How to write excellent college research papers

argumentative writing research
By Ava G.

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 

  1. Narrow by period: The history of food in postcolonial Caribbean nations  
  2. Narrow by region: The history of food in postcolonial Puerto Rico
  3. Narrow by people: The impact of food culture on women in postcolonial Puerto Rico 
  4. 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:  

  1. "Men and women in post-colonial Puerto Rico experienced food culture in many ways, and, as a result, women were empowered."
  2. "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! 

Comments

topicTopics
academics study skills medical school admissions MCAT SAT college admissions expository writing strategy English MD/PhD admissions writing LSAT physics GMAT GRE chemistry academic advice biology graduate admissions math law school admissions ACT interview prep language learning test anxiety personal statements premed career advice MBA admissions AP exams homework help test prep creative writing MD computer science mathematics study schedules Common Application summer activities history secondary applications philosophy research organic chemistry economics supplements 1L grammar statistics & probability PSAT admissions coaching dental admissions psychology law legal studies ESL reading comprehension CARS PhD admissions SSAT covid-19 logic games calculus engineering USMLE medical school mentorship Latin Spanish parents AMCAS admissions advice biochemistry case coaching verbal reasoning DAT English literature STEM excel genetics political science skills French Linguistics MBA coursework Tutoring Approaches academic integrity astrophysics chinese classics dental school gap year letters of recommendation mechanical engineering technical interviews units Anki DO Social Advocacy algebra art history artificial intelligence business careers cell biology data science diversity statement first generation student freewriting geometry graphing kinematics linear algebra mental health presentations quantitative reasoning software engineering study abroad tech industry time management work and activities 2L AAMC DMD IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs MMI Sentence Correction adjusting to college algorithms amino acids analysis essay argumentative writing athletics business skills cold emails executive function fellowships finance functions genomics information sessions international students internships logic networking office hours poetry pre-dental proofs resume revising scholarships science social sciences trigonometry writer's block 3L Academic Interest EMT FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Health Professional Shortage Area Italian JD/MBA admissions Japanese Lagrange multipliers London MD vs PhD Montessori National Health Service Corps Pythagorean Theorem Python Shakespeare Step 2 TMDSAS Taylor Series Truss Analysis Zoom acids and bases active learning architecture art art and design schools art portfolios bacteriology bibliographies biomedicine brain teaser burnout campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets central limit theorem centrifugal force chem/phys chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience community service constitutional law consulting cover letters curriculum dementia demonstrated interest dimensional analysis distance learning econometrics electric engineering electricity and magnetism embryology entropy escape velocity evolution extracurriculars fundraising harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles hydrophobic effect ideal gas law immunology induction infinite institutional actions integrated reasoning intermolecular forces intern investing investment banking lab reports letter of continued interest linear maps mandarin chinese