All students are busy with various academic papers that make them stick to definite rules. You must meet a number of demands to suit the standards of your teachers and professors. When you write a scientifically based paper, you are obliged to conduct an in-depth study. They must support their theories with already proved facts. Otherwise, their academic papers cannot be trusted. As a result, many students wonder how to conduct a research study.
If you want to conduct a research study properly, you will have to work a bit. The research process may take pretty much effort as the selected topic may be vast, and there may be many sources to check and evaluate. If you have problems with your research, don’t worry! We can help with this smart guide. It clarifies how to conduct a research study to find what you need and use it properly. Besides, we offer vital writing tips to complete the writing part perfectly too.
Formulate a Research Hypothesis
One of the main steps in understanding how to conduct a study for research papers is to formulate a good hypothesis. You will have to do that because it serves as an anchor for your research. It can be compared with a thesis statement. When you know what your research hypothesis is, you surely know what data can suit the future project and never go amiss.
Identify Possible Sources of Information
The second vital step is to find out possible informative sources. Mind that there are many types and formats of information, such as scientific articles, guides, results of experiments, surveys, almanacs, and so on. You should figure out which ones can be helpful for you and afterward focus on finding and investigating them. This step helps to narrow down your search efforts.
Judge the Scope of the Project
Another crucial step in figuring out how to conduct research is realizing its scope. You should know the limits for it because it may go two wrong ways. Firstly, you may not research many sources, and thus you will be able to disclose the topic entirely. Secondly, you may overdo it and try to embrace too much data, which will make you study it for many days. That is why you need to realize how much work must be done and stop when it’s enough.
Reevaluate the Research Question and Extend the Available Information
Mind that sometimes a researcher has to stop and rethink the matter. While you have the first results and you start to write the first drafts, you may see where they should take you. Perhaps you find out that you want to add something new or refuse to describe a couple of points you through would be beneficial for your paper. Reevaluation is useful because you may avoid possible mistakes and stop wasting your precious time. Always assess what evidence you have on your hands at the moment to know where to go further.
Select the Right Investigative Methods
One more crucial thing to consider is to pick the right investigative methods. These can be surveys, interviews, experiments, etc. You will know what methods are useful and focus on the meaningful ones. Pay attention to your research tools. These are periodical indexes, databases, special websites, and so on. Select anything that suits your research and learning styles.
Plan the Research Project
One of the most significant parts of understanding how to conduct a research study is to create a good plan. Although students commonly create plans for the writing stage, the research stage may reap potential benefits of it as well. You may figure out:
- What niches you must study.
- How much time each field takes.
- What sources to look for.
- To what extent should your research be limited, etc.
Take Notes
Be sure to become an active note-taker! There is a lot of work ahead, and you will not be able to keep in mind all the facts you’ll find. That is why you should either write instant notes or bookmark live resources to review them later and see what you’ve got. You can also combine both approaches. It’s up to you to decide what option is better for your research aims.
Refine Your Research
How will you conduct your study further? When you go through all the appointed informative sources, you will surely have some new questions. Check all the notes to see what else should be found and reorganize the research process. It helps to save time and find exactly what is needed.
Cite Properly and Give Credit for Sources of Ideas
Do not forget that you will have to deal with one boring process – citing. It is compulsory, and you cannot ignore it. While you research, you find a lot of thoughts, ideas, and evidence from other authors and researchers. Some of their words will be used directly, or they will be paraphrased. These citations must be inserted according to a definite academic writing style. It can be APA, Chicago, MLA, Turabian, Harvard, AMA, ASA, and others. Each has many differences from others, and you must know all of them. If you make a mistake, you lose vital grades. That is why you need to be very attentive.
Special Writing Tips That Really Work
When your research is over, you should come to the writing stage. It also takes a lot of wits, strengths, and time. That is why we’ve decided to help you in this case as well. There are definite universal writing tips that will help to cope with any type of scientific paper. Make allowances for them here below:
- Have a writing plan
You should use a plan if you want to be organized and write the project fast. It contains all the steps with plain descriptions and clear deadlines. As a result, you don’t waste time. You always know what to do next and how much time is left for it.
- Build your strategy around the hypothesis
Many experts recommend writing a hypothesis first, as it is the anchor for everything else you will be describing in your research paper. Plan your future steps with regard to it. Thus, you will never go astray, and all the evidence and examples will support or develop it.
- Make several drafts
It is better to find enough time to write at least 2 drafts. It is helpful because the first draft may be, so to say “clumsy.” The story may not be consistent, there may be gaps, illogical parts, and so on. Besides, you get experience in covering the topic. The second draft will be better because you already know what suits you and what parts should be reworked.
- Check the flow
The way your text sounds is crucial. You may have a brilliant idea to disclose and convincing facts to prove your theories. In the meanwhile, the readability of your text is a real disaster. It’s long or overly complicated. That is why you need to keep an eye on the purity of your text.
One of the best recommendations is to be straight to the point and never use watery words. Write the facts that are related only to your topic. Do not over-explain your theories and findings. One example per concept will be enough. Try to shorten what can be shortened. There should be a minimum of too long sentences, and the paragraphs should not be too extended.
Obligatory give heed to the lexicon you select. The language must suit your topic. You cannot use business terms for a medical topic. Besides, every academic paper should not contain jargon, slang, and similar things. Be original and do not use clichés or stereotypes. If some technical terms must be used, be sure to explain them. Do not use unknown abbreviations.
- Revise and improve
The last step is to revise your paper at least a couple of times. It is crucial because even the most experienced writers make mistakes. If they are wise, they always check their papers to spot and get rid of any sort of drawbacks. Follow this good recommendation. If it’s possible, reread the project at least two times.
Apply various methods of revision. The common ones are reading aloud and in your head. You can also try to read backward. Yes, this is an uncommon method that takes more time than usual. Nevertheless, this uncommonness helps to reinforce your attention and thus detect more drawbacks. It is also recommended to revise your texts the next day or at least in 4–8 hours (if possible). Thus, your brain can get recharged.
The Final Words
If you need to conduct good research, you will have to work hard. There is no room for playing hooky or being too relaxed. We have shown the right way of doing that. All you need to do is to follow our roadmap. By the way, use writing tips because the writing stage always comes after your research is over.
