مسلموں کے لیے یکساں رہنمائی اور تحریک کا ایک لازوال ذریعہ ہے۔ آخر میں، قرآن ایک مقدس متن ہے جو اسلامی عقیدے میں مرکزی مقام رکھتا ہے۔ یہ خدا کا کلام سمجھا جاتا ہے جیسا کہ نبی محمد پر نازل ہوا ہے اور افراد اور معاشرے کے لیے رہنمائی، ہدایت اور تعلیمات فراہم کرتا ہے۔ قرآن میں بہت سارے موضوعات شامل ہیں جن میں اخلاقیات، اخلاقیات اور روحانیت شامل ہیں، اور اس کے اہم پیغامات میں خدا کی وحدانیت، ایمان کی اہمیت، سماجی انصاف اور خاندان اور برادری کی اہمیت شامل ہیں۔ قرآن کو اسلامی عقیدے کی بنیاد سمجھا جاتا ہے اور مسلمانوں کے لیے رہنمائی اور رہنمائی کا ایک اہم ذریعہ ہے۔ مزید برآں، قرآن کی تعلیمات اور پیغام جدید دور میں بھی بہت زیادہ متعلقہ ہیں۔ اسلامی عقیدے کی گہرائی سے فہم حاصل کرنے اور زیادہ بامعنی اور بھرپور زندگی گزارنے کے لیے لوگوں کے لیے قرآن کا مطالعہ اور سمجھنا ضروری ہے

Essay on Quran Majeed in English Written Form

Introduction to quran majeed:.

The Quran Majeed is the sacred text of the Islamic faith. It is believed to be the word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. The Quran is written in Arabic and contains 114 chapters, or surahs, which are divided into verses, or ayahs. Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal word of God and that it is the final and complete revelation of God’s message to humanity.

The Quran is considered the foundation of the Islamic faith and is the primary source of guidance for Muslims. It covers a wide range of topics including beliefs, worship, morality, and social issues. The Quran teaches the oneness of God and the belief in the prophets of God, including Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. It also teaches the importance of treating others with kindness, compassion, and justice, and encourages the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and personal growth.

Urdu Speech on 23 March 1940

The Quran is also considered to be a literary masterpiece and is admired for its eloquence and beauty. Muslims believe that the Quran has the power to change lives and that reading it regularly can bring peace, understanding, and guidance to those who seek it. Many Muslims recite the Quran in daily prayers, memorize it, and even recite it during their lifetime. The Quran is also considered as the source of inspiration for many Islamic arts, such as calligraphy, poetry and music.

In conclusion, The Quran Majeed is the foundation of the Islamic faith, the primary source of guidance for Muslims and a literary masterpiece. Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal word of God and that it is the final and complete revelation of God’s message to humanity, and it is also considered a source of inspiration for many Islamic arts.

Teachings of Quran MAJEED:

The Quran contains teachings on a wide range of topics, including:

Beliefs: The Quran teaches the oneness of God and the belief in the prophets of God, including Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. It also teaches the importance of following the guidance of the prophets and submitting to the will of God.

Worship: The Quran lays out the principles of Islamic worship, including the Five Pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and making the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Morality: The Quran teaches moral principles such as honesty, compassion, and forgiveness. It encourages Muslims to treat others with kindness, compassion, and justice and to avoid harmful actions such as greed, anger, and envy.

Social issues: The Quran addresses issues such as marriage, family, and community. It teaches the importance of treating one’s parents with respect and care, and encourages individuals to care for their community and to be responsible for the well-being of the less fortunate.

Knowledge and wisdom: The Quran encourages the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, and teaches that true understanding comes from seeking guidance from God.

Personal growth: The Quran encourages individuals to reflect on their actions and to strive for personal growth and self-improvement.

Peace and harmony: The Quran teaches that peace and harmony can be achieved through following the guidance of God, treating others with kindness and respect, and working towards the betterment of society.

Overall, The Quran is the foundation of the Islamic faith, the primary source of guidance for Muslims and a literary masterpiece. It covers a wide range of topics including beliefs, worship, morality, and social issues, as well as encouraging the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, personal growth, peace and harmony.

IMPORTANCE OF QURAN MAJEED:

The Quran Majeed is of paramount importance for Muslims as it is considered to be the word of God and the foundation of the Islamic faith. The Quran is the primary source of guidance for Muslims and is considered to be the final and complete revelation of God’s message to humanity. Muslims believe that the Quran contains the teachings of God that are relevant to all times and places, and that it provides the guidance needed to lead a virtuous and fulfilling life.

The Quran is considered to be the source of guidance for all aspects of life, including beliefs, worship, morality, and social issues. It teaches the oneness of God and the belief in the prophets of God, including Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. It also lays out the principles of Islamic worship, including the Five Pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and making the pilgrimage to Mecca. Additionally, it teaches moral principles such as honesty, compassion, and forgiveness and encourages Muslims to treat others with kindness, compassion, and justice.

Reading the Quran regularly is considered to be an important practice for Muslims. Many Muslims recite the Quran in daily prayers, memorize it, and even recite it during their lifetime. It is believed that reading the Quran brings peace, understanding, and guidance to those who seek it. Many Muslims also consider the Quran to be a source of inspiration for many Islamic arts, such as calligraphy, poetry, and music.

The Quran also teaches the importance of self-reflection and personal growth. It encourages individuals to reflect on their actions and to strive for self-improvement. It also teaches the importance of education, knowledge and wisdom.

In conclusion, The Quran Majeed is of paramount importance for Muslims as it is considered to be the foundation of the Islamic faith, the primary source of guidance for Muslims, and a literary masterpiece. It contains teachings on a wide range of topics including beliefs, worship, morality, and social issues, and encourages the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, personal growth, and peace and harmony.

THE QURAN MAJEED RELEVANCE IN MODERN TIMES

The Quran’s relevance in modern times can be seen in various aspects of life. Its teachings on morality, ethics, and social issues are still highly relevant in today’s society.

Morality and ethics: The Quran teaches moral principles such as honesty, compassion, and forgiveness, which are relevant in today’s society where many people are struggling with issues of integrity and moral values. The Quran’s teachings on treating others with kindness and compassion can be applied in many situations, including workplace relationships, political discourse, and interactions with people from different backgrounds.

Social issues: The Quran addresses issues such as marriage, family, and community, which are still relevant in modern times. Its teachings on the importance of treating one’s parents with respect and care, and on caring for one’s community and the less fortunate, can be applied to current social issues such as elder care and poverty.

Knowledge and wisdom: The Quran encourages the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, which are important values in today’s society, particularly in light of the rapid pace of technological and scientific advancements.

Personal growth: The Quran encourages individuals to reflect on their actions and to strive for personal growth and self-improvement, which is crucial for individual well-being and society as a whole.

Peace and harmony: The Quran’s teachings on peace and harmony are more important than ever in today’s world where there are many conflicts, both large and small. The Quran teaches that peace and harmony can be achieved through following the guidance of God, treating others with kindness and respect, and working towards the betterment of society.

Moreover, The Quran has also been used in many fields of modern life such as psychology, sociology, and political science. Some scholars also use it to understand various issues such as human rights, social justice and current conflicts. The Quran is also used as a source of inspiration for many Islamic arts, such as calligraphy, poetry, and music.

In conclusion, The Quran’s relevance in modern times can be seen in its teachings on morality, ethics, and social issues, its encouragement of knowledge, wisdom, personal growth, and peace and harmony. It’s a timeless source of guidance and inspiration for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

In conclusion, the Quran is a sacred text that holds a central place in the Islamic faith. It is considered to be the word of God as revealed to the prophet Muhammad and provides guidance, direction, and teachings for individuals and society. The Quran covers a wide range of topics, including morality, ethics, and spirituality, and its main messages include the Oneness of God, the importance of faith, social justice, and the importance of family and community. The Quran is considered to be the foundation of the Islamic faith and is an important source of guidance and direction for Muslims. Additionally, the Quran’s teachings and message are still highly relevant in modern times. It is important for individuals to study and understand the Quran in order to gain a deeper understanding of the Islamic faith and to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

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quran majeed essay in urdu/قرآن مجید میری پسندیدہ کتاب

میری پسندیدہ کتاب قرآنِ مجید

قرآن مجید ایک مکمل ضابطہ حیات.

بِسْمِ اللّـٰهِ الرَّحْـمٰنِ الرَّحِيْـمِ

ذٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۖ فِيْهِ ۚ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِيْنَ

ترجمہ : “یہ وہ کتاب ہے جس میں کوئی بھی شک نہیں، پرہیز گارو ں کے لیے ہدایت ہے۔”

قرآن مجید انسانیت کے لیے ایک مکمّل ضابطۂ حیات ہے۔ اس میں ہر مکتبہ فکر ،ہر شعبے ،ہر قوم اور ہر نسل کے لیے علم وحکمت کے اسرار پوشیدہ ہیں ۔ لیکن اُن اسرار و رموز تک رسائی صرف ان صاحب ِ عرفان اور صاحبِ علم و حکمت کو ہی ہے جو اس کتاب کے مندرجات کو سمجھتے ہیں ۔ اسی لیے قرآنِ پاک میں اللہ رب العزت بیان فرماتے ہیں : ’’ کیا تم غور نہیں کرتے‘‘ اس آیت کریمہ کے ذریعے اللّہ رب العزت اپنے بندوں کو غور و فکرکی دعوت اور فلاح کا راستہ بتاتے ہیں تاکہ وہ اس پر عمل پیرا ہوکر آگہی وشعور اور کامیابی حاصل کر سکیں۔

بدلے گا زمانہ لاکھ مگر قرآن نہ بدلا جائے گا یہ قول محمدؐ قول خدا، فرمان نہ بدلا جائے گا

قرآن مجید وہ عظیم الشان کتاب ہے جو کلام الہی کا آخری نمونہ ہے اس کو پڑھنا باعث اجر وثواب اور عمل کرنا باعث نجات ہے۔جو قوم اسے تھام لیتی ہے وہ رفعت وبلندی کے اعلی ترین مقام پر فائز ہو جاتی ہے،اور جو اسے پس پشت ڈال دیتی ہے ،وہ ذلیل وخوار ہو کر رہ جاتی ہے۔یہ کتاب مبین انسانیت کے لئے دستور حیات اور ضابطہ زندگی کی حیثیت رکھتی ہے۔یہ انسانیت کو راہ راست پر لانے والی ،بھٹکے ہوؤں کو صراط مستقیم پر چلانے والی ،قعر ذلت میں گرے ہوؤں کو اُوج ِثریا پر لے جانے والی ،اور شیطان کی بندگی کرنے والوں کو رحمن کی بندگی سکھلانے والی کتاب ہے۔بقول اقبال

گر تو می خواہی مسلماں زیستن نیست ممکن جز بہ قرآں زیستن

اگر تم مسلمان كى زندگی گزارنا چاہتے ہو تو قرآن كريم كو زندگی کا حصہ بنائے بغير ايسا ممكن نہیں۔

قرآن مجید ایک ایسی ہی دائمی، عالمگیر اور آفاقی کتاب ہے۔ یہ زمان و مکان کی حدود سے ماورا ہے۔ یہی میری پسندیدہ کتاب ہے۔ بقول علامہ اقبال

قرآن میں ہو غوطہ زن اے مرد مسلمان

اللہ کرے تجھ کو عطا جدت کردار!

قرآن مجید اللہ تعالی کی آخری اور جامع کتاب ہے جو جن وانس کے لئے مستند، اغیار عالم کے لئے معتبر اور حکمتوں سے لبریز ہے ۔ پرکشش اسلوب سے معمور ،دنیاوی اور اخروی مسائل کا حل ، مستحکم و جامع دستاویز کی صورت میں اجل تک کے لیے راہ ہدایت ہے ۔نظم ونثردونوں صورتوں میں لاکھوں صفتوں سے متصف کتاب ہے ۔صلاح وفلاح کی ضامن آخری کتاب تیئس سال میں بذریعہ جبرئیل امیں نازل کردہ الہامی کتابوں میں افضل بناکر پیغمبر اعظم رسول عربی محمد ﷺ پر چالیس برس كى عمر میں نازل کی گئی ۔قرآن مجید نوع انسان کے لیے رشد و ہدایت کا سرچشمہ ہے۔ یہ علم و حکمت کی کتاب ہے۔بقول مولانا الطاف حسین حالیؔ

اتر کر حرا سے سوئے قوم آیا!

اور اک نسخہ کیمیا بھی ساتھ لایا

عرب جس پر قرنوں سے تھا جہل چھایا

پلٹ دی بس ایک آن میں اس کی کایا

قرآن مجید سے پہلے نازل ہونے والی آسمانی کتابیں مخصوص افراد ،اقوام یا ملک کےلوگوں کے لیے اتاری گئیں لیکن قرآن مجید پوری دنیائے انسانیت کے لیے تا قیامت پیغام رشد و ہدایات لے کر آیا ہے۔ یہ کلام پاک ياایھا الناس (اے لوگو!) کا خطاب کر کے تمام انسانوں کو ہدایت کا پیغام دیتا ہے۔ یہ قیامت تک کے لیے تمام زمانوں اور تمام انسانوں کے لیے مکمل راہ ہدایت ہے۔ یہ ایک عالمگیر کتاب ہے جس کی تعلیمات ہر دور اور ہر ملک میں قابل عمل ہیں۔ اس کتاب کی تعلیمات فطری ہیں ۔بقول شاعر:

ملے گی منزل مقصود یہ ایمان رکھتے ہیں

ہم اپنی رہنمائی کے لیے قرآن رکھتے ہیں

دوسری الہامی کتابوں کے برعکس قرآن مجید ایک ایسی کتاب ہے جو آج بھی بعینہ اسی صورت میں موجود ہے۔ جس صورت میں یہ رسول اکرم ﷺ پر نازل ہوئی تھی۔ اس کےایک ایک لفظ ، بلکہ حرف یا شوشے میں بھی ذرا فرق نہیں آیا۔ ہم پورے اطمینان سے یہ بات کہہ سکتے ہیں کہ یہ خالص اللہ کا کلام ہے۔ اللہ تعالی نے خود اس کی حفاظت کا ذمہ لیا ہے۔ارشاد ربانی ہے :

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَفِظُونَ

ترجمہ:”بے شک یہ (کتاب) نصیحت ہم ہی نے اتاری ہے اور ہم ہی اس کے نگہبان ہیں”

قرآن مجید ایک انقلاب آفریں کتاب ہے۔ پورا قرآن مجید پڑھ جائیے۔مگر آپ کو ایک بھی آیت کریمہ ایسی نہیں ملے گی، جس میں آداب غلامی سکھائے گئے ہوں۔ اس کے بر عکس یہ اپنے ماننے والوں کو سراسر اصول جہانگیری دحکمرانی سکھاتی ہے۔ بقول علامہ اقبال

ان بیچاروں کا یہ مسلک ہے کہ ناقص ہے کتاب

کہ سکھاتی نہیں بندوں کو غلامی کے طریق!

قرآن مجید کے بارے میں ایک بات اہم ہے کہ یہ جس زبان میں نازل ہوا وہ ایک زندہ زبان ہے۔ قرآن مجید ایک معجزاتی کتاب ہے۔ یہ بے مثل ہے کوئی اس کا ثانی نہیں۔ بقول شاعر:

یہ وہ کتاب ہے جس کی کوئی مثال نہیں یہی کلام ہے جس کو کبھی زوال نہیں

قرآن مجید انقلاب کا وہ پیش خیمہ ہے جس نے اپنے وجود کے ساتھ ہی خاموش طبع اور نیک نہاد انسان کو گوشہ عزلت سے نکال کر خدا سے پھری ہوئی دنیا کے مقابلے میں لاکھڑا کیا اور اس کے خلاف اس سے آواز اٹھوائی اور وقت کے فرعونوں سے اس کو لڑا دیا۔ گھر گھر سے ایک روحِ سعید اور پاکیزہ نفس کو نکال کر کلمہ حق کے جھنڈے تلے اکٹھا کر دیا ۔ بقول اقبال :

یہ راز کسی کو نہیں‌ معلوم کے مؤمن قاری نظر آتا ہے، حقیقت میں‌ ہے قرآن

قرآن مجید فصاحت و بلاغت کے لحاظ سے ایک ادبی شاہکار ہے۔ اس میں پہاڑوں کا سا جلال ، سمندروں کا سا تلاطم، دریاؤں کی سی روانی ، بجلی کی سی تڑپ اورطلسماتی جواہرات کی مرصع کاری ہے۔زمانہ جاہلیت کے عربوں کو خطابت اور شعر و شاعری پر بڑا فخر اور ناز تھا اور وہ اپنے مقابلے میں دوسرے ملکوں کو عجم یعنی گونگا کہ کر پکارتے تھے۔ لیکن جب قرآن مجید نازل ہوا تو اس کی بے پناہ فصاحت و بلاغت کے سامنے ان سب کی زبانیں گنگ ہو گئیں اور کوئی بڑے سے بڑا عالم ، مقرر، خطیب یا شاعر اس جیسا کلام پیش نہ کر سکا۔

قرآن مجید نے چیلنج دیا کہ اس جیسی ایک سورت بنا کر لاؤ لیکن آج تک کوئی شخص اس چیلنج کا جواب نہیں دے سکا۔ آخر یہ ممکن بھی کیسے ہے؟ قرآن مجید خالق کا ئنات کا کلام ہے۔ انسان کی کیا اوقات کہ رب کریم کی عظمت کو پا سکے ۔ جب قرآن مجید کی سب سے چھوٹی سورۃ ، سورۃ الکوثر نازل ہوئی تو حضرت علی المرتضی شیر خدا نے اسے لکھ کر خانہ کعبہ کی دیوار پر آویزاں کر دیا۔جب اس آیت کریمہ کو ایک بہت بڑے عرب شاعر نے پڑھا تو دریائے حیرت میں گم ہو کر رہ گیا اور و ہیں دیوار پر لکھ دیا :

مَا هُذَا الْكَلَام الْبَشَر

یعنی یہ کسی انسان کا کلام نہیں۔

پہلی آسمانی کتابوں میں سے کچھ کتب صرف اخلاقی تعلیمات پر مشتمل تھیں اور بعض صرف مناجات اور دعاؤں کا مجموعہ تھیں۔ کچھ صرف فقہی مسائل کا مجموعہ تھیں۔ بعض میں صرف عقائد کا بیان تھا اور بعض صرف تاریخی واقعات کا مجموعہ تھیں۔ لیکن قرآن مجید ایسی جامع کتاب ہے جس میں ہر پہلو پرروشنی ڈالی گئی ہے۔ اس میں اخلاقی تعلیمات اور عقائد و اعمال کا بیان بھی ہے۔ قرآن مجید نے انسانیت کو اس کا صیح مقام بخشا۔ بنی نوع انسان کو امن وسلامتی کا پیغام اورحریت و مساوات کا پیغام دیا ۔

قدیم آسمانی کتابوں میں اس بات کا اکثر تذکرہ ملتا ہے کہ ایک آخری نبی آئیں گے ان کا تعلق عرب سے ہوگا ۔پھر انتظار کی طویل گھڑیاں ختم ہوئیں آپ ﷺ اس دنیا میں تشریف لائے۔ آپ ﷺ کا وجود مباک روشن آفتاب بن کر ابھرا جس سے کائنات کی ہر تار یکی اجالے میں بدل گئی ۔بقول شاعر

دنیا کی محفلوں کے دیے سارے بجھ گئے

روشن جب ان کی برسم کی تبدیل ہو گئی

قرآن آخری اصول زندگی ہے لیکن افسوس ہم نے اسے الماریوں کی زینت بنا رکھا ہے۔ یہ کتاب ہدایت ہے اس کے نور سے دل منور ہونے چاہئیں۔ یہ کتاب اگر ڈراتی ہے تو خوشخبری بھی دیتی ہے۔ اس کی ہر بات پکی ،سچی ، روشن اور واضح ہے۔

ہر لفظ کو سینے میں بسالو تو بنے بات

طاقوں میں سجانے کو یہ قرآن نہیں ہے

مومن محض قرآن پڑھتا نہیں بلکہ مجسم قرآن بھی ہوتا ہے اس کے ہر کام میں اللہ کی رضا شامل ہوتی ہے۔ مومن کا ہر عمل حق و باطل کا معیار طے کرتا ہے۔ اس کی زندگی قرآن کے نور سے منور ہو جاتی ہے۔ اس کی فکر کشادہ اور نگاہ پر نور بن جاتی ہے اس لیے یہ بات حقیقت بن جاتی ہے کہ مومن کی بصیرت سے ڈرنا چاہیے کیونکہ وہ اللہ کے نورسے دیکھتا ہے اور اس کے ہر عمل میں رسول اللہ ﷺ کی زندگی کا عکس ہوتا ہے۔ اقبال نے کہا تھا:

یہ راز کسی کو نہیں معلوم کہ مومن

قاری نظر آتا ہے ، حقیقت میں ہے قرآن

قرآن مجید ہر دور کے لیے ہدایت اور رہنما ہے۔ ایک قرآن وہ ہے جو کہ تیس پاروں میں بند ہے اور ایک قرآن وہ ہے جو مکے کی گلیوں میں تبلیغ کاحق ادا کرتا رہا ہے مدینے کی شاہراہوں کو اپنے انوار سے جگمگاتا رہا ہے اور رزم و بزم میں شجاعت و ہدایت کے لئے باب رقم کرتا رہا ہے ۔ گو یا حضور ﷺ کی زندگی قرآن کی آیتوں میں ڈھلی ہوئی تھی۔ بقول حضرت عائشہ  آپ کا اخلاق قرآن ہے ۔ اسی لیے آپ کو مجسم قرآن بھی کہا جاتا ہے ۔

ہدایت کے لیے دنیا کی ختم المرسلین آئے

کتاب رشد لے کر رحمۃ اللعالمین آئے

انسانوں کی رہنمائی کیلئے اس سے بڑھ کر اور کوئی کتاب نہیں ہو سکتی ۔ جب اللہ رب العزت نے فرمادیا کہ یہ کتابِ ہدایت ہے تو پھر آج مسلمان کیوں بھٹک رہے ہیں؟ بقول اقبال :

حرم پاک بھی اللہ بھی قرآن بھی ایک

کچھ بڑی بات تھی ہوتے جو مسلمان بھی ایک

وہ زمانے میں معزز تھے مسلماں ہو کر

اور تم خوار ہوئے تارک قرآن ہو کر

ہمیں غور وفکر کرنا ہوگا۔ ضرورت اس بات کی ہے کہ ہر مسلمان قرآن کریم کی تلاوت کریں اس کا مطالعہ کریں اُسی احساس و ذمہ داری کے ساتھ کہ یہ کتاب الٰہی انسانی زندگی کیلئے ایک کامل ہدایت نامہ ہے۔زندگی کی ضرورت سے تعلق رکھنے والے سارے ہی احکام ایمانیات، عبادات، معاملات ، معاشرت ،اخلاقیات وغیرہ وغیرہ قرآن مجید میں موجود ہیں۔

حقیقت یہ ہے قرآن مجید میں ارشاد ربانی ہے :

’’ اور ہم نے تم پر یہ قرآن اتارا کہ ہر چیز کا روشن بیان ہے او رہدایت اور رحمت اور بشارت مسلمانوں کو۔‘‘(النحل89)

کلام رب کے ایک اک لفظ میں گہرائی ہوتی ہے

وہی پڑھتا ہے جس کے ذہن میں بینائی ہوتی ہے

quran majeed essay in urdu

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meri pasandida kitab quran majeed
meri pasandida kitab quran majeed essay in

Quran ki tilawat

Quran kareem rohani aur jismani dono qismo ki bimariyon ke liye shifa hai aur khud janab Nabi kareem peace be upon him ne mushkilat, bimariyon aur aafat mai Quran kareem ke zariye ilaj ki talqeen farmai hai. Quran Pak ke samne koi baatil nahi theher sakta. Zaalimon ki taqat, jaabro ki tadbeeren aur dushmanon ki saazishen Quran Pak ke samne bulbulay se zyada kamzor hain. Quran majeed ka noor badkhuwahon ki ankhon ko be noor kardeta hai. Hum ne Quran e Pak ke samne baar ha taqatwar dushmanon ko khaaib o khaasir hote dekha. Africa ka kala jadu Qurani Ayat ke samne hum ne khud toot’te , bikharte aur bhagte dekha.

Ummar ke ehle ilm mai shifa bil quran ka hamesha maamool raha hai. Is ki barkat aur afadiyat se kisi musalman ko inkar nahi ho sakta. Aj ke dor mai jab ke amliyat mai kale ilm aur bohot si doosri khirafat ka riwaj barhta jarha hai aur is par fitan dor ke andar Quran Kareem aur Nabi ( Peace Be Upon Him ) ke irshadat aur farmoodat ke zariye ilaj ko farogh dena aur ayat qurani se aam logon ko mushkilat aur bimariyon asani mohia karne ka zimma uthaya hai aur ilaj karne wale saahib ilm hone ke saath saath sahib e faiz bhi hain.

research paper draft example

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12.1 Creating a Rough Draft for a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

Apply strategies for drafting an effective introduction and conclusion.
Identify when and how to summarize, paraphrase, and directly quote information from research sources.
Apply guidelines for citing sources within the body of the paper and the bibliography.
Use primary and secondary research to support ideas.
Identify the purposes for which writers use each type of research.

