get a research paper done quickly

How to write a whole research paper in a week

Writing up a full research article in a single week? Maybe you think that’s impossible. Yet I have done it repeatedly, and so have students in my courses. This is an exceptionally joyful (even if demanding) experience: being so productive just feels great! You are not wasting any time, and a paper produced in one go is typically coherent and nice to read. Even if you are a slow writer, you can write a whole paper in a single week — if you follow my strategy. Read below about what you need to prepare and how to approach this project.

I wrote my first scientific research article in 7 days. It started as a desperate effort to stop my procrastination and “just do it”. But I was surprised what a positive experience it was: focused and efficient, I was making daily progress, feeling motivated and content. Finally, the fruits of my hard work were gaining shape — and they did it so quickly!

I realized it was highly effective to write up a paper like this: writing for the whole day, every day until the first draft was finished. My writing project was firmly present in my mind — I didn’t lose time catching up with what I have written in the last session. Since I was not doing anything else, my wandering mind settled in very fast, and I was getting into a routine. The daily progress was clearly visible and motivated me to continue. And the result was a coherent paper that was easy to revise.

Meanwhile, this paper-a-week approach is my favorite. That’s how I write my papers, and that’s what I teach to students. In on-site courses young scientists draft a whole paper in 5 days, writing one major section per day. At the beginning of the week, many participants have doubts. But at the end of the week, they are all excited to see how much they managed to write in just a single week.

If you would also like to try out this approach, then read on about the necessary preparations, the optimal setting, and a productive writing strategy.

If you would like to get support during the preparation, drafting and revising of your research article, check out my online course Write Up Your Paper .

Prepare well

First, think about your audience and pick a suitable journal . This is an important step because the audience and journal determine the content & style of your paper. As a reference, pick two recent papers on a similar topic published in your target journal.
Create a storyline for your paper. What is the main message you want to convey, and how are you going to present your results?
Put together all the results that you need to present your story convincingly: collect the necessary data, finish analyses, and create figures and tables.
Select and read the relevant background literature as well as studies you want to compare your work with. As you read, note down any point that comes to your mind as something to be mentioned in the Introduction or Discussion section.
Draft a preliminary Abstract : it will help you keep the direction and not get distracted by secondary ideas as you write the individual sections.

Depending on how complete your results already are, you might need 2-4 weeks to finish all these preparations. To help you keep an overview, I created a checklist with detailed steps that you need to take before you attempt to write up your paper in a week. Subscribe to our Newsletter and get your copy of the checklist.

Reserve a whole week for writing

Now, writing a paper in a single week is a serious business. You can’t do it if you don’t focus solely on the writing and create good writing conditions. Therefore, I recommend the following settings:

Find a place where you can write without distractions. I have written my first paper over the Easter holidays when there was nobody in the office. You might choose to write at home or in a library. Though if possible, the best is to go for a retreat: removing yourself from your everyday settings immensely helps focus on the writing.
Cancel (all) social obligations for the week. While it’s crucial to relax in the evening, you want to avoid disturbances associated with social events. Anything that makes your thoughts drift away from your work because it requires planning, exchanging of messages with others, or simply because it’s too exciting is better left for some other week. On the other hand, a quiet meeting with a good friend over a glass of wine or beer might be just the perfect way to unwind and rest after a productive, yet exhausting day of writing.
Get support from the partner, family or friends — if possible. It’s best when you don’t need to run errands, cook and clean during this week. If you live alone, you can probably easily arrange yourself for undisturbed work. If you live with other people, ask them for consideration and support.

What I described above are the *ideal* conditions for undisturbed writing. But don’t give up if you can’t create such conditions for yourself. Work with what is possible — maybe it will take you 7-8 instead of 5-6 days but that’s still a great result, right?

Do you need to revise & polish your manuscript or thesis but don’t know where to begin?

Get your Revision Checklist

Click here for an efficient step-by-step revision of your scientific texts.

Maybe you think that you can never ever draft a research article in a single week. Because you write so slowly, producing only few paragraphs per day. Well — I agree that if you don’t optimize your writing strategy, it would be hard to impossible to write up a whole paper in a week.

Separate the processes of writing and revising. That’s the most important principle. Resist the urge to revise as you write the first draft. Moreover, don’t interrupt your writing to look up missing information. Work with placeholders instead. This allows you to get into the state of flow and proceed much faster than you can imagine.
Start your writing day with 10 minutes of freewriting . Write without stopping about anything that comes to your mind. This helps you to warm up for writing, clear your head of any unrelated thoughts, and get into the mood of writing without editing.
Take regular power breaks. I recommend to follow the Pomodoro technique : write for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After 3-4 such sessions take a longer break of 0.5-1 hour. During the breaks get up, walk a bit, stretch, look around, and breathe deeply. These breaks help you sustain high focus and productivity throughout the whole day.
Eat and sleep well. What you are doing is similar to a professional athlete. So take care of your brain and body, and they will serve you well.
Reward yourself. Every day celebrate the progress you have made. You have full right to be proud of you!

Write the individual sections in a reasonable order

If you have written a research paper before, you have probably realized that starting with the Introduction and finishing with the Discussion is not the ideal order in which to tackle the individual sections. Instead, I recommend the following procedure:

Start with the Methods section. This is the easiest section to write, so it’s great as a warm-up, to get into writing without the need to think (and procrastinate ;)) too much. Look at your figures and tables: what methods did you use to create them? Then describe your methods, one after another.
Results section: Writing the Methods section refreshes your memory about the research you have done. So writing the Results section next should not be too hard: Take one display object (figure or table) after another, and describe the results they contain. While you do so, you will come across points that need to be discussed in the Discussion section. Note them down so you don’t forget them.
Introduction : When your results are fresh in your mind, you are in a great position to write the Introduction — because the Introduction should contain selected information that gives the reader context for your research project and allows them to understand your results and their implications.
Discussion : When you have taken notes while writing the Results section, the Discussion section should be quite easy to draft. Don’t worry too early about the order in which you want to discuss the individual points. Write one paragraph for each point , and then see how you can logically arrange them.
Abstract and title : On the last day, revise the preliminary Abstract or write a new one. You could also take a break of a few days before tackling the Abstract, to gain clarity and distance. Generate multiple titles (I recommend 6-10), so that you and your co-authors can choose the most appropriate one.

Just do it!

Once you have written the whole draft, let it sit for a week or two, and then revise it. Follow my tips for efficient revising and get your revision checklist that will guide you step-by-step through the whole process.

Now I am curious about your experience: Have you ever written up an academic article quickly? How did you do it? Please, share with us your tips & strategies!

Do you need to revise & polish your manuscript or thesis but don’t know where to begin? Is your text a mess and you don't know how to improve it?

Click here for an efficient step-by-step revision of your scientific texts. You will be guided through each step with concrete tips for execution.

7 thoughts on “ How to write a whole research paper in a week ”

Thank for your guide and suggestion. It gives to me very precious ways how to write a article. Now I am writing a article related to Buddhist studies. Thank you so much.

You are welcome!

excellent! it helped me a lot! wish you all best

Hi Parham, I’m happy to hear that!

