Writing an essay can be a challenging assignment for students; leave it alone working on a research essay. According to statistics, one in six students pay for their academic work to be done by a third party and submit them as their own. They can easily find an essay writing service like https://essayshark.com/ and order a research paper from them. However, few of them want to look into the root of the problem and figure out why they can’t deal with this assignment independently. Let’s reflect on why students need help with research essays.
What is a research essay?
Research essays, or research papers, are academic works aimed at developing students’ analytical and critical thinking and research skills. They include more in-depth preparation, material gathering, and resource analyses to support students’ thoughts, ideas, and arguments than classical essays. Students learn to interpret the data found and conduct independent research.
Challenges students face with research essays
Changing Mindset
Writing a research essay is aimed not only at developing writing and self-expression skills but also at building a research mindset. A curious mind will double-check information rather than believe the first google link. Moreover, real research is not just bare facts but a deeper search for information and analysis of sources. Thus, essay writing is transformed from just stating your observations and thoughts. The student needs to take extra steps in writing, which can often cause difficulties, especially the first time.
Complex reading
Skim reading is no longer enough to write a quality research essay. When gathering material for research, students must read several sources at once, which they need to comprehend, highlight, analyze, evaluate, and understand whether they can use them in their essays. Such reading requires more concentration and attentiveness.
Source citations
Correctly citing and compiling a reference list is challenging for students. This important step will help you prove that your work is unique and pass the plagiarism test. Students should adhere to the citation style required by their institution.
Time planning
A research essay requires more time than a typical academic paper. Often, students don’t estimate their time correctly and think they can handle it in a couple of hours. This leads to missed deadlines and, as a result, a bad grade.
Choosing a topic
An uninteresting topic leads to students finding it difficult to write an essay. It doesn’t trigger their desire to do quality research and express their thoughts. Many students choose a topic at random, which leads to further difficulties.
Lack of writing skills
A research paper requires the ability to structure your thoughts correctly and logically by choosing the right words and statements. Lack of writing skills makes students struggle to express their ideas and coherently present them.
Tips for working on research essays
We have compiled a list of tips to help students handle their research papers.
Organization is essential
Planning the roadmap for writing your research paper can simplify your life. Follow the essential steps below to write a research paper:
- Be more attentive and careful when choosing a topic;
- Select sources that will be helpful and make sure they are reliable;
- Take notes while reading through the material;
- Create an outline of your essay before writing it;
- Use a draft;
- Edit and proofread your work several times before submitting it.
Choose your research topic carefully
If you have a chance to select what your research paper could be about, take advantage of the situation and select a topic that interests you and that you can find information to write about. This will motivate you to immerse yourself in the process and write passionately. Most students make the mistake of choosing a topic that is too general or too complex. When selecting a topic, do a little research and see if there is enough material available to support your arguments.
Do the proper research
Don’t limit yourself to the library, even though it can give you all the necessary sources. You can search for information online using reliable websites and online libraries. For example, Google Scholar offers users only credible sources that can be cited in an academic community. When choosing sources, try using those no more than five years old. This way, you can be sure that your work will be up-to-date and relevant. It will be ridiculous to write about AI by referring to sources from the previous century.
Brainstorm
After thorough research, you can move on to writing a plan. With all the notes and important information you’ve gathered, start brainstorming. This will help you come up with interesting arguments and ideas. You can use mapping, draw a diagram, or any other visual method that can help you elaborate on your topic.
Write your first draft
After the outline and brainstorming, you can begin creating your first draft. You should follow your outline like a roadmap, building it up with your ideas. You can do more research if you feel you are missing information. This is just the first draft, so you can still make changes as you go along. Try to percept your essay as a reader and ensure that you provide information clearly and coherently.
Proofread and write your final version
Make sure all important information is included and that your paragraphs and sentences are consistent and have a natural flow. You can start your work with a hook that will draw readers’ attention and engage them to finish reading. You should also pay attention to mistakes and fix everything. Make sure that every source you have used is on the bibliography page because this is vital to your research paper. After finishing your paper, leave it for a couple of hours or days and proofread it again. You can use online services for checking your grammar, but we highly recommend not relying just on them. We hope that our simple tips will help you get your research paper covered without struggle. Try to deal with it like a puzzle — evoke interest to untangle the mystery.
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