How to Write the Best Research Paper of all Time

Before you get started, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the theme of my paper?
• What type of research paper is it?
• What are the main characteristics?
• Who is the target audience?
• What guidelines do I need to follow?
• What steps do I need to complete?

If no topic has been assigned, you’ll need to decide what to write about. When forming your thesis, be sure to use words that accurately reflect your thinking. Remember to avoid broad subjects like “the environment” or “poverty,” and instead focus on something specific, like “the environmental impact of cocoa farming” or “Quebec organizations that help those in need.”

If you’re overwhelmed by the possibilities, keep these points in mind:

• Think about your pre-existing knowledge. If you’re hesitating between two subjects of interest, pick the one you know more about.
• Ask yourself whether the topic fits the assignment.
• Choose a topic you’re interested in. This will help keep you motivated!
• Make sure you can access sufficient information on the topic.
• Consult various documents (e.g., general encyclopedia articles, news articles, expert articles, first-person accounts) for inspiration.

When developing your research topic, you’ll need to consider these key questions:

• Who: Who are the concerned individuals, groups, or communities (e.g., immigrants, women, children, the elderly, athletes)?
• What: What specific aspects of this topic interest me (topic angle)? What are the main elements of my thesis?
• When: Is my topic associated with a particular time period? If so, what period?
• Where: Is a specific country or geographic area impacted?
• How: What points of view or factors should be considered (e.g., historical, cultural, sociological, economic, political)?
• Why: Why is this topic important? What are the implications? Why should we care?

Now that you’ve clearly defined your topic, you need an angle. Research papers ask specific and concrete questions, as the points above have demonstrated. Ideally, your topic should focus on two or three elements. For example, you could look at the following factors:

• Sociological
• Economic
• Political
• Environmental
• Scientific
• Geographical
• Cultural
• Historical
• Emotional
• Legal
• Psychological
• Religious
• Etc.

Every strong research paper needs a fairly detailed and realistic timeline that outlines your main tasks. You want to avoid the stress of doing things at the last minute!

Your timeline should include the following information:

• The assignment’s due date (more time probably means that more is expected of you)
• The available documentation
• Your chosen methodology
• The time required to complete each stage of your research
• Etc.

Below is a sample timeline to get you started:

Don’t forget to jot down these steps in your agenda and to block off time slots ahead of time.

Visit the library or search the internet for articles, news stories, documentaries, theses, encyclopedia articles, scientific publications, books, and any other reliable materials that are relevant to your assignment and meet your teacher’s requirements.

To make your search queries more effective, use advanced search options (e.g., quotation marks to find an exact word or phrase) and Boolean operators (e.g., AND, OR, NOT). You can also try combining several of your keywords and filtering your search by language, publication date, document type, and more.

Here’s how to find an online source using a search engine like Google:

• Use keywords
• Use relevant synonyms, antonyms, and generic words (e.g., for “whale” you could also search for “marine mammal”)
• Perform an advanced search using Boolean operators
• Use nouns rather than verbs
• Try not to waste time on irrelevant results

If you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to ask a librarian for help.

Once you’ve determined which sources are most relevant to your work, it’s time to look at the data. You can now go back and answer your initial research question in light of your findings.
At this stage, you should read through your references, annotate and highlight information, find links between texts, select examples and quotes to include in your work, etc.

Now is the time to answer those six key questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how—also known as the 5Ws and 1H. Make sure that your work covers all the relevant aspects of these questions.

This is the last stage of your assignment! It’s time to synthesize your findings and notes into a well-structured paper. It’s important to pay close attention to the quality of your writing and the look and format of your work.

Here are a few tips for organizing and presenting your paper:

• Create an outline or draft using keywords.
• Use clear and concise language.
• Revise and edit your paper. You can ask your parents or friends to proofread it, ask questions, and make suggestions.
• Format your paper.
• Set your paper aside for a few days. Before handing it in, read it one last time with fresh eyes.
• Include a bibliography of your sources at the end of your paper.