How to Write a College Research Paper

When attempting to write a college research paper for the first time, the task can seem daunting. However, the process can be broken down into easy steps. Just follow the steps and writing your college research paper should be easier.

Pick a good topicThe topic must obviously fit any guidelines your professor has given you. If the maximum amount of pages you are allowed is relatively short, you may want to avoid a topic that is overly broad (such as cramming "The Complete Geological History of North America" into 10 double spaced pages). It would be very tempting to include too much information into your paper, and none of the information would be adequately discussed. Conversely, you may want to avoid a topic that is too specific, or you could run out of things to say before making your page count. It helps to have a topic that is somewhat interesting to you, and has available research, too.

ResearchThis part of the process can be spread out over a few days, assuming you have started on your paper before 11 p.m. the night before the due date (which is a no-no!). Include books, magazines, journals and the internet in your research process. Consider going to your campus library; often times they have access to online journals that private citizens don't. Be careful which websites you use, however, because some are opinion sites cleverly disguised as fact. It helps to have a few more resources than the minimum required. In case something doesn't pan out you will have a back-up handy.

Decide which points you want to make, and writeAfter discussing each point, cite and/or quote the appropriate source. Do not just regurgitate the sources or your paper will not likely receive very high marks. Your writing must show up in there somewhere. You absolutely must cite your sources within the page or you run the dangerous risk of plagiarism. This is the part of the process where you make an argument, if one is required or wanted. Obviously start with an intro/thesis paragraph, then discuss each point in an orderly way, putting each point into a different paragraph/section. If you are familiar with the five paragraph essay, keep that in mind. The thesis paragraph states your main content, along with the points you'll be making to back up your main content. Each paragraph/section after addresses one of the "back up points".

Include a conclusionResearch papers generally seem unfinished if they simply stop. It's not just novels that need an ending. Try to summarize your points without rehashing your thesis paragraph too much.

Don't forget the sources page!!!If you have no sources page, you will lose serious points. You also run the risk of plagiarism. If there's no sources, things can look suspicious. In college, an acquaintance of mine claimed that when they turned in a research paper, they "forgot" to cite sources and include a reference page. Apparently they were going to add that in and conveniently didn't do it before turning it in. Needless to say, the process for punishing plagiarism was almost immediately initiated.

If writing isn't second nature to you, a research paper may seem impossible. As with anything complicated, taking the time to break things down into doable steps can be a great help. Another way to make writing a college research paper easy is to avoid cramming. Start at least a week early. Day one: pick your topic and start research, days 2-4: finish research, days 4-6: write, and day 7: proofread. Definitely better than starting step one the night before the due date. This would guarantee you'll still be working come sunrise.