Writing a research paper involves more than gathering information and putting it into paragraphs. From choosing a focused topic to developing a research question, organizing evidence, drafting your argument, and citing your sources, each stage plays an important role in producing a clear and credible paper.
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1. What Is a Research Paper?
A research paper is a piece of academic writing that provides an in-depth explanation of a specific topic of your choice, providing evidence and citations for your sources and proving that critical research was conducted.
Research papers aim to share information effectively with anyone interested in the topic, whether for personal reading or as evidence for their own research. They are a pillar of the academic world and contribute greatly to discoveries in modern science. Without research papers, a researcher would struggle to find supporting evidence for their goal, whether working to discover a new cure for a disease or build new technology.
Research papers can take many forms depending on the subject. A scientific paper may report the results of an experiment, while an English or History paper may develop an argument based on primary and secondary sources.
Regardless of the subject, a strong research paper should have a clear purpose, logical structure, credible evidence, and properly cited sources.
2. What Are the Parts of a Research Paper?
The structure of a research paper depends on your subject, research method, and assignment requirements. Scientific research papers often follow a different structure from papers written for English or History classes.
Common sections include:
Abstract: A brief summary of the research paper that typically presents the research question or purpose, methodology, key findings, and main conclusion.
Introduction: The introduction is where you would discuss your thesis statement, a statement that clearly states your standpoint on a specific topic you are researching, why you are conducting the research to prove your point, and any important background information.
Literature Review: A literature review examines existing research related to your topic. It establishes what researchers already know, identifies key debates or gaps, and provides context for your research.
Methods and/or experiments: The Methods section explains how the research was conducted. Depending on the project, this may include the research design, participants, materials, procedures, data collection, or analytical methods. The goal is to provide enough detail for readers to understand how the research was carried out.
Results: In this section, describe the results of all the completed work. You will often present some of your results using figures, tables, graphs, or images.
Discussion: Share any additional opinions or questions that arose or were answered during the process. Whether or not the experience supported or went against your thesis, any other ideas that could be used to further the research, or perhaps the formation of a new thesis altogether.
Conclusion: The conclusion brings the paper’s main ideas together. It should return to the research question, reinforce the significance of the findings or argument, and leave the reader with a clear understanding of what the research demonstrates.
References: The references section is where you cite all of the sources you’ve used to conduct your research.
3. How to Write a Research Paper In 6 Steps
1. Choose a Research Topic
The first step is to choose a topic you are interested in so that you can conduct thorough research about which you are passionately curious. The topic can be any subject you want to explore and have questions answered. It may seem simple, but this step is extremely important because it will shape the rest of your paper and research. Generally, you want to choose a topic that you can have a lengthy discussion about. Your research, experiments, and methods must provide enough data and complexity to support a strong discussion.
For example:
- Too broad: Climate change
- More focused: Climate change and coastal ecosystems
- Researchable: How has rising ocean temperature affected coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef since 2000?
Once you have a topic, the next step is turning it into a research question. Learn more about how to write a research question.
2. Conduct Preliminary Research
The second step is to conduct preliminary or background research on your chosen topic. Utilizing keywords or phrases, find an ample amount of resources that support your idea. Resources such as articles, books, research papers, and reliable internet sources are a great way to begin the initial research for your paper. Google Scholar, JSTOR, and university libraries can provide strong scholarly, peer-reviewed sources.
The article “6 Steps in Research Process” on Aralia is a great reference. It breaks down how to conduct proper research and provides strong examples of how to structure it. Once you’ve conducted your initial research, analyze all the resources you’ve found and authenticate their reliability. Usually, you want to do this step before conducting your actual research.
3. Develop a Research Question and Thesis
Once you have completed some preliminary research, narrow your focus to a research question. The thesis statement summarizes the topic you are trying to prove is correct or incorrect. Clearly state your position in this argument and briefly share how your research supports or does not support this. This is the pinnacle of all the research that you’ve done and the conclusion you’ve come to.
For example:
- Topic: Social media and teenagers
- Research question: How does social media use affect sleep among teenagers?
- Thesis: Excessive social media use can negatively affect teenagers’ sleep because nighttime screen exposure and social-media engagement can delay bedtime and disrupt regular sleep routines.
Your thesis should be specific enough to guide the entire paper. Every major section, piece of evidence, and analysis should contribute to developing or supporting it.
Aralia Students Are 4x More Likely to Publish a Research Paper
4. Create a Research Paper Outline
This is the bare bones of your paper, where you put in key topics, a brief summary of the research conducted, experiments, important thoughts, opinions, and highlighted points that will be evaluated in the first draft. Generally, the outline does not have to be written in complete sentences, just ideas that you would like to talk about during that specific section of the paper. It lets you see how it all flows together and move topics around if it doesn’t make sense before you commit to writing a full 4,000-5,000-word paper.
Your outline does not need to contain complete paragraphs. Bullet points and short notes are often enough to help you organize your thinking.
Remember that research-paper structure varies by discipline. A STEM paper may use sections such as Methods and Results, while an English or History paper may be organized primarily around claims, evidence, and analysis.
Writing a STEM research paper? See our How to Outline a STEM Research Paper for a more detailed look at scientific research paper structure.
Writing an English or History research paper? See our How to Outline an English or History Research Paper to learn how to organize a humanities-focused argument.
5. Write Your First Draft
Finally, once you’ve laid out the blueprint for your research paper and it all makes sense, you can begin to turn your ideas into complete sentences and see how it all comes together. Remember, this is only your first draft, so you’ll want to change some parts later.
However, the editing can come after you’ve gotten all of your ideas on paper and read them to yourself so that they can be understood, because this research paper is meant for others to be able to understand from a reader’s point of view. From there, you can edit and revise what you feel is necessary to make your paper flow; it could be to simplify some parts, it could be to omit some information that you deemed unnecessary in the process of writing the first draft, or add any new information that you found as new ideas came up.
6. Revise, Edit, and Cite Your Sources
Finishing your first draft does not mean the paper is finished. Strong research papers usually go through multiple rounds of revision.
During revision, ask:
- Is my thesis clear and specific?
- Does each section support my argument?
- Is my evidence relevant?
- Have I explained the significance of my evidence?
- Does the paper follow a logical progression?
- Have I addressed important gaps or counterarguments?
Lastly, cite your sources, because this section gives your work credibility! It is probably the simplest part but is an extremely crucial portion of your research paper. List them in alphabetical order, and anyone should reach the same or a similar conclusion if they use these sources and conduct the same research.
If you’re ready to write but need some inspiration, here are Research Paper Examples for High School Students.
4. Create Your Research Paper With Aralia
Aralia Education offers a range of research opportunities for high school students, including mentorship programs and research projects. These programs are designed to help students develop their research skills and produce high-quality research papers. Consider participating in these to learn essential skills and prepare yourself to write research papers for competitions, college, and beyond!
