Writing a research paper for a class in college is something that you as a student have to do at some point, of your college career, and likely many times over. Some students are quite good at it and don’t really sweat it, while other students see it as ‘Armageddon’ and would do almost anything to avoid it. While we can’t eliminate the research papers from your curriculum, we can help to make the process easier by providing a good approach to writing a research paper so that your future papers turn out great without having to fret over them. Read more about this approach below.
Don’t Wait Until the Last Moment
Many students make a critical mistake when writing a research paper: They wait until the last moment to start on it! Don’t do that! If you do this, you will be behind the “eight-ball,” so to speak, as you’ll have to rush to complete the paper, which is going to lead to undue stress upon you, not to mention your paper likely won’t be as good as it could be because you’ll have to rush with the research, the writing, proofreading and revising it, etc.
Break the Work Down into Workable Chunks
With most research papers, you are given more than a few days to write it. Many students make the mistake of wasting days early on and are forced to have to cram a lot of work into a few days or even one day. Don’t be like them; instead, do a little work each day. Do some research for a day or two to find the resources you need – this includes both offline and online sources. Then, begin writing a few paragraphs or sections of the paper each day.
By taking this approach, you will cut down on the amount of work you have to do toward the deadline, you will be more relaxed when doing your research and writing, and you will have more time to proofread and revise your writing at the end of it. By doing this, you won’t dread writing a research paper in the future.
