The
benefit of a research paper is more than just having a ticket out of
college. The mere process of writing it provides a training ground
where one can develop the skills necessary for professional life.
Life outside the university is more complex, so while inside, one
should already prepare by facing the complexities of producing a
respectable research paper.

Do
think hard for a good topic. Only
a few students will have a workable topic for their research paper at
the beginning of their course. The majority will, most likely, remain
oblivious of what they will write about until the formal start of
their work.

Talking
to the professor works well for those who simply doesn’t have a clue
of what could be a good topic. Reading books is also a good way to
start. If one already has a general topic in mind, he should begin
reading materials related to the field to narrow down his subject;
after which, he should talk to his professor about it.

Deciding
a topic should be done at the earliest possible time to give ample
time for research.

Do
not forget to have an engaging question. Usually
a research paper answers why
and
how.
Questions
that begin with these two words are essential because they allow the
author to make an argument. Why
should we question the theory of evolution? Or
How
is it possible to alleviate poverty with education?
Research papers that don’t have an argument asks boring questions.

For
example: Who
started the civil war?
An author who chooses questions that don’t begin with why
and how
will most likely produce a work that merely lists facts and dates.

Do
real research. Doing
research involves more than just reading secondary books or taking
information from the Internet. Real
research, depending on the argument of the paper, means using primary
sources like statistical data, foreign books, speeches or local
newspapers.

One
can also arrange an interview with a prominent leader or a
scientist, anyone he thinks can provide expert advice for his
research paper.

Do
not fail to make an argument. A
research paper is not a book report. One cannot just gather
information from different sources, re-phrase paragraphs, and combine
notes in order to produce an acceptable research paper. This kind of
process will simply not work.

An
excellent research paper has all the evidence and data woven together
to form a thought-provoking argument that attempts to answer the
research question.

Do
write well. A
well-written research paper presents all its powerful evidences and
argument in a clear and coherent way. Footnotes and endnotes should
accurately cite the sources, and tables and graphs should be properly
presented in the body of the paper. An author should maintain a
formal and serious tone if he wants his work to have an impact.

Though
one can formulate his own tips in writing a research paper, he can be
sure that the rules written above are proven by many writers to be
effective in producing an exceptional work.