Research essay, Research Essays Examples

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Research Essay

The main goal of a research paper is to investigate a particular issue and provide new perspectives or solutions. The writer uses their own original research and/or evaluation of others' research to present a unique, sound, and convincing argument.

Although the final version of a research paper should be well-organized, logical, and clear, the path to writing one is not a straight line. It involves research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and writing. These stages are not linear; instead, the writer weaves back and forth, and the paper's focus and argument grows and changes throughout the process.

Click on the Timeline for a visual representation of the timeline. Click on the Checklist for a document containing the checklist items for a research essay.

Your steps

A: Understand your assignment 1%

Determine exactly what the assignment is asking you to do. Read the assignment carefully to determine the topic, purpose, audience, format, and length. For more information, see the Writing and Communication Centre's resource Understanding your assignment.

B: Conduct preliminary research 3%

Do some general reading about your topic to figure out:

what are the current issues in your subject area?

is there enough information for you to proceed?

C: Narrow your topic 3%

Use traditional journalistic questions (who, what, where, when, why) to focus on a specific aspect of your topic. It will make your paper more manageable, and you will be more likely to succeed in writing something with depth. Read more about Developing and narrowing a research topic (PDF).

D: Develop a research question 3%

A research question guides your research. It provides boundaries, so that when you gather resources you focus only on information that helps to answer your question. See the Writing and Communication Centre's resource Develop a research question (PDF).

Step 2: Research Percent time spent on this step: 35%

A: Design your research strategy 5%

List the types of literature that may contain useful information for your topic, and isolate the main concepts. Use these concepts to build a list of relevant/useful search terms. For more information, see the Library's resource on Effective research strategies (PDF).

This Search statement worksheet (PDF) can help you organize your research strategy.

B: Find and evaluate sources 10%

Not all sources are equally useful. The content of sources you choose must be relevant and current, and you need to make sure you're using academically valid sources such as peer-reviewed journal articles and books. See the Library's resource on Evaluating your search results critically and the RADAR Evaluation Method (PDF).

C: Conduct research 20%

Gather your information and keep careful track of your sources as you go along. See the Library's resource Conducting research and note taking (PDF).

Step3: Organizing your essay Percent time spent on this step: 15%

A: Move from research to writing: how to think 8%

This critical step involves using the information you've gathered to form your own ideas. This resource can help you get the most out of what you're reading: Reading and listening critically.

You've read a good deal of information and now you have to analyze and synthesize it into something new and worth writing about. See How to think: move from research to writing (PDF) for the kind of questions that can guide you through this process.

B: Develop a thesis statement 3%

A strong thesis statement is the cornerstone of a good research essay. Your thesis needs to be clean, concise, focused, and supportable. In most cases, it should also be debatable.

C: Outline the structure of your paper 4%

Organize your ideas and information into topics and subtopics. Outline the order in which you will write about the topics. For more information on how create a good outline, see Two ways to create an outline: graphic and linear.

Step 4: Writing the first draft Percent time spent on this step: 20%

Time to get writing! A first draft is a preliminary attempt to get ideas down on paper. It's okay if your ideas aren't completely formed yet. Let go of perfection and write quickly. You can revise later.

For additional help, check out the Writing and Communication Centre's resource on Writing a first draft.

Step 5: Revising and proofreading Percent time spent on this step: 20%

A: Evaluate your first draft and conduct additional research as needed 10%

Determine if there are any gaps in your draft. Do you have enough evidence to support your arguments? If you don't, you should conduct further research.

B: Revise your draft 5%

Print out your paper and work from a hard copy. Read it carefully and essay online buy look for higher order problems first, such as organization, structure, and argument development. For more help with these higher order issues, check out the tips for revision.

C: Evaluate your second draft and rewrite as needed 5%

Narrow your focus to paragraph-level issues such as evidence, analysis, flow, and transitions. To improve your flow and transitions, see the Writing and Communication Centre's resource on Transition words.

D: Proofread and put your paper into its final format 5%

Last step! Read carefully to catch all those small errors. Here are some tips on Proofreading strategies. Also take time to make sure your paper adheres to the conventions of the style guide you're using. Think about titles, margins, page numbers, reference lists, and citations.

The University of Waterloo's Writing and Communication Centre has a number of resources that can help you in revising and proofreading.

Research Essays Examples

Typical research essay assignment follows classic academic writing structure, which includes introduction with a thesis statement, three to five body paragraphs, and conclusion. In simple terms, research paper aims to analyze published academic works for ideas related to chosen subject in order to compare it with personal opinion and findings. An argument that writer finds the most crucial should be included in a thesis statement at the end of Introduction part. This is the heart of any research essay. A rule of thumb is to use academic sources to support each idea, which is not author's personal contribution to avoid plagiarism risks. Both introduction and conclusion should mention why an essay in question is significant. Check these research paper samples.

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Just like any research paper that a college student encounters, you must follow the classic pattern of "Introduction - Thesis - 3 Body Paragraphs - Conclusion". Some cases may differ, depending on what you have been asked to do, yet a research paper is the one where you must synthesize available information and make a strong argument regarding the main topic or subject of your research. Check our research paper example to see how the sources and evidence are incorporated and mixed with the author’s opinion. Remember about formatting and style requirements in terms of indents and the spaces.

Unlike reflective or comparative writing, the research essay will always contain a strict academic structure. An example of a research paper usually represents writing with a thesis statement that makes a proposal, assumption, or uses a strong argument about some scientific idea. It is usually not written in the first person since an author must combine various resources, include quotations, and implement evidence to support certain ideas. The presence of focus on the ideas and the analysis of information is what makes it stand apart from the author-based essay writing.

In short, research always implements a certain methodology. While there is no universal formula that would explain what does the research mean in writing, it is sufficient to say that research must contain a topic, strong thesis statement (or an argument), a list of reliable sources, a counter-argument paragraph (if relevant) and the conclusion where information is summed up and stated in a clearer or simpler way. Check our college research paper example to examine the structure in practice and see the key differences when compared to the usual college essay papers.

The research paper always represents analytical work, strategic thinking, and argumentation, which is why the types of writing that belong here include argumentative, analytical, based-upon-subject, and cause-and-effect writing. The types that do not generally belong to research papers include persuasive writing, narration, literature reviews, or those papers where the focus is on the author. The research paper examines things that the others have written on the topic to let you synthesize what you have discovered or researched.

How to Write a Research Paper | A Beginner's Guide

A research paper is a piece of academic writing that provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on in-depth independent research.

Research papers are similar to academic essays, but they are usually longer and more detailed assignments, designed to assess not only your writing skills but also your skills in scholarly research. Writing a research paper requires you to demonstrate a strong knowledge of your topic, engage with a variety of sources, and make an original contribution to the debate.

This step-by-step guide takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding your assignment to proofreading your final draft.

Table of contents

Understand the assignment

Choose a research paper topic

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

Research paper checklist

Free lecture slides

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 buying an essay online word limit: be realistic, and plan enough time to research, write and edit.

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, m eets the criteria of your assignment, and i s possible to research. Aim for ideas that are both original and specific:

Research essay, Research essay