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Learn How to Write a Research Assignment Correctly
Table of Contents
- Learn The Objectives First!
- Learning to Understand Assignment Requirements
- Choosing Your Research Topic Matters!
- The Challenges of Conducting Research
- Thesis Statement is the Heart of the Research Assignment!
- Working With an Outline
- Writing Your Research Paper Draft
- Research Paper Revising and Editing Work
- Citing Sources and Creating a Bibliography
- Research Assignment Conclusion
- The Final Checklist
- Why Do Some Research Assignments Always Stand Out?
When you are facing the challenge of not knowing how to write a research assignment for your school or college class, there are many things that you should consider to make things work. Contrary to popular belief, research assignments are not more challenging than any other academic task. You are all set as long as you know how to create an outline for your paper, pick your thesis statement correctly, use citations, and proofread things in the end! A far more challenging part is to research things in advance and ensure that everything is in the correct place with the evidence provided!
Have no worries: this writing guide aims to teach you how to write a research assignment and walk you through all the essential points that must be observed. It will help you to feel more confident as you start with your research paper for any subject or complexity type. In this guide, we shall:
- help you focus on understanding the assignment requirements
- teach you how to choose a topic to make things work,
- help you to conduct research,
- develop a thesis statement, and work with the outline.
Then we shall continue writing the first research rough draft and show you how to revise and edit it. Once ready, we shall sum things up about the citation of the sources and the creation of a bibliography for your paper. In addition, we shall discuss the conclusion and share some helpful tips to make you feel secure about research paper writing!
Learn The Objectives First!
As for the basic steps required to compose a perfect research assignment, remember to provide in-depth analysis and interpret a particular subject with the necessary evaluation and evidence. As a rule, it’s never the same as your topics will vary, and the length can appear different. For a research assignment taking between 4,000 and 10,000 words, consider the following steps:
- Do your best to understand the assignment requirements.
- Choose your topic by focusing on things that inspire you.
- Do some preliminary research work by applying analysis and critical thinking.
- Compose a strong thesis statement.
- Offer supporting evidence.
- Compose an outline to sort your ideas.
- Work on your draft.
- Provide all the necessary sources based on the required formatting style.
- Edit and proofread your research paper to increase readability and eliminate mistakes.
Learning to Understand Assignment Requirements
While it may seem impossible, you must feel confident before you start. Read your assignment instructions twice and reverse-engineer them. It means that you should read some of the points backward to understand the outcome of the objectives. Moreover, you should always clarify every issue or doubt with an instructor if nothing works. Do not be afraid to ask questions, as it’s much better to feel like a fool for a minute than receive lower grades because of shame!
The most important part of every research assignment writing is to outline the objectives and define the main research question. While the grading rubric is supposed to make things easier, it’s not always the case! Still, do your best to narrow things down and take notes as you read through the instructions. By doing so, you will understand the scope of the project easier and will know how to continue.
Choosing Your Research Topic Matters!
You may only realize it after you start, yet identifying your interest and choosing something inspiring is half the work done. Just think about working with something you know well or where you can contribute as a student. If you have the luxury of choosing your topic, think about what motivates you to learn or the subject you can support with at least three pieces of evidence. Now, if you have to provide a research proposal assignment, the topic is usually chosen as the thesis statement or the main argument you must make.
If you have research assignment topics, narrow things down to fit within the assignment requirements or discuss your concerns with a college professor. It might help you choose a different subject wording as you connect it to your future thesis statement. If you have a specific idea in mind that you would like to explore and research further on, remember that it must be relevant to the main topic of your research. The same relates to feasibility ─ your research objectives must be achievable!
The Challenges of Conducting Research
The talk here goes about both the preliminary and the actual research work that you have to do. If you already have a good research topic, the most important is supporting your research with reliable sources. You can use scientific databases like Jstor and PubMed (for nursing research topics and medical purposes) or approach Google Scholar as one of the numerous options. Likewise, you can use books, various online libraries, academic journals, and even multimedia sources if your subject allows that. These have to belong to credible sources. If you are still determining the source of information, it’s better to avoid it entirely!
Remember to take notes and keep information organized if you find suitable information. Many websites and academic databases will provide you with citing information in APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard writing styles.
As for some reliable databases worth checking, take a look at the following:
- Web of Science.
- PubMed.
- ERIC.
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
- IEEE Xplore.
- Science Direct.
- SciFinder-n.
Thesis Statement is the Heart of the Research Assignment!
You might have heard it, but we cannot stress it enough for you again. A thesis statement is the main argument or assumption that you have to make. It must be linked to your topic and the field of research. As a rule, it must talk about your position and be clear and concise based on the research paper introduction that you have presented.
