What Make a Research Paper Good and 5 Great Ideas For Research Papers
Research is the inquiry into a particular topic with the aim of discovering new facts, interpreting existing facts, or even revising the accepted wisdom on that topic. Research may also involve the application of new theories to older collections of facts. A good research paper should have a defined topic, a hypothesis, evidence, analysis, and conclusions, and it should present these logically, clearly, and as concisely as possible.
A hypothesis is a strong claim that is debatable, but that you support with your evidence. It will give your reader the purpose of your paper, and should be written with a specific audience in mind. Valid evidence in a research paper includes statistics, facts gained from reliable sources, direct quotes, testimony, paraphrased data, and other details. Evidence answers the question, "How do you know this?" in relation to your hypothesis. Good research papers effectively connect the evidence to the claim or claims made in the hypothesis.
Though this should not be taken as a boilerplate, a research paper can be thought of as having five sections.
The first section is the introduction. In this first section, you'll make a fairly general introduction. Other paragraphs in the first section are the introductory paragraphs that state the problem, delineate the purpose of your research, and posit the significance of the study. It also raises your research questions and state your hypothesis.
The second section of a research paper offers your background information. If you are writing for a general audience, this section will be more extensive and general. But if you are writing for an audience that is expected to already be educated on your topic, it will be shorter. Your background section will contain a review of the literature on the topic, and a definition of the terms you use throughout your research.
The third section of your research paper outlines your research methodology. It will restate your research purposes, and the questions you're hoping to answer. Information in this section may include such things as a population that was sampled statistically, what instruments you used in your research, procedures you used, the time frame covered, and other specifics. This will also outline your plan for analysis, and will address the validity and reliability of your results. It will also state assumptions and limitations of the research.
The fourth section of the paper should thoroughly document the results of your research. This is where many of the graphs, charts, and other graphical aids will show up in your research paper.
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The final section of a good research paper is about conclusions and recommendations. It summarizes what you did and what you found out from your research. It also includes a discussion section explaining your findings and contains recommendations based on what you found in your research. It should bring the paper full-circle, right back to your hypothesis, and will state whether the evidence supported your hypothesis or not.
Whatever your research paper topic is, knowing your audience is critical so that you can write it in a way that will maintain their interest. Ultimately, what makes a research paper good is its ability to ask a question, propose a hypothetical answer, detail results and analysis, and come to a reasonable conclusion.
5 Great Ideas For Research Papers
Sometimes instructors assign topics for research papers, and other times they may allow you to choose topics within a reasonable range for what your class covers. If you are faced with choosing a topic and don't know where to begin, here are five ideas that will help you. While you may not want to use any of them, perhaps you'll be able to use them to develop ideas of your own for a great research paper topic.
If you're allowed to choose, select a topic for your research paper that you care about, so you'll be motivated to do the necessary research to support your reasoning. At the same time, it's sometimes good to avoid topics about which you feel very strongly, as you may not be able to be as impartial as necessary when compiling your research. You should also get your instructor's approval for your topic before you begin your research. Here are 5 possible topics for research papers:
1. Is it possible to rehabilitate felons? Should rehabilitation be a goal of the penal system?
2. What types of regulations of smoking in public places make sense and promote health?
3. Do huge salaries in professional sports leagues have a positive or negative impact on the athletes and their sports?
4. Should high school students be required to have financial education classes before graduating?
5. Should adoption records be open or remain sealed?
When you choose a research paper topic, you will need to come up with a thesis statement on a particular aspect of that topic. For example, a thesis statement might read: "Because of the complexities of modern financial management, high school students should be educated in the basics of budgeting, saving, and investing before they graduate."
Once you have your thesis statement, you have specific points to research with respect to your topic. In the example of the thesis statement above, you could examine what budgeting skills are necessary for a working adult, reasons for and ways to save, and why a plan for long term investment is beneficial.
Be sure to follow your instructor's guidelines on how and where you are allowed to do your research. The availability of information is greater than ever before, which is a good thing, but it means that finding high quality information is a bit more challenging than it used to be. Use whatever resources you are allowed, and don't limit yourself to one library book or website.
Some topics will require you to find the latest research, while other topics are more "evergreen" and can be well-researched with older sources. Be aware that some instructors will limit you to materials that date from a specified year to the present.
Whatever guidelines you're given for sources you're allowed to use, research your topic as broadly as those sources permit. You never know when a statistic or a study from an obscure, but reliable source will turn out to be very important in crafting your research paper's narrative.
You'll find that once you've selected an interesting topic for your research paper, the task seems far less daunting, and the steps necessary to writing a good paper will be much more manageable.
