1.   
Select The Title

Even if you know what you want to base your research on,
choosing a title that resonates well is imperative. If you don’t word your
topic correctly or use correct English, your whole research may go to waste.
Once you’re done with your research, you should sit down and take some time
formulating an appropriate topic for your paper. Even if you’ve been assigned a
generic topic, try to reword it if possible, to make it more impactful and
exciting.

If you’ve captured your audience’s attention with just your
topic, then the rest of the paper will be a walk in the park. If you really
can’t seem to think of a good title by yourself, you can search on various
topic generating websites to find a custom title. However, before finally
selecting your topic and starting research on it, you must first ensure there
is adequate information available online and offline for you to be able to
write a good research essay successfully.

If you feel like the topic is lacking information or you may
not be able to write a good essay on it, don’t waste your time trying to figure
out ways to make it work. Abandon the topic and look for a new one that is easy
to work with and has plenty of relevant information available. If you feel
entirely hopeless about your research paper, then there are numerous papers
for sale as well, but why buy something that will add little meaning
to your academic performance when you can write a brilliant research essay
yourself.  

2.  Research,
Read, And Record

You can’t expect your very first draft to be the one you
submit. There’s a proper way to go about researching as well. If you’re doing
desktop research, then take a notebook or open a blank page on your computer
where you can write and take notes and create a preliminary research draft as
you go on reading about your research topic. This is a crucial step for writing
a well-researched paper and will ensure that you don’t miss out on any
information.

If you’re working on your computer, you can save links to
different sources and websites containing information about your topic on your
research draft, as well. Write down all the publication information that you
will need for citations (MLA) or for a bibliography (APA). Once you’re happy
with the information you’ve gathered, you can move on to the next step. But
don’t be hasty and start writing your essay before properly completing your
research first.

Write down anything you feel is essential for your research
so that you don’t forget about it later on. Whether you’re just starting or are
only left with proofreading, this initial research draft will be incredibly important at
every stage of writing the paper.

3. 
Form
An Outline

An outline is the first official step to your research
paper. It will help you understand how to structure your research in the most
appropriate way so that it is concise, relevant, and impactful. There are
certain rules that you should keep in mind when drafting your research paper’s
outline, all of these are described in great detail in APA guidelines, but you
can read a brief summary of them here.

• Division: ensure that all your information is
  aptly subdivided into smaller and easier to read parts. Writing long paragraphs
  on paragraphs will make your research difficult to read, and your audience will
  quickly lose interest. Ideally, every title in your research should have two or
  more subheadings that the information should be appropriately divided into.
• Coordination: all the items, titles, captions,
  and subheadings should carry equal importance and be well-coordinated to let
  the information flow naturally. If your headings don’t match and are abrupt,
  readers may be confused, defeating the entire purpose of your research paper.
• Subordination: This particular rule highlights
  the correlation and coordination between your headings and subheadings. The
  headings should be broadly highlighted and brief, while the subheadings can
  contain more detailed information.
• Parallelism: parallelism helps to create a
  natural flow in your research paper. For example, if one of your headlines
  starts with a noun, then the following headings and subheadings should also
  start with a noun.

4.  Form
A Good Thesis

A good thesis statement will have a significant impact on
your readers and will set the tone for the rest of your research essay. A
focused, well-constructed, brief, 3-5 point statement is all you need. However,
it should be able to capture the essence of your entire research.

The thesis statement will impact the development and
direction of your research paper. If you have trouble formulating your thesis
statement, think about the main objectives of your research and try
incorporating those into it. Take your time to ensure that your thesis
statement is profound and impactful.

After you’ve written your thesis statement, write the rest
of your paper according to APA guidelines using the information you have from your
research, read, and write part.

Conclusion

Writing a well-constructed research essay is no easy task,
and rushing to complete it without preplanning will end with an unstructured
un-impactful paper. Use our guide and easy tips on how to start your research
paper and complete it in a well-formed manner so that sub-par research papers
will are history!