At last, you are ready to begin writing the rough draft of your research paper. Putting your thinking and research into words is exciting. It can also be challenging. In this section, you will learn strategies for handling the more challenging aspects of writing a research paper, such as integrating material from your sources, citing information correctly, and avoiding any misuse of your sources.

The Structure of a Research Paper

Research papers generally follow the same basic structure: an introduction that presents the writer’s thesis, a body section that develops the thesis with supporting points and evidence, and a conclusion that revisits the thesis and provides additional insights or suggestions for further research.

Your writing voice will come across most strongly in your introduction and conclusion, as you work to attract your readers’ interest and establish your thesis. These sections usually do not cite sources at length. They focus on the big picture, not specific details. In contrast, the body of your paper will cite sources extensively. As you present your ideas, you will support your points with details from your research.

Writing Your Introduction

There are several approaches to writing an introduction, each of which fulfills the same goals. The introduction should get readers’ attention, provide background information, and present the writer’s thesis. Many writers like to begin with one of the following catchy openers:

A surprising fact
A thought-provoking question
An attention-getting quote
A brief anecdote that illustrates a larger concept
A connection between your topic and your readers’ experiences

The next few sentences place the opening in context by presenting background information. From there, the writer builds toward a thesis, which is traditionally placed at the end of the introduction. Think of your thesis as a signpost that lets readers know in what direction the paper is headed.

Jorge decided to begin his research paper by connecting his topic to readers’ daily experiences. Read the first draft of his introduction. The thesis is underlined. Note how Jorge progresses from the opening sentences to background information to his thesis.

Beyond the Hype: Evaluating Low-Carb Diets

I. Introduction

Over the past decade, increasing numbers of Americans have jumped on the low-carb bandwagon. Some studies estimate that approximately 40 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the population, are attempting to restrict their intake of food high in carbohydrates (Sanders and Katz, 2004; Hirsch, 2004). Proponents of low-carb diets say they are not only the most effective way to lose weight, but they also yield health benefits such as lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, some doctors claim that low-carb diets are overrated and caution that their long-term effects are unknown. Although following a low-carbohydrate diet can benefit some people, these diets are not necessarily the best option for everyone who wants to lose weight or improve their health.

Write the introductory paragraph of your research paper. Try using one of the techniques listed in this section to write an engaging introduction. Be sure to include background information about the topic that leads to your thesis.

Writers often work out of sequence when writing a research paper. If you find yourself struggling to write an engaging introduction, you may wish to write the body of your paper first. Writing the body sections first will help you clarify your main points. Writing the introduction should then be easier. You may have a better sense of how to introduce the paper after you have drafted some or all of the body.

Writing Your Conclusion

In your introduction, you tell readers where they are headed. In your conclusion, you recap where they have been. For this reason, some writers prefer to write their conclusions soon after they have written their introduction. However, this method may not work for all writers. Other writers prefer to write their conclusion at the end of the paper, after writing the body paragraphs. No process is absolutely right or absolutely wrong; find the one that best suits you.

No matter when you compose the conclusion, it should sum up your main ideas and revisit your thesis. The conclusion should not simply echo the introduction or rely on bland summary statements, such as “In this paper, I have demonstrated that.…” In fact, avoid repeating your thesis verbatim from the introduction. Restate it in different words that reflect the new perspective gained through your research. That helps keep your ideas fresh for your readers. An effective writer might conclude a paper by asking a new question the research inspired, revisiting an anecdote presented earlier, or reminding readers of how the topic relates to their lives.

Writing at Work

If your job involves writing or reading scientific papers, it helps to understand how professional researchers use the structure described in this section. A scientific paper begins with an abstract that briefly summarizes the entire paper. The introduction explains the purpose of the research, briefly summarizes previous research, and presents the researchers’ hypothesis. The body provides details about the study, such as who participated in it, what the researchers measured, and what results they recorded. The conclusion presents the researchers’ interpretation of the data, or what they learned.

Using Source Material in Your Paper

One of the challenges of writing a research paper is successfully integrating your ideas with material from your sources. Your paper must explain what you think, or it will read like a disconnected string of facts and quotations. However, you also need to support your ideas with research, or they will seem insubstantial. How do you strike the right balance?

You have already taken a step in the right direction by writing your introduction. The introduction and conclusion function like the frame around a picture. They define and limit your topic and place your research in context.

In the body paragraphs of your paper, you will need to integrate ideas carefully at the paragraph level and at the sentence level. You will use topic sentences in your paragraphs to make sure readers understand the significance of any facts, details, or quotations you cite. You will also include sentences that transition between ideas from your research, either within a paragraph or between paragraphs. At the sentence level, you will need to think carefully about how you introduce paraphrased and quoted material.

Earlier you learned about summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting when taking notes. In the next few sections, you will learn how to use these techniques in the body of your paper to weave in source material to support your ideas.

Summarizing Sources

When you summarize material from a source, you zero in on the main points and restate them concisely in your own words. This technique is appropriate when only the major ideas are relevant to your paper or when you need to simplify complex information into a few key points for your readers.

Be sure to review the source material as you summarize it. Identify the main idea and restate it as concisely as you can—preferably in one sentence. Depending on your purpose, you may also add another sentence or two condensing any important details or examples. Check your summary to make sure it is accurate and complete.

In his draft, Jorge summarized research materials that presented scientists’ findings about low-carbohydrate diets. Read the following passage from a trade magazine article and Jorge’s summary of the article.

Assessing the Efficacy of Low-Carbohydrate Diets

Adrienne Howell, Ph.D.

Over the past few years, a number of clinical studies have explored whether high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are more effective for weight loss than other frequently recommended diet plans, such as diets that drastically curtail fat intake (Pritikin) or that emphasize consuming lean meats, grains, vegetables, and a moderate amount of unsaturated fats (the Mediterranean diet). A 2009 study found that obese teenagers who followed a low-carbohydrate diet lost an average of 15.6 kilograms over a six-month period, whereas teenagers following a low-fat diet or a Mediterranean diet lost an average of 11.1 kilograms and 9.3 kilograms respectively. Two 2010 studies that measured weight loss for obese adults following these same three diet plans found similar results. Over three months, subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet plan lost anywhere from four to six kilograms more than subjects who followed other diet plans.

In three recent studies, researchers compared outcomes for obese subjects who followed either a low-carbohydrate diet, a low-fat diet, or a Mediterranean diet and found that subjects following a low-carbohydrate diet lost more weight in the same time (Howell, 2010).

A summary restates ideas in your own words—but for specialized or clinical terms, you may need to use terms that appear in the original source. For instance, Jorge used the term obese in his summary because related words such as heavy or overweight have a different clinical meaning.

On a separate sheet of paper, practice summarizing by writing a one-sentence summary of the same passage that Jorge already summarized.

Paraphrasing Sources

When you paraphrase material from a source, restate the information from an entire sentence or passage in your own words, using your own original sentence structure. A paraphrased source differs from a summarized source in that you focus on restating the ideas, not condensing them.

In his draft, Jorge frequently paraphrased details from sources. At times, he needed to rewrite a sentence more than once to ensure he was paraphrasing ideas correctly. Read the passage from a website. Then read Jorge’s initial attempt at paraphrasing it, followed by the final version of his paraphrase.

Dieters nearly always get great results soon after they begin following a low-carbohydrate diet, but these results tend to taper off after the first few months, particularly because many dieters find it difficult to follow a low-carbohydrate diet plan consistently.

People usually see encouraging outcomes shortly after they go on a low-carbohydrate diet, but their progress slows down after a short while, especially because most discover that it is a challenge to adhere to the diet strictly (Heinz, 2009).

After reviewing the paraphrased sentence, Jorge realized he was following the original source too closely. He did not want to quote the full passage verbatim, so he again attempted to restate the idea in his own style.

Because it is hard for dieters to stick to a low-carbohydrate eating plan, the initial success of these diets is short-lived (Heinz, 2009).

On a separate sheet of paper, follow these steps to practice paraphrasing.

Choose an important idea or detail from your notes.
Without looking at the original source, restate the idea in your own words.
Check your paraphrase against the original text in the source. Make sure both your language and your sentence structure are original.
Revise your paraphrase if necessary.

Quoting Sources Directly

Most of the time, you will summarize or paraphrase source material instead of quoting directly. Doing so shows that you understand your research well enough to write about it confidently in your own words. However, direct quotes can be powerful when used sparingly and with purpose.

Quoting directly can sometimes help you make a point in a colorful way. If an author’s words are especially vivid, memorable, or well phrased, quoting them may help hold your reader’s interest. Direct quotations from an interviewee or an eyewitness may help you personalize an issue for readers. And when you analyze primary sources, such as a historical speech or a work of literature, quoting extensively is often necessary to illustrate your points. These are valid reasons to use quotations.

Less experienced writers, however, sometimes overuse direct quotations in a research paper because it seems easier than paraphrasing. At best, this reduces the effectiveness of the quotations. At worst, it results in a paper that seems haphazardly pasted together from outside sources. Use quotations sparingly for greater impact.

When you do choose to quote directly from a source, follow these guidelines:

Make sure you have transcribed the original statement accurately.
Represent the author’s ideas honestly. Quote enough of the original text to reflect the author’s point accurately.
Never use a stand-alone quotation. Always integrate the quoted material into your own sentence.
Use ellipses (…) if you need to omit a word or phrase. Use brackets [ ] if you need to replace a word or phrase.
Make sure any omissions or changed words do not alter the meaning of the original text. Omit or replace words only when absolutely necessary to shorten the text or to make it grammatically correct within your sentence.
Remember to include correctly formatted citations that follow the assigned style guide.

Jorge interviewed a dietician as part of his research, and he decided to quote her words in his paper. Read an excerpt from the interview and Jorge’s use of it, which follows.

Personally, I don’t really buy into all of the hype about low-carbohydrate miracle diets like Atkins and so on. Sure, for some people, they are great, but for most, any sensible eating and exercise plan would work just as well.

Registered dietician Dana Kwon (2010) admits, “Personally, I don’t really buy into all of the hype.…Sure, for some people, [low-carbohydrate diets] are great, but for most, any sensible eating and exercise plan would work just as well.”

Notice how Jorge smoothly integrated the quoted material by starting the sentence with an introductory phrase. His use of ellipses and brackets did not change the source’s meaning.

Documenting Source Material

Throughout the writing process, be scrupulous about documenting information taken from sources. The purpose of doing so is twofold:

To give credit to other writers or researchers for their ideas
To allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired

You will cite sources within the body of your paper and at the end of the paper in your bibliography. For this assignment, you will use the citation format used by the American Psychological Association (also known as APA style). For information on the format used by the Modern Language Association (MLA style), see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” .

Citing Sources in the Body of Your Paper

In-text citations document your sources within the body of your paper. These include two vital pieces of information: the author’s name and the year the source material was published. When quoting a print source, also include in the citation the page number where the quoted material originally appears. The page number will follow the year in the in-text citation. Page numbers are necessary only when content has been directly quoted, not when it has been summarized or paraphrased.

Within a paragraph, this information may appear as part of your introduction to the material or as a parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence. Read the examples that follow. For more information about in-text citations for other source types, see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” .

Leibowitz (2008) found that low-carbohydrate diets often helped subjects with Type II diabetes maintain a healthy weight and control blood-sugar levels.

The introduction to the source material includes the author’s name followed by the year of publication in parentheses.

Low-carbohydrate diets often help subjects with Type II diabetes maintain a healthy weight and control blood-sugar levels (Leibowitz, 2008).

The parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence includes the author’s name, a comma, and the year the source was published. The period at the end of the sentence comes after the parentheses.

Creating a List of References

Each of the sources you cite in the body text will appear in a references list at the end of your paper. While in-text citations provide the most basic information about the source, your references section will include additional publication details. In general, you will include the following information:

The author’s last name followed by his or her first (and sometimes middle) initial
The year the source was published
The source title
For articles in periodicals, the full name of the periodical, along with the volume and issue number and the pages where the article appeared

Additional information may be included for different types of sources, such as online sources. For a detailed guide to APA or MLA citations, see Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” . A sample reference list is provided with the final draft of Jorge’s paper later in this chapter.

Using Primary and Secondary Research

As you write your draft, be mindful of how you are using primary and secondary source material to support your points. Recall that primary sources present firsthand information. Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources. They present a writer’s analysis or interpretation of primary source materials. How you balance primary and secondary source material in your paper will depend on the topic and assignment.

Using Primary Sources Effectively

Some types of research papers must use primary sources extensively to achieve their purpose. Any paper that analyzes a primary text or presents the writer’s own experimental research falls in this category. Here are a few examples:

A paper for a literature course analyzing several poems by Emily Dickinson
A paper for a political science course comparing televised speeches delivered by two presidential candidates
A paper for a communications course discussing gender biases in television commercials
A paper for a business administration course that discusses the results of a survey the writer conducted with local businesses to gather information about their work-from-home and flextime policies
A paper for an elementary education course that discusses the results of an experiment the writer conducted to compare the effectiveness of two different methods of mathematics instruction

For these types of papers, primary research is the main focus. If you are writing about a work (including nonprint works, such as a movie or a painting), it is crucial to gather information and ideas from the original work, rather than relying solely on others’ interpretations. And, of course, if you take the time to design and conduct your own field research, such as a survey, a series of interviews, or an experiment, you will want to discuss it in detail. For example, the interviews may provide interesting responses that you want to share with your reader.

Using Secondary Sources Effectively

For some assignments, it makes sense to rely more on secondary sources than primary sources. If you are not analyzing a text or conducting your own field research, you will need to use secondary sources extensively.

As much as possible, use secondary sources that are closely linked to primary research, such as a journal article presenting the results of the authors’ scientific study or a book that cites interviews and case studies. These sources are more reliable and add more value to your paper than sources that are further removed from primary research. For instance, a popular magazine article on junk-food addiction might be several steps removed from the original scientific study on which it is loosely based. As a result, the article may distort, sensationalize, or misinterpret the scientists’ findings.

Even if your paper is largely based on primary sources, you may use secondary sources to develop your ideas. For instance, an analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s films would focus on the films themselves as a primary source, but might also cite commentary from critics. A paper that presents an original experiment would include some discussion of similar prior research in the field.

Jorge knew he did not have the time, resources, or experience needed to conduct original experimental research for his paper. Because he was relying on secondary sources to support his ideas, he made a point of citing sources that were not far removed from primary research.

Some sources could be considered primary or secondary sources, depending on the writer’s purpose for using them. For instance, if a writer’s purpose is to inform readers about how the No Child Left Behind legislation has affected elementary education, a Time magazine article on the subject would be a secondary source. However, suppose the writer’s purpose is to analyze how the news media has portrayed the effects of the No Child Left Behind legislation. In that case, articles about the legislation in news magazines like Time , Newsweek , and US News & World Report would be primary sources. They provide firsthand examples of the media coverage the writer is analyzing.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Your research paper presents your thinking about a topic, supported and developed by other people’s ideas and information. It is crucial to always distinguish between the two—as you conduct research, as you plan your paper, and as you write. Failure to do so can lead to plagiarism.

Intentional and Accidental Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own. Sometimes a writer plagiarizes work on purpose—for instance, by purchasing an essay from a website and submitting it as original course work. In other cases, a writer may commit accidental plagiarism due to carelessness, haste, or misunderstanding. To avoid unintentional plagiarism, follow these guidelines:

Understand what types of information must be cited.
Understand what constitutes fair use of a source.
Keep source materials and notes carefully organized.
Follow guidelines for summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting sources.

When to Cite

Any idea or fact taken from an outside source must be cited, in both the body of your paper and the references list. The only exceptions are facts or general statements that are common knowledge. Common-knowledge facts or general statements are commonly supported by and found in multiple sources. For example, a writer would not need to cite the statement that most breads, pastas, and cereals are high in carbohydrates; this is well known and well documented. However, if a writer explained in detail the differences among the chemical structures of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, a citation would be necessary. When in doubt, cite.

In recent years, issues related to the fair use of sources have been prevalent in popular culture. Recording artists, for example, may disagree about the extent to which one has the right to sample another’s music. For academic purposes, however, the guidelines for fair use are reasonably straightforward.

Writers may quote from or paraphrase material from previously published works without formally obtaining the copyright holder’s permission. Fair use means that the writer legitimately uses brief excerpts from source material to support and develop his or her own ideas. For instance, a columnist may excerpt a few sentences from a novel when writing a book review. However, quoting or paraphrasing another’s work at excessive length, to the extent that large sections of the writing are unoriginal, is not fair use.

As he worked on his draft, Jorge was careful to cite his sources correctly and not to rely excessively on any one source. Occasionally, however, he caught himself quoting a source at great length. In those instances, he highlighted the paragraph in question so that he could go back to it later and revise. Read the example, along with Jorge’s revision.

Heinz (2009) found that “subjects in the low-carbohydrate group (30% carbohydrates; 40% protein, 30% fat) had a mean weight loss of 10 kg (22 lbs) over a 4-month period.” These results were “noticeably better than results for subjects on a low-fat diet (45% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 20% fat)” whose average weight loss was only “7 kg (15.4 lbs) in the same period.” From this, it can be concluded that “low-carbohydrate diets obtain more rapid results.” Other researchers agree that “at least in the short term, patients following low-carbohydrate diets enjoy greater success” than those who follow alternative plans (Johnson & Crowe, 2010).

After reviewing the paragraph, Jorge realized that he had drifted into unoriginal writing. Most of the paragraph was taken verbatim from a single article. Although Jorge had enclosed the material in quotation marks, he knew it was not an appropriate way to use the research in his paper.

Low-carbohydrate diets may indeed be superior to other diet plans for short-term weight loss. In a study comparing low-carbohydrate diets and low-fat diets, Heinz (2009) found that subjects who followed a low-carbohydrate plan (30% of total calories) for 4 months lost, on average, about 3 kilograms more than subjects who followed a low-fat diet for the same time. Heinz concluded that these plans yield quick results, an idea supported by a similar study conducted by Johnson and Crowe (2010). What remains to be seen, however, is whether this initial success can be sustained for longer periods.

As Jorge revised the paragraph, he realized he did not need to quote these sources directly. Instead, he paraphrased their most important findings. He also made sure to include a topic sentence stating the main idea of the paragraph and a concluding sentence that transitioned to the next major topic in his essay.

Working with Sources Carefully

Disorganization and carelessness sometimes lead to plagiarism. For instance, a writer may be unable to provide a complete, accurate citation if he didn’t record bibliographical information. A writer may cut and paste a passage from a website into her paper and later forget where the material came from. A writer who procrastinates may rush through a draft, which easily leads to sloppy paraphrasing and inaccurate quotations. Any of these actions can create the appearance of plagiarism and lead to negative consequences.

Carefully organizing your time and notes is the best guard against these forms of plagiarism. Maintain a detailed working bibliography and thorough notes throughout the research process. Check original sources again to clear up any uncertainties. Allow plenty of time for writing your draft so there is no temptation to cut corners.

Citing other people’s work appropriately is just as important in the workplace as it is in school. If you need to consult outside sources to research a document you are creating, follow the general guidelines already discussed, as well as any industry-specific citation guidelines. For more extensive use of others’ work—for instance, requesting permission to link to another company’s website on your own corporate website—always follow your employer’s established procedures.

Academic Integrity

The concepts and strategies discussed in this section of Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” connect to a larger issue—academic integrity. You maintain your integrity as a member of an academic community by representing your work and others’ work honestly and by using other people’s work only in legitimately accepted ways. It is a point of honor taken seriously in every academic discipline and career field.

Academic integrity violations have serious educational and professional consequences. Even when cheating and plagiarism go undetected, they still result in a student’s failure to learn necessary research and writing skills. Students who are found guilty of academic integrity violations face consequences ranging from a failing grade to expulsion from the university. Employees may be fired for plagiarism and do irreparable damage to their professional reputation. In short, it is never worth the risk.

Key Takeaways

An effective research paper focuses on the writer’s ideas. The introduction and conclusion present and revisit the writer’s thesis. The body of the paper develops the thesis and related points with information from research.
Ideas and information taken from outside sources must be cited in the body of the paper and in the references section.
Material taken from sources should be used to develop the writer’s ideas. Summarizing and paraphrasing are usually most effective for this purpose.
A summary concisely restates the main ideas of a source in the writer’s own words.
A paraphrase restates ideas from a source using the writer’s own words and sentence structures.
Direct quotations should be used sparingly. Ellipses and brackets must be used to indicate words that were omitted or changed for conciseness or grammatical correctness.
Always represent material from outside sources accurately.
Plagiarism has serious academic and professional consequences. To avoid accidental plagiarism, keep research materials organized, understand guidelines for fair use and appropriate citation of sources, and review the paper to make sure these guidelines are followed.

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

How to Write the First Draft of an Academic Research Paper

Actually making a start and putting together a first draft can certainly be the biggest stumbling block to getting a paper submitted. Unless you make a start, it’ll never progress! Drafting your first paper is even more difficult when you don’t yet have experience writing papers and submitting them to journals.

I know from experience how daunting the prospect can be and just how easy it is to unnecessarily procrastinate for months. But it doesn’t have to be difficult and the main thing is making a start. I’m here to try and help making the process less daunting for you!

This guide to drafting your first academic paper forms part of the publishing series . I suggest reading these associated posts in particular:

What to publish
When to publish
Where to publish

What to include in your first draft of an academic research paper

Let me start by saying that no one should be expecting for your first draft to be perfect! I wasted months of time on my first paper because I wanted to perfect everything, down to the wording, before sharing it with my supervisor. This is completely the wrong approach!

Instead of perfecting your first draft, just work to form the rough structure of your paper around whatever you want your key message to be. We discussed this further in the separate post: Deciding what to publish from your PhD work . Simply try to ensure your first draft roughly tells the story of what you want your main message to be.

It is absolutely fine for your first draft to be a rough cut, it should simply serve as a starting point. Therefore for example you can include extra figures you’re not sure about to be able to discuss with your co-authors whether or not they should be included. Throughout the drafting process you want to aiming to make your key message as clear and robust as possible but for now it’s fine to not be sure on the finer details. It may help to look at your favourite papers from the literature to get an idea what papers in your field typically include.

For now, don’t worry the quality of the written text, or finalising your figures. You want to use the first draft to form the rough structure and be a starting point for discussion with co-authors.

Let’s now discuss how to structure your first draft.

Structuring your first draft

If you already have a certain journal in mind to submit your paper to, how you structure your draft may slightly depend upon the format that the journal asks for. It’s a good idea to check their Author Instructions page which should include a “Guide for Authors”: a walkthrough of each section of the paper. Oftentimes there may even be a template you can download including section titles and advice for structuring your text.

If you don’t yet have a journal in mind, don’t worry. For the most part all journals follow the same format. For an original research paper, usually you’ll include sections as follows:

Abstract – typically around 200-250 words or less.

Introduction

Conclusions – sometimes appears as the final paragraph of the discussion section.

Then followed by Author Contributions, Funding sources, Acknowledgments, Conflicts of Interest, any Supplementary files or Appendix and finally the list of References. None of these sections you really have to worry about at this stage.

Let’s go through roughly what to include in each section:

Introduction:

A brief review of previous literature to set the scene;
The motivation for the study;
The aims of your study;
Sometimes you may include a very brief overview of your main findings. See what other papers in the journal do.

Always include enough detail for someone else to be able to repeat your experiments, including:

How many samples did you test? How did you process them? Were there inclusion/exclusion criteria?
If you synthesised or processed physical samples, what materials have you used? Include processing temperatures, durations of each step etc.
What equipment and consumables did you use? Include the item code, model number and manufacturer.
How did you process the data? Name the software package, version and operations you performed.
Details of any statistical analysis: software packages, models, methods, inclusion/exclusion criteria and so forth.

In all instances where you followed a method developed in another paper, include a reference to that paper. Not only is it good practice to give credit where it is due but you’ll have an easier time with peer review demonstrating you’re following the convention.

Remember, you shouldn’t be discussing findings in your results section, simply presenting them. Therefore there shouldn’t really be any suggesting why the results are a certain way. The exception is where the journal specifically allows results and discussion sections to be combined. Further on in this post is a section about choosing figures and results to include in your paper, and most of these will appear in your results section.

Your results should aim to convince the reader of your key message.
Be conscious that when first looking at your paper, most readers will go straight to looking at your figures.
Cite every figure you include, in the order you include them. Clearly explain what is being presented.