I have never written any paper before. As I am from very old school.

But my writing skill is actually very good. Your help is definitely going to help me as this has inspired me alot. Will let you know, once done. I really like the outline that you have given. Basically you have made it so easy for me .

Hope fully will be in touch with you soon.

Thanks and ki d Regards, Shehla

Dear Shehla, that sounds great! I’m looking forward to hearing about your paper!

Comments are closed.

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Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

How to Write a Research Paper Fast

Updated: December 8, 2023

Published: January 27, 2020

As a student, you knew it was inevitable. The day has come where you have to write a research paper, but you’ve put it off until the last minute. Now the pressure is sinking in to get it done quickly and you want to know how to write a research paper fast.

The good news is that it’s doable. The better news is that there are ways to avoid waiting until the last minute. We will tackle those after we give you everything you need to know to get it done.

Photo by Russ Ward

The process.

A research paper is what it sounds like — a paper that requires a thesis (or argument) along with the research to back it up. Research papers involve citing a variety of sources, analyzing arguments, and pulling different academic pieces together to prove a point.

1. Understand the Assignment:

The first thing you have to make sure you do before you get to outlining and writing is to understand the assignment. You will need to organize different pieces of information, from books, essays, interviews, articles and more.

2. Choose a Topic:

Depending on the assignment provided, you will either have a topic in front of you or you will have to decide on one yourself. If your professor did not provide you with a topic, here are some helpful ways to choose one that will work for your needs:

Choose something you understand enough so that you will be able to interpret the research about it
Before you get started, check that there is a lot of content about that topic by performing a simple online search to see what turns up
Write out your topic as a research question that you plan to answer
Research more about your topic and find evidence to back up what you want to answer
Make a list of keywords that you continue to see pop up about the topic
Create your thesis

3. Perform Research:

While performing research is as easy as conducting an online search for sources, the more important element is evaluating the validity of a source. Don’t use Wikipedia as a source, because it is crowdsourced and can be edited by anyone. Instead, rely on digital encyclopedias, scholarly databases, trustworthy publications like TIME magazine and the New York Times, and the like. Since you’re writing this research paper at the last minute, the library may not be a possible option. However, for the next time you write a research paper and plan in advance, definitely utilize books from the library.

4. Write Your Thesis:

A thesis statement is the gist of your entire paper. It is what you will spend your writing proving; therefore, it has to be strong and to the point. A thesis statement appears in the introduction of your research paper, following the strong hook statement that draws your readers in. There is a formulaic way to write a strong thesis statement, and it looks something like this:

“By examining (argument 1), (argument 2), and (argument 3), it is clear that (statement you will prove).”

A thesis statement is typically one sentence and it is clearly written so that the reader knows exactly what they will read about in your paper.

To check that you’ve written a strong thesis statement, ask yourself if it achieves the following:

Is it in the introduction?
Does it answer the question from the prompt?
Can others argue against my thesis?
Is it going to prove a single claim?
Does it answer something meaningful?

5. Outline Your Paper:

Now that you have the main ingredients for your research paper, namely your thesis and supporting research, you can start outlining. Everyone has their own way they like to create an outline for papers. Here’s one good example of how it can be done — this is called a flat outline:

List the topics you will discuss
Under each topic, write your sources
If you are lacking sources, revisit and research more to give more meat to your paper
Move your topics and their information onto your paper in an organized flow
Write your thesis at the top so you can ensure that you are answering/proving your thesis throughout the paper’s argument

6. The Body/Intro and Conclusion:

So, do you start with your introduction and conclusion and then fill in the body? Or, do you do it the other way around? Really, there is no right or wrong way. It ultimately depends on your preference. Some people like to write their introduction and use it to serve as an outline of their paper and then flow from there. Others like to write their points in the body of their paper and then extrapolate the introduction and conclusion from what they wrote.

Regardless of how you perform your work, there is a structure that the paper must follow, which looks like this:

Introduction – includes a hook sentence (grabs the reader), your thesis and a menu sentence (a list of what you will discuss).
Body paragraphs – each body paragraph comes from what you mentioned in your introduction’s menu sentence. Each body paragraph has a topic sentence, or a first sentence that clearly states what it will be about. Each body paragraph includes support and sources that prove the topic sentence or argument.
Conclusion – here, you restate your introduction and thesis in different words. You want to end with a strong and memorable sentence. Just like your introduction began with a hook statement, your conclusion should end with something that will be remembered.

7. Cite Sources:

One of the major differences between a research paper and any other academic paper is that you must cite your sources. The end of your paper will have a list of sources, or a bibliography. Depending on your professor’s preferences, they will either be listed in APA format , MLA , Chicago , etc. This is an imperative step because your entire research paper’s evidence is based on and backed up by these sources, so you must give them credit where credit is due.

While this is not in the cards for all paper writing, it is very important for a last minute research paper. You’ve likely spent hours crunching the information and regurgitating it in your own words to fill up the once blank pages. As such, it’s a good idea to step away from your paper, get some sleep, and then revisit it with fresh eyes in the morning.

9. Proofread Revise and Editing:

As with any paper, you want to make sure you read it over to catch any mistakes. Not only should you use the Word processing tool that checks spelling and grammar for you, but you must also read it out loud to find any mistakes.

10. Find and Remove Plagiarism:

Once you are done with the entire proofreading and checking phase, the last thing that you have to do is find and remove plagiarism in your research paper. Plagiarism has a lot of consequences, and you have to make sure that your research paper is completely free of it. To do this, you first have to use a plagiarism checker to find all the plagiarized parts. Once found, you can either remove them or give the required accreditations.

If there is time to ask a friend or peer to read over your paper one time, that will be a good idea, too.

Photo by Dan Dimmock on Unsplash

How to write a research paper in a day.

Granted, all the steps above can help you write a research paper fast. Here’s a brief look at how you can do this in a day:

1. Brainstorm Quickly

Use the prompt
Outline possible options
Perform a simple Google search and find what has the most information
Choose your topic
Create an outline

2. Research

Find research to support each point in your outline

3. Write Quickly

Put it all on paper as you think of it
Take time to edit, condense, and rewrite

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Find a good writing environment.

Before sitting down to get started on your last-minute task, make sure you set up an environment that is conducive to getting your work done. Things you want to consider:

1. Distraction-free:

Choose somewhere quiet and distraction-free. You will have to stay focused for a few hours, so you’ll want to choose a comfortable setting.

2. Good lighting:

Along with comfort, make sure you have adequate lighting to read and write.

3. Go somewhere studious:

Perhaps, if time permits, you can choose to work in somewhere like a library or a study lounge.

4. Bring just your supplies needed:

Even if you work at home, make sure you set up a table with only the supplies you need, as to limit distractions. This could include: a computer, tablet, pen, paper, highlighter, books, and sticky notes. Plus, don’t forget water!

Tips to Avoid Procrastination

Writing a last-minute paper, especially that involves research, is stressful and less than optimal . Instead of finding yourself in this position, you can follow this advice to avoid such a situation.

1. Start early:

Once you’re given the prompt, start thinking about what you want to write about. You can write down ideas on paper and look into the research that supports each point.

