Elements of Good Research Paper

Published 16 October, 2023

The research paper writing process is too tricky for those who have no experience in this arena. Students with a lack of proper knowledge about the essential parts of the academic paper face difficulties in finishing it. They search online for the solution to their problem and get confused with the different structures used by various researchers. So, by learning the necessary components of a research paper, students get a guide map that they have to follow for writing a good research paper.

That is why here are some tips and essential components of an academic paper from My Research Topics professionals that scholars can use for writing a compelling research paper. By diving your writing into these fundamental parts of the research paper, you can finish your research easily and proficiently.

Some important points before jumping to the components of a research paper

Before we discuss the components of a research paper, we need to discuss the following points which should be followed before writing a research paper:

  • Research proposal: The first and primary element that is going to work as the backbone of your academic paper is its research proposal. It is imperative to write a research proposal before you go for the complete document. An academic paper proposal contains the highlights of your paper, which are written to take a green signal from your professors to go with the same topic and ideas to write your paper.
  • Research paper outline: Once the professors accept your research proposal, the next step that you are supposed to do is to prepare a research paper outline. It should be written by keeping the things in mind that you are going to talk about in the individual section of your paper. It will help you to write your paper better and faster.
  • Writing format: There are different formats of an academic paper that students are asked to follow by their professors while writing a research paper. The first is the APA research paper, and another is the MLA format of writing a research paper.

You can also find a plethora of others, but mainly these two are asked to follow by the professors. Your academic paper must not go beyond the guidelines of APA research paper format and MLA format whatever you have picked up to write your paper.

Key elements of a research paper

Every academic paper has its own structure, but certain parts of the research paper are common to most papers. These are:

  1. Abstract
  2. Introduction and Thesis statement
  3. Literature Review
  4. Strategy
  5. Body
  6. Result and Discussion
  7. Conclusion
  8. Citation or References

Now let’s discuss each section in detail.

Abstract

To write a research paper abstract, you need to give a broad overview of your paper in not more than 300 words. It is like a synopsis of your research. The abstract is written after completing your paper to give a summary that identifies the primary purpose, issues, strategies, and results of your work. It helps other researchers to decide before whether the content will serve their intention or not.

Introduction and Thesis statement

The research paper introduction is the first most component of a research paper. It gives a general overview of your academic work. You can also explain your thesis statement in the introductory section. Never try to mess with this part of your paper by setting a question mark.

Make sure that you are firm about what you are saying in your thesis statement, and going to prove it in the next coming parts of your academic paper through relevant examples. This is how you can give an excellent start to your academic paper.

Review of literature

The literature review in research paper is written to give an overview of the sources and significant writings on your selected topic. Websites, books, journals, manuscripts of other researchers, etc. are some of the sources that can be covered in the review.

Strategy

In this section, you have to define the research methodology you used in your research. Strategies that can be used to collect information are either you have prepared a questionnaire, or conduct an interview. Any kind of field academic could also be undertaken. Either you have received your data by using the qualitative or quantitative research method.

You can also use other libraries, books, or anything that can help you in gathering accurate information for your research papers.

Body

It is the longest and most important part of an academic paper. It must be divided into various sub-sections according to the need. The content is written in paragraphs and each paragraph must define a fundamental idea of your work. This component must focus on solid arguments and clear reasoning to rationally develop your thesis. Either with the help of tables, graphs, figures, or something that could be easily understandable by the readers.

Result and Discussion

A research paper is not complete without a section detailing the results of an experiment or study and the discussion that arises from those results. The result section should include tables, figures, and graphs to back up your claims while addressing any limitations in your data set. The discussion section is where you expand on your research with arguments and analysis. You should always connect this to the introduction, thesis statement, and literature review of your paper but it cannot be a straight repeat or rearrangement of these sections.

Conclusion

The research paper conclusion is that part of your academic paper is going to trouble you the most. It is because you cannot afford to write a conclusion for your writing that is not complimenting the rest of the paper. The Conclusion should be informative and stimulating that could satisfy the readers with enough information.

There must be a complete synchronization of things in-between the different elements of a research paper to give it the best conclusion.

Citations or References

In the final step, you cannot forget about writing a research paper citation for your college assignment. Here you need to cite each and every resource that you referred to for the research purpose in your paper. This is how you can save yourself from writing a plagiarized research paper, which is an offense.

After reading all the above-defined components for writing a good academic paper with the essential tips that help in enhancing its readability, you will be feeling confident. But in case you are still finding it problematic to start with your academic paper thesis statement, then you can take the help of experts.

Conclusion

To write a good research paper, it is important to first understand the elements that go into making one. You should always make sure that your introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion are as strong as possible in order to have a well-structured research paper. My Research Topics professionals are giving all types of academic paper writing help to the students. You can easily approach the scholar and experienced online assignment helpers on MyResearchTopics.com.

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