The transition from writing a high school essay to a college-level research paper can be terrifying. Trust me, I get it. Throughout my college career, I spent hours and hours in my professors’ offices desperately trying to improve my writing. Lucky for you, I’ve done the hard part for you.
Here's your guidebook for writing an excellent research paper:
Tip #1: Be Specific.
As a novice researcher, it can be tempting to get caught up in the excitement of picking your first topic. Often, this passion leads to overly broad topics that are simply too overwhelming to produce any truly insightful writing. Make sure your topic focuses on a specific period, region, people, and problem. Here’s an example of how to narrow your topic:
Example #1 (Too Broad): The history of food in Caribbean nations
- Narrow by period: The history of food in postcolonial Caribbean nations
- Narrow by region: The history of food in postcolonial Puerto Rico
- Narrow by people: The impact of food culture on women in postcolonial Puerto Rico
- Narrow by problem: The impact of food culture on women’s liberation movements in postcolonial Puerto Rico
Tip #2: Research BEFORE you decide on a thesis.
It can be VERY tempting to decide on your response to the topic without doing extensive research. It’s human nature: we have initial reactions to the topic based on our own experiences and educations. If you didn’t already have thoughts on something, you probably wouldn’t be interested in writing about it. However, the point of a research paper is to flex those research muscles. You should explore new sources, new authors, and new ideas. You may be surprised.
Tip #3: Write a clear thesis statement.
Your thesis statement is the most important piece of your research paper. You want your thesis to state your argument clearly and concisely. Professors want to see that you’ve thought deeply about your proposed topic and researched sufficiently to produce your own argument. See if you can spot the difference between these two thesis statements:
- "Men and women in post-colonial Puerto Rico experienced food culture in many ways, and, as a result, women were empowered."
- "Women in postcolonial Puerto Rico used food culture as a pathway to empowerment by developing self-identity, constructing meaningful community bonds, and sharing liberal ideologies."
Can you see the difference? Thesis one presents an argument, but it’s unclear how the argument will develop. The professor will have to sift through pages and pages of your writing to figure out what exactly you’re trying to argue. In contrast, thesis two outlines the path your argument will take (or rather, the different topics and pieces of evidence you'll discuss) in order to prove your point.
Bonus Tip: Make it as easy as possible for the professor! They’re probably just as tired of reading papers as you are of writing them!
Tip #4: Make an outline.
A lot of students skip writing an outline out of a desire to speed up the writing process. I'm here to tell you that skipping an outline will actually slow you down in the long run! Making and following an outline ensures that there are no holes in your logic. When you get stuck in the writing process, you can refer to your outline to guide you to the areas of your paper that are strongest.
Finally, make sure that you leave some time to read through the document and compare your draft with your outline. This quick check can make sure your paper clearly follows the argument you planned out. Remember our goal is to make it as easy for the professor to follow as possible!
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