Discussion:

The way I was taught to write a discussion was to simply use four paragraphs/sections covering:

Your key finding . You can even start it with the sentence “The most important finding of this work was”
Comparison to previous literature . How do your findings compare to other papers? What was the same? What was different? How do your findings progress the field? What would you recommend next?
Limitations . Every study has limitations, don’t try and hide them. Be honest with what wasn’t ideal during your study. Examples may be: small sample size, imperfect analysis, impractical sample processing. If you can, cite other papers which relate to these limitations: either in regards to why it’s not such a big problem, how it is common problem, or potential solutions or improvements for future studies. In any case, be honest. You can recommend future work to overcome these limitations if appropriate.
Conclusions . Give a brief set of conclusions with reference to the potential impact of your work for future studies.

You can see how I used exactly this format for a recent paper available here .

Eager to learn more about the steps involved in publishing your first paper? My academic publishing series is now available as a free eBook which you can read offline. Click the button below for access.

In which order should you write the sections of the first draft?

Everyone writes papers differently, so what works for me may not work well for you. Personally once I start a document for a new paper, I typically write notes for each section as I think of them but go with the following strategy to get the text written.

Generally it is acknowledged that the methods section is an easy section to write, so I would suggest starting there. Even if you’ve got writer’s block, writing your methods is pretty robotic and shouldn’t require much thought. It simply involves writing down the process you went through to collect all your data. Writing the methods is an easy starting point which should give you confidence to dive into the other sections. In the above graphic I’ve separated the conclusions from the discussion but often the conclusions will simply be the final paragraph of the discussion section.

After the methods you can start drafting your key results and your discussion will naturally follow from there. If you follow the structure for the discussion as outlined in the section above, it should also be formulaic and pretty easy to write if you’ve got a clear message.

By all means crack on with the introduction whenever you fancy. If you’re in the mood to write it, don’t stop yourself! I personally like to write notes for it and include key references as I’m going along, but write the bulk of it after the methods, results and the bulk of the discussion.

Usually it is recommended to write the abstract last once everything else is finalised.

Choosing which figures to present

Remember you’re creating a story around your key message. As such all your figures should be helping to convince your reader of your key message.

Be aware that there are sometimes limits on the maximum number of figures you’re allowed to include (around 8) in the main text of your paper. Usually you can move figures to a supplementary section if necessary. Prioritise the most impactful figures to illustrate your main point.
Each figure should aim to address a certain point around your key message to convince readers. You can combine figures as panels within a larger figure but only do so if they address the same overall point. Don’t confuse readers by combining loads of unrelated things just because you’re running out of space!
Always make sure the caption fully describes what the figure is showing. The figure and caption should explain what is going on without the reader having to read any of the main text. What type of equipment generated the data? How many samples were tested? What do the error bars show? What is the scale? For stats: what is the p-value?

You may need a figure to describe your methods but after that usually you’ll try to include figures in an order which tells a story. Importantly: this order may not be the one in which experiments actually took place. You’re trying to tell a story to get a message across, not write a diary! It’s no problem to move sections of results around if it makes for a more convincing message, especially for readers who may only have a quick glance through your paper.

For example you may wish to start with your key finding, then follow with any validation work, then finally include more details to convince the reader. It will really depend on what suits the work you’re doing, but remember that you have full control and your aim should be to make a clear story.

My top tips for putting together your first draft of the paper

Iterate quickly.

My main bit of advice is to get a first draft put together pretty quickly otherwise you risking wasting lots of time like I did! I wish I had sent the initial drafts of my first paper to my supervisor sooner. I spent far too long trying to perfect it down to the exact phrasing of sentences. There is no point getting to this level of detail if there is potentially an improved completely different direction to take the paper in!

What I’ve found to work really well is to set deadlines with your supervisor to ensure you are making progress to submission. You don’t have to have the full paper available all at once. I have had calendar invites set up saying by a certain date I’d have sections of the paper sent across, and to limit procrastination no date was more than four weeks away.

After your supervisor(s) has had a look, send it across to any co-authors. It may take a few iterations until everyone is happy. Once you have the backing of your coauthors, don’t be scared to submit your manuscript slightly sooner than you feel comfortable.

A reviewer is pretty unlikely to outright reject your paper if they want more experiments to be carried out: they’ll ask for what they want in the review process.

Always think about the next publication

Once you start writing, you may struggle deciding what to include and what not to. Remember though that this doesn’t mean you need to delay publishing if you already have a clear story. Unless all your work sits together very neatly, please resist the urge to include everything in a single paper.

If you’ve got results you’d like to publish but they don’t sit nicely with the main message of this paper, you can always consider publishing them separately later. It is much more important to create a clear message with a coherent story than to include extra work just because you did it!

Although some academics shun the “salami slice” connotations of having many smaller papers, it doesn’t always make sense to force different experiments together in to one paper. I recently published two different papers in the same special issue of a journal, both were related but had very different messages:

Quantifying 3D Strain in Scaffold Implants for Regenerative Medicine
Exploratory Full-Field Mechanical Analysis across the Osteochondral Tissue—Biomaterial Interface in an Ovine Model

It wouldn’t have made for a stronger paper to combine them because in essence they were telling separate stories.

It’s fine for your first draft if you’re not exactly sure what to include. Once you’ve got the rough form of the paper sorted, you can add or reduce bits as necessary. The key thing is to get a first draft done to get the framework for the paper. No one is expecting it to be perfect!

Word vs LaTex

I know some people enjoy using LaTex for their documents, but I’ve never used it. Everyone I’ve always worked with uses Word, so even if I was keen to use LaTex I’m not sure that it would be that easy to collaborate on documents to track changes etc. Journals will often request the paper to be submitted as a Word document so probably save using LaTex for your own internal reports or theses.

Keep your data, files and figures organised

This point extends far beyond your first draft of a paper! Once you start iterating on papers, it becomes more important than ever to know where all your key files are. Ensure you keep different version of documents clearly labelled.

Be prepared for reviewers to ask for modifications to figures or data to be reanalysed.

What I do is keep a folder for the paper and include the main working draft plus other relevant documents like notes or draft of the cover letter. I then have subfolders for data, figures and old drafts.

Aim to present figures with a clear message which are easy to “get”

Making figures is the focus of a whole other post which will follow this one. In short:

A lot of readers will initially flick through your paper and skip straight to your figures. It’s really important that the figures tell the story clearly and can be understood by just looking at the figure and caption. Also, if the readers don’t like the look of your figures, or can’t understand them, they’re less likely to bother reading the rest of the paper. Again, have a look at how published papers present their work to get some ideas.

You’ll want to make your figures in such a way that they can be amended easily to account for any adjustments suggested by co-authors or reviewers. I use a combination of Excel and Photoshop for most of my figures. There are lots of alternatives depending on what you’re presenting, GIMP is a free alternative to Photoshop.

If you make them in Paint and someone suggests making some alterations, it could take you ages. Instead if you make them in a non-binding software like Photoshop you can easily make non-destructive changes element by element.

It is worth spending time creating nice figures. Having polished figures makes your submission look more professional, ensuring the underlying science is easy to understand is critical too. Plus you can use them elsewhere, such as in presentations or other documents.

Got a draft? What happens next

The hard work is far from over once you have your first draft but you’ve overcome a really big hurdle in the journey to getting your work published. Now it’s time to discuss your draft with co-authors, incorporating feedback and changes into subsequent drafts.

There is no certain number of drafts you should expect to go through before submission, just know that you could endlessly spend time finding things to add (discussed here ) and you should be very conscious to avoid doing! For my papers I think it took around four drafts until we felt happy enough to submit. Not all of your co-authors have to give feedback for every draft, I’d suggest the main people you’ll be liaising with will be your supervisor(s) though it’s certainly important that everyone has an opportunity to help.

Once all of the authors, including yourself, are happy with the paper, speak to your supervisor for how to proceed with submission. Some supervisors like to lead the submission whereas others prefer for the student to do so, and then to transfer “corresponding authorship” at the final stages before publication.

In any case, be prepared to feel vulnerable when you do eventually submit the research paper to a journal. This can be completely normal, your work is going to get critiqued! But remember that you’ve done great and rather than leave the data on a computer you’re motivated to pursue publication in turn helping progress your field. Well done!

I hope this post has helped with your first draft of a paper! Remember that you can find the other posts in the series here: Writing an academic journal paper series. Next we’ll be covering creating figures and dealing with reviewers.

Please let me know what you thought of it or if there are any other details of publishing which you’d like help with .

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How To Write A Research Paper

Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + FREE Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | March 2024

For many students, crafting a strong research paper from scratch can feel like a daunting task – and rightly so! In this post, we’ll unpack what a research paper is, what it needs to do , and how to write one – in three easy steps. 🙂

Overview: Writing A Research Paper

What (exactly) is a research paper.

How to write a research paper
Stage 1 : Topic & literature search
Stage 2 : Structure & outline
Stage 3 : Iterative writing
Key takeaways

Let’s start by asking the most important question, “ What is a research paper? ”.

Simply put, a research paper is a scholarly written work where the writer (that’s you!) answers a specific question (this is called a research question ) through evidence-based arguments . Evidence-based is the keyword here. In other words, a research paper is different from an essay or other writing assignments that draw from the writer’s personal opinions or experiences. With a research paper, it’s all about building your arguments based on evidence (we’ll talk more about that evidence a little later).

Now, it’s worth noting that there are many different types of research papers , including analytical papers (the type I just described), argumentative papers, and interpretative papers. Here, we’ll focus on analytical papers , as these are some of the most common – but if you’re keen to learn about other types of research papers, be sure to check out the rest of the blog .

With that basic foundation laid, let’s get down to business and look at how to write a research paper .

Overview: The 3-Stage Process

While there are, of course, many potential approaches you can take to write a research paper, there are typically three stages to the writing process. So, in this tutorial, we’ll present a straightforward three-step process that we use when working with students at Grad Coach.

These three steps are:

Finding a research topic and reviewing the existing literature
Developing a provisional structure and outline for your paper, and
Writing up your initial draft and then refining it iteratively

Let’s dig into each of these.

Need a helping hand?

Step 1: Find a topic and review the literature

As we mentioned earlier, in a research paper, you, as the researcher, will try to answer a question . More specifically, that’s called a research question , and it sets the direction of your entire paper. What’s important to understand though is that you’ll need to answer that research question with the help of high-quality sources – for example, journal articles, government reports, case studies, and so on. We’ll circle back to this in a minute.

The first stage of the research process is deciding on what your research question will be and then reviewing the existing literature (in other words, past studies and papers) to see what they say about that specific research question. In some cases, your professor may provide you with a predetermined research question (or set of questions). However, in many cases, you’ll need to find your own research question within a certain topic area.

Finding a strong research question hinges on identifying a meaningful research gap – in other words, an area that’s lacking in existing research. There’s a lot to unpack here, so if you wanna learn more, check out the plain-language explainer video below.

Once you’ve figured out which question (or questions) you’ll attempt to answer in your research paper, you’ll need to do a deep dive into the existing literature – this is called a “ literature search ”. Again, there are many ways to go about this, but your most likely starting point will be Google Scholar .

If you’re new to Google Scholar, think of it as Google for the academic world. You can start by simply entering a few different keywords that are relevant to your research question and it will then present a host of articles for you to review. What you want to pay close attention to here is the number of citations for each paper – the more citations a paper has, the more credible it is (generally speaking – there are some exceptions, of course).

Ideally, what you’re looking for are well-cited papers that are highly relevant to your topic. That said, keep in mind that citations are a cumulative metric , so older papers will often have more citations than newer papers – just because they’ve been around for longer. So, don’t fixate on this metric in isolation – relevance and recency are also very important.

Beyond Google Scholar, you’ll also definitely want to check out academic databases and aggregators such as Science Direct, PubMed, JStor and so on. These will often overlap with the results that you find in Google Scholar, but they can also reveal some hidden gems – so, be sure to check them out.

Once you’ve worked your way through all the literature, you’ll want to catalogue all this information in some sort of spreadsheet so that you can easily recall who said what, when and within what context. If you’d like, we’ve got a free literature spreadsheet that helps you do exactly that.

Don’t fixate on an article’s citation count in isolation - relevance (to your research question) and recency are also very important.

Step 2: Develop a structure and outline

With your research question pinned down and your literature digested and catalogued, it’s time to move on to planning your actual research paper .

It might sound obvious, but it’s really important to have some sort of rough outline in place before you start writing your paper. So often, we see students eagerly rushing into the writing phase, only to land up with a disjointed research paper that rambles on in multiple

Now, the secret here is to not get caught up in the fine details . Realistically, all you need at this stage is a bullet-point list that describes (in broad strokes) what you’ll discuss and in what order. It’s also useful to remember that you’re not glued to this outline – in all likelihood, you’ll chop and change some sections once you start writing, and that’s perfectly okay. What’s important is that you have some sort of roadmap in place from the start.

You need to have a rough outline in place before you start writing your paper - or you’ll end up with a disjointed research paper that rambles on.

At this stage you might be wondering, “ But how should I structure my research paper? ”. Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here, but in general, a research paper will consist of a few relatively standardised components:

Literature review

Methodology

Let’s take a look at each of these.

First up is the introduction section . As the name suggests, the purpose of the introduction is to set the scene for your research paper. There are usually (at least) four ingredients that go into this section – these are the background to the topic, the research problem and resultant research question , and the justification or rationale. If you’re interested, the video below unpacks the introduction section in more detail.

The next section of your research paper will typically be your literature review . Remember all that literature you worked through earlier? Well, this is where you’ll present your interpretation of all that content . You’ll do this by writing about recent trends, developments, and arguments within the literature – but more specifically, those that are relevant to your research question . The literature review can oftentimes seem a little daunting, even to seasoned researchers, so be sure to check out our extensive collection of literature review content here .

With the introduction and lit review out of the way, the next section of your paper is the research methodology . In a nutshell, the methodology section should describe to your reader what you did (beyond just reviewing the existing literature) to answer your research question. For example, what data did you collect, how did you collect that data, how did you analyse that data and so on? For each choice, you’ll also need to justify why you chose to do it that way, and what the strengths and weaknesses of your approach were.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that for some research papers, this aspect of the project may be a lot simpler . For example, you may only need to draw on secondary sources (in other words, existing data sets). In some cases, you may just be asked to draw your conclusions from the literature search itself (in other words, there may be no data analysis at all). But, if you are required to collect and analyse data, you’ll need to pay a lot of attention to the methodology section. The video below provides an example of what the methodology section might look like.

By this stage of your paper, you will have explained what your research question is, what the existing literature has to say about that question, and how you analysed additional data to try to answer your question. So, the natural next step is to present your analysis of that data . This section is usually called the “results” or “analysis” section and this is where you’ll showcase your findings.

Depending on your school’s requirements, you may need to present and interpret the data in one section – or you might split the presentation and the interpretation into two sections. In the latter case, your “results” section will just describe the data, and the “discussion” is where you’ll interpret that data and explicitly link your analysis back to your research question. If you’re not sure which approach to take, check in with your professor or take a look at past papers to see what the norms are for your programme.

Alright – once you’ve presented and discussed your results, it’s time to wrap it up . This usually takes the form of the “ conclusion ” section. In the conclusion, you’ll need to highlight the key takeaways from your study and close the loop by explicitly answering your research question. Again, the exact requirements here will vary depending on your programme (and you may not even need a conclusion section at all) – so be sure to check with your professor if you’re unsure.

Step 3: Write and refine

Finally, it’s time to get writing. All too often though, students hit a brick wall right about here… So, how do you avoid this happening to you?

Well, there’s a lot to be said when it comes to writing a research paper (or any sort of academic piece), but we’ll share three practical tips to help you get started.

First and foremost , it’s essential to approach your writing as an iterative process. In other words, you need to start with a really messy first draft and then polish it over multiple rounds of editing. Don’t waste your time trying to write a perfect research paper in one go. Instead, take the pressure off yourself by adopting an iterative approach.

Secondly , it’s important to always lean towards critical writing , rather than descriptive writing. What does this mean? Well, at the simplest level, descriptive writing focuses on the “ what ”, while critical writing digs into the “ so what ” – in other words, the implications. If you’re not familiar with these two types of writing, don’t worry! You can find a plain-language explanation here.

Last but not least, you’ll need to get your referencing right. Specifically, you’ll need to provide credible, correctly formatted citations for the statements you make. We see students making referencing mistakes all the time and it costs them dearly. The good news is that you can easily avoid this by using a simple reference manager . If you don’t have one, check out our video about Mendeley, an easy (and free) reference management tool that you can start using today.

Recap: Key Takeaways

We’ve covered a lot of ground here. To recap, the three steps to writing a high-quality research paper are:

To choose a research question and review the literature
To plan your paper structure and draft an outline
To take an iterative approach to writing, focusing on critical writing and strong referencing

Remember, this is just a b ig-picture overview of the research paper development process and there’s a lot more nuance to unpack. So, be sure to grab a copy of our free research paper template to learn more about how to write a research paper.

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How to Write a Rough Draft for a Research Paper

Before you begin to write your research paper rough draft, you have some decisions to make about format, or how your paper will look. As you write, you have to think about presenting your ideas in a way that makes sense and holds your readers’ interest. After you’ve completed your draft, make sure you’ve cited your sources completely and correctly. And the last thing you’ll need to do is decide on the very first thing readers see—the title.

Following a Research Paper Format

Punctuation.

How to Write a Research Paper Rough Draft

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Many instructors tell their students exactly how their research papers should be formatted—for example, how wide the margins should be, where and how the sources should be listed, and so on. If your teacher has specified a format, be sure you have a list of the rules she or he has established—and follow them! If not, you need to decide on questions of format for yourself. Here are the main formatting issues to consider:

Should your report be written by hand or typed in a word processing program?
If you are handwriting, should you write on every line or every other line?
If you are handwriting, should you use both sides or only one side of the paper?
If you are typing, should you use single space or double space? For typing, double spacing is standard.
If you are using a computer, what type style (font) and size should you use? (Twelve-point Times or Times New Roman is standard.)
What size should the margins be? Margins of 1″ or 1.25″ on each side are standard.
How long should your report be—how many pages or words?
Should you include illustrations? Are illustrations optional?
How should you position your heading (and should it include information other than name, class, and date)?
Should you include a separate title page?
Should your bibliography (a list of your sources) appear on a separate page at the end of your report? That is standard.
Should your bibliography list your sources in alphabetical order by last name of author? That is standard.
Where should your page numbers appear? The standard position for page numbering is the upper right corner of each page.

If you are using a computer, choose and set up your margin widths, type size and style, and spacing before writing.

Using a Proper Writing Style

Even if you haven’t finished all your research, when you have completed most of your note cards and your outline, it’s time to start writing. Drafting at this stage allows you to see what additional information you need so you can fill it in. As you begin to draft your paper, it’s time to consider your writing style.

A writer’s style is his or her distinctive way of writing. Style is a series of choices—words, sentence length and structure, figures of speech, punctuation, and so on. The style you select for your research paper depends on the following factors:

Before you begin, it is a good idea to again consider the members of your audience:Who are they? What do they know? What style of writing and language will they find most interesting or persuasive? Recognize that although members of your audience may all be of a similar background and educational level, they will not necessarily possess the same knowledge of the subject that you do. Ask yourself:

How much of the information covered by your research is common knowledge? You want to provide sufficient explanation of unfamiliar concepts but, at the same time, not belabor the obvious.
What questions will the reader have? Be sure you address all key questions that are essential to the reader’s understanding of your subject.
How will your reader react to your thesis? This is especially important in a persuasive paper where your goal is to have your readers accept your thesis.
What kind of information is needed to move your reader to a better understanding of the subject or to agree with your assessment of it? The answers to this question will provide the topics for the paragraphs in the body of your paper.
What do you want the reader to remember most? This will be the focus of your conclusion.

The answers to these questions will give you a sense of how much background you will need to include about your subject as well as the language and tone of writing that you should use to present it.

Writers have four main purposes:

to explain (exposition)
to convince (persuasion)
to describe (description)
to tell a story (narration)

Your purpose in your research paper is to persuade or convince. As a result, you’ll select the supporting material (such as details, examples, and quotations) that will best accomplish this purpose. As you write, look for the most convincing examples, the most powerful statistics, the most compelling quotations to suit your purpose.

The tone of a piece of writing is the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter. For example, the tone can be angry, bitter, neutral, or formal. The tone depends on your audience and purpose. Since your research paper is being read by educated professionals and your purpose is to persuade, you will use a formal, unbiased tone. The writing won’t condescend to its audience, insult them, or lecture them.

The language used in most academic and professional writing is called “Standard Written English.” It’s the writing you find in magazines such as Newsweek, US News and World Report, and The New Yorker. Such language conforms to the widely established rules of grammar, sentence structure, usage, punctuation, and spelling. It has an objective, learned tone. It’s the language that you’ll use in your research paper.

The Basics of Research Paper Style

The following section covers the basics of research paper writing style: words, sentences, and punctuation.

Write simply and directly . Perhaps you were told to use as many multisyllabic words as possible since “big” words dazzle people. Most of the time, however, big words just set up barriers between you and your audience. Instead of using words for the sake of impressing your readers, write simply and directly.

Select your words carefully to convey your thoughts vividly and precisely. For example, blissful , blithe , cheerful , contented , ecstatic , joyful , and gladdened all mean “happy”—yet each one conveys a different shade of meaning.

Use words that are accurate , suitable , and familiar :

Accurate words say what you mean.
Suitable words convey your tone and fit with the other words in the document.
Familiar words are easy to read and understand.

As you write your research paper, you want words that express the importance of the subject but aren’t stuffy or overblown. Refer to yourself as I if you are involved with the subject, but always keep the focus on the subject rather than on yourself. Remember, this is academic writing, not memoir.

Avoid slang , regional words , and nonstandard diction . Below is a brief list of words that are never correct in academic writing:

irregardless

Avoid redundant , wordy phrases. Here are some examples:

honest truth
past history
fatally killed
revert back
live and breathe
null and void
most unique
cease and desist
proceed ahead

Always use bias-free language . Use words and phrases that don’t discriminate on the basis of gender, physical condition, age, or race. For instance, avoid using he to refer to both men and women. Never use language that denigrates people or excludes one gender. Watch for phrases that suggest women and men behave in stereotypical ways, such as talkative women . In addition, always try to refer to a group by the term it prefers. Language changes, so stay on the cutting edge. For instance, today the term “Asian” is preferred to “Oriental.”

Effective writing uses sentences of different lengths and types to create variety and interest. Craft your sentences to express your ideas in the best possible way. Here are some guidelines:

Mix simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences for a more effective style. When your topic is complicated or full of numbers, use simple sentences to aid understanding. Use longer, more complex sentences to show how ideas are linked together and to avoid repetition.
Select the subject of each sentence based on what you want to emphasize.
Add adjectives and adverbs to a sentence (when suitable) for emphasis and variety.
Repeat keywords or ideas for emphasis.
Use the active voice, not the passive voice.
Use transitions to link ideas.

Similarly, successful research papers are free of technical errors. Here are some guidelines to review:

Remember that a period shows a full separation between ideas. For example: The car was in the shop for repair on Friday. I had no transportation to work.
A comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, but, or, yet, so, nor) show the relationships of addition, choice, consequence, contrast, or cause. For example: 1) The car was in the shop for repair on Friday, so I had no transportation to work . 2) The car was in the shop for repair on Friday, but I still made it to work . 3) The car was in the shop for repair on Friday, yet I still made it to work .
A semicolon shows the second sentence completes the content of the first sentence. The semicolon suggests a link but leaves to the reader to make the connection. For example: The car was in the shop for repair on Friday; I didn’t make it to work .
A semicolon and a conjunctive adverb (such as nevertheless and however) show the relationship between ideas: addition, consequence, contrast, cause and effect, time, emphasis, or addition. For example: The car was in the shop for repair on Friday; however, I made it to work anyway .
Using a period between sentences forces a pause and then stresses the conjunctive adverb. For example: The car was in the shop for repair on Friday. But I still made it to work .

Even if you do run a grammar check, be sure to check and double-check your punctuation and grammar as you draft your research paper.

Back to How To Write A Research Paper .

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10.8: Creating a Rough Draft for a Research Paper

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Athena Kashyap & Erika Dyquisto
City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

General structure guidelines for research papers.

There are really two types of formal research papers: A scientific style research paper and a literature review style research paper. We will focus on the literature review style of research paper, which is really like an extended essay. However, even a literature review depends more on the research that other people have done than does a regular essay. You still bring in your own ideas, however, make the connections between everything, and come up with new ideas based on how you put together the ideas of other writers.

The structure of a research paper is very much like that of a regular essay except that your main idea may not be as clear early on (check with your instructor about this), the introduction may be longer than usual, the body of the essay is much longer, and you use many more sources. Do not describe your research process of researching and writing in a literature review research paper (scientific research papers have a methodology section where the researcher does describe their research, but that’s not what you generally do in a first year composition course).

Research Paper Introductions

Write the introduction of your research paper last. If you must write it first to get yourself going, be sure to rewrite after you have completed your conclusion. Keep your audience in mind and what they are likely to know about your topic before reading your paper. Research paper introduction may last two or more paragraphs. Because you are writing more, you probably need to provide more background information. As in any paper, you want to move from general information that orients your reader to your topic, to more specific information that focuses more directly on what you are studying. At the end of the introduction, you may want to state your exact research question rather than a thesis.