2. Outline first and take breaks:

Begin outlining your paper so that when you sit to write, you already have the bulk of it prepared. If you start early, you will have the advantage and ability to take breaks. This helps to revisit your argument with a clear head and potentially see things that you may have otherwise missed.

3. Ask for help if you need it:

Starting early means that you are not crunched for time. So, you have the added benefit of asking for help. You can solicit advice from friends, peers, family, your professors, teacher assistants, the online community, and more. Plus, when you finish writing your paper, you have time to ask for help from someone other than you to read it over and edit it.

The Bottom Line

While knowing how to write a paper fast is useful and at times necessary, it is not the optimal way to approach assignments. However, sometimes being in a bind is out of your control. Therefore, the best way to write a research paper fast is to follow the aforementioned steps and remember to stay calm.

While a research paper involves a lot of work, from creating a strong thesis to finding supporting research, it can be made into an enjoyable activity when you choose to write about something you are interested in. It gives you a chance to digest other people’s findings and make your own inferences about what they mean.

By following the typical structure of a research paper, creating an outline and finding good sources, you can get your research paper done in a night. Good luck!

How to Write a Research Paper Fast in 9 Steps

So you have a blank document opened and you don’t know how to write a research paper from scratch. Well, academic writing is indeed challenging and much different than other types of writing. If you haven’t written a research paper and it is your first time, it could turn out to be an overwhelming task.

It gets more challenging if you have to write your research paper fast. It really gets tough. And if you don’t learn how to write a good research paper fast that is more than a well-written paper, you’ll find yourself in deep trouble.

However, if you know what steps to follow and how to do a research paper, it will get a whole lot easier. All you have to do is follow a systematic approach. Follow a step-by-step guide and it will become a piece of cake. That’s why I created this guide below.

It shows you what steps you have to take in order to write a research paper and how to get it finished and submitted on time. It covers everything including topic selection, research, write-up, editing and proofreading, and much more.

This guide is all you need to write a killer research paper fast. Let’s get started.

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper is an extended form of essay that represents original research work of the author. It is an academic piece on a topic that is based on original research, arguments, interpretation, and analysis. Examples of a research paper include term papers, doctoral dissertations, and scientific research articles.

So who needs to write a research paper?

Anyone can write a research paper but generally, graduate students, PhDs, and academicians write research papers and have them get published in journals. The idea is to share your research and findings with the world.

Here is a research paper example from the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal :

Here is another research paper example from the Journal of Academic Librarianship :

Yes, research paper involves a lot of research and this is one reason why a lot of people struggle. If you get to know how to write a good research paper and you know the exact steps, you can manage it easily.

How to Write a Research Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

Here are the steps that you can follow to write a good research paper fast:

Set objectives
Choose a topic
Review literature
Organize your research
Create a thesis
Create an outline
Start writing
Edit and revise

These steps are covered in detail below.

Step #1: Set Objectives

To learn everything on how to write a research paper quickly, the first thing you need to do is set clear objectives. Why do you need to write a research paper in the first place?

There are several reasons why you should end up writing a research paper:

It could be a requirement from your university or supervisor to get your degree
It could be to share your original research work with the right people
To move ahead in your career as an academician or a professional
You’re writing a research paper just to let others know of your experience and you don’t intend to get anything in exchange

If you’re writing a research paper as a degree requirement, you’ll approach it differently as compared to if you’re writing one as a professor. Setting the right objectives and goals for your research paper helps you stay focused and organized.

Ask yourself following questions to set objectives for your assignment:

Why do you need to write a research paper?

What is its deadline?

What is the research paper format?

Is there a specific word count requirement?

Do you have a topic in mind?

Where do you wish to publish your research paper?

Set realistic yet challenging objectives and goals for your assignment based on your answers. If you have to write a research paper as a requirement for your graduate degree, you will get clear objectives from your university. It will make your job easier. You just have to stick to them.

However, if you’re writing a research paper to get it published in a journal to strengthen your resume and to get a better job, you’ll have different objectives that will be more geared towards the journal’s requirements.

Step #2: Plan

After you have identified objectives for your research paper, you need to create a plan to achieve your objectives. If you’re serious about how to do a research paper, you should plan it. The best way to plan your research article is to create a Gantt chart.

A Gantt chart helps you manage your research paper and set schedule for different activities (discussed later in this guide). You’ll be able to complete important tasks on time so that you don’t end up missing deadlines.

If, for instance, you have to submit a research paper to a journal’s call for paper request, you’ll have to get it ready well before the deadline. This is where the Gantt charts are very helpful. You can set a schedule based on the priority of the tasks.

You can’t write your complete research paper in a single go even if it has to be 3K words or less. You need to collect data and you have to analyze your data using a statistical tool. And this is where things get complicated because data collection and analysis can take months. It isn’t necessary that you personally collect data so if someone else is collecting data, you have to manage things at your end smartly. You can’t do it without planning and proper scheduling.

Planning is essential because you have to rely on different resources for data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, data reporting, editing, etc. When there are multiple individuals and tools involved, you need to set your priorities and you need a proper plan that will show you what needs to be done, who will do it, when it should start, and when a task should be completed.

At the same time, there are certain resources that you’d need special access to from your university such as statistical tools. If you’re analyzing data in SmartPLS , you’d need a key from your university which remains active for 30 days. Not only that you have to request a key on time after you have collected the data, but you’ll also have to make sure that data is analyzed in 30 days else you’ll have to request for key renewal which takes a few days.

In the absence of planning, you might not get access to several critical university resources and this will significantly delay your research article.

A proper plan will let you put requests for resources well before the time that will be entertained as compared to putting requests at the last moment (that are normally rejected due to resource unavailability or overload).

Step #3: Choose a Topic

Your research topic is of central importance in the research article. You should give special attention to topic selection as everything else will be derived from the topic. A wrong topic selected and you won’t be able to get back on track very soon.

There are two ways to choose a topic for your research paper:

If you’re writing a research paper for a degree requirement, you’ll receive guidelines from your supervisor/university. Follow the guidelines. You’ll have to choose a topic of your interest.
If you’re writing a research paper for publication in a journal, you’ll have to identify a journal, read its scope, read author guidelines, and then choose a topic that is most likely to be accepted by the journal for publication.

Even if you’re writing a paper as an assignment, you’ll still have to get it published in a relevant journal so you have to choose an appropriate journal first. That’s the right approach to choosing a topic.

So your research topic should meet these two criteria:

You should have an interest in the topic.
You have identified an appropriate journal that’s likely to accept and publish your research article.

Choosing a topic of your interest will make it easier for you to write about it. Your passion will motivate you and you’ll rarely feel bored. Aligning your topic to a specific journal will make publication easier. Journals are very choosy and publish articles that meet their scope and won’t publish anything that doesn’t meet their scope.

Here is an example of the scope of the Alternative Law Journal:

If you submit an article to this journal, it will be accepted if and only if it meets the aims and scope. And this holds true for all the journals out there. So you have to choose a topic and then you have to find a relevant journal that will accept your research paper.

