Research Paper Example by Nerds: Conducting Research Together
What I always tell students is that a research paper is not citing sources, sticking to the format or making a title page. In contrast, you will be graded on the ability to find information and synthesize it — “put it together and make the conclusion” in human language. After I emailed my research paper example to several dozens of students, I decided to publish it — please find it attached at the end of the article.
However, I understand that even attached case may be confusing sometimes. So, today we will craft a research paper step-by-step together, blowing away all smoke and mirrors that tutors put. After this workshop article, you will have a full-fledged research paper example pdf on hand — and a lot of experience.
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The Power of Topic: How to Hit Thesis and Outline in a Single Hit
The most challenging thing in a research paper is to start. I recommend starting from the very beginning because it creates the flow that tutors love so much. The source of the stream is the topic of your paper — surprisingly, it contains everything that you need to write an essay quickly and successfully.
For this example, let us take “Americans and Sports.” It is simple enough to provide clues and makes the model scalable to more difficult papers.
Warning! Losing information is painful, so back yourself up. When you find something interesting on the Internet about your topic, press Ctrl+D to bookmark the webpage — it works on Windows, Linux, and Mac. It will also offer you to choose the folder so that you could organize your bookmarks.
I have a method for creating thesis, introduction and the outline of the research paper with only three Google questions called WWE — “What-Why-Effect.” It is extremely useful if you have not idea what to write about. Moreover, WWE also creates a logical structure that your teacher expects to see and helps to score 100 out of 100 in “Organization” section of the grading rubric. Finally, WWE sounds wresting-like, so you can use it publicly and never reveal that you are a nerd.
Warning! If you are required to make academic research essay, just use Google Scholar instead of Google.
Let us take a closer look at the model.
- What is the object of your research? Here your topic transforms into Lego game — you take words of the topic and create something that can be researched. For instance, I asked Google, “What sports Americans play the most?”, then found that Americans usually play basketball.
Tip! Of course, Americans play far more sports, but it is a hidden trick of a research paper — write only about important. Your tutor will be OK if you write about one or two sports in depth, but he will give you a hefty F if you submit just a list of American games.
- Why does the object occur or exist? Here you need to find reasons and causes related to the object you discovered during “What”-step. For instance, I asked Google, “Why Americans play basketball?” and found out that such sport is competitive, entertaining and accessible.
- What effect does the object have on the topic or people? To put it shortly, it means that you need to find why all that you write about is important. I asked Google, “What effect does basketball have on Americans?” and it revealed me that basketball helps to fight racism, socialize people and unites Americans.
Now, try to put you WWE into one sentence — you will get a full-fledged thesis for your research paper! For your convenience, I added more examples so that you could train enough.
So, you already have a thesis of the paper, but it is not the limit of WWE’s power! It can also provide an outline for the research paper, which you may need to submit with a draft. Using WWE method, you get a very flexible framework — I think it can be adapted for any subject and course (and feel free to comment whether it worked for you).
Here goes a sample of the outline.
- Introduction — explains the significance of the topic and briefly mentions “Effect” part of WWE, and then ends with the thesis.
- Body Paragraph One — tells about research findings on “What” part of the thesis.
- Body Paragraph Two — tells about research findings on “Why” part of the thesis.
- Body Paragraph Three — tells about research findings on “Effect” part of the thesis.
- Conclusion — summarizes everything said in body paragraphs.
Of course, you may use as many body paragraphs as you need in your research essay — just try to keep the body part separated into three equal parts. I assume 10% of the total word count for introduction and conclusion, and at least 120 words for every paragraph — it works for every school and college.
More Profits from WWE: Writing Research Paper Introduction with Example
So far, we have examples of thesis and the outline for a research paper, but we are also ready to create an introduction. It should be like a clickbait ad on Facebook — lure your tutors into reading and persuade them that you had done backbreaking work.
Indeed, you should not sweat up writing. Tutors are only interested to see WWE and thesis in the introduction, and you already have everything to satisfy them.
For my personal use, I collected a Lego kit for research paper introduction paragraph — just pick up two or three, add your thesis at the end, and you are good to go.
- Add a quote of the famous person on the topic.
- Cite statistics — there are useful statistics on every topic.
- Talk about the importance of “Effect” you discovered — tutors love crucial issues.
- Begin with “Why” part and say what is happening with the object of your research. Works best for social topics.