Introductions may provide some historical background, may discuss the history of a controversy, may introduce the various factors that impact the topic, and probably introduce and define some of the key vocabulary that your reader may not know. Don’t make the mistake of beginning too narrowly. Keep your reader in mind – another student in another class. Think of your research paper as an educational piece of writing that you are creating for another student, but keep the tone and language formal. Remember, they don’t know what you are going to write about, so orient them to your topic by beginning broadly.

Many writers like to begin with one of the following catchy openers:

A connection between your topic and your readers’ experiences

For more information, see the "Introductions and Conclusions" sections in Chapter 4.

The next few sentences place the opening in context by presenting background information. From there, the writer builds toward the research question or a thesis, which is traditionally placed at the end of the introduction. Either of these will let your readers know what direction the paper is headed.

Miguel decided to begin his research paper by connecting his topic to readers’ daily experiences. Read the first draft of his introduction. The research question is underlined. Note how Miguel progresses from the opening sentences to background information to his thesis:

Thesis Location

The thesis for a research paper may only be implied until the conclusion of your paper. You will hint at it through your topic sentences and the way you discuss the information. However, the stated thesis most likely won’t occur until the beginning of your conclusion. The reason for this is the purpose of a research paper, which is academic inquiry. You don’t want to enter the research process thinking you already know what you want to say with an already determined point of view. You want to enter the process with an open mind of exploration. This is where your research question will really help you. It keeps you objective so that you may say to yourself (or write in your paper), “these authors take xxxx perspective on this topic because…..” Then you can evaluate the merits of that point of view in your paper. It’s not until you’ve discussed all of the relevant opinions and research that you should come to a conclusion. This is what an informed and thoughtful person does – evaluates the various arguments and information and arrives at an informed conclusion. In effect, that’s what you’re doing on paper for your reader.

The Body of the Research Paper

Write the body of your research paper first. The body of the research paper is very much like the body of a regular essay . . . only longer. Each paragraph needs a main idea, to be cohesive, and to discuss and support that idea. Each paragraph needs explanation so that the reader knows why this particular thing or point of view you are writing about is important. You should make it clear how the topic you are discussing in the paragraph connects or helps answer your guiding question. You may organize your research paper into multiple sections, each with its own main idea and multiple paragraphs.

Transitions between ideas can be more important in research papers than in traditional essays because you, as the writer, are synthesizing so much more information. There may be multiple points of view about a topic, different kinds of relationships between ideas and multiple levels of information that you need to deal with. With so much information swirling around, one of your main tasks is to convey to your reader what to think about all of this information and guide them through it. To write transitions, you cannot simply write about one author’s work and then another; you must group and sort the information by theme, and point of view, and then write transitions to lead your reader through the forest of information (see the "they say/I say" discussion on the second video on this page).

The Conclusion of the Research Paper

Write the conclusion after you have written the body of your research paper. Just as in most essays, the conclusion of a research paper should look to the future and broaden out from your particular topic. Also, it should begin with a transition from the last section into your thesis. It can also help to think about what we still need to know about this topic or what we still need to know or understand to answer your central question. To write a conclusion, ask yourself: What might we expect or hope to learn about this topic in the future? What else needs to be examined to answer this question? How will this knowledge help us in other ways? In what areas can this knowledge be applied? What other perspectives might be considered in future research?

Writing at Work (and in the sciences)

If your job involves writing or reading scientific papers, it helps to understand how professional researchers use the structure described in this section. A scientific paper begins with an abstract that briefly summarizes the entire paper. The introduction explains the purpose of the research, briefly summarizes previous research, and presents the researchers' hypothesis. The body provides details about the study, such as who participated in it, what the researchers measured, and what results they recorded. The conclusion presents the researchers' interpretation of the data, or what they learned.

As you can see, using sources involves much more than just including a series of quotations in your essay. To avoid falling into the trap of having strings of quotations and very little else in a research essay, follow a few simple pointers:

Avoid using strings of long quotations. The overuse of long quotations gives the reader the impression you cannot think for yourself.
Use summaries and paraphrases in addition to direct quotations. To the reader, the effective use of summaries and paraphrases indicates that you took the time to think about the meaning behind the quote’s words.
Make sure to comment on any information you quote, summarize, and paraphrase. Remember that your researched information is there to support to your own ideas and logical argument in your research essay, and that incorporating research is like creating a conversation.
Finally, make sure to identify all of your quoted, summarized, and paraphrased information with citations, so your reader can easily differentiate your sources’ from your own information and ideas.

In the body paragraphs of your paper, you will need to integrate ideas carefully at the paragraph level and at the sentence level. Use topic sentences in your paragraphs to make sure readers understand the significance of any facts, details, or quotations you cite. You will also need to include sentences that transition between ideas from your research, either within a paragraph or between paragraphs. At the sentence level, you will need to think carefully about how you introduce paraphrased and quoted material.

When you summarize material from a source, you zero in on the main points and restate them concisely in your own words. If you wrote an annotated bibliography, you have already done this and can incorporate just the parts of those summaries you may need into your research paper. Also, see the " summary " section in this e-book. This technique is appropriate when only the major ideas are relevant to your paper or when you need to simplify complex information into a few key points for your readers.

In his draft, Miguel summarized research materials that presented scientists’ findings about low-carbohydrate diets. Read the following passage from a trade magazine article and Miguel’s summary of the article.

Over the past few years, a number of clinical studies have explored whether high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are more effective for weight loss than other frequently recommended diet plans, such as diets that drastically curtail fat intake (Pritikin) or that emphasize consuming lean meats, grains, vegetables, and a moderate amount of unsaturated fats (the Mediterranean diet). A 2009 study by Jones found that obese teenagers who followed a low-carbohydrate diet lost an average of 15.6 kilograms over a six-month period, whereas teenagers following a low-fat diet or a Mediterranean diet lost an average of 11.1 kilograms and 9.3 kilograms respectively. Two 2010 studies (Kirkhoff and Mashoud, Janus and Beebe) that measured weight loss for obese adults following these same three diet plans found similar results. Over three months, subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet plan lost anywhere from four to six kilograms more than subjects who followed other diet plans.

A summary restates ideas in your own words -- but for specialized or clinical terms, you may need to use terms that appear in the original source. For instance, Miguel used the term obese in his summary because related words such as heavy or overweight have a different clinical meaning.

A paraphrase re-states information and ideas from a source using your own wording and sentence structure. Paraphrasing is similar to summarizing; however, summaries condense the original down to the essential or main ideas, while paraphrases simply re-state the original portion of text in your own words.

So why paraphrase? Paraphrasing offers a way to maintain your own writing style and voice throughout the writing. It helps cut down on the number of different styles from different sources, creating a sleeker, easier reading experience for your reader. Most of all, though, paraphrasing is a means of helping you understand what your sources are saying, in order to incorporate that information into your own writing. You have to understand the source's ideas fully in order to rewrite them clearly.

When you paraphrase, make sure not to simply substitute one word for another, retaining the same sentence structure. Paraphrasing requires you to use your own sentence structures as well as words, so that you are not inadvertently plagiarizing the source.

In general, it is best to paraphrase when:

There is no good reason to use a quote to refer to your evidence. If the author’s exact words are not especially important to the point you are trying to make, you are usually better off paraphrasing the evidence.
You are trying to explain technical information or complicated language to a more general reading audience.
You are trying to explain a particular a piece of evidence in order to explain or interpret it in more detail. This might be particularly true in writing projects like critiques.
You need to balance a direct quote in your writing. You need to be careful about directly quoting your research too much because it can sometimes make for awkward and difficult to read prose. So, one of the reasons to use a paraphrase instead of a quote is to create balance within your writing.

But before we can go into the "how to" of paraphrasing, we should examine the sometimes fine line between paraphrasing and plagiarism. Doing so is important because many fields (especially in the sciences) very rarely or never use quotation, exclusively using paraphrasing instead. Second, not paraphrasing well is the cause behind many if not most cases of plagiarism, so to avoid accidental plagiarism, you should learn how to paraphrase well. Finally, almost everyone needs to paraphrase sometimes; in fact, you most likely already do, at least in conversation.

How Plagiarism Often Happens

Plagiarism is usually not the obvious kind of cut-and-paste theft you might associate with cheating on a research paper. Rather, writers think about what they want to communicate and what’s important to them. They usually develop a theme on their own, research it, and find a number of sources to draw from. The result of this research is a bunch of fragments from all over the place. One of those fragments, if not properly paraphrased and cited as the fragments coalesced into a paper, becomes an example of plagiarism because the writer lost track of its origin.

This video explains it a little more.

How to Avoid This Mistake

How do you gather your notes? Do you bookmark Web passages, use Evernote or Zotero, or create index cards or sticky notes? No matter your method, you should have a consistent and clear method to keep track of your sources.

Within your writing, you can use sources ethically and avoid plagiarism by identifying or attributing your source, even when you paraphrase. Some students think you only need to cite your source if you quote. That's not true -- any source, whether it's a quote or a paraphrase, must be cited in order to avoid a charge of plagiarism. Your mind can run free, your text can flow, but your attributions must be as fastidious as an accountant’s.

Many courses at college have an online component of the class. In California, this is usually Canvas. Your instructor may set up some of your assignments so that they are run through plagiarism detection software to determine its "originality." Really this means, "how much does what you write differ from sources on the Internet and what has previously been submitted to the institution?". Some instructors will allow you to upload your draft and check the originality report. The report will show what phrases and sentences in your paper match phrases and sentences in other sources. Usually you don't need to worry about sources that are in quotation marks because the software will assume that you are also citing them (though your instructor will notice if the citations are missing). This software is most valuable in seeing how well you paraphrase. If you see sentences highlighted or chunks of sentences highlighted, you will know you need to do a little more work to paraphrase your sources correctly. See below for a video about how to read an example report.

Paraphrasing Check. Authored by: Erika Dyquisto. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License.

When to cite.

As he worked on his draft, Miguel was careful to cite his sources correctly and not to rely excessively on any one source. Occasionally, however, he caught himself quoting a source at great length. In those instances, he highlighted the paragraph in question so that he could go back to it later and revise. Read the example, along with Miguel's revision.

Heinz found that “subjects in the low-carbohydrate group (30% carbohydrates; 40% protein, 30% fat) had a mean weight loss of 10 kg (22 lbs) over a 4-month period.” These results were “noticeably better than results for subjects on a low-fat diet (45% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 20% fat)” whose average weight loss was only “7 kg (15.4 lbs) in the same period” (Heinz). From this, it can be concluded that “low-carbohydrate diets obtain more rapid results.” Other researchers agree that “at least in the short term, patients following low-carbohydrate diets enjoy greater success” than those who follow alternative plans (Johnson and Crowe).

After reviewing the paragraph, Miguel realized that he had drifted into unoriginal writing. Most of the paragraph was taken verbatim from a single article. Although Miguel had enclosed the material in quotation marks, he knew it was not an appropriate way to use the research in his paper.

REVISED summary

Low-carbohydrate diets may indeed be superior to other diet plans for short-term weight loss. In a study comparing low-carbohydrate diets and low-fat diets, Heinz found that subjects who followed a low-carbohydrate plan (30% of total calories) for 4 months lost, on average, about 3 kilograms more than subjects who followed a low-fat diet for the same time. Heinz concluded that these plans yield quick results, an idea supported by a similar study conducted by Johnson and Crowe. What remains to be seen, however, is whether this initial success can be sustained for longer periods.

As Miguel revised the paragraph, he realized he did not need to quote these sources directly. Instead, he paraphrased their most important findings. He also made sure to include a topic sentence stating the main idea of the paragraph and a concluding sentence that transitioned to the next major topic in his essay. Even though he paraphrased his sources, he still cited them.

Citing other people's work appropriately is just as important in the workplace as it is in school. If you need to consult outside sources to research a document you are creating, follow the general guidelines already discussed, as well as any industry-specific citation guidelines. For ore extensive use of others' work -- for instance, requesting permission to link to another company's website on your own corporate website--always follow your employer's established procedures.

The concepts and strategies discussed in this section connect to a larger issue—academic integrity. You maintain your integrity as a member of an academic community by representing your work and others’ work honestly and by using other people’s work only in legitimately accepted ways. It is a point of honor taken seriously in every academic discipline and career field.

Academic integrity violations have serious educational and professional consequences, as noted in the video above. Even when cheating and plagiarism go undetected, they still result in a student’s failure to learn necessary research and writing skills. Students who are found guilty of academic integrity violations face consequences ranging from a failing grade to expulsion from the university. Employees may be fired for plagiarism and do irreparable damage to their professional reputation. In short, it is never worth the risk.

To test your understanding of how to use sources ethically, take SUNY Empire State College’s Academic Integrity Quiz .

Take SUNY Empire State College's Academic Integrity quiz, linked in the previous paragraph. After taking the quiz, discuss with a classmate what you knew and what you learned when taking a quiz. Together, write down two questions to ask your instructor in class about academic integrity.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing well is one of the most important skills you can learn in a college writing class. You will use it throughout your academic--and very likely your work--career. Not only do we paraphrase to convey information smoothly, in many academic and work fields, paraphrasing, rather than quoting, is the standard way of conveying other people's information. It is important to learn to paraphrase well in order to avoid plagiarizing and to be able to change other people's ideas into your "voice." Paraphrased passages are always cited, just as quotes are. A paraphrased source differs from a summarized source in that you focus on restating the ideas, not condensing them. Paraphrasing is also a good writing technique to make ensure you understand your reading thoroughly. If you struggle to create a paraphrase, it may be that you don't fully understand the reading and should work more on that.

Writing a Paraphrase Properly

Make sure that you understand the original text that you intend to paraphrase. Rewrite that text at least twice, in your own words. It can help to read it, turn the reading over so you can't see it, and then write it in your own words. After the first rewriting, set the paraphrase aside for a short time. When you go back to it, you’ll most likely see that you’ve tended to retain some of the original text’s wording and sentence structure. On a second (or third, or fourth) rewriting, try to make the language and sentence structure your own, while retaining the meaning of the original text. If you find that the original text uses a key word or phrase that you don’t want to rewrite, know that you can always include it in quotation marks within your paraphrase. Finally, make sure to attribute the paraphrase at the start (e.g., “According to…”) and include a citation at the end. Your readers should be able to distinguish your own information from paraphrased information, and the attribution and citation signal the beginning and end of the paraphrase.

Paraphrasing Example

The original passage, from Benjamin Franklin’s “Speech to the [Constitutional] Convention”:

Here is the initial try at a paraphrase:

The problem with this paraphrase is in the way that it reproduces distinctive phrasing, sentence structure, and ordering of ideas. Note that the bolded parts of the paragraph actually reproduce Franklin’s wording exactly, and that the order of information in the paraphrase is essentially the same as in the original. Notice the end of the paraphrase also contains extra information that is not present in the original passage.

Now consider this GOOD revised version:

This paraphrase is strong because of the way that it captures the main ideas and important details of the original passage without reproducing phrasing or sentence structure too exactly. There are still similarities of phrasing and structure, but they deviate in notable ways from the phrasing and structure of the original passage. Also unlike the first paraphrase, this one does not include information not found in the original passage.

Paraphrase Checklist

Use the following checklist to help you create an appropriate paraphrase.

Have you used your own words and sentence structures?
Even though the wording is your own, have you carefully retained the meaning of the original text?
Did you attribute the paraphrase at the start, using language in some way that explains that you’re paraphrasing another’s text? (e.g., “Smith states that…”)
Did you cite the paraphrase correctly at the end, using a standard citation format for in-text citations?
Did you cite the paraphrased source in the Works Cited list at the end of the essay?

When you paraphrase material from a source, restate the information from an entire sentence or passage in your own words, using your own original sentence structure. It can help to not look at the source material while you do this.

Again, it is important to check your paraphrase against the source material to make sure it is both accurate and original. Inexperienced writers sometimes use the thesaurus method of paraphrasing—that is, they simply rewrite the source material, replacing most of the words with synonyms. This constitutes a misuse of sources. A true paraphrase restates ideas using the writer’s own language and style. If you are writing a paper, and your instructor uses plagiarism detection software, consider asking your instructor if you can use the software to make sure your paraphrase is in your own words well enough. Passages that are not paraphrased well enough will have color highlighting in various places in the passage. This means that the paraphrase needs to be improved to be considered (and maybe that you need to understand the material better) an appropriate paraphrase.

In his draft, Miguel frequently paraphrased details from sources. At times, he needed to rewrite a sentence more than once to ensure he was paraphrasing ideas correctly. Read the passage from the website source, below. Then read Miguel’s initial attempt at paraphrasing it, followed by the final version of his paraphrase.

After reviewing the paraphrased sentence, Miguel realized he was following the original source too closely. He did not want to quote the full passage verbatim, so he again attempted to restate the idea in his own style.

Paraphrase the following passage from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) website, and ensure it follows the guidelines for a good paraphrase, above.

Origins of Earthquake Early Warning

Wherever people live with earthquakes, there is a desire for an early warning system that shaking is imminent. Even as far back as 1868, following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake on the Hayward fault, the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin published an editorial proposing an early warning system. Calls echoing that desire continued throughout the 20 th century in countries as far off as Iran, Italy, Japan, and Mexico.

In the United States, the first serious proposal for such a system came from USGS geophysicist Tom Heaton in 1985. Dr. Heaton’s pioneering insight was ahead of its time, but the technology available in 1985 was not adequate for the system he proposed.

However, a few years later, other USGS scientists would temporarily use some of Heaton’s innovative ideas after the Loma Prieta earthquake to try to safeguard the lives of rescue workers in the Bay Area. The intense shaking from the mainshock of Loma Prieta collapsed a 1.6-mile (2.5-kilometer) section of the Nimitz Freeway (referred to as the “Cypress Structure”) along I-880 through Oakland. As rescuers worked to free people trapped in the rubble, the risk of aftershocks damaging the freeway further and injuring the workers became apparent. So USGS scientists set up a temporary system that radioed alerts to the workers whenever there was a significant aftershock that might shake the Nimitz. During its six months of operation, the system sent warnings for 12 earthquakes greater than magnitude 3.7.

1. From a source related to your research topic, choose a 7- to 12-sentence long passage. Avoid introductory or concluding paragraphs, as these are often very general.

2. Paraphrase the original and include the citation in the text as well as in a Reference List. Add exercises text here.

Quoting directly can sometimes help you make a point in a colorful way. If an author’s words are especially vivid, memorable, or well phrased, quoting them may help hold your reader’s interest. Or if you need exact words to be able to support your assertion, a quote can be an important type of evidence. Direct quotations from an interviewee or an eyewitness may help you personalize an issue for readers. And when you analyze primary sources, such as a historical speech or a work of literature, quoting extensively is often necessary to illustrate your points. These are valid reasons to use quotations.

Represent the author’s ideas honestly. Quote enough of the original text to reflect the author’s point accurately.
Never use a stand-alone quotation. Always integrate the quoted material into your own sentence with a signal phrase that provides context.
Use ellipses (…) if you need to omit a word or phrase. Use brackets [ ] if you need to replace or add a word or phrase to make the quote flow grammatically with your own sentence.

Miguel interviewed a dietician as part of his research, and he decided to quote her words in his paper. Read an excerpt from the interview and Miguel’s use of it, which follows.

Notice how Miguel smoothly integrated the quoted material by starting the sentence with an introductory phrase. His use of ellipses and brackets did not change the source’s meaning.

Throughout the writing process, be scrupulous about documenting information taken from sources, whether they are quotes or paraphrases. When you document sources within your writing, they are called "in-text citations." The full documentation of all of your sources (each only entered once) is in the Bibliography or Works Cited page at the end of your paper. The purpose of doing so is twofold:

To allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired, which is part of the "conversation" or research.

Two of the most common documentation styles in academic writing are the Modern Language Association (MLA) style and the American Psychological Association (APA) style. The latter of these is used for documenting most social sciences and educational research also. Since this book is for English classes, we will use MLA style. Do not feel like you need to memorize a style; rather, use the various guidebooks and resources that are out there to help you document your sources in your writing.

Citing Sources in the Body of Your Paper ("in-text" citations)

In-text citations document your sources within the body of your paper. These include two vital pieces of information: the author’s name and the page number (if there is one) of the source material. Page numbers are necessary only when content has been directly quoted, not when it has been summarized or paraphrased.

Within a sentence, the in-text citation information may appear as part of your introduction to the material or as a parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence. Read the examples that follow.

Leibowitz found that low-carbohydrate diets often helped subjects with Type II diabetes maintain a healthy weight and control blood-sugar levels.

The introduction to the source material includes the author’s name followed by the year of publication in parentheses.

Low-carbohydrate diets often help subjects with Type II diabetes maintain a healthy weight and control blood-sugar levels (Leibowitz).

The parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence includes the author’s name and the page number (if any) with only a space in between. The period at the end of the sentence comes after the parentheses. If you are quoting a source, it should look like this:

Herman Melville, in his first volume of poetry, wrote, "it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation" (1).

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation" (Melville 1).

The author’s last name followed by his or her first (and sometimes middle) initial

Additional information may be included for different types of sources, such as online sources. For a detailed guide to APA or MLA citations, see Chapter 13 . A sample reference list is provided with the final draft of Jorge’s paper later in this chapter.

Incorporating Primary and Secondary Research

Incorporating Primary Sources Effectively

A paper for a business administration course that discusses the results of a survey the writer conducted with local businesses to gather information about their work-from-home and flex time policies

For these types of papers, primary research is the main focus. If you are writing about a work (including non-print works, such as a movie or a painting), it is crucial to gather information and ideas from the original work, rather than relying solely on others’ interpretations. And, of course, if you take the time to design and conduct your own field research, such as a survey, a series of interviews, or an experiment, you will want to discuss it in detail. For example, the interviews may provide interesting responses that you want to share with your reader.

You are already familiar with incorporating quotations and paraphrases from primary sources that people other than yourself have produced. But you may not be familiar with how to incorporate your own primary research. When Miguel was writing his paper, he decided to give a survey to people he knew about whether and why people the author knew participated in low-carb diets. he also asked questions to determine how effective they were. When gathering your own data like this, it is best to summarize the data that you found before writing about it. In other words, you must analyze the data you gathered and summarize it. You then refer to your overall findings. To incorporate his findings, Miguel wrote:

Note that Miguel cited his own last name when quoting his own research. That's really the only difference between incorporating a primary source that you collected versus primary research that someone else said.

Incorporating Secondary Sources Effectively

Miguel knew he did not have the time, resources, or experience needed to conduct original experimental research for his paper other than a little additional complimentary research. Because he was relying on secondary sources to support his ideas, he made a point of citing sources that were not far removed from primary research.

Contributors and Attributions

CC LICENSED CONTENT, SHARED PREVIOUSLY:

Adapted from College Writing . Authored by: Susan Oaks. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC-BY-NC 4.0.
Adapted from Writing for Success . Provided by: The Saylor Foundation. License: CC-NC-SA 3.0 .

7.3 – Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper

Revise your paper to improve organization and cohesion.
Determine an appropriate style and tone for your paper.
Revise to ensure that your tone is consistent.
Edit your paper to ensure that language, citations, and formatting are correct.

Given all the time and effort you have put into your research project, you will want to make sure that your final draft represents your best work. This requires taking the time to revise and edit your paper carefully.

You may feel like you need a break from your paper before you revise and edit it. That is understandable—but leave yourself with enough time to complete this important stage of the writing process. In this section, you will learn the following specific strategies that are useful for revising and editing a research paper:

How to evaluate and improve the overall organization and cohesion
How to maintain an appropriate style and tone
How to use checklists to identify and correct any errors in language, citations, and formatting

Revising Your Paper: Organization and Cohesion

When writing a research paper, it is easy to become overly focused on editorial details, such as the proper format for bibliographical entries. These details do matter. However, before you begin to address them, it is important to spend time reviewing and revising the content of the paper.

A good research paper is both organized and cohesive. Organization means that your argument flows logically from one point to the next. Cohesion means that the elements of your paper work together smoothly and naturally. In a cohesive research paper, information from research is seamlessly integrated with the writer’s ideas.

Revise to Improve Organization

When you revise to improve organization, you look at the flow of ideas throughout the essay as a whole and within individual paragraphs. You check to see that your essay moves logically from the introduction to the body paragraphs to the conclusion, and that each section reinforces your thesis. Use Checklist 12.1 to help you.

Revising for Organization – Checklist

At the essay level.

Does my introduction proceed clearly from the opening to the thesis?
Does each body paragraph have a clear main idea that relates to the thesis?
Do the main ideas in the body paragraphs flow in a logical order? Is each paragraph connected to the one before it?
Do I need to add or revise topic sentences or transitions to make the overall flow of ideas clearer?
Does my conclusion summarize my main ideas and revisit my thesis?

At the paragraph level

Does the topic sentence clearly state the main idea?
Do the details in the paragraph relate to the main idea?
Do I need to recast any sentences or add transitions to improve the flow of sentences?