Here are a few actionable tips on how to choose a topic for your research paper:

The topic should meet the assignment requirements.
Use brainstorming to identify a decent research topic.
Start from a broad topic such as human resource management and then narrow it down. Ensure that the topic isn’t too broad.
Narrow down the focus. The more focused your topic is, the better. Broader topics don’t tend to do well. For instance, you can narrow down your human resource management topic to organizational citizenship behavior in the banking sector.
Don’t narrow your topic too much as it will limit your options for data collection. There has to be a balance between too broad and too narrow.
Ask industry experts as they might be able to help you identify a hot topic based on their experience and the challenges they’re facing in the industry. This will make your research practically applicable and useful for practitioners.
The topic needs to be of interest for practitioners or a certain group (e.g. researchers). If it only interests you and is considered invaluable by others, you’ll struggle to get your research paper published in a high impact journal.

Once you have finalized your topic, you then need to identify a journal to get your article published. This is the stage where you’ll be able to further refine your topic, tweak it, and make it compatible with the journal’s requirement.

Here are some tips to identify the right journal based on your research topic and how to make your topic compatible with your preferred journal:

Visit leading publishers such as Elsevier , Sage , Wiley , etc. and search for journals based on your topic.
Use Google Scholar to identify recent articles published on your topic.
Read the aims and scope of the journals to screen them and identify the ones that are most likely to publish your article.
Read the recently published article in these journals. This will give you an idea of what type of articles they publish. Tweak your research topic if needed to make it compatible with a journal’s policies.
Read author guidelines and any special instructions that will help you craft a better research paper.
Target one journal and stick with its requirements. This will help you focus on one journal’s requirements which makes acceptance easier as you’ll write specifically for it.

Once your topic is finalized, you’re ready to proceed with an in-depth literature review to create your thesis and outline.

Step #4: Literature Review

Reviewing literature is an essential step of how to write a research paper. You can’t do research without reviewing literature.

The literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on your selected topic. It involves reviewing existing research papers, books, scholarly articles, and any other authentic and reliable data source that is related to your topic.

The purpose of the literature review is to describe, summarize, and evaluate previous research on your topic to find what has already been done and where you want to move from here. Existing literature helps you identify theories on your topic, history of the topic, current issues, and future research directions that help you refine your research topic and build a thesis.

The literature review is essential as it lets you understand the topic and previous research. You don’t want to end up researching an issue that’s already covered by someone else. How’d you find what work other researchers have done on the subject? By reviewing literature. Besides, you get to learn methodologies, theories, models, and other critical information about your topic during the literature review process.

Since writing a research paper is much different than writing a novel where you can write a novel even if you haven’t read any novel in your life. In case of writing a research article, you can’t write a research paper (on any topic) without reading existing literature. You need a base and a theory to support your arguments. It’s a scholarly article that can’t exist in isolation.

Here is what in-depth literature review will help you with:

It will clarify your topic and will help you refine it
It helps you find theories and models
It helps you narrow the focus of your research
You get to learn everything about your research topic
You get resources that you can cite in your research paper
It helps you create a thesis for your research paper
You give an overview of the past research to the readers which helps them better understand your research and how it is relevant to the existing research

how to review literature for your research paper

Follow these steps to review the literature for your research paper.

Step #1: Select Literature to Review

Identify keywords that are relevant to your research topic and start searching for the existing literature. Google Scholar and your university’s library should be your starting point.

Besides, you can access databases like JSTOR , Medline , EBSCO , and others to search for articles, books, and other relevant material. You’ll be able to access databases and journals that your university has an agreement with so it’d be best to use your university’s resources.

Step #2: Take Notes

The literature review is a part of your research paper so it will be best to start writing it as you review and analyze literature. You need to interpret and synthesize published work with your critique.

If you want, you can create an Excel sheet where you can add article titles with their key findings and your comments. This type of sheet helps you keep a record of all the literature reviewed.

Step #3: Write

Don’t just write a summary of the literature rather add your arguments, critique, and analysis. Create a structure for your literature review as it makes writing easier. Here is a structure that you should follow:

Introduction: Tell readers the purpose of the introduction.
Body: Organize literature in one of the forms: Systematic, chronological, theoretically, thematic, or methodological.
Conclusion: Highlight key findings and summarize your literature review.

By the time you’ll be done with the literature review, you’ll have a thorough understanding of your research topic.

Step #5: Organize Your Research

If you’re writing a research paper for the first time and don’t know anything about how to write a good research paper or how to do a research paper, you’ll get lost easily.

Because writing a research article is not the same as how to write a novel. It’s much different. You have to read a lot of literature, you have to take notes, and you have to keep everything organized.

Organizing your research, literature, notes, PDFs, data files, and other resources are essential. Your research paper isn’t just the paper you write but it is based on and is linked to several other elements.

Organizing your research paper and research work is essential.

It also helps you write a research paper fast. I mean if you’re short of time, you don’t want to spend half of your day finding missing files, literature, and theories that you have already reviewed. This is why using tools is essential.

First off, if you’re interested in writing your research paper fast, you need a writing software like Squibler .

Why Squibler specifically?

Because it helps you organize your content, paper, literature, and everything else. Authors use it to organize their manuscripts and to get their books published fast (in as low as 30 days). This shows how powerful this tool can be for your research paper’s organization.

Squibler alone will reduce your writing time to a great extent. If you’re in a hurry, don’t miss it.

But Squibler isn’t all you need, it helps you manage and organize your files, manuscript, and content, you still need other tools to manage other stuff. Here is a list of tools that you must use to organize your research:

NVivo for reviewing the literature and for qualitative analysis
EndNote for managing references and citations
Grammarly for writing, editing, plagiarism, and proofreading
Evernote for taking notes and managing your research
Scrivener for writing and managing your research paper

You should also check with your university for tools and apps. You might get access to tools for free that have partnered with your university. In any case, don’t go without tools as they can save you a lot of time at the end of the day.

Step #6: Create a Thesis Statement

Now that you have reviewed a lot of literature, refined your research topic, and have organized your research work (so far) appropriately, it is time to create your thesis statement.

A thesis statement is a one-sentence that defines your research and topic. It tells the readers what your research paper will discuss. Here is an example of a thesis statement:

The thesis statement is derived from the literature. You can’t (and in fact shouldn’t) write a thesis statement without extensive review of the literature.

Here is what a thesis statement does:

It tells readers what big problem you’re addressing
It sets the expectations of the readers
It shows how you’ll interpretation of the question your research paper will address
It makes a claim

In simple words, your thesis statement is a sentence that represents your point of view (or argument) about the topic that you’ll defend in the rest of the research paper.

Here is an example of a good and a bad thesis statement:

Your thesis statement should be:

Unambiguous
Shows your position or point of view

A great technique to create a thesis statement is to convert your research paper topic into a question and then answer the question is a sentence or two. The answer to the question will be your thesis statement.

For instance, your topic is to discuss the benefits of cinnamon for weight loss .

Convert it into a question as: What are the benefits of using cinnamon for weight loss?

Answer it as: The benefits of using cinnamon for weight loss are …

This answer is your thesis statement. Make it a bit scholarly as: Using cinnamon will reduce weight by …

That’s how simple it is.

