What To Do Before Starting a Research Paper?

Research papers are written after an extensive search at the student’s end.

  • First of all, the topic of the research is decided after reading past articles on different topics.
  • Once a student gets a rough idea of all the research articles which he has read for the selection of his topic, he has to distinguish between them and select which of them is of his interest.
  • After consulting and interviewing the experts and seniors a student becomes able to select a topic for his research paper.
  • Before writing the research paper a student requires at least two to three months for thorough study about the topic of the research paper.
  • The topic of the research paper may also be suggested by the teachers as well. They recommend a few topics and it is up to the students that which topic they select for their research.
  • After selecting the topic, a student has to arrange meetings with the seniors and his teachers-who are the instructors for discussing the topic of his research.
  • A student may also seek help in this case by visiting library.
  • After deciding and gathering data on the topic, a student has to look if the topic of his study is brief or not. Is it covering only a few aspects and moves in a certain direction or it is multifaceted?
  • The next step should be to narrow down the topic of research. It should have a dimension to move on. If the topic is too large, it will mess up the mind of the researcher and he will be unable to cover his research efficiently.
  • A student is friendly only with the topic when the topic is of his interest and understandable for him. The precision makes the research best, so the topic should be precise and narrow.
  • After finalizing the topic, a student has to make an outline of the topic of the research paper.
  • The outline helps in brainstorming the topic and all necessary points are written on the paper which a student is going to include in his research paper.
  • The outline also includes the time schedule of each section of the research paper. It will be convenient for the student to work if the time is already decided for each activity related to the research topic.
  • After finishing the outline, it is now time to start writing the research paper.