If you’re not sure, continue to revise your work or contact your Professor for help.

Jorge reread his draft paragraph by paragraph. As he read, he highlighted the main idea of each paragraph so he could see whether his ideas proceeded in a logical order. For the most part, the flow of ideas was clear. However, he did notice that one paragraph did not have a clear main idea. It interrupted the flow of the writing. During revision, Jorge added a topic sentence that clearly connected the paragraph to the one that had preceded it. He also added transitions to improve the flow of ideas from sentence to sentence.

Read the following paragraphs twice, the first time without Jorge’s changes, and the second time with them.

Jorge’s draft paragraph

Insert “Over the past decade, increasing numbers of Americans have jumped on the low-carbohydrate bandwagon.” after sentence 4. Revise & combine sentences 7 and 8 to read: “Proponents of low-carb diets say they are not only the most effective way to lose weight, but also they yield health benefits such as lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels. Start sentence 8 with “Meanwhile,”.

Follow these steps to begin revising your paper’s overall organization.

Print out a hard copy of your paper.
Read your paper paragraph by paragraph. Highlight your thesis and the topic sentence of each paragraph.
Using the thesis and topic sentences as starting points, outline the ideas you presented—just as you would do if you were outlining a chapter in a textbook. Do not look at the outline you created during prewriting. You may write in the margins of your draft or create a formal outline on a separate sheet of paper.
Next, reread your paper more slowly, looking for how ideas flow from sentence to sentence. Identify places where adding a transition or recasting a sentence would make the ideas flow more logically.
Review the topics on your outline. Is there a logical flow of ideas? Identify any places where you may need to reorganize ideas.
Begin to revise your paper to improve organization. Start with any major issues, such as needing to move an entire paragraph. Then proceed to minor revisions, such as adding a transitional phrase or tweaking a topic sentence so it connects ideas more clearly.

Collaboration

Please share your paper with a classmate. Repeat the six steps and take notes on a separate piece of paper. Share and compare notes.

Writers choose transitions carefully to show the relationships between ideas—for instance, to make a comparison or elaborate on a point with examples. Make sure your transitions suit your purpose and avoid overusing the same ones. For an extensive list of transitions, see Chapter 3 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , Section 3.4 “Revising and Editing” .

Revise to Improve Cohesion

When you revise to improve cohesion, you analyze how the parts of your paper work together. You look for anything that seems awkward or out of place. Revision may involve deleting unnecessary material or rewriting parts of the paper so that the out-of-place material fits in smoothly.

In a research paper, problems with cohesion usually occur when a writer has trouble integrating source material. If facts or quotations have been awkwardly dropped into a paragraph, they distract or confuse the reader instead of working to support the writer’s point. Overusing paraphrased and quoted material has the same effect. Use the Checklist below to review your essay for cohesion.

Revising for Cohesion: Checklist

Does the opening of the paper clearly connect to the broader topic and thesis? Make sure entertaining quotes or anecdotes serve a purpose.
Have I included support from research for each main point in the body of my paper?
Have I included introductory material before any quotations? Quotations should never stand alone in a paragraph.
Does paraphrased and quoted material clearly serve to develop my own points?
Do I need to add to or revise parts of the paper to help the reader understand how certain information from a source is relevant?
Are there any places where I have overused material from sources?
Does my conclusion make sense based on the rest of the paper? Make sure any new questions or suggestions in the conclusion are clearly linked to earlier material.

As Jorge reread his draft, he looked to see how the different pieces fit together to prove his thesis. He realized that some of his supporting information needed to be integrated more carefully and decided to omit some details entirely. Read the following paragraph, first without Jorge’s revisions and then with them.

Jorge’s paragraph with source integration & revisions

One likely reason for these lackluster long-term results is that a low-carbohydrate diet – like any restrictive diet – is difficult to adhere to for any extended period. Most people enjoy foods that are high in carbohydrates, and no one wants to be the person who always turns down that slice of pizza or birthday cake. In commenting on the Gardner study, experts at Harvard School of Public Health (2010) noted that women in all four diet groups had difficulty following the plan. Because it is hard for dieters to stick to a low-carbohydrate eating plan, the initial success of these diets is short-lived (Heinz, 2009). Medical professionals caution that low-carbohydrate diets are difficult for many people to follow consistently and that, in to maintain a healthy weight, dieters should try to develop nutrition and exercise habits they can incorporate into their lives in the long term (Mayo Clinic, 2008). Registered dietician D. Kwon (personal communication, August 10, 2010) comments, “For some people, (low-carbohydrate diets) are great, but for most, any sensible eating and exercise plan would work just as well” (Kwon, 2010) .

Summary of revisions: Remove 2nd sentence “Most people enjoy…”. Add signal phrase with personal communication citation to last sentence. Delete the parenthetical citation from end of paragraph.

Jorge decided that his comment about pizza and birthday cake came across as subjective and was not necessary to make his point, so he deleted it. He also realized that the quotation at the end of the paragraph was awkward and ineffective. How would his readers know who Kwon was or why her opinion should be taken seriously? Adding an introductory phrase helped Jorge integrate this quotation smoothly and establish the credibility of his source.

Follow these steps to begin revising your paper to improve cohesion.

Read the body paragraphs of your paper first. Each time you come to a place that cites information from sources, ask yourself what purpose this information serves. Check that it helps support a point and that it is clearly related to the other sentences in the paragraph.
Identify unnecessary information from sources that you can delete.
Identify places where you need to revise your writing so that readers understand the significance of the details cited from sources.
Skim the body paragraphs once more, looking for any paragraphs that seem packed with citations. Review these paragraphs carefully for cohesion.
Review your introduction and conclusion. Make sure the information presented works with ideas in the body of the paper.
Revise the places you identified in your paper to improve cohesion.

Please exchange papers with a classmate. Complete step four. On a separate piece of paper, note any areas that would benefit from clarification. Return and compare notes.

Using a consistent style and tone.

Once you are certain that the content of your paper fulfills your purpose, you can begin revising to improve style and tone . Together, your style and tone create the voice of your paper, or how you come across to readers. Style refers to the way you use language as a writer—the sentence structures you use and the word choices you make. Tone is the attitude toward your subject and audience that you convey through your word choice.

Determining an Appropriate Style and Tone

Although accepted writing styles will vary within different disciplines, the underlying goal is the same—to come across to your readers as a knowledgeable, authoritative guide. Writing about research is like being a tour guide who walks readers through a topic. A stuffy, overly formal tour guide can make readers feel put off or intimidated. Too much informality or humor can make readers wonder whether the tour guide really knows what he or she is talking about. Extreme or emotionally charged language comes across as unbalanced.

To help prevent being overly formal or informal, determine an appropriate style and tone at the beginning of the research process. Consider your topic and audience because these can help dictate style and tone. For example, a paper on new breakthroughs in cancer research should be more formal than a paper on ways to get a good night’s sleep.

A strong research paper comes across as straightforward, appropriately academic, and serious. It is generally best to avoid writing in the first person, as this can make your paper seem overly subjective and opinion based. Use Checklist 12.3 on style to review your paper for other issues that affect style and tone. You can check for consistency at the end of the writing process. Checking for consistency is discussed later in this section.

Revising for Style: Checklist

My paper avoids excessive wordiness.
My sentences are varied in length and structure.
I have avoided using first-person pronouns such as I and we .
I have used the active voice whenever possible.
I have defined specialized terms that might be unfamiliar to readers.
I have used clear, straightforward language whenever possible and avoided unnecessary jargon.
My paper states my point of view using a balanced tone—neither too indecisive nor too forceful.

Word Choice

Note that word choice is an especially important aspect of style. In addition to checking the points noted on Checklist 12.3, review your paper to make sure your language is precise, conveys no unintended connotations, and is free of biases. Here are some of the points to check for:

Vague or imprecise terms
Repetition of the same phrases (“Smith states…, Jones states…”) to introduce quoted and paraphrased material
Exclusive use of masculine pronouns or awkward use of he or she
Use of language with negative connotations, such as haughty or ridiculous
Use of outdated or offensive terms to refer to specific ethnic, racial, or religious groups

Using plural nouns and pronouns or recasting a sentence can help you keep your language gender neutral while avoiding awkwardness. Consider the following examples.

Gender-biased: When a writer cites a source in the body of his paper, he must list it on his references page.
Awkward: When a writer cites a source in the body of his or her paper, he or she must list it on his or her references page.
Improved: Writers must list any sources cited in the body of a paper on the references page.

Keeping Your Style Consistent

As you revise your paper, make sure your style is consistent throughout. Look for instances where a word, phrase, or sentence just does not seem to fit with the rest of the writing. It is best to reread for style after you have completed the other revisions so that you are not distracted by any larger content issues. Revising strategies you can use include the following:

Read your paper aloud. Sometimes your ears catch inconsistencies that your eyes miss.
Share your paper with another reader whom you trust to give you honest feedback. It is often difficult to evaluate one’s own style objectively—especially in the final phase of a challenging writing project. Another reader may be more likely to notice instances of wordiness, confusing language, or other issues that affect style and tone.
Line-edit your paper slowly, sentence by sentence. You may even wish to use a sheet of paper to cover everything on the page except the paragraph you are editing—that forces you to read slowly and carefully. Mark any areas where you notice problems in style or tone, and then take time to rework those sections.

On reviewing his paper, Jorge found that he had generally used an appropriately academic style and tone. However, he noticed one glaring exception—his first paragraph. He realized there were places where his overly informal writing could come across as unserious or, worse, disparaging. Revising his word choice and omitting a humorous aside helped Jorge maintain a consistent tone. Read his revisions.

Jorge’s first paragraph with academic style revisions

Picture this: You’re standing in the aisle of your local grocery store when you see a chubby guy an overweight man nearby staring at several brands of ketchup on display. After deliberating for a moment, he reaches for the bottle with the words “Low-Carb!” displayed prominently on the label. (You can’t help but notice that the low-carb ketchup is higher priced.) Is he making a smart choice that will help him lose weight and enjoy better health – or is he just buying into the latest diet fad?

Summary of revisions: replace “a chubby guy” in sentence 1 with “an overweight man”. Remove 3rd sentence.

Using the Style Checklist, line-edit your paper. You may use either of these techniques:

Print out a hard copy of your paper, or work with your printout. Read it line by line. Check for the issues noted on the Style Checklist, as well as any other aspects of your writing style you have previously identified as areas for improvement. Mark any areas where you notice problems in style or tone, and then take time to rework those sections.
If you prefer to work with an electronic document, use the menu options in your word-processing program to enlarge the text to 150 or 200 percent of the original size. Make sure the type is large enough that you can focus on only one paragraph at a time. Read the paper line by line as described in step 1. Highlight any areas where you notice problems in style or tone, and then take time to rework those sections.

Please exchange papers with a classmate. On a separate piece of paper, note places where the essay does not seem to flow or you have questions about what was written. Return the essay and compare notes.

Editing Your Paper

After revising your paper to address problems in content or style, you will complete one final editorial review. Perhaps you already have caught and corrected minor mistakes during previous revisions. Nevertheless, give your draft a final edit to make sure it is error-free. Your final edit should focus on two broad areas:

Errors in grammar, mechanics, usage, and spelling
Errors in citing and formatting sources

Correcting Errors

Given how much work you have put into your research paper, you will want to check for any errors that could distract or confuse your readers. Using the spell-checking feature in your word-processing program can be helpful—but this should not replace a full, careful review of your document. Be sure to check for any errors that may have come up frequently for you in the past. Use Checklist 12.4 to help you as you edit:

Grammar, Mechanics, Punctuation, Usage, and Spelling Checklist

My paper is free of grammatical errors, such as errors in subject-verb agreement and sentence fragments. (For additional guidance on grammar, see “Writing Basics: What Makes a Good Sentence?”. )
My paper is free of errors in punctuation and mechanics, such as misplaced commas or incorrectly formatted source titles. (For additional guidance on punctuation and mechanics, see “Punctuation” .)
My paper is free of common usage errors, such as alot and alright . (For additional guidance on correct usage, see “Working with Words: Which Word Is Right?” .)
My paper is free of spelling errors. I have proofread my paper for spelling in addition to using the spell-checking feature in my word-processing program.
I have checked my paper for any editing errors that I know I tend to make frequently.

Checking Citations and Formatting

When editing a research paper, it is also important to check that you have cited sources properly and formatted your document according to the specified guidelines. There are two reasons for this. First and foremost, citing sources correctly ensures that you have given proper credit to other people for ideas and information that helped you in your work. Second, using correct formatting establishes your paper as one student’s contribution to the work developed by and for a larger academic community. Increasingly, American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines are the standard for many academic fields. Modern Language Association (MLA) is also a standard style in many fields. Use Checklist 12.5 to help you check citations and formatting.

Citations and Formatting Checklist

Within the body of my paper, each fact or idea taken from a source is credited to the correct source.
Each in-text citation includes the source author’s name (or, where applicable, the organization name or source title) and year of publication. I have used the correct format of in-text and parenthetical citations.
Each source cited in the body of my paper has a corresponding entry in the references section of my paper.
My references section includes a heading and double-spaced, alphabetized entries.
Each entry in my references section is indented on the second line and all subsequent lines.
Each entry in my references section includes all the necessary information for that source type, in the correct sequence and format.
My paper includes a title page.
The margins of my paper are set at one inch. Text is double spaced and set in a standard 12-point font.

For detailed guidelines on APA citation and formatting, see Chapter 8 – APA Style Citations – Tutorial

During the process of revising and editing, Jorge made changes in the content and style of his paper. He also gave the paper a final review to check for overall correctness and, particularly, correct APA citations and formatting. Read the final draft of his paper.

Read Jorge’s final essay

Note: HTML/plain text & Pressbooks do not always display page layout or APA formatting such as page numbers, spacing, margins or indentation accurately. Please review APA formatting rules to ensure you meet APA guidelines with your own work. The text version is included here in HTML format for ease of reading/use. You may also want to View Jorge’s paper in PDF format .

Jorge Ramirez

Picture this: You’re standing in the aisle of your local grocery store when you see an overweight man nearby staring at several brands of ketchup on display. After deliberating for a moment, he reaches for the bottle with the words “Low-Carb!” displayed prominently on the label. Is he making a smart choice that will help him lose weight and enjoy better health—or is he just buying into the latest diet fad?

Over the past decade, increasing numbers of Americans have jumped on the low-carb bandwagon. As of 2004, researchers estimated that approximately 40 million Americans, or about one-fifth of the population, were attempting to restrict their intake of food high in carbohydrates (Sanders & Katz, 2004). Proponents of low-carb diets say they not only are the most effective way to lose weight but also yield health benefits such as lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, some doctors claim that low-carb diets are overrated and caution that their long-term effects are unknown. Although following a low-carbohydrate diet can benefit some people, these diets are not necessarily that best option for everyone who wants to lose weight or improve their health.

Purported Benefits of Low-Carbohydrate Diets

To make sense of the popular enthusiasm for low-carbohydrate diets, it is important to understand proponents’ claims about how they work. Any eating plan includes a balance of the three macronutrients—proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—each of which is essential for human health. Different foods provide these macronutrients in different proportions; a steak is primarily a source of protein, and a plate of pasta is primarily a source of carbohydrates. No one recommends eliminating any of these three macronutrient groups entirely.

However, experts disagree on what protein: fats: carbohydrate ratio is best for optimum health and for maintaining a healthy weight. Since the 1970s, the USDA has recommended that the greatest proportion of one’s daily calories should come from carbohydrates—breads, pastas, and cereals—with moderate consumption of proteins and minimal consumption of fats. High-carbohydrate foods form the base of the “food pyramid” familiar to nutrition students.

Those who subscribe to the low-carb philosophy, however, argue that this approach is flawed. They argue that excess weight stems from disordered metabolism, which in turn can be traced to overconsumption of foods high in carbohydrates—especially refined carbohydrates like white flour and sugar (Atkins, 2002; Agatson, 2003). The body quickly absorbs sugars from these foods, increasing the level of glucose in the blood. This triggers the release of insulin, delivering energy-providing glucose to cells and storing some of the excess as glycogen. Unfortunately, the liver turns the rest of this excess glucose into fat. Thus, adherents of the low-carb approach often classify foods according to their glycemic index (GI)—a measurement of how quickly a given food raises blood glucose levels when consumed. Foods high in refined carbohydrates—sugar, potatoes, white breads, and pasta, for instance—have a high glycemic index.

Dieters who focus solely on reducing fat intake may fail to realize that consuming refined carbohydrates contributes to weight problems. Atkins (2002) notes that low-fat diets recommended to many who wish to lose weight are, by definition, usually high in carbohydrates, and thus unlikely to succeed.

Even worse, consuming high-carbohydrate foods regularly can, over time, wreak havoc with the body’s systems for regulating blood sugar levels and insulin production. In some individuals, frequent spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels cause the body to become insulin-resistant—less able to use glucose for energy and more likely to convert it to fat (Atkins, 2002). This in turn helps to explain the link between obesity and Type 2 diabetes. In contrast, reducing carbohydrate intake purportedly helps the body use food more efficiently for energy. Additional benefits associated with these diets include reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (Atkins, 2002), lowered blood pressure (Bell, 2006; Atkins, 2002), and reduced risk of developing certain cancers (Atkins, 2002).

Given the experts’ conflicting recommendations, it is no wonder that patients are confused about how to eat for optimum health. Some may assume that even moderate carbohydrate consumption should be avoided (Harvard School of Public Health, 2010). Others may use the low-carb approach to justify consuming large amounts of foods high in saturated fats—eggs, steak, bacon, and so forth. Meanwhile, low-carb diet plans and products have become a multibillion-dollar industry (Hirsch, 2004). Does this approach live up to its adherents’ promises?

Research on Low-Carbohydrate Diets and Weight Loss

A number of clinical studies have found that low-carbohydrate diet plans are indeed highly effective for weight loss. Gardner et al. (2007) compared outcomes among overweight and obese women who followed one of four popular diet plans: Atkins, The Zone, LEARN, or Ornish. After 12 months, the group that had followed the low-carb Atkins plan had lost significantly more weight than those in the other three groups. McMillan-Price et al. (2006) compared results among overweight and obese young adults who followed one of four plans, all of which were low in fat but had varying proportions of proteins and carbohydrates. They found that, over a 12-week period, the most significantly body-fat loss occurred on plans that were high in protein and/or low in “high glycemic index” foods. More recently, the American Heart Association (2010) reported on an Israeli study that found that subjects who followed a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet lost more weight than those who followed a low-fat plan or a Mediterranean plan based on vegetables, grains, and minimal consumption of meats and healthy fats.2 Other researchers have also found that low-carbohydrates diets resulted in increased weight loss (Ebbeling et al., 2007; Bell, 2006; HealthDay, 2010).

Although these results are promising, they may be short-lived. Dieters who succeed in losing weight often struggle to keep the weight off—and unfortunately, low-carb diets are no exception to the rule. HealthDay (2010) cites a study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that compared obese subjects who followed a low-carbohydrate diet and a low-fat diet. The former group lost more weight steadily—and both groups had difficulty keeping weight off. Similarly, Swiss researchers found that, although low-carb dieters initially lost more weight than those who followed other plans, the differences tended to even out over time (Bell, 2006). This suggests that low-carb diets may be no more effective than other diets for maintaining a healthy weight in the long term.

One likely reason is that a low-carbohydrate diet—like any restrictive diet—is difficult to adhere to for any extended period. In commenting on the Gardner study, experts at the Harvard School of Public Health (2010) noted that women in all four diet groups had difficulty following the plan. Medical professionals caution that low-carbohydrate diets are difficult for many people to follow consistently and that, to maintain a healthy weight, dieters should try to develop nutrition and exercise habits they can incorporate in their lives in the long term (Mayo Clinic, 2010). Registered dietician D. Kwon (personal communication, August 10, 2010) comments, “For some people, [low-carbohydrate diets] are great, but for most, any sensible eating and exercise plan would work just as well”.

Other Long-Term Health Outcomes

Regardless of whether low-carb diets are most effective for weight loss, their potential benefits for weight loss must be weighed against other long-term health outcomes such as hypertension, the risk of heart disease, and cholesterol levels. Research findings in these areas are mixed. For this reason, people considering following a low-carbohydrate diet to lose weight should be advised of the potential risks in doing so.

Research on how low-carbohydrate diets affect cholesterol levels in inconclusive. Some researchers have found that low-carbohydrate diets raise levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol (Ebbeling et al., 2007; Seppa, 2008). Unfortunately, they may also raise levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, which is associated with heart disease (Ebbeling et al., 2007; Reuters Health, 2010). A particular concern is that as dieters on a low-carbohydrate plan increase their intake of meats and dairy products—foods that are high in protein and fat—they are also likely to consume increased amounts of saturated fats, resulting in clogged arteries and again increasing the risk of heart disease. Studies of humans (Bradley et al., 2009) and mice (Foo et al., 2009) have identified possible risks to cardiovascular health associated with low-carb diets. The American Heart Association (2010) and the Harvard School of Public Health (2010) caution that doctors cannot yet assess how following a low-carbohydrate diet affects patients’ health over a long-term period.

Some studies (Bell, 2006) have found that following a low-carb diet helped lower patients’ blood pressure. Again, however, excessive consumption of foods high in saturated fats may, over time, lead to the development of clogged arteries and increase risk of hypertension. Choosing lean meats over those high in fat and supplementing the diet with high-fiber, low-glycemic-index carbohydrates, such as leafy green vegetables, is a healthier plan for dieters to follow.

Perhaps most surprisingly, low-carbohydrate diets are not necessarily advantageous for patients with Type 2 diabetes. Bradley et al. (2009) found that patients who followed a low-carb or a low-fat diet had comparable outcomes for both weight loss and insulin resistance. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2010) advises diabetics to monitor blood sugar levels carefully and to consult with their health care provider to develop a plan for healthy eating. Nevertheless, the nutritional guidelines it provides as a dietary starting point closely follow the USDA food pyramid.

Low-carb diets have garnered a great deal of positive attention, and it isn’t entirely undeserved. These diets do lead to rapid weight loss, and they often result in greater weight loss over a period of months than other diet plans. Significantly overweight or obese people may find low-carb eating plans the most effective for losing weight and reducing the risks associated with carrying excess body fat. However, because these diets are difficult for some people to adhere to and because their potential long-term health effects are still being debated, they are not necessarily the ideal choice for anyone who wants to lose weight. A moderately overweight person who wants to lose only a few pounds is best advised to choose whatever plan will help him stay active and consume fewer calories consistently—whether or not it involves eating low-carb ketchup.

Agatson, A. (2003). The South Beach Diet . St. Martin’s Griffin.

The American Heart Association. (2010). American Heart Association comments on weight loss study comparing low carbohydrate/high protein, Mediterranean style and low fat diets . http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=473

Atkins, R. C. (2002). Dr. Atkins’ diet revolution . M. Evans and Company.

Bell, J. R. (2006). Low-carb beats low-fat diet for early losses by not long term. OBGYN News , 41 (12), 32. doi:10.1016/S0029-7437(06)71905-X

Bradley, U., Spence, M., Courtney, C. H., McKinley, M. C., Ennis, C. N., McCance, D. R., McEneny, J., Bell, P. M., Young, I. S., & Hunter, S. J. (2009). Low-fat versus low-carbohydrate weight reduction diets: effects on weight loss, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk: A randomized control trial [Abstract]. Diabetes , 58 (12), 2741–2748. http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2009/08/23/db09-0098.abstract

Ebbeling, C. B., Leidig, M. M., Feldman, H. A., Lovesky, M. M., & Ludwig, D. S. (2007). Effects of a low-glycemic load vs low-fat diet in obese young adults: A randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association , 297 (19), 2092–2102. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/297/19/2092?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=ebbeling&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

Foo, S. Y., Heller, E. R., Wykrzykowska, J., Sullivan, C. J., Manning-Tobin, J. J., Moore, K. J….Rosenzweigac, A. (2009). Vascular effects of a low-carbohydrate high-protein diet. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of America , 106 (36), 15418–15423. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0907995106

Gardner, C. D., Kiazand, A., Alhassan, S., Kim, S., Stafford, R. S., Balise, R. R., Kraemer, H. C., & King, A. C. (2007). Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women. Journal of the American Medical Association , 297 (9), 969–977. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/297/9/969#AUTHINFO

Harvard School of Public Health (2010). Carbohydrates: Good carbs guide the way. The Nutrition Source . http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates-full-story/index.html#good-carbs-not-no-carbs

HealthDay. (2010). Low-fat diets beat low-carb regiment long term . http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_95861.html

Hirsch, J. (2004). The low-carb evolution: Be reactive with low-carb products but proactive with nutrition. Nutraceuticals World . http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view/13321

Mayo Clinic. (2010). Healthy lifestyle: Weight loss . https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20048466?p=1

McMillan-Price, J., Petocz, P., Atkinson, F., O’Neill, K., Samman, S., Steinbeck, K., Caterson, I., & Brand-Miller, J. (2006, July). Comparison of 4 diets of varying glycemic load on weight loss and cardiovascular risk reduction in overweight and obese young adults: A randomized controlled trial. Archives of Internal Medicine , 166 (14), 1466–1475. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/166/14/1466

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2010). National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: What I need to know about eating and diabetes . http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/eating_ez/index.htm

Reuters Health. (2010). Low-carb diet can increase bad cholesterol levels . http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_95708.html

Seppa, N. (2008). Go against the grains, diet study suggests: Low-carb beats low-fat in weight loss, cholesterol. Science News , 174 (4), 25. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/issue/id/34757

Source: PDF/text version of the final research essay from “Developing Your Final Draft” In English Composition 2 by Lumen Learning is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 . / has been Adapted by Emily Cramer & Amanda Quibell / Created PDF/accessible format, APA style updated to 7th edition and corrections made so that in-text and reference entries match.