Step #7: Create an Outline

Once you’re done with the thesis statement, you need to create an outline for research paper. You can skip this step if you want but it isn’t recommended. If you plan to write a decent research article and if you want to know how to write a good research paper, you should know the ins and outs of creating an outline.

An outline for research paper helps you structure your paper. It tells you what you’re supposed to do and how to do it. And it helps you write your research paper fast.

Here is how an outline for research paper looks like :

The outline can be as detailed as you want or as short as you want it to be. You should, however, keep outline fairly detailed by listing all the headings and subheadings. List what you’ll cover in each subheading. The following outline for research paper is a perfect example that lists all the major portions of the article:

If you’re writing a research paper as a degree requirement, you’ll get an outline template from your university. Follow the template and stick with it.

If your university doesn’t provide you with a template, you can find a free template from the internet. There are tons of free templates available out there for research papers that help you with research paper format and outline.

For journal submissions, you’ll have to create an outline using the journal’s author guidelines. Journals have specific requirements in terms of word count, headings, subheadings, number of tables, number of figures, etc. They provide you with in-depth details so in this case, creating an outline becomes a whole lot easier.

Follow these tips to create a perfect outline for your research paper:

Start by listing the major headlines including abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, bibliography, and appendices.
Add subheadings by looking at previous research papers.
Since you have already reviewed literature, you’ll be in a better position to identify subheadings and sections for your research paper.
Keep outline flexible.
Don’t hesitate to tweak your outline. You should update it as you start writing your paper.

Step #8: Start Writing

Finally, it’s the stage in your how to write a research paper guide where you can start writing it. I have to admit that writing is the most difficult part. The good news is that you have already done most of the hard work by preparing an outline, thesis statement, and literature review.

You now need to write the remaining sections as per outline which normally includes:

Introduction

Methodology.

The introduction is derived from the thesis statement and literature review. You have to write the background, research purpose, research questions and objectives, the significance of your research paper, and the structure of the research paper.

It isn’t a very detailed section rather it lays the foundation of your paper. The introduction needs to be interesting so readers don’t lose interest and continue reading.

This section comes right after the literature review where you mention the methodology you’ll follow to conduct your research. This is an important section of your research paper that needs to be written clearly.

Methodology includes:

Research methods
Research philosophy
Population and sampling techniques
Data collection and data analysis techniques
Instruments and scale used
Pilot study details

You need to justify your selection of research methods and techniques with strong arguments. For instance, if you’re doing qualitative research, you need to present arguments as to why you selected qualitative research as opposed to quantitative.

This section covers the results of your research paper. It happens to be a crucial part of your research paper as it highlights the findings of your research which is your contribution.

Write your results scientifically in this section and relate them to your thesis statement and research questions. Add tables, figures, and other details from the statistical tool that you used in your study.

Explain your results in detail in the discussion section. Link results to theory and literature. You need to explain results in an easy-to-understand language not just scientifically. Provide arguments for your results that weren’t supported by theory or weren’t as expected.

The discussion section includes:

Discussion on results
Limitations of the research paper
Implications
Future research directions

Finally, write a conclusion that summarizes your research paper’s findings and contribution. The conclusion should give a concise overview of your research paper that should be meaningful in isolation.

Step #9: Edit and Revise

This is the last step in how to write a research paper process. You have written the first draft and it’s time to edit and revise it.

You need to complete the first draft of your manuscript well before the submission date so you get time to edit and tweak it. This is where the Gantt chart becomes so handy. In the absence of planning, you’ll finish your first draft right on the last day leaving no room for edits.

Editing your research paper is essential. You need to go through it once and fix errors and typos. Then use editing software like Grammarly to fix grammatical errors, typos, sentence structure errors, and to check plagiarism. It is an extremely handy tool. You can use its Word extension to fix errors as you type.

As you find and fix errors in your draft, revise it by fixing sentence structure and flow. Academic writing is different than other types of writing (fiction, non-fiction, etc.) so you have to make sure your research paper’s language is academic. You might have to revise sentences and even paragraphs to make them robust.

It is a good idea to have someone preferably a colleague review your research paper. This is a great way to find and fix errors that might go unnoticed otherwise.

Start Writing Your Research Paper

A research paper is way different than novel writing and other types of writing. If you know how to write a novel or how to write a book , it doesn’t mean you’ll know how to write a research paper. If you think you can write a research paper just because you have written a novel, you’re mistaken.

Research paper writing is something different. You need to learn it. You need to at least learn the basics. The 9-step to writing a research paper fast discussed in this guide is more than enough to help you get started right away. You’re all set to write an amazing paper.

Get cracking.

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How to Write a Research Paper

Mastering the Art of Research Paper Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

Undergrads often write research papers each semester, causing stress. Yet, it’s simpler than believing if you know how to write a research paper . Divide the task, get tips, a plan, and tools for an outstanding paper. Simplify research, writing, topic choice, and illustration use!

A research paper is an academic document that involves deep, independent research to offer analysis, interpretation, and argument. Unlike academic essays, research papers are lengthier and more detailed, aiming to evaluate your writing and scholarly research abilities. To write one, you must showcase expertise in your subject, interact with diverse sources, and provide a unique perspective to the discussion.

Research papers are a foundational element of contemporary science and the most efficient means of disseminating knowledge throughout a broad network. Nonetheless, individuals usually encounter research papers during their education; they are frequently employed in college courses to assess a student’s grasp of a specific field or their aptitude for research.

Given their significance, research papers adopt a research paper format – a formal, unadorned style that eliminates any subjective influence from the writing. Scientists present their discoveries straightforwardly, accompanied by relevant supporting proof, enabling other researchers to integrate the paper into their investigations.

This guide leads you through every steps to write a research paper , from grasping your task to refining your ultimate draft and will teach you how to write a research paper.

Understanding The Research Paper

A research paper is a meticulously structured document that showcases the outcomes of an inquiry, exploration, or scrutiny undertaken on a specific subject. It embodies a formal piece of academic prose that adds novel information, perspectives, or interpretations to a particular domain of study. Typically authored by scholars, researchers, scientists, or students as part of their academic or professional pursuits, these papers adhere to a well-defined format. This research paper format encompasses an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion.

The introduction provides context and outlines the study’s significance, while the literature review encapsulates existing research and situates the study within the broader academic discourse. The methodology section elucidates the research process, encompassing data collection and analysis techniques. Findings are presented in the results section, often complemented by graphical and statistical representations. Interpretation of findings, implications, and connection to existing knowledge transpire in the discussion section.

Ultimately, the conclusion encapsulates pivotal discoveries and their wider import.

Research papers wield immense significance in advancing knowledge across diverse disciplines, enabling researchers to disseminate findings, theories, and revelations to a broader audience. Before publication in academic journals or presentations at conferences, these papers undergo a stringent peer review process conducted by domain experts, ensuring their integrity, precision, and worth.

Academic and non-academic research papers diverge across several dimensions. Academic papers are crafted for scholarly circles to expand domain knowledge and theories. They maintain a formal, objective tone and heavily rely on peer-reviewed sources for credibility. In contrast, non-academic papers, employing a more flexible writing style, target a broader audience or specific practical goals. These papers might incorporate persuasive language, anecdotes, and various sources beyond academia. While academic papers rigorously adhere to structured formats and established citation styles, non-academic papers prioritize practicality, adapting their structure and citation methods to suit the intended readership.

