From the Teacher: Five Tips for Writing a Killer Research Paper

I suppose I should let the cat out of the bag. I’ve taught English literature and creative writing. I say this because, if someone asks me if I’ve ever read King Lear in public, the answer is a resounding YES, with no shame. So now that the mustard is off the hot dog it’s time to get down to business.

In writing and assigning plenty of research papers I’ve discovered one unmistakable fact. Students hate me because I assign them a lot, and when it comes to writing, students either enjoy it, or it becomes the bane of their existence.

No matter which way you pendulum swings, you can still write a fantastic research paper. Whether you aspire to be the next Hemingway, or rate research papers somewhere on the level of root canal work, a student can successfully negotiate through the writing process successfully.

You can do this by employing a few simple tips and avoiding some common pitfalls that often trip students up. I was pretty successful writing research papers as a student, and I enjoyed it. What can I say, I was a geek, but as an instructor it became necessary to identify what students hate most about research papers.

Research papers are a special writing genre all to themselves. One common denominator is, the professor or instructor more often than not, chooses the topic. If not, the overall subject of the research paper is largely pre-determined by the course itself.

I know. Why can’t the students be in charge, letting you do a research paper on the classic hip-movements of twerking? As interesting as this paper might be, the instructor still has a job to do, and a job they would like to keep. Ultimately, this limited control the student has over whom, or what they are writing about is troublesome.

Page Requirements

When assigning research papers, I noticed page requirements tended to cause the greatest concern, but here are a few trade secrets. When a professor assigns a page requirement it is for one of two reasons. For a short research paper (3-5 pages), a professor is generally prompting you write a very concise paper, with as little pontification as possible.

For a longer paper, such as one ten pages or more, a professor either feels the subject is extensive enough for such length, or they are expecting you to expand on any research sources you plan to use. In either case, the page requirement is never truly carved into stone. It is simply meant as a guide for the student to understand what is expected of them.

The worst thing you can do is vomit words all over the page to fill space. Most instructors will recognize this when they see it. If your research is tight and your conclusions are factually-based, most professors will shy away from shaving points because your paper was one page below the requirement—quality often trumps quantity in this case.

Be concise 

I once had a professor who used to write comments on students’ papers like “More science, less art.” Unfortunately for me, it took twenty years to figure out what he meant by this. Fortunately for you, I can explain it now.

Make sure the facts are emphasized. Regrettably, this keeps creativity and voice at a minimum. This does not mean you cannot develop your own writing style, but sensory-descriptive writing is reserved for novels, and historical non-fiction. In other words, leave the Shakespeare for Willy S.

Your ability to discern factual evidence and apply it to a topic is what is being shown off in a research paper. This is what you are ultimately being graded on. Your professor is not expecting you to produce an “edge-of-your-seat-page-turner.” They will not be disappointed if you cannot write a sequel to Macbeth, but they will be upset if you try.

Academic Writing

Academic writing is a style you likely recognize from the information you are researching. It is a particular form writing, which generally sounds arrogant and pompous by using over-the-top, intellectual words and phrasing.

One common mistake some students make is they feel their paper must have a similar writing style. I assure you, it does not. In fact, most professors would prefer you do not try to write this way. Your task is not to mimic the writers or intellectuals you are researching. Professors will be grading your ability to comprehend and apply information, not whether you are ready to perform a lecture at Harvard.

In short: keep the moreovers and the therefores to a minimum. Shorter and simpler phrasing is actually the key. However, it is not a bad idea to have a thesaurus handy. I know you techno-kids like to use the thesaurus feature offered in your word program, but their options for alternatives is limited in comparison to the book version.

Quoting

Here are a few tips when it comes to using quotes. One mistake students make is to use too many quotes. Putting together a string of quotes to present your research is bad news. They (professors) are looking for your conclusions, and quoting is just one tool used to back them up.

One rule I recall regarding quotes: use a quote when it cannot be said better by anyone else, any other way. Otherwise, paraphrasing or partial quotes are just fine. Remembering this rule will keep you from over-quoting.

Try to avoid quoting anything that is over 3-4 sentences in length, unless it is absolutely necessary. Often quotes need to be preceded or followed by some form of explanation. Quotes too long and wordy, very commonly have students spending unnecessary word-space explaining a large quote. If you need a full page to describe the quote you just used, it is probably too long. Besides, paraphrasing is the way you show off your intellectual prowess, and ability to comprehend complex information.

Intellectuals often like to puke words onto a page to dazzle people with their vocabulary size. In these cases, partial quoting is helpful, as long as you do not alter the meaning of the individual whose words you are borrowing.

Sources

In the past several years, internet sources have become a “more” reliable means of finding information, since many of the academics who write books have also turned to the worldwide web to express their viewpoints and conclusions. When I was in college, we were not allowed to use an internet source unless it was backed up by at least to textual sources.

This is still a good rule of thumb for information and data that may be questionable. However, since my days in college, the internet has grown more popular, and printing costs have quadrupled, so more accredited writers have taken to the web to promote their findings, and reach more readers. Just be aware, much of what goes online is still not regulated, especially in terms of information authenticity.

Use your judgment. I know it is a pain in the butt, but verify questionable information with textual evidence, not other internet resources. I wrote an article recently for another publication about a famous French serial killer. Every internet source told a slightly different story. It became necessary to find more textual data for the article.

Textual information is often, but not always, more reliable only because publishers and writers are still subjected to liability laws, which protect against any person willfully printing false or damaging information. If you are using an internet source that claims 9/11 was perpetrated by the phone company, you might want to re-think using that one.

Here I’ve tried to highlight some common pitfalls for students when writing a research paper. If I can impart one more piece of advice it is this: you do not have to write your paper in the sequence it is presented. In fact, the best way I find is to concentrate on the body of paper first, where most of your factual information is contained. Afterwards, writing your introduction and conclusion assures it matches the overall work.

Edit and revise your work heavily—read and re-read several times if necessary. Skipping these steps can most certainly lead to losing points for grammatical and semantic errors that can be avoided. There are plenty of ways to improve your ability at writing research papers even if you hate to write, but hey, I’m only one guy. I can’t do everything, but the worst thing you can do is give up!