Organization in a research paper means that the argument proceeds logically from the introduction to the body to the conclusion. It flows logically from one point to the next. When revising a research paper, evaluate the organization of the paper as a whole and the organization of individual paragraphs.
In a cohesive research paper, the elements of the paper work together smoothly and naturally. When revising a research paper, evaluate its cohesion. In particular, check that information from research is smoothly integrated with your ideas with appropriate in-text citations.
An effective research paper uses a style and tone that are appropriately academic and serious. When revising a research paper, check that the style and tone are consistent throughout.
Editing a research paper involves checking for errors in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, usage, spelling, citations, and formatting.

Attribution & References

Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from ” 12.2 Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper ” In Writing for Success by University of Minnesota licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 . Edits made for accessibility and visual images, updates to APA citation & references.
Final Essay screenshots & PDF/text version of the final research essay from “Developing Your Final Draft” In English Composition 2 by Lumen Learning is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA . / Adapted by Emily Cramer & Amanda Quibell / Created accessible PDF format, APA style updated to 7th edition and corrections made so that in-text and reference entries match.

7.3 - Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper Copyright © 2022 by Jen Booth, Emily Cramer & Amanda Quibell, Georgian College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Chapter 12: Peer Review and Final Revisions

12.2 Editing and Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper

Learning Objectives

Edit your paper to ensure that language, citations, and formatting are correct

Given all the time and effort you have put into your research paper, you will want to make sure that your final draft represents your best work. This requires taking the time to revise and edit your paper carefully.

You may feel like you need a break from your paper before you edit it. That feeling is understandable, so you want to be sure to leave yourself enough time to complete this important stage of the writing process. This section presents a number of opportunities for you to focus on different aspects of the editing process; as with revising a draft, you should approach editing in different stages.

Some of the content in this section may seem repetitive, but again, it provides you with a chance to double-check any revisions you have made at a detailed level.

Editing Your Draft

If you have been incorporating each set of revisions as Mariah and Jorge have, you have produced multiple drafts of your writing. So far, all your changes have been content changes. Perhaps with the help of peer feedback, you have made sure that you sufficiently supported your ideas. You have checked for problems with unity and coherence. You have examined your essay for word choice, revising to cut unnecessary words and to replace weak wording with specific and appropriate wording.

The next step after revising the content is editing. When you edit, you examine the surface features of your text. You examine your spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation. You also make sure you use the proper format when creating your finished assignment.

Tip: Editing takes time. Be sure to budget time into the writing process to complete additional edits after revising. Editing and proofreading your writing helps you create a finished work that represents your best efforts. Here are a few more tips to remember about your readers:

Readers do not notice correct spelling, but they do notice misspellings.
Readers look past your sentences to get to your ideas—unless the sentences are awkward, poorly constructed, and frustrating to read.
Readers notice when every sentence has the same rhythm as every other sentence, with no variety.
Readers do not cheer when you use there, their, and they’re correctly, but they notice when you do not.
Readers will notice the care with which you handled your assignment and your attention to detail in the delivery of an error-free document.

Being Clear and Concise

Some writers are very methodical and painstaking when they write a first draft. Other writers unleash a lot of words in order to get out all that they feel they need to say. Do either of these methods match your style? Or is your composing style somewhere in between? No matter which description best fits you, the first draft of almost every piece of writing, no matter its author, can be made clearer and more concise.

If you have a tendency to write too much, you will need to look for unnecessary words. If you have a tendency to be vague or imprecise in your wording, you will need to find specific words to replace any overly general language.

Identifying Wordiness

Sometimes writers use too many words when fewer words will appeal more to their audience and better fit their purpose. Here are some common examples of wordiness to look for in your draft. Eliminating wordiness helps all readers, because it makes your ideas clear, direct, and straightforward.

Sentences that begin with There is or There are
Wordy . There are two major experiments that the Biology Department sponsors.
Revised . The Biology Department sponsors two major experiments.
Sentences with unnecessary modifiers
Wordy . Two extremely famous and well-known consumer advocates spoke eloquently in favour of the proposed important legislation.
Revised . Two well-known consumer advocates spoke in favour of the proposed legislation.

Sentences with deadwood phrases that add little to the meaning. Be judicious when you use phrases such as in terms of , with a mind to , on the subject of , as to whether or not , more or less , as far as…is concerned , and similar expressions. You can usually find a more straightforward way to state your point.

Wordy . As a world leader in the field of green technology, the company plans to focus its efforts in the area of geothermal energy. A report as to whether or not to use geysers as an energy source is in the process of preparation.
Revised . As a world leader in green technology, the company plans to focus on geothermal energy. Researchers are preparing a report about using geysers as an energy source.

Sentences in the passive voice or with forms of the verb to be : S entences with passive voice verbs often create confusion because the subject of the sentence does not perform an action. Sentences are clearer when the subject performs the action and is followed by a strong verb. Use strong active voice verbs in place of forms of to be , which can lead to wordiness. Avoid passive voice when you can.

Wordy . It might perhaps be said that using a GPS device is something that is a benefit to drivers who have a poor sense of direction.
Revised . Using a GPS device benefits drivers who have a poor sense of direction.

Sentences with constructions that can be shortened

Wordy . The e-book reader, which is a recent invention, may become as commonplace as the cell phone. My over-60 uncle bought an e-book reader, and his wife bought an e-book reader, too.
Revised . The e-book reader, a recent invention, may become as commonplace as the cell phone. My over-60 uncle and his wife both bought e-book readers.

Choosing Specific, Appropriate Words

Most essays at the post-secondary level should be written in formal English suitable for an academic situation. Follow these principles to be sure that your word choice is appropriate. For more information about word choice, see Chapter 2: Working with Words: Which Word Is Right?

Avoid slang . Find alternatives to bummer , kewl , and rad .
Avoid language that is overly casual . Write about “men and women” rather than “girls and guys” unless you are trying to create a specific effect. A formal tone calls for formal language.
Avoid contractions . Use do not in place of don’t , I am in place of I’m , have not in place of haven’t , and so on. Contractions are considered casual speech.
Avoid clichés . Overused expressions such as green with envy , face the music , better late than never , and similar expressions are empty of meaning and may not appeal to your audience.
Be careful when you use words that sound alike but have different meanings . Some examples are allusion/illusion ; complement/compliment; council/counsel; concurrent/consecutive; founder/flounder; and historic/historical. When in doubt, check a dictionary.
Choose words with the connotations you want . Choosing a word for its connotations is as important in formal essay writing as it is in all kinds of writing. Compare the positive connotations of the word proud and the negative connotations of arrogant and conceited .
Use specific words rather than overly general words . Find synonyms for thing , people , nice , good , bad , interesting , and other vague words. Or use specific details to make your exact meaning clear.

Now read the revisions Mariah made to make her third paragraph clearer and more concise. She has already incorporated the changes she made to improve unity and coherence.

Self-Practice Exercise 12.8

H5P: Understanding Word Choice

Answer the following questions about Mariah’s revised paragraph.

Read the unrevised and the revised paragraphs aloud. Explain in your own words how changes in word choice have affected Mariah’s writing.
Do you agree with the changes that Mariah made to her paragraph? Which changes would you keep and which were unnecessary? Explain. What other changes would you have made?
What effect does removing contractions and the pronoun you have on the tone of the paragraph? How would you characterize the tone now? Why?

Now return once more to your essay in progress. Read carefully for problems with word choice. Be sure that your draft is written in formal language and that your word choice is specific and appropriate.

Self-Practice Exercise 12.9

Return once more to the first draft of the essay you have been revising. Check it for unnecessary words.

Try making your sentences as concise as they can be.

Brief Punctuation Review

Throughout this book, you have been presented with a number of tables containing transitional words. The list below Punctuating Transitional Words and Phrases shows many of the transition words you have seen organized into different categories to help you know how to punctuate with each one.

Punctuating Transitional Words and Phrases

Joining Independent Clauses (coordination)

2 IND: IND; IND
accordingly
after a while
as a result
at any rate
at the same time
consequently
for example
for instance
furthermore
in addition
in other words
in particular
in the first place
nevertheless
nonetheless
on the contrary
on the other hand

Forming Dependent Clauses (subordination)

in order that

* This column contains relative pronouns, which may be punctuated differently.

Joining Independent Clauses

There are three ways to join independent clauses. By using a mix of all three methods and varying your transition words, you will add complexity to your writing and improve the flow. You will also be emphasizing to your reader which ideas you want to connect or to show things like cause and effect or contrast. For a more detailed review of independent clauses, look back at Chapter 3: Putting Ideas into Your Own Words and Paragraphs . Option 1 By simply using a semicolon ( ; ), you can make the ideas connect more than if you were to use a period. If you are trying to reinforce that connection, use a semicolon because it is not as strong of a pause as a period and reinforces the link. Option 2 When you want to link two independent sentences and increase the flow between ideas, you can add a comma and a coordinating conjunction between them. With coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), you do not use a comma every time: you would only do so if what is on either side of the conjunction is a complete sentence not just a phrase. You would not put a comma if you are only giving a list of two items. For example:

Comma: It is cold outside , so I wore an extra warm coat.

No comma: It is cold outside. I wore an extra warm coat and gloves.

The first example contains a complete sentence (independent clause) on either side of the conjunction so . Just the conjunction by itself or just a comma by itself is not strong enough to join two independent clauses. However, if you put the two together with so , you can link the two. In the second example, and is simply connecting two noun phrases: warm coat and gloves . What comes after the conjunction is not a complete sentence, so you would not add a comma. To check if there is a complete, independent clause, ask yourself, “Can that part stand by itself as a complete sentence?” In the case of the no comma example, gloves is what comes after the comma. That is not a complete sentence, only a noun: that means it is part of a list and is not a complete sentence = no comma. The point of these examples was to show you that you have to be careful how you use commas and conjunctions. As easy as it would be to just always toss in a comma, doing so would confuse your reader as what is and is not part of a list and what ideas are joined. Option 3 Your third choice is to join two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb or another transition word. These words are very useful because they clearly show your reader how you would like your ideas to connect. If you wanted to emphasize contrasting ideas, you would use on the other hand or however . If you wanted to show cause and effect, you could use as a result . Refer to the tables you have seen in other chapters to make sure you are using the transitions you actually mean to be using; then, check Punctuating Transitional Words and Phrases above to confirm how you should punctuate it. After your first independent clause, you can choose to either use a period or a semicolon, again depending on how much of a link you want to show. You may also want to consider how many long sentences you have used prior to this. If you use a lot of complicated sentences, you should probably use a period to allow your reader to take a break. You must also remember to include a comma after the transition word.

Period: It is cold outside . Therefore, I wore an extra warm coat.

Semicolon: It is cold outside ; therefore, I wore an extra warm coat.

Joining Dependent Clauses

If one of the clauses in a sentence is independent and can stand on its own, but the other is not, you have to construct the sentence a little differently. Whenever you add a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun to an independent sentence, you create a dependent clause—one that can never stand alone. In the examples below, notice that when the independent clause comes first, it is strong enough to carry the dependent clause at the end without any helping punctuation. However, if you want the dependent clause first, you must add a comma between it and the independent clause: the dependent clause is not strong enough to support the independent clause after without a little help. In the examples below, the independent clauses are double underlined and the dependent clause has a single underline.

IND first: I wore an extra warm coat as it is cold outside.

DEP first: As it is cold outside , I wore an extra warm coat.

Tip: If you want to start a sentence with Because , you need to make sure there is a second half to that sentence that is independent. A Because (dependent) clause can never stand by itself.

At the bottom on Punctuating Transitional Words and Phrases you can see a list of five dependent markers that can be used a little differently. These are relative pronouns, and when you use them, you need to ask yourself if the information is 100 percent necessary for the reader to understand what you are describing. If it is optional, you can include a comma before the relative clause even if it comes after the independent clause.

Non – essential: As it is cold outside, I wore an extra warm coat , which was blue.

Essential: My coat which is blue is the one I wear when it is really cold outside.

In the non – essential example, the fact that the coat was warm was probably more important than that the coat was blue. The information that the coat is blue probably would not make a difference in keeping the person warm, so the information in that relative clause is not terribly important. Adding the comma before the clause tells the reader it is extra information. In the essential example, the use of the same clause without a preceding comma shows that this information is important. The writer is implying he has other coats that are not as warm and are not blue, so he is emphasizing the importance of the blue coat. These are the only five subordinators, or relative pronouns, for which you can do this; every other one needs to follow the previous explanation of how to use these dependent transition words. If you do decide to add a comma with one of the relative pronouns, you need to think critically about whether or not that description is completely essential.

Using any of these sentence joining strategies is helpful in providing sentence variety to help your reader stay engaged and reading attentively. By following these punctuation rules, you will also avoid creating sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices, all of which improves your end product.

Given how much work you have put into your research paper, you will want to check for any errors that could distract or confuse your readers. Using the spell checking feature in your word processing program can be helpful, it should not replace a full, careful review of your document. Be sure to check for any errors that may have come up frequently for you in the past. Use Checklist 12.4: Editing Your Writing to help you as you edit.

Checklist 12.4 : Editing Your Writing

H5P: Editing Your Writing

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your grammar .

Does every verb agree with its subject?
Is the antecedent of every pronoun clear?
Is it clear which word a participial phrase modifies (eg. no dangling modifier)?
Have you ensured there are no run-on sentences?
Are subject, object, and possessive personal pronouns used correctly?
Do all personal pronouns agree with their antecedents?
Are all sentences complete sentences (eg. not fragments)?
Are independent clauses joined with conjunctions?
Are tense forms, especially for irregular verbs, written correctly?
Are the correct comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs used?
Are who and whom used correctly?
Is every verb in the correct tense?

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your sentence structure .

Is my parallel structure accurate?
Have I chosen the best coordinating or subordinating conjunctions to join clauses?
Are my sentences clear?
Do I vary my sentence structure?
Have I used apostrophes correctly to write all singular and plural possessive forms?
Have I used quotation marks correctly?
Does every sentence end with the correct end punctuation?
Can I justify the use of every exclamation point?

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your mechanics and usage .

Have I corrected any spelling errors?
Have I used capital letters where they are needed?
Have I written abbreviations, where allowed, correctly?
Have I corrected any errors in the use of commonly confused words, such as to/too/two?

Tip: Be careful about relying too much on spelling checkers and grammar checkers. A spelling checker cannot recognize that you meant to write principle but wrote principal instead. A grammar checker often queries constructions that are perfectly correct. The program does not understand your meaning; it makes its check against a general set of formulas that might not apply in each instance. If you use a grammar checker, accept the suggestions that make sense, but consider why the suggestions came up.

Tip: Proofreading requires patience; it is very easy to read past a mistake. Set your paper aside for at least a few hours, if not a day or more, so your mind will rest. Some professional proofreaders read a text backward so they can concentrate on spelling and punctuation. Another helpful technique is to slowly read a paper aloud, paying attention to every word, letter, and punctuation mark.

If you need additional proofreading help, ask a reliable friend, classmate, or peer tutor to make a final pass on your paper to look for anything you missed.

Your finished assignment should be properly formatted, following the style required of you. Formatting includes the style of the title, margin size, page number placement, location of the writer’s name, and other factors. Your instructor or department may require a specific style to be used. The requirements may be more detailed and rigid for research projects and term papers, which often observe the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, especially when citations of sources are included.

To ensure the format is correct and follows any specific instructions, make a final check before you submit an assignment.

Self-Practice Exercise 12.10

With the help of Checklist 12.4, edit and proofread your essay.

When editing a research paper, it is also important to check that you have cited sources properly and formatted your document according to the specified guidelines. There are two reasons for this. First, citing sources correctly ensures that you give proper credit to other people for ideas and information that helped you in your work. Second, using correct formatting establishes your paper as one student’s contribution to the work developed by and for a larger academic community. Increasingly, American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines are the standard for many academic fields. Use Checklist 12.5: Citations and Formatting to help.

Checklist 12.5 : Citations and Formatting

H5P: Citation and Formatting

Reread your paper and check whether you have achieved the following goals in working towards proper citation and formatting.

Each in-text citation includes the source author’s name (or, where applicable, the organization name or source title) and year of publication. I have used the correct format of in text and parenthetical citations.
My paper includes a running head.
My references section includes a heading and double-spaced alphabetized entries.

For detailed guidelines on APA citation and formatting, see Chapter 9: Citations and Referencing .

Following APA citation and formatting guidelines may require time and effort. However, it is good practice for learning how to follow accepted conventions in any professional field. Many large corporations create a style manual with guidelines for editing and formatting documents produced by that corporation. Employees follow the style manual when creating internal documents and documents for publication.

With the help of Checklist 12.5, edit and proofread your essay.

Although you probably do not want to look at your paper again before you submit it to your instructor, take the time to do a final check. Since you have already worked through all of the checklists above focusing on certain aspects at one time, working through one final checklist should confirm you have written a strong, persuasive essay and that everything is the way you want it to be. As extra insurance you have produced a strong paper, you may even want someone else to double-check your essay using Checklist 12.6: Final Revision . Then you can compare to see how your perceptions of your paper match those of someone else, essentially having that person act as the one who will be grading your paper.

Checklist 12.6: Final Revision

H5P: Final Revision

Although you probably do not want to look at your paper again before you submit it to your instructor, take the time to do a final check. Since you have already worked through all of the checklists above focusing on certain aspects at one time, working through one final checklist should confirm you have written a strong, persuasive essay and that everything is the way you want it to be. As extra insurance you have produced a strong paper, you may even want someone else to double-check your essay using Checklist 12.6: Final Revision. Then you can compare to see how your perceptions of your paper match those of someone else, essentially having that person act as the one who will be grading your paper.

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your organization .

Are your paragraphs organized in a logical manner?
Focus: Have you clearly stated your thesis (your controlling idea) in the first paragraph?
Check whether your paragraphs are organized according to a specific pattern.
Unity: Write your opening and closing paragraphs and place each topic sentence in between. You should have a “mini essay”
with several different main points supporting your thesis.
Have you provided a comprehensive conclusion to your essay? Does it summarize your main points (using different words)?
Do you show you understand the assignment: purpose, audience, and genre?
Does your thesis statement catch the reader’s attention?
Does each topic sentence (per paragraph) logically follow the one preceding it?
Do you have several points to support your thesis?
Are your paragraphs organized in the best way to support your thesis?

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your paragraphs and sentences .

Does each sentence logically follow the preceding one?
Are there several sentences giving details, facts, quotes, reasons, and arguments in each paragraph?
Is each supporting detail specific, concrete, and relevant to the topic sentence?
Have you used transitional words to help the reader follow your thoughts?
Does each paragraph have only one main point?
Does your essay have an appropriate tone and point of view?
Does each paragraph have main points and supporting details?
Is each sentence is relevant to the main point of the paragraph?
Is your approach or pattern used to develop your paragraph’s main point followed?
Are your paragraphs all an appropriate length?

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your sentences and usage .

Verb tenses are consistent.
Weak adverbs (may be) are replaced with strong verbs (is).
Pronoun referents are clear.
Wordiness has been eliminated.
Subject and verbs agree.
Subjects are person are consistent.
Sentence structure is varied.
Repetition has been eliminated.
Fragments, splices, and run-on sentences have been revised.
Each sentence has a subject and a verb.
Lists are written in parallel.
Wordiness has been corrected.
All verbs are active.
Modifiers have been checked for clarity.

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your documentation .

Reference section is complete.
All references are documented.
In-text citations are formatted correctly.
In-text citations are present for every reference.

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your mechanics .

All spelling and typographical errors have been corrected.
All words and sentences are punctuated according to common usage.

Reread your paper and use the list below to check your content .

I have provided enough background information. The details I have provided are relevant and necessary.
I believe what I have written.
My controlling idea and the development of my argument make sense.
I have primarily used paraphrasing (not direct quotation).

You should now be confident you have produced a strong argument that is wonderfully constructed and that you will be able to persuade your audience that your points and point of view are valid.

During revising, you add, cut, move, or change information in order to improve content.
During editing, you take a second look at the words and sentences you used to express your ideas and fix any problems in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.
Remember to budget time for careful editing and proofreading. Use all available resources, including editing checklists, peer editing, and your institution’s writing lab, to improve your editing skills.
In a cohesive research paper, the elements of the paper work together smoothly and naturally. When revising a research paper, evaluate its cohesion. In particular, check that information from research is smoothly integrated with your ideas.

Writing for Success - 1st Canadian H5P Edition by Tara Horkoff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Draft a Research Paper

The blog “Making a Research Paper Outline” spoke about how to create a basic outline before you begin writing the paper. Not only does that make things clear from the get-go, but also makes the process of writing a research paper systematic. It helps lay the initial framework for your paper.

Next Up: Drafting your research paper

Preparing a first draft is where you test your outline and elaborate on the ideas to support your thesis. It is not the final product.

Title Page A properly formatted title page is very quick and easy to do. It’s the first page of your paper, so a blatant mistake here will create a bad impression, now who would want that?

Most title pages have a lot of wide space and must contain all the necessary information in a clean manner. We will not be talking about the format of the title page as it is bound to be different for different universities or departments even. So it is advised to inquire about the specific requirements for your department and university. Some universities follow certain standards in which case the format remains the same throughout. We shall address that in another article.

Abstract An abstract summarizes the major aspects of the entire paper in a prescribed sequence. It includes the overall basis of the study and the research problems you investigated, the basic layout of the study, findings or trends found as a result of the study and a brief summary of your interpretations and conclusions. It speaks of the major aspects of your paper and helps the reader decide whether they want to read the rest of it. Hence, the abstract must be thought through and written well.

Introduction First and foremost to writing your introduction is, writing the thesis. Your thesis should state the main idea in brief terms. After you have a working thesis, talk about the body of your paper before you write the rest of the introduction. Each paragraph in the body should explore one specific topic that proves, or summarizes your thesis. Revise your introduction several times to refine it. Be sure your introduction provides a preview to the topic you are presenting in your paper.

Body The rest of the paper, starting from the body will contain the actual data that you have strived to collect over the research period. A transition should be maintained from the end of your introduction to your first topic. This transition from one topic to another throughout the paper should be carefully examined, ensuring this will create a smooth flow from one topic to another.

Material and Methods This broadly falls into the body of the research paper. The data collected over the course of the study needs to be interpreted in a well-defined manner to make the most of the data. The materials used, the algorithms, statistics and equations become an integral part of this section.

Conclusion A good conclusion should make a strong statement, ensures that any questions raised in your paper have been answered. It is important that you do not introduce new information or ideas in your conclusion. It is generally at this point you realize that you have not yet made certain arguments you wished to make or pointed out evidence that you feel is important to understand the paper. Worry not, for this is a draft and make notes of the points that cross your mind, so that, when you write your final paper its perfect or at least close to perfect.

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Rough Drafts

In this section of the Excelsior OWL, you have been learning about traditional structures for expository essays (essays that are thesis-based and offer a point-by-point body), but no matter what type of essay you’re writing, the rough draft is going to be an important part of your writing process. It’s important to remember that your rough draft is a long way from your final draft, and you will engage in revision and editing before you have a draft that is ready to submit.

Sometimes, keeping this in mind can help you as you draft. When you draft, you don’t want to feel like “this has to be perfect.” If you put that much pressure on yourself, it can be really difficult to get your ideas down.

The sample rough draft below shows you an example of just how much more work a rough draft can need, even a really solid first draft. Take a look at this example with notes a student wrote on her rough draft. Once you complete your own rough draft, you will want to engage in a revision and editing process that involves feedback, time, and diligence on your part. The steps that follow in this section of the Excelsior OWL will help!

Rough Draft Example

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Home » Research Paper Format – Types, Examples and Templates

Research Paper Format – Types, Examples and Templates

Table of contents.

Research paper format is an essential aspect of academic writing that plays a crucial role in the communication of research findings . The format of a research paper depends on various factors such as the discipline, style guide, and purpose of the research. It includes guidelines for the structure, citation style, referencing , and other elements of the paper that contribute to its overall presentation and coherence. Adhering to the appropriate research paper format is vital for ensuring that the research is accurately and effectively communicated to the intended audience. In this era of information, it is essential to understand the different research paper formats and their guidelines to communicate research effectively, accurately, and with the required level of detail. This post aims to provide an overview of some of the common research paper formats used in academic writing.