The purpose of a research paper revolves around offering fresh insights, knowledge, or interpretations within a specific field. This formal document serves as a conduit for scholars, researchers, scientists, and students to communicate their investigative findings and actively contribute to the ongoing academic discourse.

Research Paper Writing Process – How To Write a Good Research Paper

Selecting a suitable research topic .

Your initial task is to thoroughly review the assignment and carefully absorb the writing prompt’s details. Pay particular attention to technical specifications like length, formatting prerequisites (such as single- vs. double-spacing, indentation, etc.), and the required citation style. Also, pay attention to specifics, including an abstract or a cover page.

Once you’ve a clear understanding of the assignment, the subsequent steps to write a research paper are aligned with the conventional writing process. However, remember that research papers have rules, adding some extra considerations to the process.

When given some assignment freedom, the crucial task of choosing a topic rests on you. Despite its apparent simplicity, this choice sets the foundation for your entire research paper, shaping its direction. The primary factor in picking a research paper topic is ensuring it has enough material to support it. Your chosen topic should provide ample data and complexity for a thorough discussion. However, it’s important to avoid overly broad subjects and focus on specific ones that cover all relevant information without gaps. Yet, approach topic selection more slowly; choosing something that genuinely interests you is still valuable. Aim for a topic that meets both criteria—delivering substantial content while maintaining engagement.

Conducting Thorough Research

Commence by delving into your research early to refine your topic and shape your thesis statement. Swift engagement with available research aids in dispelling misconceptions and unveils optimal paths and strategies to gather more material. Typically, research sources can be located either online or within libraries. When navigating online sources, exercise caution and opt for reputable outlets such as scientific journals or academic papers. Specific search engines, outlined below in the Tools and Resources section, exclusively enable exploring accredited sources and academic databases.

While pursuing information, it’s essential to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. Primary sources entail firsthand accounts, encompassing published articles or autobiographies, while secondary sources, such as critical reviews or secondary biographies, are more distanced. Skimming sources instead of reading each part proves more efficient during the research phase. If a source shows promise, set it aside for more in-depth reading later. Doing so prevents you from investing excessive time in sources that won’t contribute substantively to your work. You should present a literature review detailing your references and submit them for validation in certain instances.

Organizing And Structuring The Research Paper

According to the research paper format , an outline for a research paper is a catalogue of essential topics, arguments, and evidence you intend to incorporate. These elements are divided into sections with headings, offering a preliminary overview of the paper’s structure before commencing the writing process. Formulating a structural outline can significantly enhance writing efficiency, warranting an investment of time to establish one.

Start by generating a list encompassing crucial categories and subtopics—a preliminary outline. Reflect on the amassed information while gathering supporting evidence, pondering the most effective means of segregation and categorization.

Once a discussion list is compiled, deliberate on the optimal information presentation sequence and identify related subtopics that should be placed adjacent. Consider if any subtopic loses coherence when presented out of order. Adopting a chronological arrangement can be suitable if the information follows a straightforward trajectory.

Given the potential complexity of research papers, consider breaking down the outline into paragraphs. This aids in maintaining organization when dealing with copious information and provides better control over the paper’s progression. Rectifying structural issues during the outline phase is preferable to addressing them after writing.

Remember to incorporate supporting evidence within the outline. Since there’s likely a substantial amount to include, outlining helps prevent overlooking crucial elements.

Writing The Introduction

According to the research paper format , the introduction of a research paper must address three fundamental inquiries: What, why, and how? Upon completing the introduction, the reader should clearly understand the paper’s subject matter, its relevance, and the approach you’ll use to construct your arguments.

What? Offer precise details regarding the paper’s topic, provide context, and elucidate essential terminology or concepts.

Why? This constitutes the most crucial yet challenging aspect of the introduction. Endeavour to furnish concise responses to the subsequent queries: What novel information or insights do you present? Which significant matters does your essay assist in defining or resolving?

How? To provide the reader with a preview of the paper’s forthcoming content, the introduction should incorporate a “guide” outlining the upcoming discussions. This entails briefly outlining the paper’s principal components in chronological sequence.

Developing The Main Body

One of the primary challenges that many writers grapple with is effectively organizing the wealth of information they wish to present in their papers. This is precisely why an outline can be an invaluable tool. However, it’s essential to recognize that while an outline provides a roadmap, the writing process allows flexibility in determining the order in which information and arguments are introduced.

Maintaining cohesiveness throughout the paper involves anchoring your writing to the thesis statement and topic sentences. Here’s how to ensure a well-structured paper:

Alignment with Thesis Statement: Regularly assess whether your topic sentences correspond with the central thesis statement. This ensures that your arguments remain on track and directly contribute to the overarching message you intend to convey.
Consistency and Logical Flow: Review your topic sentences concerning one another. Do they follow a logical order that guides the reader through a coherent narrative? Ensuring a seamless flow from one topic to another helps maintain engagement and comprehension.
Supporting Sentence Alignment: Each sentence within a paragraph should align with the topic sentence of that paragraph. This alignment reinforces the central idea, preventing tangential or disjointed discussions.

Additionally, identify paragraphs that cover similar content. While some overlap might be inevitable, it’s essential to approach shared topics from different angles, offering fresh insights and perspectives. Creating these nuanced differences helps present a well-rounded exploration of the subject matter.

An often-overlooked aspect of effective organization is the art of crafting smooth transitions. Transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and larger sections are the glue that holds your paper together. They guide the reader through the progression of ideas, enhancing clarity and creating a seamless reading experience.

Ultimately, while the struggle to organize information is accurate, employing these strategies not only aids in addressing the challenge but also contributes to the overall quality and impact of your writing.

Crafting A Strong Conclusion

The purpose of the research paper’s conclusion is to guide your reader out of the realm of the paper’s argument, leaving them with a sense of closure.

Trace the paper’s trajectory, underscoring how all the elements converge to validate your thesis statement. Impart a sense of completion by ensuring the reader comprehends the resolution of the issues introduced in the paper’s introduction.

In addition, you can explore the broader implications of your argument, outline your paper’s contributions to future students studying the subject, and propose questions that your argument raises—ones that might not be addressed in the paper itself. However, it’s important to avoid:

Introducing new arguments or crucial information that wasn’t covered earlier.
Extending the conclusion unnecessarily.
Employing common phrases that signal the decision (e.g., “In conclusion”).

By adhering to these guidelines, your conclusion can serve as a fitting and impactful conclusion to your research paper, leaving a lasting impression on your readers.

Refining The Research Paper

Editing And Proofreading

Eliminate unnecessary verbiage and extraneous content. In tandem with the comprehensive structure of your paper, focus on individual words, ensuring your language is robust. Verify the utilization of active voice rather than passive voice, and confirm that your word selection is precise and tangible.

The passive voice, exemplified by phrases like “I opened the door,” tends to convey hesitation and verbosity. In contrast, the active voice, as in “I opened the door,” imparts strength and brevity.

