Research is a very important part of schoolwork, as well as academic life. Research is done by students and teachers alike to present new ideas and discoveries in many scientific fields. A research paper is often a requirement for students to complete a semester, but it is also used for academic work on many different fields. Papers take a lot of commitment to write, whether it’s a thesis, a term paper, or academic research. Here are some tips to help you write your research paper.
Types of Research
Depending on the subject or the field, the professor or instructor may require a quantitative or a qualitative research paper:
Quantitative research is used to study a topic that involves quantifiable, measurable data. The aim of a quantitative research is to develop measurements and mathematical models to answer a research question. Quantitative research is often used in economics, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and business.
Qualitative research is used to study phenomena that cannot be quantified or measured. Qualitative research may involve interpreting a story (book reports), studying societies (ethnography), or analyzing texts and speech (textual and discourse analysis). Qualitative methods are often used in psychology, sociology, anthropology, literary criticism, and communication research.
Quantitative and qualitative research may be combined together to form a robust research method. The important thing to remember is that you should have a clear research method to back up whatever claims and conclusions you’ll make in your paper.
Formatting and Citations
Depending on your class requirements or your field, you’ll need to cite your sources in a certain prescribed format. The format for a particular paper is referred through a style guide or a style manual. Here are some of the common style guides for formatting and citations:
Chicago style was developed for the University of Chicago in 1906 by Kate L. Turabian, in the book A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. The Chicago style is used less frequently today because it makes writing papers more complicated.
MLA is a style guide developed by the Modern Language Association of America. MLA formatting is used extensively in fields like English, literature, and media studies.
IEEE and ACM styles are technical formats developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Association for Computer Machinery. Both styles are used for short, camera-ready papers to be presented at conferences.
APA style is the most common paper format used for the humanities and the social sciences. It was designed as a standard by the American Psychological Association.
One important thing to remember is to never combine style guides and citation formats in a research paper. Once you use one style guide, the citations and formats should be consistent all throughout the paper.
Rules of Research
Research is not just about making a thick paper or using big words. Here are some rules that you should follow when you’re writing a research paper:
Honesty and academic integrity. When writing your research paper, always cite your sources. Never copy ideas and pass them off as your own.
Open disclosure. Research should not pass itself to be the sole authority on a subject. Always cite the scope and limitations of your research, so that other researchers can take off on your study.
Timeliness. Research papers are never rushed. It takes weeks or even months to finish one. Do not hurry or cram your research paper; many reviewers and teachers can easily spot a rushed and haphazard research paper.
Research Tips
Make sure that the problem is researchable. Do not make an ambitious research project that you cannot finish in time, or something so unique that you may not be able to research it at all.
Stick with manageable samples and research problems. Remember, you only have a limited time to finish a research project.
Do not tweak or alter the method and results of your research problem to work in your favor.
Make sure to use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Submit your research on time.