A research paper is an extended version of an academic essay that presents your thoughts about a subject, topic, or research area. It is a collection of different sources of information including books, articles, and other research papers about a topic. Research papers are technical, experimental, and expanded research essays that require a formal format for the organization and presentation of information. Therefore, before starting writing a research paper, a professional essay writing service should be consulted for experts' help to guide you in the process. A step-by-step sample outline for a research paper alongside some tips has been presented to help in outlining your paper.

However, research paper is a lot more than the sum of different pieces of information. It also provides interpretation, argumentation, and critical analysis of a topic, based on in-depth research.

         Research papers are designed to elaborate the writer's stance on a topic with the demonstration of a strong knowledge of the topic while making an original contribution to the existing knowledge. For this purpose, thorough research has been carried out to further explore the research area. The research findings are organized and presented in a standard format to inform the readers about the discovery of new knowledge in a research field. I often write my paper while keeping in view the standard format and sensitivity of research problem.

1. Understand the topic

         Before writing the paper, you would need to conduct in-depth preliminary research on the topic you want to write about. This activity will enable you to understand the topic, find multiple dimensions to the study areas, and know more about different viewpoints regarding the topic. You will also be able to locate those research studies that support your stance on the topic. You must also keep a record of those research studies that negate or oppose your viewpoint. In the later stages of your research project, you will also have to refer to the opposing viewpoints and find evidence to negate them.

1. Propose a title for your paper

         The preliminary research activity will also help you in proposing a concise and workable title for your research paper. Your title must be focused on the explanation of every dimension of your research study. Therefore, your readers must be able to instantly understand the central idea behind the research study, through your title.

1. Formulate a strong thesis statement

         You should always come up with an arguable strong thesis statement, which serves as your main claim behind the research study.  This is the crucial step, since a good thesis statement leads you throughout the research process. It might prove to be a challenging and tiring task for you, therefore, an expert essay writer can help you in formulating a strong thesis statement. This thesis statement will also help you in creating an outline and topic sentence for the body paragraphs of your paper.

 

1. Create an outline

         There might be specific rule of every educational institution regarding the format and outline of the research paper, however, the following outline can also be used to write your paper.

•         Title page

         This page has your name, your supervisor's name, and your educational institutions along with the proposed title for the paper.

•         Abstract (required in APA format on the instructions of instructor)

         It is a detailed summary of your topic, methodology used, findings, and implications.

•         Introduction

         In this section, you will have to provide an overview of your topic, background information, and the existing literature on the topic.

•         Methodology

         This section has the information on the methods used to collect and analyze the data/evidence that supports your viewpoint.

•         Results

         This section elaborates your research findings, extracted from the collected data/evidence.

•         Discussion

         In this section, the findings and their implications are discussed in detail.

 

•         References/Bibliography

         It is a detailed list of all the work cited of other researchers you have used to support your viewpoint.

•         Appendices

         It contains any additional information on the other sections of the research study, such as questionnaires, tables and graphs, and maps.

1. Revise the drafts

         Do not think of the first draft as the final draft of your research paper. You would need to revise your document several times for grammatical errors and sentence structure mistakes. Apart from the basic spelling mistakes, you might also have made several mistakes in the data collection and analysis portion. Therefore, after completing the first draft, get it reviewed by the ones who have more experience with writing research papers.

         Do not get disheartened by the reviewers' honest opinions. Rather, keep a copy of their comments and update your second draft accordingly. Multiple revisions are important tricks to enable you to write a masterpiece paper.

1. Avoid plagiarism

         It is important to avoid plagiarism in your research paper since you will have to borrow a lot of information to validate your standpoints. Therefore, check for the presence of plagiarism, through any online app before submitting the paper. Ask your supervisor for your institution's rules regarding the percentage of plagiarism in the document. There is a possibility that you may have borrowed ideas from other writers without properly paraphrasing them. You might be stressed over the higher percentage of plagiarism in your paper, however, ask professionals to help it, if you cannot avoid plagiarism while borrowing the information.   

         Another trick to avoid plagiarism in your paper is to rephrase the original words borrowed from other studies. Pay close attention to the number of words you are borrowing. Try not to use four or more keywords in the exact sequence as used in the same sentence in the original text. You can also use quotation marks while copying the same wording of the original text and properly cite the sentences. This indicates that you are quoting another author's idea while giving the credit to the author. However, you will have the following APA, MLA, or other direct quotation rules for this purpose.