Research Paper Formats

Research Paper Formats are as follows:

APA (American Psychological Association) format
MLA (Modern Language Association) format
Chicago/Turabian style
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) format
AMA (American Medical Association) style
Harvard style
Vancouver style
ACS (American Chemical Society) style
ASA (American Sociological Association) style
APSA (American Political Science Association) style

APA (American Psychological Association) Format

Here is a general APA format for a research paper:

Title Page: The title page should include the title of your paper, your name, and your institutional affiliation. It should also include a running head, which is a shortened version of the title, and a page number in the upper right-hand corner.
Abstract : The abstract is a brief summary of your paper, typically 150-250 words. It should include the purpose of your research, the main findings, and any implications or conclusions that can be drawn.
Introduction: The introduction should provide background information on your topic, state the purpose of your research, and present your research question or hypothesis. It should also include a brief literature review that discusses previous research on your topic.
Methods: The methods section should describe the procedures you used to collect and analyze your data. It should include information on the participants, the materials and instruments used, and the statistical analyses performed.
Results: The results section should present the findings of your research in a clear and concise manner. Use tables and figures to help illustrate your results.
Discussion : The discussion section should interpret your results and relate them back to your research question or hypothesis. It should also discuss the implications of your findings and any limitations of your study.
References : The references section should include a list of all sources cited in your paper. Follow APA formatting guidelines for your citations and references.

Some additional tips for formatting your APA research paper:

Use 12-point Times New Roman font throughout the paper.
Double-space all text, including the references.
Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the page.
Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
Use a hanging indent for the references (the first line should be flush with the left margin, and all subsequent lines should be indented).
Number all pages, including the title page and references page, in the upper right-hand corner.

APA Research Paper Format Template

APA Research Paper Format Template is as follows:

Title Page:

Title of the paper
Author’s name
Institutional affiliation
A brief summary of the main points of the paper, including the research question, methods, findings, and conclusions. The abstract should be no more than 250 words.
Background information on the topic of the research paper
Research question or hypothesis
Significance of the study
Overview of the research methods and design
Brief summary of the main findings
Participants: description of the sample population, including the number of participants and their characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, etc.)
Materials: description of any materials used in the study (e.g., survey questions, experimental apparatus)
Procedure: detailed description of the steps taken to conduct the study
Presentation of the findings of the study, including statistical analyses if applicable
Tables and figures may be included to illustrate the results
Interpretation of the results in light of the research question and hypothesis
Implications of the study for the field
Limitations of the study
Suggestions for future research

References:

A list of all sources cited in the paper, in APA format

Formatting guidelines:

Double-spaced
12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial)
1-inch margins on all sides
Page numbers in the top right corner
Headings and subheadings should be used to organize the paper
The first line of each paragraph should be indented
Quotations of 40 or more words should be set off in a block quote with no quotation marks
In-text citations should include the author’s last name and year of publication (e.g., Smith, 2019)

APA Research Paper Format Example

APA Research Paper Format Example is as follows:

The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

University of XYZ

This study examines the relationship between social media use and mental health among college students. Data was collected through a survey of 500 students at the University of XYZ. Results suggest that social media use is significantly related to symptoms of depression and anxiety, and that the negative effects of social media are greater among frequent users.

Social media has become an increasingly important aspect of modern life, especially among young adults. While social media can have many positive effects, such as connecting people across distances and sharing information, there is growing concern about its impact on mental health. This study aims to examine the relationship between social media use and mental health among college students.

Participants: Participants were 500 college students at the University of XYZ, recruited through online advertisements and flyers posted on campus. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25, with a mean age of 20.5 years. The sample was 60% female, 40% male, and 5% identified as non-binary or gender non-conforming.

Data was collected through an online survey administered through Qualtrics. The survey consisted of several measures, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression symptoms, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, and questions about social media use.

Procedure :

Participants were asked to complete the online survey at their convenience. The survey took approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression analysis.

Results indicated that social media use was significantly related to symptoms of depression (r = .32, p < .001) and anxiety (r = .29, p < .001). Regression analysis indicated that frequency of social media use was a significant predictor of both depression symptoms (β = .24, p < .001) and anxiety symptoms (β = .20, p < .001), even when controlling for age, gender, and other relevant factors.

The results of this study suggest that social media use is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety among college students. The negative effects of social media are greater among frequent users. These findings have important implications for mental health professionals and educators, who should consider addressing the potential negative effects of social media use in their work with young adults.

References :

References should be listed in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. For example:

Chou, H. T. G., & Edge, N. (2012). “They are happier and having better lives than I am”: The impact of using Facebook on perceptions of others’ lives. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(2), 117-121.
Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3-17.

Note: This is just a sample Example do not use this in your assignment.

MLA (Modern Language Association) Format

MLA (Modern Language Association) Format is as follows:

Page Layout : Use 8.5 x 11-inch white paper, with 1-inch margins on all sides. The font should be 12-point Times New Roman or a similar serif font.
Heading and Title : The first page of your research paper should include a heading and a title. The heading should include your name, your instructor’s name, the course title, and the date. The title should be centered and in title case (capitalizing the first letter of each important word).
In-Text Citations : Use parenthetical citations to indicate the source of your information. The citation should include the author’s last name and the page number(s) of the source. For example: (Smith 23).
Works Cited Page : At the end of your paper, include a Works Cited page that lists all the sources you used in your research. Each entry should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication information, and the medium of publication.
Formatting Quotations : Use double quotation marks for short quotations and block quotations for longer quotations. Indent the entire quotation five spaces from the left margin.
Formatting the Body : Use a clear and readable font and double-space your text throughout. The first line of each paragraph should be indented one-half inch from the left margin.

MLA Research Paper Template

MLA Research Paper Format Template is as follows:

Use 8.5 x 11 inch white paper.
Use a 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.
Use double-spacing throughout the entire paper, including the title page and works cited page.
Set the margins to 1 inch on all sides.
Use page numbers in the upper right corner, beginning with the first page of text.
Include a centered title for the research paper, using title case (capitalizing the first letter of each important word).
Include your name, instructor’s name, course name, and date in the upper left corner, double-spaced.

In-Text Citations

When quoting or paraphrasing information from sources, include an in-text citation within the text of your paper.
Use the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence, before the punctuation mark.
If the author’s name is mentioned in the sentence, only include the page number in parentheses.

Works Cited Page

List all sources cited in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
Each entry should include the author’s name, title of the work, publication information, and medium of publication.
Use italics for book and journal titles, and quotation marks for article and chapter titles.
For online sources, include the date of access and the URL.

Here is an example of how the first page of a research paper in MLA format should look:

Headings and Subheadings

Use headings and subheadings to organize your paper and make it easier to read.
Use numerals to number your headings and subheadings (e.g. 1, 2, 3), and capitalize the first letter of each word.
The main heading should be centered and in boldface type, while subheadings should be left-aligned and in italics.
Use only one space after each period or punctuation mark.
Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotes from a source.
If the quote is more than four lines, format it as a block quote, indented one inch from the left margin and without quotation marks.
Use ellipses (…) to indicate omitted words from a quote, and brackets ([…]) to indicate added words.

Works Cited Examples

Book: Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Year.
Journal Article: Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, publication date, page numbers.
Website: Last Name, First Name. “Title of Webpage.” Title of Website, publication date, URL. Accessed date.

Here is an example of how a works cited entry for a book should look:

Smith, John. The Art of Writing Research Papers. Penguin, 2021.

MLA Research Paper Example

MLA Research Paper Format Example is as follows:

Your Professor’s Name

Course Name and Number

Date (in Day Month Year format)

Word Count (not including title page or Works Cited)

Title: The Impact of Video Games on Aggression Levels

Video games have become a popular form of entertainment among people of all ages. However, the impact of video games on aggression levels has been a subject of debate among scholars and researchers. While some argue that video games promote aggression and violent behavior, others argue that there is no clear link between video games and aggression levels. This research paper aims to explore the impact of video games on aggression levels among young adults.

Background:

The debate on the impact of video games on aggression levels has been ongoing for several years. According to the American Psychological Association, exposure to violent media, including video games, can increase aggression levels in children and adolescents. However, some researchers argue that there is no clear evidence to support this claim. Several studies have been conducted to examine the impact of video games on aggression levels, but the results have been mixed.

Methodology:

This research paper used a quantitative research approach to examine the impact of video games on aggression levels among young adults. A sample of 100 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 was selected for the study. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured their aggression levels and their video game habits.

The results of the study showed that there was a significant correlation between video game habits and aggression levels among young adults. The participants who reported playing violent video games for more than 5 hours per week had higher aggression levels than those who played less than 5 hours per week. The study also found that male participants were more likely to play violent video games and had higher aggression levels than female participants.

The findings of this study support the claim that video games can increase aggression levels among young adults. However, it is important to note that the study only examined the impact of video games on aggression levels and did not take into account other factors that may contribute to aggressive behavior. It is also important to note that not all video games promote violence and aggression, and some games may have a positive impact on cognitive and social skills.

Conclusion :

In conclusion, this research paper provides evidence to support the claim that video games can increase aggression levels among young adults. However, it is important to conduct further research to examine the impact of video games on other aspects of behavior and to explore the potential benefits of video games. Parents and educators should be aware of the potential impact of video games on aggression levels and should encourage young adults to engage in a variety of activities that promote cognitive and social skills.

Works Cited:

American Psychological Association. (2017). Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/violent-video-games
Ferguson, C. J. (2015). Do Angry Birds make for angry children? A meta-analysis of video game influences on children’s and adolescents’ aggression, mental health, prosocial behavior, and academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 646-666.
Gentile, D. A., Swing, E. L., Lim, C. G., & Khoo, A. (2012). Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness: Evidence of bidirectional causality. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1(1), 62-70.
Greitemeyer, T. (2014). Effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(4), 530-548.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chicago/Turabian Formate is as follows:

Margins : Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the paper.
Font : Use a readable font such as Times New Roman or Arial, and use a 12-point font size.
Page numbering : Number all pages in the upper right-hand corner, beginning with the first page of text. Use Arabic numerals.
Title page: Include a title page with the title of the paper, your name, course title and number, instructor’s name, and the date. The title should be centered on the page and in title case (capitalize the first letter of each word).
Headings: Use headings to organize your paper. The first level of headings should be centered and in boldface or italics. The second level of headings should be left-aligned and in boldface or italics. Use as many levels of headings as necessary to organize your paper.
In-text citations : Use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources within the text of your paper. The first citation for each source should be a full citation, and subsequent citations can be shortened. Use superscript numbers to indicate footnotes or endnotes.
Bibliography : Include a bibliography at the end of your paper, listing all sources cited in your paper. The bibliography should be in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, and each entry should include the author’s name, title of the work, publication information, and date of publication.
Formatting of quotations: Use block quotations for quotations that are longer than four lines. Indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin, and do not use quotation marks. Single-space the quotation, and double-space between paragraphs.
Tables and figures: Use tables and figures to present data and illustrations. Number each table and figure sequentially, and provide a brief title for each. Place tables and figures as close as possible to the text that refers to them.
Spelling and grammar : Use correct spelling and grammar throughout your paper. Proofread carefully for errors.

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Template

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Template is as folows:

Title of Paper

Name of Student

Professor’s Name

A. Background Information

B. Research Question

C. Thesis Statement

II. Literature Review

A. Overview of Existing Literature

B. Analysis of Key Literature

C. Identification of Gaps in Literature

III. Methodology

A. Research Design

B. Data Collection

C. Data Analysis

IV. Results

A. Presentation of Findings

B. Analysis of Findings

C. Discussion of Implications

V. Conclusion

A. Summary of Findings

B. Implications for Future Research

C. Conclusion

VI. References

A. Bibliography

B. In-Text Citations

VII. Appendices (if necessary)

A. Data Tables

C. Additional Supporting Materials

Chicago/Turabian Research Paper Example

Title: The Impact of Social Media on Political Engagement

Name: John Smith

Class: POLS 101

Professor: Dr. Jane Doe

Date: April 8, 2023

I. Introduction:

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with friends and family, share their opinions, and stay informed about current events. With the rise of social media, there has been a growing interest in understanding its impact on various aspects of society, including political engagement. In this paper, I will examine the relationship between social media use and political engagement, specifically focusing on how social media influences political participation and political attitudes.

II. Literature Review:

There is a growing body of literature on the impact of social media on political engagement. Some scholars argue that social media has a positive effect on political participation by providing new channels for political communication and mobilization (Delli Carpini & Keeter, 1996; Putnam, 2000). Others, however, suggest that social media can have a negative impact on political engagement by creating filter bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs and discourage political dialogue (Pariser, 2011; Sunstein, 2001).

III. Methodology:

To examine the relationship between social media use and political engagement, I conducted a survey of 500 college students. The survey included questions about social media use, political participation, and political attitudes. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.

Iv. Results:

The results of the survey indicate that social media use is positively associated with political participation. Specifically, respondents who reported using social media to discuss politics were more likely to have participated in a political campaign, attended a political rally, or contacted a political representative. Additionally, social media use was found to be associated with more positive attitudes towards political engagement, such as increased trust in government and belief in the effectiveness of political action.

V. Conclusion:

The findings of this study suggest that social media has a positive impact on political engagement, by providing new opportunities for political communication and mobilization. However, there is also a need for caution, as social media can also create filter bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs and discourage political dialogue. Future research should continue to explore the complex relationship between social media and political engagement, and develop strategies to harness the potential benefits of social media while mitigating its potential negative effects.

Vii. References:

Delli Carpini, M. X., & Keeter, S. (1996). What Americans know about politics and why it matters. Yale University Press.
Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
Sunstein, C. R. (2001). Republic.com. Princeton University Press.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Format

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Research Paper Format is as follows:

Title : A concise and informative title that accurately reflects the content of the paper.
Abstract : A brief summary of the paper, typically no more than 250 words, that includes the purpose of the study, the methods used, the key findings, and the main conclusions.
Introduction : An overview of the background, context, and motivation for the research, including a clear statement of the problem being addressed and the objectives of the study.
Literature review: A critical analysis of the relevant research and scholarship on the topic, including a discussion of any gaps or limitations in the existing literature.
Methodology : A detailed description of the methods used to collect and analyze data, including any experiments or simulations, data collection instruments or procedures, and statistical analyses.
Results : A clear and concise presentation of the findings, including any relevant tables, graphs, or figures.
Discussion : A detailed interpretation of the results, including a comparison of the findings with previous research, a discussion of the implications of the results, and any recommendations for future research.
Conclusion : A summary of the key findings and main conclusions of the study.
References : A list of all sources cited in the paper, formatted according to IEEE guidelines.

In addition to these elements, an IEEE research paper should also follow certain formatting guidelines, including using 12-point font, double-spaced text, and numbered headings and subheadings. Additionally, any tables, figures, or equations should be clearly labeled and referenced in the text.

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

AMA (American Medical Association) Style Research Paper Format:

Title Page: This page includes the title of the paper, the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and any acknowledgments or disclaimers.
Abstract: The abstract is a brief summary of the paper that outlines the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. It is typically limited to 250 words or less.
Introduction: The introduction provides a background of the research problem, defines the research question, and outlines the objectives and hypotheses of the study.
Methods: The methods section describes the research design, participants, procedures, and instruments used to collect and analyze data.
Results: The results section presents the findings of the study in a clear and concise manner, using graphs, tables, and charts where appropriate.
Discussion: The discussion section interprets the results, explains their significance, and relates them to previous research in the field.
Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the main points of the paper, discusses the implications of the findings, and suggests future research directions.
References: The reference list includes all sources cited in the paper, listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.

In addition to these sections, the AMA format requires that authors follow specific guidelines for citing sources in the text and formatting their references. The AMA style uses a superscript number system for in-text citations and provides specific formats for different types of sources, such as books, journal articles, and websites.

Harvard Style

Harvard Style Research Paper format is as follows:

Title page: This should include the title of your paper, your name, the name of your institution, and the date of submission.
Abstract : This is a brief summary of your paper, usually no more than 250 words. It should outline the main points of your research and highlight your findings.
Introduction : This section should introduce your research topic, provide background information, and outline your research question or thesis statement.
Literature review: This section should review the relevant literature on your topic, including previous research studies, academic articles, and other sources.
Methodology : This section should describe the methods you used to conduct your research, including any data collection methods, research instruments, and sampling techniques.
Results : This section should present your findings in a clear and concise manner, using tables, graphs, and other visual aids if necessary.
Discussion : This section should interpret your findings and relate them to the broader research question or thesis statement. You should also discuss the implications of your research and suggest areas for future study.
Conclusion : This section should summarize your main findings and provide a final statement on the significance of your research.
References : This is a list of all the sources you cited in your paper, presented in alphabetical order by author name. Each citation should include the author’s name, the title of the source, the publication date, and other relevant information.

In addition to these sections, a Harvard Style research paper may also include a table of contents, appendices, and other supplementary materials as needed. It is important to follow the specific formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or academic institution when preparing your research paper in Harvard Style.

Vancouver Style

Vancouver Style Research Paper format is as follows:

The Vancouver citation style is commonly used in the biomedical sciences and is known for its use of numbered references. Here is a basic format for a research paper using the Vancouver citation style:

Title page: Include the title of your paper, your name, the name of your institution, and the date.
Abstract : This is a brief summary of your research paper, usually no more than 250 words.
Introduction : Provide some background information on your topic and state the purpose of your research.
Methods : Describe the methods you used to conduct your research, including the study design, data collection, and statistical analysis.
Results : Present your findings in a clear and concise manner, using tables and figures as needed.
Discussion : Interpret your results and explain their significance. Also, discuss any limitations of your study and suggest directions for future research.
References : List all of the sources you cited in your paper in numerical order. Each reference should include the author’s name, the title of the article or book, the name of the journal or publisher, the year of publication, and the page numbers.

ACS (American Chemical Society) Style

ACS (American Chemical Society) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Style is a citation style commonly used in chemistry and related fields. When formatting a research paper in ACS Style, here are some guidelines to follow:

Paper Size and Margins : Use standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper with 1-inch margins on all sides.
Font: Use a 12-point serif font (such as Times New Roman) for the main text. The title should be in bold and a larger font size.
Title Page : The title page should include the title of the paper, the authors’ names and affiliations, and the date of submission. The title should be centered on the page and written in bold font. The authors’ names should be centered below the title, followed by their affiliations and the date.
Abstract : The abstract should be a brief summary of the paper, no more than 250 words. It should be on a separate page and include the title of the paper, the authors’ names and affiliations, and the text of the abstract.
Main Text : The main text should be organized into sections with headings that clearly indicate the content of each section. The introduction should provide background information and state the research question or hypothesis. The methods section should describe the procedures used in the study. The results section should present the findings of the study, and the discussion section should interpret the results and provide conclusions.
References: Use the ACS Style guide to format the references cited in the paper. In-text citations should be numbered sequentially throughout the text and listed in numerical order at the end of the paper.
Figures and Tables: Figures and tables should be numbered sequentially and referenced in the text. Each should have a descriptive caption that explains its content. Figures should be submitted in a high-quality electronic format.
Supporting Information: Additional information such as data, graphs, and videos may be included as supporting information. This should be included in a separate file and referenced in the main text.
Acknowledgments : Acknowledge any funding sources or individuals who contributed to the research.

ASA (American Sociological Association) Style

ASA (American Sociological Association) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

Title Page: The title page of an ASA style research paper should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. The title should be centered and should be in title case (the first letter of each major word should be capitalized).
Abstract: An abstract is a brief summary of the paper that should appear on a separate page immediately following the title page. The abstract should be no more than 200 words in length and should summarize the main points of the paper.
Main Body: The main body of the paper should begin on a new page following the abstract page. The paper should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all sides, and should be written in 12-point Times New Roman font. The main body of the paper should include an introduction, a literature review, a methodology section, results, and a discussion.
References : The reference section should appear on a separate page at the end of the paper. All sources cited in the paper should be listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Each reference should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the publication information, and the date of publication.
Appendices : Appendices are optional and should only be included if they contain information that is relevant to the study but too lengthy to be included in the main body of the paper. If you include appendices, each one should be labeled with a letter (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.) and should be referenced in the main body of the paper.

APSA (American Political Science Association) Style

APSA (American Political Science Association) Style Research Paper format is as follows:

Title Page: The title page should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, the name of the course or instructor, and the date.
Abstract : An abstract is typically not required in APSA style papers, but if one is included, it should be brief and summarize the main points of the paper.
Introduction : The introduction should provide an overview of the research topic, the research question, and the main argument or thesis of the paper.
Literature Review : The literature review should summarize the existing research on the topic and provide a context for the research question.
Methods : The methods section should describe the research methods used in the paper, including data collection and analysis.
Results : The results section should present the findings of the research.
Discussion : The discussion section should interpret the results and connect them back to the research question and argument.
Conclusion : The conclusion should summarize the main findings and implications of the research.
References : The reference list should include all sources cited in the paper, formatted according to APSA style guidelines.

In-text citations in APSA style use parenthetical citation, which includes the author’s last name, publication year, and page number(s) if applicable. For example, (Smith 2010, 25).

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

Research Paper Conclusion – Writing Guide and...

Appendices – Writing Guide, Types and Examples

How to Cite Research Paper – All Formats and...

Delimitations in Research – Types, Examples and...

Scope of the Research – Writing Guide and...

Research Contribution – Thesis Guide

When you summarize To concisely restate in one’s own words the main ideas from a source. material from a source, you zero in on the main points and restate them concisely in your own words. This technique is appropriate when only the major ideas are relevant to your paper or when you need to simplify complex information into a few key points for your readers.

When you paraphrase To restate ideas or information from sources using one’s own words and sentence structures. material from a source, restate the information from an entire sentence or passage in your own words, using your own original sentence structure. A paraphrased source differs from a summarized source in that you focus on restating the ideas, not condensing them.

In-text citations Instances in which use of source material is documented in the body text of the research paper. In-text citations must have corresponding sources listed in the references section. document your sources within the body of your paper. These include two vital pieces of information: the author’s name and the year the source material was published. When quoting a print source, also include in the citation the page number where the quoted material originally appears. The page number will follow the year in the in-text citation. Page numbers are necessary only when content has been directly quoted, not when it has been summarized or paraphrased.

Each of the sources you cite in the body text will appear in a references list A list of sources used in a research paper that provides detailed bibliographical information. at the end of your paper. While in-text citations provide the most basic information about the source, your references section will include additional publication details. In general, you will include the following information:

Additional information may be included for different types of sources, such as online sources. For a detailed guide to APA or MLA citations, see Chapter 13 "APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting" . A sample reference list is provided with the final draft of Jorge’s paper later in this chapter.

Plagiarism The practice of using someone’s words or ideas without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism may be deliberate or may occur unintentionally through careless use of source material. is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own. Sometimes a writer plagiarizes work on purpose—for instance, by purchasing an essay from a website and submitting it as original course work. In other cases, a writer may commit accidental plagiarism due to carelessness, haste, or misunderstanding. To avoid unintentional plagiarism, follow these guidelines:

Writers may quote from or paraphrase material from previously published works without formally obtaining the copyright holder’s permission. Fair use A legitimate use of brief quotations from source material to support and develop a writer’s ideas. means that the writer legitimately uses brief excerpts from source material to support and develop his or her own ideas. For instance, a columnist may excerpt a few sentences from a novel when writing a book review. However, quoting or paraphrasing another’s work at excessive length, to the extent that large sections of the writing are unoriginal, is not fair use.

The concepts and strategies discussed in this section of Chapter 12 "Writing a Research Paper" connect to a larger issue—academic integrity. You maintain your integrity as a member of an academic community by representing your work and others’ work honestly and by using other people’s work only in legitimately accepted ways. It is a point of honor taken seriously in every academic discipline and career field.

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Education and Communications
Fiction Writing
Writing Novels

How to Write a Rough Draft

Last Updated: February 6, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Michelle Golden, PhD . Michelle Golden is an English teacher in Athens, Georgia. She received her MA in Language Arts Teacher Education in 2008 and received her PhD in English from Georgia State University in 2015. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 294,222 times.

Writing a rough draft is an essential part of the writing process, an opportunity to get your initial ideas and thoughts down on paper. It might be difficult to dive right into a rough draft of an essay or a creative piece, such as a novel or a short story. You should start by brainstorming ideas for the draft to get your creative juices flowing and take the time to outline your draft. You will then be better prepared to sit down and write your rough draft.

Brainstorming Ideas for the Draft

Freewrites often work best if you give yourself a time limit, such as five minutes or ten minutes. You should then try to not take your pen off the page as you write so you are forced to keep writing about the subject or topic for the set period of time.
For example, if you were writing an essay about the death penalty, you may use the prompt: “What are the possible issues or problems with the death penalty?” and write about it freely for ten minutes.
Often, freewrites are also a good way to generate content that you can use later in your rough draft. You may surprised at what you realize as you write freely about the topic.

