Understand the assignment

Completing a research paper successfully means accomplishing the specific tasks set
out for you. Before you start, make sure you thoroughly understanding the assignment
task sheet:

 Read it carefully, looking for anything confusing you might need to clarify with
your professor.
 Identify the assignment goal, deadline, length specifications, formatting, and
submission method.
 Make a bulleted list of the key points, then go back and cross completed items off
as you’re writing.

Carefully consider your timeframe and word limit: be realistic, and plan enough time to
research, write, and edit. You can also use tools like QuillBot’s Word Counter, which
can help you track the word count of your essay and other useful metrics for writing
more concisely.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

 Academic style
 Vague sentences
 Grammar
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Choose a research paper topic
There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, from brainstorming with
pen and paper to talking it through with a fellow student or professor.

You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for
two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting.
You can also gain inspiration from other research. The discussion or recommendations
sections of research papers often include ideas for other specific topics that require
further examination.

Once you have a broad subject area, narrow it down to choose a topic that interests
you, meets the criteria of your assignment, and is possible to research. Aim for ideas
that are both original and specific:

 A paper following the chronology of World War II would not be original or specific
enough.
 A paper on the experience of Danish citizens living close to the German border
during World War II would be specific and could be original enough.

Conduct preliminary research

Note any discussions that seem important to the topic, and try to find an issue that you
can focus your paper around. Use a variety of sources, including journals, books, and
reliable websites, to ensure you do not miss anything glaring.

Do not only verify the ideas you have in mind, but look for sources that contradict your
point of view.

 Is there anything people seem to overlook in the sources you research?

 Are there any heated debates you can address?
 Do you have a unique take on your topic?
 Have there been some recent developments that build on the extant research?

In this stage, you might find it helpful to formulate some research questions to help
guide you. To write research questions, try to finish the following sentence: “I want to
know how/what/why…”

Develop a thesis statement

A thesis statement is a statement of your central argument — it establishes the purpose
and position of your paper. If you started with a research question, the thesis statement
should answer it. It should also show what evidence and reasoning you’ll use to support
that answer.

The thesis statement should be concise, contentious, and coherent. That means it
should briefly summarize your argument in a sentence or two, make a claim that
requires further evidence or analysis, and make a coherent point that relates to every
part of the paper.

You will probably revise and refine the thesis statement as you do more research, but it
can serve as a guide throughout the writing process. Every paragraph should aim to
support and develop this central claim.
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The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

 Missing commas and periods

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Create a research paper outline

A research paper outline is essentially a list of the key topics, arguments, and evidence
you want to include, divided into sections with headings so that you know roughly what
the paper will look like before you start writing.
A structure outline can help make the writing process much more efficient, so it’s worth
dedicating some time to create one.

TipAI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used to brainstorm potential thesis statements and
develop research paper outlines. However, trying to pass off AI-generated text as your own work
is widely considered plagiarism. This offense will be recognized by your university’s plagiarism
checker or AI detector.
Instead, we recommend visiting our AI writing resources page to learn how to use AI tools
responsibly.

Write a first draft of the research paper

Your first draft won’t be perfect — you can polish later on. Your priorities at this stage
are as follows:

 Maintaining forward momentum — write now, perfect later.

 Paying attention to clear organization and logical ordering of paragraphs and
sentences, which will help when you come to the second draft.
 Expressing your ideas as clearly as possible, so you know what you were trying
to say when you come back to the text.

You do not need to start by writing the introduction. Begin where it feels most natural for
you — some prefer to finish the most difficult sections first, while others choose to start
with the easiest part. If you created an outline, use it as a map while you work.

Do not delete large sections of text. If you begin to dislike something you have written or
find it doesn’t quite fit, move it to a different document, but don’t lose it completely —
you never know if it might come in useful later.

Paragraph structure
Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of research papers. Each one should focus on
a single claim or idea that helps to establish the overall argument or purpose of the
paper.

Here is an example of a well-structured paragraph. Hover over the sentences to learn

more.

Example paragraph
George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language” has had an enduring

impact on thought about the relationship between politics and language.This impact is

particularly obvious in light of the various critical review articles that have recently

referenced the essay.For example, consider Mark Falcoff’s 2009 article in The National
Review Online, “The Perversion of Language; or, Orwell Revisited,” in which he

analyzes several common words (“activist,” “civil-rights leader,” “diversity,” and

more).Falcoff’s close analysis of the ambiguity built into political language intentionally

mirrors Orwell’s own point-by-point analysis of the political language of his day.Even 63

years after its publication, Orwell’s essay is emulated by contemporary thinkers.

Citing sources
It’s also important to keep track of citations at this stage to avoid accidental plagiarism.
Each time you use a source, make sure to take note of where the information came
from.

You can use our free citation generators to automatically create citations and save your
reference list as you go.

APA Citation Generator