If you are a big fan of the renowned character – Sherlock Holmes – created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you must enjoy writing research papers. Using a deductive method to collect numerous pieces of information into one big picture is an exciting way of spending time, isn’t it? the reason for you to disagree with the previous statement is that you might encounter some difficulties with writing a research paper. This is a stressful assignment that can wash out a smile from your face. However, once you get to know the algorithm of coping with it and learn the helpful tips from our writers, it will not seem so daunting to you anymore.
The topic choice plays a significant role in creating a successful paper. The one point worth mentioning at the very beginning is that there is no plausible reason for spending too much time on formulating it. Your primary task is to decide what you are passionate about and will enjoy exploring. We can guarantee that the formulation of the topic you choose will change many times during the research stage as it hugely depends on the information you will be able to find. The features your topic should have:
- be interesting for you to explore
- be narrow enough to analyze
- not be too technical
To be involved in the process with enthusiasm, you have to be interested in the subject. Think of the topics you would enjoy to discuss and make them as specific as possible. If for instance, you are fascinated by the symbolism in the Russian literature, your topic might look like this:
The role of symbolism in the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky
or if you want to narrow it down even more:
The role of symbolism in The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
If you don’t have much experience in writing this kind of papers, you most certainly are puzzled with its audience. You might have a feeling that it is not only your instructor your masterpiece should be targeted on and there is a bigger audience. The mission you should accomplish with your paper is to bring some new information or take a different perspective to look at standard facts. This is something a scientific community will be interested in and they are your target audience.
Therefore, there is no reason for you to dedicate a lot of space to defining terms and explaining concepts if they are well-known. It’s your responsibility to engage the audience and interest them with the data you have. Is there a way to show the significance of an issue you tend to write about and what kind of evidence you need for doing it? Find the answers to these puzzles and start investigating.
We’ll tell you about the secret places you can look for the reliable information. The harsh truth is that you will not find it on the web. Yes, there are tons of information waiting for you to be explored but the chances are it is not something you are looking for to include in an academic paper. As a rule, you will find some general information that might be outdated. But there are some helpful online resources you may use during this stage:
- online encyclopedias (except for Wikipedia) can help you a lot with getting the right terminology and discovering the history of a particular phenomenon. Check Britannica, Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Encyclopedia.com, and others;
- with Wall Street Executive Library you can read a lot of newspapers and magazines and International Public Library is the perfect place to search for the necessary data;
- look through the scientific magazines that can contain the information you need (National Geographic, Scientific American).
You will never avoid going to the library and spending several hours there. When you do, remember to take notes. Hopefully, you will be able to create some categories to classify the information. You can use index cards of different colors or just indicate the categories by different markers. If there is a quote that fits your topic perfectly, carefully write it down to avoid making mistakes. You can also take a picture of it with your phone with a note of the name of this source and its author.
The best tip you can get on an outline is to always make one. There is no better approach to arrange the information you’ve found during the research stage. Doing so can also give you a hint of what kind of data you might be missing. There should be a logic behind you decide to form an outline. Which part facts and figures should you make an emphasis on and which ones will be of less importance? Sherlock Holmes always had a plan of actions in his head. But due to the fact that the brilliance of his mind can not be surpassed, we suggest you record the outline.