- If there is a little of sources for your topic, complaint that the society underrecognizes the issue. It is cool.
- If there is a little of sources on Google Scholar, complaint that the state of research leaves much to be desired. It is even cooler.
- If sources that you have found have not a common option, say that the topic is very controversial.
- If you research something that surrounds you as an individual, reveal that you feel the topic of the research vital for your community.
In the example research paper pdf at the end of the article, I provided my own version of the introduction — feel free to check it. Being a nerd, I always felt attracted to quotations, but I was also lazy to find additional sources. Hence, you will see very real-world introduction 😀
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Example of Research Paper Body: Forging Evidence of Hard Work
Now 10 percent of the paper is complete, but we still need to write remaining 80 percent.
Don’t give up! Nerd’s lifehack: the first tenth of the essay takes half of all time. If you don’t believe it, just look at plain facts:
- We already have a thesis.
- We have sources on all topics.
- We have a robust outline.
- We have just completed Lego introduction.
So, the only thing to do to complete research is to put the material from sources and thesis onto body paragraphs of our research paper outline. When I write them, I usually stick to the following structure of five sentences.
1.Topic sentence — restates one element of WWE from the thesis with minor rephrasing.
- Example: There is redundant evidence that shows that basketball is one of the most popular and endorsed sports in the U.S., which is practiced professionally and by amateurs of all ages
2. Evidence sentence — brings citation that confirms topic sentence and adds something more.
- Example: According to the National Bureau of Education Statistics (2018), more than 83 percent of Americans try basketball as children, and the majority of them preserve their interest in adulthood.
3. Evidence development — concludes on the citation provided. It is an excellent way to increase word count and push the paper towards the end without searching for additional sources.
- Example: Therefore, one may see that basketball encompasses the whole life of the U.S. citizens, so it is not surprising that the nation prefers it as a favorite sport.
4. Second evidence — provides a second citation with new information. It is a good idea to link it to your evidence development
- Example: John Snow (2017), psychology and sports researcher from Westeros University, claims that basketball is not an ordinary sport in the U.S. but a nation-wide cultural movement.
5. Concluding sentence — restates the topic sentence and includes something new from previous text as well. It is good to begin with transitional words like “Hence,” “Thus,” “Therefore,” “Ultimately” etc.
- Example: Hence, there is no doubt that basketball plays the most significant role among other sports and games in the U.S., especially given that many children were raised with basketball.
Such writing is straightforward, isn’t it? At the same time, it is exactly what college research paper format expect from students. Repeat it two more times, and you will have two additional body paragraphs. Repeat the sequence one hundred times, and you will have a dissertation.
You may easily find this structure in any examples of research papers, and it is definitely worth following.
Research Paper Conclusion Example: Body – Outline = The Best Ending
OK, we have the body and the introduction of the research paper — almost everything that we need. In fact, the conclusion of the research paper is quite similar to the opening because tutors expect you to rephrase your thesis and summarize your body paragraphs.
Tip! — Some schools and colleges prohibit students from using their opinion in conclusions. Thus, always check instruction before starting to write in the first person.
So, you may be free to conclude — make a summary and unleash creativeness for the remaining sentence or two 😀 There is a list of things that are usually appraised in conclusions.
- Break down thesis into separate sentences. Devote one sentence to “What” part, the second to “Why” and the third to “Effect” — voila, you have a conclusion!
- Make recommendations to stakeholders of your problem — they can be Americans, basketball players, scientists, politicians, and whatnot.
- Make suggestions for further research, claim limitations and say what issues were not addressed sufficiently.
Tip! — If you find out that you have missed something in the paper, never rush to update it. If your body and thesis seem to be OK, then include this part into the limitations or suggestions for further research. It will save much time and will make your research paper more professional.
There are also practices that are universally prohibited by research paper definition in conclusion. I think that they apply to all papers if the tutor does not explicitly say otherwise.
- Do not cite anything, even quotations from famous people. Tutors hate new information in conclusion, especially in college research papers.
- Use no more than 10% of your word count.
- Never ask questions at the end of conclusions — it is unacademic.
Research Paper Example
So, now we have finished our research paper — I hope my guide was clear enough. The only thing left is to give a catchy title for an essay, proofread it and submit it for your deserved A grade. Do not hesitate to drop into comments and share your case of research essay — I will try to include your concerns in the article.
Here goes the example we have written together: feel free to download it and use as a reference for your own writing.
Research Paper Example PDF