Each word employed in your paper should serve a distinct purpose. Strive to eschew the inclusion of surplus words solely to occupy space or exhibit sophistication.

For instance, the statement “The author uses pathos to appeal to readers’ emotions” is superior to the alternative “The author utilizes pathos to appeal to the emotional core of those who read the passage.”

Engage in thorough proofreading to rectify spelling, grammatical, and formatting inconsistencies. Once you’ve refined the structure and content of your paper, address any typographical and grammatical inaccuracies. Taking a break from your paper before proofreading can offer a new perspective.

Enhance error detection by reading your essay aloud. This not only aids in identifying mistakes but also assists in evaluating the flow. If you encounter sections that seem awkward during this reading, consider making necessary adjustments to enhance the overall coherence.

Formatting And Referencing

Citations are pivotal in distinguishing research papers from informal nonfiction pieces like personal essays. They serve the dual purpose of substantiating your data and establishing a connection between your research paper and the broader scientific community. Given their significance, citations are subject to precise formatting regulations; however, the challenge lies in the existence of multiple sets of rules.

It’s crucial to consult the assignment’s instructions to determine the required formatting style. Generally, academic research papers adhere to either of two formatting styles for source citations:

MLA (Modern Language Association)
APA (American Psychological Association)

Moreover, aside from MLA and APA styles, occasional demands might call for adherence to CMOS (The Chicago Manual of Style), AMA (American Medical Association), and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) formats.

Initially, citations might appear intricate due to their numerous regulations and specific details. However, once you become adept at them, citing sources accurately becomes almost second nature. It’s important to note that each formatting style provides detailed guidelines for citing various sources, including photographs, websites, speeches, and YouTube videos.

Tips For Writing An Effective Research Paper

By following these research paper writing tips , you’ll be well-equipped to create a well-structured, well-researched, and impactful research paper:

Select a Clear and Manageable Topic: Choose a topic that is specific and focused enough to be thoroughly explored within the scope of your paper.
Conduct In-Depth Research: Gather information from reputable sources such as academic journals, books, and credible websites. Take thorough notes to keep track of your sources.
Create a Strong Thesis Statement: Craft a clear and concise thesis statement that outlines the main argument or purpose of your paper.
Develop a Well-Structured Outline: Organize your ideas into a logical order by creating an outline that outlines the main sections and their supporting points.
Compose a Captivating Introduction: Hook the reader with an engaging introduction that provides background information and introduces the thesis statement.
Provide Clear and Relevant Evidence: Support your arguments with reliable and relevant evidence, such as statistics, examples, and expert opinions.
Maintain Consistent Tone and Style: Keep a consistent tone and writing style throughout the paper, adhering to the formatting guidelines of your chosen citation style.
Craft Coherent Paragraphs: Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or point, and transitions should smoothly guide the reader from one idea to the next.
Use Active Voice: Write in the active voice to make your writing more direct and engaging.
Revise and Edit Thoroughly: Proofread your paper for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and sentence structure. Revise for clarity and coherence.
Seek Peer Feedback: Have a peer or instructor review your paper for feedback and suggestions.
Cite Sources Properly: Accurately cite all sources using the required citation style (e.g., MLA, APA) to avoid plagiarism and give credit to original authors.
Be Concise and Avoid Redundancy: Strive for clarity by eliminating unnecessary words and redundancies.
Conclude Effectively: Summarize your main points and restate your thesis in the conclusion. Provide a sense of closure without introducing new ideas.
Stay Organized: Keep track of your sources, notes, and drafts to ensure a structured and organized approach to the writing process.
Proofread with Fresh Eyes: Take a break before final proofreading to review your paper with a fresh perspective, helping you catch any overlooked errors.
Edit for Clarity: Ensure that your ideas are conveyed clearly and that your arguments are easy to follow.
Ask for Feedback: Don’t hesitate to ask for feedback from peers, instructors, or writing centers to improve your paper further.

In conclusion, we’ve explored the essential steps to write a research paper . From selecting a focused topic to mastering the intricacies of citations, we’ve navigated through the key elements of this process.

It’s vital to recognize that adhering to the research paper writing tips is not merely a suggestion, but a roadmap to success. Each stage contributes to the overall quality and impact of your paper. By meticulously following these steps, you ensure a robust foundation for your research, bolster your arguments, and present your findings with clarity and conviction.

As you embark on your own research paper journey, I urge you to put into practice the techniques and insights shared in this guide. Don’t shy away from investing time in organization, thorough research, and precise writing. Embrace the challenge, for it’s through this process that your ideas take shape and your voice is heard within the academic discourse.

Remember, every exceptional research paper begins with a single step. And with each step you take, your ability to articulate complex ideas and contribute to your field of study grows. So, go ahead – apply these tips, refine your skills, and witness your research papers evolve into compelling narratives that inspire, inform, and captivate.

In the grand tapestry of academia, your research paper becomes a thread of insight, woven into the larger narrative of human knowledge. By embracing the writing process and nurturing your unique perspective, you become an integral part of this ever-expanding tapestry.

Happy writing, and may your research papers shine brightly, leaving a lasting mark on both your readers and the world of scholarship.

Steps To Write A Great Research Paper

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How to Get a Research Paper Done Fast

Table of contents.

In the fast-paced world of academic writing, knowing how to get a research paper done fast can be a lifesaver. Whether you’re a college student with a tight deadline or a researcher wanting to produce more work, this guide is for you. Dive in to learn the secrets behind speeding up your research paper writing process without compromising on quality.

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper is an academic paper where you make an argument or explain a phenomenon based on original research. It involves a thesis statement, literature review, methodology, body paragraphs, and a logical conclusion. Whether for high school or college, the aim is to present and interpret data to support your argument.

How to Create a Methods Section of a Research Paper

The methods section provides a detailed outline of how you conducted your research. Begin with background information on your research question. Next, detail the research methods – whether qualitative or quantitative. Describe your sample, data collection techniques, and analytical tools. Ensure you use the appropriate APA or MLA in-text citations.

How to Write High-Quality Papers and Essays Quickly?

Brainstorm your ideas first. This helps in forming a clear research question.
Use Google Scholar and encyclopedias for initial research.
Create an essay writing template . This helps in structuring your argument.
Draft your paper. Don’t aim for perfection in the first draft.
Proofread for grammatical errors and typos. Make use of apps and tools to aid in this.

How Long Does it Take to Write a 100 Page Research Paper?

The time it takes varies. If well-versed in the topic, with all research materials on hand, it can take a week. However, usually, writing, proofreading, and ensuring zero plagiarism can stretch it to several weeks. Always account for enough time for revisions.

What Makes a Great Research Paper?

A good research paper has a clear thesis statement, comprehensive literature review, credible sources, and well-structured body paragraphs. Transitions between sections should be smooth. Most importantly, a good research paper is free from plagiarism and is proofread thoroughly.

How to Write a Research Paper in a Day?! Is it the last minute? Good luck! Start with brainstorming main points. Use a template to streamline the writing process. Prioritize your strongest arguments. Use tools like Speechify to proofread. Avoid procrastination and ensure a distraction-free environment.

