How to Write a Good Essay or Research Paper in No Time?
Procrastination is what often leads to the writing and submission of a sub-standard research papers since students wait until it is too close to the due date, which is when they rush and write shoddy papers. It is therefore advisable to start dealing with the paper as soon as you find about it.
The first and very important step to take when researching and writing a research paper is to understand the topic at hand. The expectation of the teacher with regard to a particular term paper is crucial since it is this same teacher who is going to mark and grade the research paper. Many a times, a teacher will assign a particular topic or thesis for a research paper to his or her students. In some cases however, the teacher might leave this decision to the students so long as they are within the guidelines of the related class or subject. In this instance, the student should choose a topic which they find most interesting (Herrick, n. d). It should be one which the student feels strongly about in terms of defending or arguing against. Nonetheless, it is good for the students to seek feedback from teachers before proceeding with their personally selected topics.
Some of the questions that will guide you to be on the right track are:
1) Is the paper a report or one in which you are expected to give your own perspectives?
2) Are there some particular class readings which you must use as sources?
3) What are you required or not required to use as secondary and primary sources of information (do you have to use the internet, books, journals or newspapers)?
4) What is it that your teacher is looking for (does the teacher want you to structure your paper in a certain way)?
5) What is the length of your paper (what is the number of pages or the number of words)?
6) What format does your paper have to be in (does is have to be double spaced and Times New Roman)?
7) How will you do your referencing (is bibliography, footnotes or other lists of sources required)?
The above questions will aid students to come up with admirable research papers (KidsHealth, n. d).
In relation to saving time, you should skim through the relevant articles or books that you think might contain what you are looking for in order to enable you write the paper. After skimming through these sources and realizing that they contain what you are looking for, take detailed notes. You can also photocopy portions of the material that you want to use in quoting. After photocopying these portions, you should glue or staple them unto index cards. This will save a lot of time spent in carrying research and writing a term paper. It does not matter whether you are using topic cards, bibliography cards or your computer in organizing your research. Crucially, your paper should be as systematic as possible.
Your bibliography which is the last section of you research paper in terms of arrangement should be taken up and built all through as you continue writing the other sections. You should make certain that all the sources you used in the essay are included in the bibliography. The format of you bibliography should match that of the entire paper (e.g. APA or MLA). Get a friend to proof-read not only the rest of the paper but also your bibliography so as to avoid penalization as a result of trivial mistakes. Avoid plagiarism since it is very unethical and it attracts heavy penalties.