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How to Write a Research Paper (Final Draft)
Composition (ENGL 100Y )
University of Maryland Baltimore County
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ENGL 100Y
How to Write a Research Paper The way one writes a research paper varies in accordance to personal preference. Methods can vary widely, usually taking shape in the way a person was taught before coming to college. I, personally, have several steps that I have culminated during the years that have helped me, which will be detailed throughout this essay. In fact, I just used one right there: I used a general topic, and then narrowed it down for my reader. The general topic is how to write a research paper, while the topic I am going to present to you is how I write a research paper. Narrowing down your focus for the reader helps to create a paper that is much more concise, and less likely to stray from the message of your paper. In addition, this narrow topic can help to form a thesis. For example, in this paper, my general topic is how to write a research paper, my narrow topic is how I write a research paper, and my thesis is drawn from writing papers in the past: research papers need to be written from the middle first. Before we write our research paper in a different direction than we usually do, we need to find research that supports our narrow topic. This will help us create points that will guide our thesis, and ultimately create an outline that we will turn into a paper. For example, the research that I’ve done for my narrow topic - how I write a research paper - has been done over the course of my career as a student. One source of information that I’ve used is from one of my former English teachers, who advised me that writing from the middle will help me better organize my essay. As she is a primary source who is an authority on how to write a research paper (she is an English teacher with years of experience and an education to support her) she is a perfect source of information. Therefore, she could be one source of information that I use to create my thesis.
Having one or more credible sources to provide research will help to create your thesis, and ultimately help you write your paper. The next step is to outline your paper. It can be as general or as detailed as you want. I personally find that I like to start off rather general, listing only my thesis and my topic sentences for my supporting paragraphs first. Then, I actually create the support for my thesis, listing sources and quotes underneath my supporting paragraphs. When you have an outline with the points that you want to list, it becomes easier to stay focused on supporting your thesis. In addition, I find that writing from your outline is really helpful. By this I mean literally turning the points you wrote in your outline into paragraphs, and actually writing within your outline. As stated previously, this helps you to stay on track with your overall message, and not stray from what you’ve written. Then, I get to the actual writing part, which is where the whole “write from the middle” thesis comes in. I find that it is difficult to write an introduction if I have nothing to introduce. I use the points that I have written from my outline to write my supporting paragraphs. This method also helps the writer a lot if you realize that your thesis is changing. After you fully write out your supporting paragraphs, you can write your introduction. It is easier to introduce a topic when you already have something to introduce, and ultimately makes writing your thesis easier. Writing a conclusion is similar to restating your introduction, but with a little more weight added. For example, I will restate that my thesis is writing a research paper is much easier when you write from the middle. However, instead of just ending with this, I would end with something that is thought-provoking, and much more likely to stay with the reader. This ending statement is usually a callback to the first part of the introduction paragraph, or the “hook”.
How to Write a Research Paper (Final Draft)
Course: Composition (ENGL 100Y )
University: University of Maryland Baltimore County