Step 2 Make a cluster map about the topic or subject.

To use the clustering method, you will place a word that describes your topic or subject in the center of your paper. You will then write keywords and thoughts around the center word. Circle the center word and draw lines away from the center to other keywords and ideas. Then, circle each word as you group them around the central word.
For example, if you were trying to write a short story around a theme like “anger”, you will write “anger” in the middle of the page. You may then write keywords around “anger”, like “volcano”, “heat”, “my mother”, and “rage”.

Step 3 Read writing about the topic or subject.

If you are writing a creative piece, you may look for texts written about a certain idea or theme that you want to explore in your own writing. You could look up texts by subject matter and read through several texts to get ideas for your story.
You might have favorite writers that you return to often for inspiration or search for new writers who are doing interesting things with the topic. You could then borrow elements of the writer’s approach and use it in your own rough draft.
You can find additional resources and texts online and at your local library. Speak to the reference librarian at your local library for more information on resources and texts.

Outlining Your Draft

You may use the snowflake method to create the plot outline. In this method, you will write a one line summary of your story, followed by a one paragraph summary, and then character synopses. You will also create a spreadsheet of scenes.
Alternatively, you can use a plot diagram. In this method, you will have six sections: the set up, the inciting incident, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.
No matter which option you chose, you should make sure your outline contains at least the inciting incident, the climax, and the resolution. Having these three elements set in your mind will make writing your rough draft much easier.

Act 1: In Act 1, your protagonist meets the other characters in the story. The central conflict of the story is also revealed. Your protagonist should also have a specific goal that will cause them to make a decision. For example, in Act 1, you may have your main character get bitten by a vampire after a one night stand. She may then go into hiding once she discovers she has become a vampire.
Act 2: In Act 2, you introduce a complication that makes the central conflict even more of an issue. The complication can also make it more difficult for your protagonist to achieve their goal. For example, in Act 2, you may have your main character realize she has a wedding to go to next week for her best friend, despite the fact she has now become a vampire. The best friend may also call to confirm she is coming, making it more difficult for your protagonist to stay in hiding.
Act 3: In Act 3, you present a resolution to the central conflict of the story. The resolution may have your protagonist achieve their goal or fail to achieve their goal. For example, in Act 3, you may have your protagonist show up to the wedding and try to pretend to not be a vampire. The best friend may then find out and accept your protagonist anyway. You may end your story by having your protagonist bite the groom, turning him into her vampire lover.

Section 1: Introduction, including a hook opening line, a thesis statement , and three main discussion points. Most academic essays contain at least three key discussion points.
Section 2: Body paragraphs, including a discussion of your three main points. You should also have supporting evidence for each main point, from outside sources and your own perspective.
Section 3: Conclusion, including a summary of your three main points, a restatement of your thesis, and concluding statements or thoughts.

For example, maybe you are creating a rough draft for a paper on gluten-intolerance. A weak thesis statement for this paper would be, “There are some positives and negatives to gluten, and some people develop gluten-intolerance.” This thesis statement is vague and does not assert an argument for the paper.
A stronger thesis statement for the paper would be, “Due to the use of GMO wheat in food sold in North America, a rising number of Americans are experiencing gluten-intolerance and gluten-related issues.” This thesis statement is specific and presents an argument that will be discussed in the paper.

Your professor or teacher may require you to create a bibliography using MLA style or APA style. You will need to organize your sources based on either style.

Writing the Rough Draft

Step 1 Find a quiet, focused environment for writing.

You may also make sure the room is set to an ideal temperature for sitting down and writing. You may also put on some classical or jazz music in the background to set the scene and bring a snack to your writing area so you have something to munch on as you write.

You may also write the ending of the essay or story before you write the beginning. Many writing guides advise writing your introductory paragraph last, as you will then be able to create a great introduction based on the piece as a whole.

Step 3 Do not worry about making mistakes.

You should also try not to read over what you are writing as you get into the flow. Do not examine every word before moving on to the next word or edit as you go. Instead, focus on moving forward with the rough draft and getting your ideas down on the page.

For example, rather than write, “It was decided by my mother that I would learn violin when I was two,” go for the active voice by placing the subject of the sentence in front of the verb, “My mother decided I would learn violin when I turned two.”
You should also avoid using the verb “to be” in your writing, as this is often a sign of passive voice. Removing “to be” and focusing on the active voice will ensure your writing is clear and effective.

Step 5 Refer to your outline when you get stuck.

You may also review the brainstorming materials you created before you sat down to write, such as your clustering exercise or your freewrite. Reviewing these materials could help to guide you as you write and help you focus on finishing the rough draft.
You may want to take breaks if you find you are getting writer’s block. Going for a walk, taking a nap, or even doing the dishes can help you focus on something else and give your brain a rest. You can then start writing again with a fresh approach after your break.

Step 6 Read over your rough draft and revise it.

You should also read the rough draft out loud to yourself. Listen for any sentences that sound unclear or confusing. Highlight or underline them so you know they need to be revised. Do not be afraid to revise whole sections or lines of the rough draft. It is a draft, after all, and will only improve with revision.
You can also read the rough draft out loud to someone else. Be willing to accept feedback and constructive criticism on the draft from the person. Getting a different perspective on your writing will often make it that much better.

Community Q&A

↑ https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/online-guide-to-writing/tutorial/chapter2/ch2-13
↑ https://writing.ku.edu/prewriting-strategies
↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/outlining
↑ http://www.writerswrite.com/screenwriting/cannell/lecture4/
↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/essay-outline/
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/rough-draft/
↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/ccs_activevoice/
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/

About This Article

To write a rough draft, don't worry if you make minor mistakes or write sentences that aren't perfect. You can revise them later! Also, try not to read over what you're writing as you go, which will slow you down and mess up your flow. Instead, focus on getting all of your thoughts and ideas down on paper, even if you're not sure you'll keep them in the final draft. If you get stuck, refer to your outline or sources to help you come up with new ideas. For tips on brainstorming and outlining for a rough draft, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Research Paper Introduction (with Examples)

The research paper introduction section, along with the Title and Abstract, can be considered the face of any research paper. The following article is intended to guide you in organizing and writing the research paper introduction for a quality academic article or dissertation.

The research paper introduction aims to present the topic to the reader. A study will only be accepted for publishing if you can ascertain that the available literature cannot answer your research question. So it is important to ensure that you have read important studies on that particular topic, especially those within the last five to ten years, and that they are properly referenced in this section. 1 What should be included in the research paper introduction is decided by what you want to tell readers about the reason behind the research and how you plan to fill the knowledge gap. The best research paper introduction provides a systemic review of existing work and demonstrates additional work that needs to be done. It needs to be brief, captivating, and well-referenced; a well-drafted research paper introduction will help the researcher win half the battle.

The introduction for a research paper is where you set up your topic and approach for the reader. It has several key goals:

Present your research topic
Capture reader interest
Summarize existing research
Position your own approach
Define your specific research problem and problem statement
Highlight the novelty and contributions of the study
Give an overview of the paper’s structure

The research paper introduction can vary in size and structure depending on whether your paper presents the results of original empirical research or is a review paper. Some research paper introduction examples are only half a page while others are a few pages long. In many cases, the introduction will be shorter than all of the other sections of your paper; its length depends on the size of your paper as a whole.

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What is the introduction for a research paper, why is the introduction important in a research paper, craft a compelling introduction section with paperpal. try now, 1. introduce the research topic:, 2. determine a research niche:, 3. place your research within the research niche:, craft accurate research paper introductions with paperpal. start writing now, frequently asked questions on research paper introduction, key points to remember.

The introduction in a research paper is placed at the beginning to guide the reader from a broad subject area to the specific topic that your research addresses. They present the following information to the reader

Scope: The topic covered in the research paper
Context: Background of your topic
Importance: Why your research matters in that particular area of research and the industry problem that can be targeted

The research paper introduction conveys a lot of information and can be considered an essential roadmap for the rest of your paper. A good introduction for a research paper is important for the following reasons:

It stimulates your reader’s interest: A good introduction section can make your readers want to read your paper by capturing their interest. It informs the reader what they are going to learn and helps determine if the topic is of interest to them.
It helps the reader understand the research background: Without a clear introduction, your readers may feel confused and even struggle when reading your paper. A good research paper introduction will prepare them for the in-depth research to come. It provides you the opportunity to engage with the readers and demonstrate your knowledge and authority on the specific topic.
It explains why your research paper is worth reading: Your introduction can convey a lot of information to your readers. It introduces the topic, why the topic is important, and how you plan to proceed with your research.
It helps guide the reader through the rest of the paper: The research paper introduction gives the reader a sense of the nature of the information that will support your arguments and the general organization of the paragraphs that will follow. It offers an overview of what to expect when reading the main body of your paper.

What are the parts of introduction in the research?

A good research paper introduction section should comprise three main elements: 2

What is known: This sets the stage for your research. It informs the readers of what is known on the subject.
What is lacking: This is aimed at justifying the reason for carrying out your research. This could involve investigating a new concept or method or building upon previous research.
What you aim to do: This part briefly states the objectives of your research and its major contributions. Your detailed hypothesis will also form a part of this section.

How to write a research paper introduction?

The first step in writing the research paper introduction is to inform the reader what your topic is and why it’s interesting or important. This is generally accomplished with a strong opening statement. The second step involves establishing the kinds of research that have been done and ending with limitations or gaps in the research that you intend to address. Finally, the research paper introduction clarifies how your own research fits in and what problem it addresses. If your research involved testing hypotheses, these should be stated along with your research question. The hypothesis should be presented in the past tense since it will have been tested by the time you are writing the research paper introduction.

The following key points, with examples, can guide you when writing the research paper introduction section:

Highlight the importance of the research field or topic
Describe the background of the topic
Present an overview of current research on the topic

Example: The inclusion of experiential and competency-based learning has benefitted electronics engineering education. Industry partnerships provide an excellent alternative for students wanting to engage in solving real-world challenges. Industry-academia participation has grown in recent years due to the need for skilled engineers with practical training and specialized expertise. However, from the educational perspective, many activities are needed to incorporate sustainable development goals into the university curricula and consolidate learning innovation in universities.

Reveal a gap in existing research or oppose an existing assumption
Formulate the research question

Example: There have been plausible efforts to integrate educational activities in higher education electronics engineering programs. However, very few studies have considered using educational research methods for performance evaluation of competency-based higher engineering education, with a focus on technical and or transversal skills. To remedy the current need for evaluating competencies in STEM fields and providing sustainable development goals in engineering education, in this study, a comparison was drawn between study groups without and with industry partners.

State the purpose of your study
Highlight the key characteristics of your study
Describe important results
Highlight the novelty of the study.
Offer a brief overview of the structure of the paper.

Example: The study evaluates the main competency needed in the applied electronics course, which is a fundamental core subject for many electronics engineering undergraduate programs. We compared two groups, without and with an industrial partner, that offered real-world projects to solve during the semester. This comparison can help determine significant differences in both groups in terms of developing subject competency and achieving sustainable development goals.

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With Paperpal Copilot, create a research paper introduction effortlessly. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through how Paperpal transforms your initial ideas into a polished and publication-ready introduction.

How to use Paperpal to write the Introduction section

Step 1: Sign up on Paperpal and click on the Copilot feature, under this choose Outlines > Research Article > Introduction

Step 2: Add your unstructured notes or initial draft, whether in English or another language, to Paperpal, which is to be used as the base for your content.

Step 3: Fill in the specifics, such as your field of study, brief description or details you want to include, which will help the AI generate the outline for your Introduction.

Step 4: Use this outline and sentence suggestions to develop your content, adding citations where needed and modifying it to align with your specific research focus.

Step 5: Turn to Paperpal’s granular language checks to refine your content, tailor it to reflect your personal writing style, and ensure it effectively conveys your message.

You can use the same process to develop each section of your article, and finally your research paper in half the time and without any of the stress.

The purpose of the research paper introduction is to introduce the reader to the problem definition, justify the need for the study, and describe the main theme of the study. The aim is to gain the reader’s attention by providing them with necessary background information and establishing the main purpose and direction of the research.

The length of the research paper introduction can vary across journals and disciplines. While there are no strict word limits for writing the research paper introduction, an ideal length would be one page, with a maximum of 400 words over 1-4 paragraphs. Generally, it is one of the shorter sections of the paper as the reader is assumed to have at least a reasonable knowledge about the topic. 2 For example, for a study evaluating the role of building design in ensuring fire safety, there is no need to discuss definitions and nature of fire in the introduction; you could start by commenting upon the existing practices for fire safety and how your study will add to the existing knowledge and practice.

When deciding what to include in the research paper introduction, the rest of the paper should also be considered. The aim is to introduce the reader smoothly to the topic and facilitate an easy read without much dependency on external sources. 3 Below is a list of elements you can include to prepare a research paper introduction outline and follow it when you are writing the research paper introduction. Topic introduction: This can include key definitions and a brief history of the topic. Research context and background: Offer the readers some general information and then narrow it down to specific aspects. Details of the research you conducted: A brief literature review can be included to support your arguments or line of thought. Rationale for the study: This establishes the relevance of your study and establishes its importance. Importance of your research: The main contributions are highlighted to help establish the novelty of your study Research hypothesis: Introduce your research question and propose an expected outcome. Organization of the paper: Include a short paragraph of 3-4 sentences that highlights your plan for the entire paper

Cite only works that are most relevant to your topic; as a general rule, you can include one to three. Note that readers want to see evidence of original thinking. So it is better to avoid using too many references as it does not leave much room for your personal standpoint to shine through. Citations in your research paper introduction support the key points, and the number of citations depend on the subject matter and the point discussed. If the research paper introduction is too long or overflowing with citations, it is better to cite a few review articles rather than the individual articles summarized in the review. A good point to remember when citing research papers in the introduction section is to include at least one-third of the references in the introduction.

The literature review plays a significant role in the research paper introduction section. A good literature review accomplishes the following: Introduces the topic – Establishes the study’s significance – Provides an overview of the relevant literature – Provides context for the study using literature – Identifies knowledge gaps However, remember to avoid making the following mistakes when writing a research paper introduction: Do not use studies from the literature review to aggressively support your research Avoid direct quoting Do not allow literature review to be the focus of this section. Instead, the literature review should only aid in setting a foundation for the manuscript.

Remember the following key points for writing a good research paper introduction: 4

Avoid stuffing too much general information: Avoid including what an average reader would know and include only that information related to the problem being addressed in the research paper introduction. For example, when describing a comparative study of non-traditional methods for mechanical design optimization, information related to the traditional methods and differences between traditional and non-traditional methods would not be relevant. In this case, the introduction for the research paper should begin with the state-of-the-art non-traditional methods and methods to evaluate the efficiency of newly developed algorithms.
Avoid packing too many references: Cite only the required works in your research paper introduction. The other works can be included in the discussion section to strengthen your findings.
Avoid extensive criticism of previous studies: Avoid being overly critical of earlier studies while setting the rationale for your study. A better place for this would be the Discussion section, where you can highlight the advantages of your method.
Avoid describing conclusions of the study: When writing a research paper introduction remember not to include the findings of your study. The aim is to let the readers know what question is being answered. The actual answer should only be given in the Results and Discussion section.

To summarize, the research paper introduction section should be brief yet informative. It should convince the reader the need to conduct the study and motivate him to read further. If you’re feeling stuck or unsure, choose trusted AI academic writing assistants like Paperpal to effortlessly craft your research paper introduction and other sections of your research article.

1. Jawaid, S. A., & Jawaid, M. (2019). How to write introduction and discussion. Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia, 13(Suppl 1), S18.

2. Dewan, P., & Gupta, P. (2016). Writing the title, abstract and introduction: Looks matter!. Indian pediatrics, 53, 235-241.

3. Cetin, S., & Hackam, D. J. (2005). An approach to the writing of a scientific Manuscript1. Journal of Surgical Research, 128(2), 165-167.

4. Bavdekar, S. B. (2015). Writing introduction: Laying the foundations of a research paper. Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, 63(7), 44-6.

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How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

Published on October 12, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 21, 2023.

A research proposal describes what you will investigate, why it’s important, and how you will conduct your research.

The format of a research proposal varies between fields, but most proposals will contain at least these elements:

Literature review.

Research design

Reference list

While the sections may vary, the overall objective is always the same. A research proposal serves as a blueprint and guide for your research plan, helping you get organized and feel confident in the path forward you choose to take.

Research proposal purpose, research proposal examples, research design and methods, contribution to knowledge, research schedule, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research proposals.

Academics often have to write research proposals to get funding for their projects. As a student, you might have to write a research proposal as part of a grad school application , or prior to starting your thesis or dissertation .

In addition to helping you figure out what your research can look like, a proposal can also serve to demonstrate why your project is worth pursuing to a funder, educational institution, or supervisor.

Research proposal length

The length of a research proposal can vary quite a bit. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations or research funding are usually much longer and more detailed. Your supervisor can help you determine the best length for your work.

One trick to get started is to think of your proposal’s structure as a shorter version of your thesis or dissertation , only without the results , conclusion and discussion sections.

Download our research proposal template

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

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Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We’ve included a few for you below.

Example research proposal #1: “A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management”
Example research proposal #2: “Medical Students as Mediators of Change in Tobacco Use”

Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:

The proposed title of your project
Your supervisor’s name
Your institution and department

The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why.

Your introduction should:

Introduce your topic
Give necessary background and context
Outline your problem statement and research questions

To guide your introduction , include information about:

Who could have an interest in the topic (e.g., scientists, policymakers)
How much is already known about the topic
What is missing from this current knowledge
What new insights your research will contribute
Why you believe this research is worth doing

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

As you get started, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review shows your reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said, but rather using existing research as a jumping-off point for your own.

In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to ongoing conversations in the field by:

Comparing and contrasting the main theories, methods, and debates
Examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
Explaining how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize prior scholarship

Following the literature review, restate your main objectives . This brings the focus back to your own project. Next, your research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.

To finish your proposal on a strong note, explore the potential implications of your research for your field. Emphasize again what you aim to contribute and why it matters.

For example, your results might have implications for:

Improving best practices
Informing policymaking decisions
Strengthening a theory or model
Challenging popular or scientific beliefs
Creating a basis for future research

Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list . To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator .

Some institutions or funders require a detailed timeline of the project, asking you to forecast what you will do at each stage and how long it may take. While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project.

Here’s an example schedule to help you get started. You can also download a template at the button below.

Download our research schedule template

If you are applying for research funding, chances are you will have to include a detailed budget. This shows your estimates of how much each part of your project will cost.

Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover. For each item, include:

Cost : exactly how much money do you need?
Justification : why is this cost necessary to complete the research?
Source : how did you calculate the amount?

To determine your budget, think about:

Travel costs : do you need to go somewhere to collect your data? How will you get there, and how much time will you need? What will you do there (e.g., interviews, archival research)?
Materials : do you need access to any tools or technologies?
Help : do you need to hire any research assistants for the project? What will they do, and how much will you pay them?

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Sampling methods
Simple random sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling
Likert scales
Reproducibility

Statistics

Null hypothesis
Statistical power
Probability distribution
Effect size
Poisson distribution

Research bias

Optimism bias
Cognitive bias
Implicit bias
Hawthorne effect
Anchoring bias
Explicit bias

Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .

Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.

I will compare …

A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.

Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.

Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

Cite this Scribbr article

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McCombes, S. & George, T. (2023, November 21). How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved March 20, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-proposal/

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Apply guidelines for citing sources within the body of the paper and the bibliography. Use primary and secondary research to support ideas. Identify the purposes for which writers use each type of research. At last, you are ready to begin writing the rough draft of your research paper. Putting your thinking and research into words is exciting.

Instead of perfecting your first draft, just work to form the rough structure of your paper around whatever you want your key message to be. We discussed this further in the separate post: Deciding what to publish from your PhD work. Simply try to ensure your first draft roughly tells the story of what you want your main message to be.

We've covered a lot of ground here. To recap, the three steps to writing a high-quality research paper are: To choose a research question and review the literature. To plan your paper structure and draft an outline. To take an iterative approach to writing, focusing on critical writing and strong referencing.

Free-write. Write as hard, as fast, and as freely as you can. Discover your meaning as you write. Write the easiest sections first. (Write your introduction last). Break down a large writing task into smaller parts. Write it in sections. Think of a long paper as being several smaller papers. Or, write a very quick, very rough draft of the whole ...

As you write, you have to think about presenting your ideas in a way that makes sense and holds your readers' interest. After you've completed your draft, make sure you've cited your sources completely and correctly. And the last thing you'll need to do is decide on the very first thing readers see—the title.

Conduct preliminary research. Develop a thesis statement. Create a research paper outline. Write a first draft of the research paper. Write the introduction. Write a compelling body of text. Write the conclusion. The second draft. The revision process.

These results were "noticeably better than results for subjects on a low-fat diet (45% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 20% fat)" whose average weight loss was only "7 kg (15.4 lbs) in the same period" (Heinz). From this, it can be concluded that "low-carbohydrate diets obtain more rapid results.".

Language in research paper outlines. To write an effective research paper outline, it is important to pay attention to language. This is especially important if it is one you will show to your teacher or be assessed on. There are four main considerations: parallelism, coordination, subordination and division.

Write a Rough Draft. Many students hear "rough draft" and they think "final draft." Let me assure you, this is not a good idea. A rough draft is you putting ideas to paper in a semi-logical order that might actually get a D. A rough draft gives you the opportunity to screw up and fix it before you hand in a paper that sucks. Take that opportunity.

For example, a paper on new breakthroughs in cancer research should be more formal than a paper on ways to get a good night's sleep. ... Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from " 12.2 Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper" In Writing for Success by University of Minnesota licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Edits made ...

Formatting an APA paper. The main guidelines for formatting a paper in APA Style are as follows: Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman or 11 pt Arial. Set 1 inch page margins. Apply double line spacing. If submitting for publication, insert a APA running head on every page. Indent every new paragraph ½ inch.

An effective research paper uses a style and tone that are appropriately academic and serious. When revising a research paper, check that the style and tone are consistent throughout. Editing a research paper involves checking for errors in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, usage, spelling, citations, and formatting.

For example, you might use an outline to transition from research to writing to help you figure out where you're going. You could also use an outline after writing a draft to ensure that every aspect of your paper supports your thesis statement and that the paper's organization is coherent.

The blog "Making a Research Paper Outline" spoke about how to create a basic outline before you begin writing the paper. Not only does that make things clear from the get-go, but also makes the process of writing a research paper systematic. It helps lay the initial framework for your paper. Next Up: Drafting your research paper Preparing a first draft is where you test your outline and ...

Table of contents. Step 1: Introduce your topic. Step 2: Describe the background. Step 3: Establish your research problem. Step 4: Specify your objective (s) Step 5: Map out your paper. Research paper introduction examples. Frequently asked questions about the research paper introduction.

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is frequently employed in humanities disciplines, including literature, languages, and cultural studies. An MLA research paper might explore literature analysis, linguistic studies, or historical research within the humanities. Here is an example: Found Voices: Carl Sagan.

Section 3: Conclusion, including a summary of your three main points, a restatement of your thesis, and concluding statements or thoughts. 4. Have a thesis statement. If you are creating a rough draft for an academic essay or paper, you should have a thesis statement.

Define your specific research problem and problem statement. Highlight the novelty and contributions of the study. Give an overview of the paper's structure. The research paper introduction can vary in size and structure depending on whether your paper presents the results of original empirical research or is a review paper.

Research proposal examples. Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We've included a few for you below. Example research proposal #1: "A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management".

Explore abstract examples of APA and perfect your research paper today! EssayGPT. Essay Writer. Essay Extender. ... Write an abstract for your essay, research paper, and even blog post with only one click. ... with more extended abstracts for dissertations and shorter ones for essays and research papers. However, following APA standards, most ...

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Holy Quran Online
Discover the Holy Quran online with Urdu translation for spiritual enlightenment. Close Menu. Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram. Home; Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram. Latest. Islamic Scholars. Molana Tariq Jameel Biography. Molana Tariq Jameel is a prominent Islamic scholar, preacher, and public speaker from Pakistan. He is widely recognized…
Islam Mukammal Zabta E Hayyat
6 Kalma Hajj Ayat ul Kursi Tarawih laylat ul Qadr Itikaf Muharram Sadaqah Zakat Fitrana Dua e Qunoot Tahajjud. Islam Mukammal Zabta E Hayyat in Urdu (Article No. 82). Read Islamic articles about اسلام مکمل ضابطہ حیات and other important Islamic articles about Quran, Hadees, Namaz, Ramadan and more. Read Urdu Islamic books and ...
Essay on Holy Quran in Urdu
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The Holy Quran Essay
The Holly Quran contains 6,616 verses, 77, 934 words and 3, 23, 760 letters of Arabic. The opening chapter of the book is regarded with special reverence by the Muslims. It is called 'Surah Fateh'. It contains seven verses. We recite it in our prayers. The Holy Quran provides a complete code of life.
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Essay Quran Majeed In Urdu
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Essay On Quran Majeed In Urdu
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Essay On Quran Majeed In Urdu
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