In most cases, a thesis statement should fit within one sentence and go at the final bit of your research assignment introduction paragraph. If something else must be added, a supporting sentence is used. A thesis statement is only considered good when it is relevant and arguable concerning your subject. It does require good research skills, yet practice always makes perfect.
For an example of a possible statement about musicology research:
“While rock music is often considered as a destructive style that leads to depression and anger among teenagers, it also helps them to overcome life’s challenges and find helpful solutions as they see themselves in those lyrics and emotional music posed by the bands and singers.”
Working With an Outline
These days, most students need to learn how to work with an outline or tend to ignore this part since they believe it takes too much time. The practice shows that an outline always helps to narrow things down and avoid having your research ideas thrown all over the place! Outlining helps you sort research assignment ideas correctly and see what is in each part of your research paper structure.
There are many types of research outlines:
- alphanumeric
- full sentence types
- chronological
- topical
- summary
The classical outline should use Roman numerals, letters, and numbers for headings and subheadings parts. If you work with the summary outline, it should outline the chapters you plan to include in your research paper. The main principles to consider are subordination, coordination, and division.
Writing Your Research Paper Draft
Some educators call it the first research paper draft, yet it would be correct to call it a rough draft. This is where you should include all the necessary information that you can find. Do not try to edit things just yet! Focus on the content instead of the actual language and the list of grammar or structure mistakes you may have.
The purpose here is to include all the important research points and at least one piece of evidence per idea. It is also where the citations must be included. If it sounds too confusing, refer to the outline you have created for basic guidance purposes. Do not limit yourself in terms of available ideas; research the subject by picking the most relevant and inspiring data.
Research Paper Revising and Editing Work
Once you are done with the rough draft stage, continue revising and editing the information that you have. It’s one factor that makes mediocre quality research much better since it improves the readability and makes your thesis statement relevant.
- Start by checking for coherence and consistency.
- Ask yourself about what pieces of data support your thesis and ideas the best way.
- When you have the structure part processed, focus on the clarity of your language and the writing.
- Think about using various bridging sentences between the paragraphs and add more examples.
- Remember to check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors as you work on your research paper.
Citing Sources and Creating a Bibliography
It might be one of the most challenging parts of composing a research assignment. Still, as you write a bibliography, use only those truly important sources for your work. If you wish to include a citation, use it with an introduction that comes first. The medium golden pattern for research writing is “An Introduction – Citation – Your Post-Analysis”.
- Most young people join scouting because of their older siblings and parents, yet many of them have no role models to follow.
- According to Daniels (2009), scout team leaders must also take the parental roles to help the kids develop a sense of belonging and a family as they choose their mental guidelines and have someone to look up to.
- It shows a lack of proper coaching in certain scouting branches where more psychological and team-building training must be done.
Consider why the quote is relevant and ensure it does not come out of the blue!
While researching your sources, pay attention to the different citation styles and remember that many databases have ready-made citations done for you. It’s a great time saver, yet it’s vital to understand the citation rules yourself! The in-text citations must always correspond with the final bibliography in your research paper.
Research Assignment Conclusion
It is precisely where many college and university students get stuck as they have to summarize all the main points and arguments. It’s essential to avoid introducing any new ideas, as you only have to restate your thesis statement in different, more accessible words. Depending on your research type and research assignment cover page with objectives and keywords, an assignment conclusion must have a strong and meaningful statement. It can be a moral lesson that has been learned or a call to action if the debatable argumentation has been made.
It’s also the section of a research assignment where you may recommend further reading or add information that can be helpful for researchers and members of your target audience.
The Final Checklist
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that the lion’s share of success with any research paper is the adherence to a good structure and proofreading. You must check twice for errors, the research methodology part, and readability simply by reading your paper more than once. The same relates to submitting your final draft on time by ensuring you fit within the word count and the requirements of the grading rubric. It can be helpful to check it again by looking through every point!
As you submit your research assignment, be bold and discuss things with a college professor and your peers, even if you have no paper revision or any comments left. It will help you improve and feel more confident about your writing!
Why Do Some Research Assignments Always Stand Out?
The answer is quite simple: it is the strict discipline and following all the steps that are involved in research paper writing. Starting with the good topic selection to the final bibliography check, you must always complete all of the steps mentioned in this guide. Thorough research must be done all the time by comparing things, seeking unique solutions, and checking for what has already been researched in this or that field. It will help you plan ahead as you evaluate and choose information. It also helps when you revise your draft or work with the comments left by your professor.
Knowing your paper well always eliminates fear and makes you feel confident. Practice, keep an open mind, research, and check things twice. It will help you to improve your research writing skills, earn the best grades, and become a valuable part of the scientific community!
