Research Paper
One of the factors to consider when addressing the issue how to write a research paper is the structure and format of the research paper. There are different formats that you can employ in writing research papers such as APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard or Turabian. Although all these are applicable, it is paramount that you follow the recommended style by your institution or instructor. The common denominator in all of them is that they must have the following:
- Author’s name
- Title
- Year or date of publication
- Place of publication
- The publishers
It is interesting to note how some students pay attention to other aspects of writing a research paper as they learn how to write a research paper except the structure. The structure is important in that it helps you to organize your thoughts or ideas logically. If you follow the recommended format but fail to organize your work in the recommended format you do yourself no good.
The structure of a research paper should reflect the following:
- The title page
- Table of contents
- Abstract
- Background – introduce the research problem, state the significance of your study and the research questions. Also, introduce the thesis statement/hypothesis.
- Literature review
- The methodology chapter
- Description of the data collected
- Analysis of data collected
- Recommendations
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Appendixes
Note: the above is a general structure of a research paper. As such, it is bound to vary slightly based on your field of specialization and your level of study. The key is to have an open mind as you learn how to write a research paper.
Although perceived to be easy, learning how to write a research paper following the specified structure and format is not an easy task, because the differences are minor. However, you can get assistance from credited custom services.