9 Essential Research Paper Tools:

1. speechify text to speech.

Cost: Free with a premium version available.

When diving into the vast world of research paper writing, Speechify emerges as a savior. It effortlessly converts written English text into high-quality speech, making the research process and proofreading sessions more efficient. Whether you’re proofing your first draft or trying to understand a complicated thesis statement, Speechify has got your back.

Top Features:

Text-to-speech conversion in clear, natural voices.
Speed adjustments to cater to user preferences.
Proofread feature to catch typos and grammatical errors.
Suitable for essay writing and academic papers.
Integrates with various platforms for a seamless experience.

2. Grammarly

Cost: Free with a premium version available. Grammarly is the go-to app for ensuring a grammatically sound and high-quality research paper. It streamlines the writing process by providing real-time feedback on your academic writing, ensuring that your college paper is free from common errors.

Real-time grammatical and spelling check.
Tone and style suggestions.
Plagiarism detection.
Word count tracker.
Advanced punctuation correction.

3. Google Scholar

Cost: Free. Google Scholar acts as a gateway to credible sources and academic papers. It’s essential for anyone brainstorming research paper topics or seeking background information on existing literature.

Wide range of scholarly articles.
Direct citation feature in APA, MLA, and other formats.
Relevant research paper suggestions.
Access to some full-text papers.
User-friendly interface for easy navigation.

4. Turnitin

Cost: Pricing varies based on institutional agreements.

Plagiarism can tarnish the reputation of a good research paper. Turnitin, widely adopted by high school and college institutions, helps ensure your writing assignment is original.

Advanced plagiarism detection.
Feedback studio for comprehensive reviews.
Integrates with many Learning Management Systems.
In-text citations checker.
Easy-to-understand originality reports.

Cost: Free.

Zotero simplifies the process of collecting, organizing, and citing research materials. For those working on an extensive research paper or term paper, it’s an indispensable tool.

Collects and organizes research in one place.
Browser extension for easy addition of sources.
Automatic generation of in-text citations and bibliographies.
Supports APA, MLA, and other formats.
Enables collaboration with shared libraries.

6. Microsoft Word’s Review Features

Cost: Part of Microsoft Office Suite; price varies.

Microsoft Word isn’t just a word processor. Its review features make it essential for research paper writing. The comments, tracking, and editing tools help refine your academic paper draft.

Track changes for collaborative editing.
Comments section for feedback.
Spelling and grammar check.
Word count and formatting tools.
Easy-to-use templates for various writing styles.

7. Mendeley

Cost: Free with premium plans available.

Mendeley is a blend of a reference manager and a social network for researchers. It aids in organizing research, discovering the latest findings, and collaborating online.

Stores and organizes research offline.
Suggests relevant papers based on your reading.
Citation plugin for Word.
Enables academic collaboration with shared folders.
Offers a mobile app for research on-the-go.

8. Wikipedia (with caution)

While Wikipedia isn’t a primary source, it’s excellent for an initial understanding or an overview of a topic. However, always check its references and avoid direct citations in your research paper.

Comprehensive articles on a plethora of topics.
Linked references at the end of articles.
Available in multiple languages.
Regularly updated content.
User-edited with a robust reviewing system.

9. RefWorks

RefWorks is a premier reference management service that supports collaboration and ensures your paper meets the style guide’s requirements. It’s a favorite among those battling last-minute deadlines.

Organizes references effortlessly.
Integrates with Word for in-text citations.
Supports numerous citation styles, including APA and MLA.
Collaboration tools for shared access.
Cloud-based for access anywhere.

Crafting a research paper fast without compromising quality is indeed a challenge. Yet, with the right tools, dedication, and a distraction-free environment, you can

How quickly can you write a research paper?

Depending on length and familiarity with the topic, between a day to several weeks.

How many pages does a research paper need to be?

Depends on the assignment. High school papers can be 5-10 pages, college papers can range from 8-25 pages or more.

How many hours does it take to write a research paper?

Typically between 15 to 60 hours based on depth and word count.

Can I finish a research paper in one week?

Yes, with dedication, an organized approach, and minimal distractions.

Can I do a research paper in one day?

Yes, but it’s challenging. Prioritize main points, use tools, and avoid distractions.

How do I get my research paper done in 1 day?

Use a template, focus on main points, proofread with tools like Speechify, and maintain a distraction-free environment.

Mastering the art of efficient research paper writing is crucial in the demanding academic environment. By leveraging tools like Grammarly, Speechify, and Google Scholar, individuals can expedite the writing process while ensuring quality.

Understanding the foundational elements of a research paper, from thesis formulation to comprehensive literature reviews, remains pivotal. As students and professionals alike grapple with tight deadlines, a blend of strategic planning, the right resources, and unwavering focus can lead to swift and impactful research outputs.

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How to Write a Research Paper

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Research Paper Fundamentals

How to choose a topic or question, how to create a working hypothesis or thesis, common research paper methodologies, how to gather and organize evidence , how to write an outline for your research paper, how to write a rough draft, how to revise your draft, how to produce a final draft, resources for teachers .

It is not fair to say that no one writes anymore. Just about everyone writes text messages, brief emails, or social media posts every single day. Yet, most people don't have a lot of practice with the formal, organized writing required for a good academic research paper. This guide contains links to a variety of resources that can help demystify the process. Some of these resources are intended for teachers; they contain exercises, activities, and teaching strategies. Other resources are intended for direct use by students who are struggling to write papers, or are looking for tips to make the process go more smoothly.

The resources in this section are designed to help students understand the different types of research papers, the general research process, and how to manage their time. Below, you'll find links from university writing centers, the trusted Purdue Online Writing Lab, and more.

What is an Academic Research Paper?

"Genre and the Research Paper" (Purdue OWL)

There are different types of research papers. Different types of scholarly questions will lend themselves to one format or another. This is a brief introduction to the two main genres of research paper: analytic and argumentative.

"7 Most Popular Types of Research Papers" (Personal-writer.com)

This resource discusses formats that high school students commonly encounter, such as the compare and contrast essay and the definitional essay. Please note that the inclusion of this link is not an endorsement of this company's paid service.

How to Prepare and Plan Out Writing a Research Paper

Teachers can give their students a step-by-step guide like these to help them understand the different steps of the research paper process. These guides can be combined with the time management tools in the next subsection to help students come up with customized calendars for completing their papers.

"Ten Steps for Writing Research Papers" (American University)

This resource from American University is a comprehensive guide to the research paper writing process, and includes examples of proper research questions and thesis topics.

"Steps in Writing a Research Paper" (SUNY Empire State College)

This guide breaks the research paper process into 11 steps. Each "step" links to a separate page, which describes the work entailed in completing it.

How to Manage Time Effectively

The links below will help students determine how much time is necessary to complete a paper. If your sources are not available online or at your local library, you'll need to leave extra time for the Interlibrary Loan process. Remember that, even if you do not need to consult secondary sources, you'll still need to leave yourself ample time to organize your thoughts.

"Research Paper Planner: Timeline" (Baylor University)

This interactive resource from Baylor University creates a suggested writing schedule based on how much time a student has to work on the assignment.

"Research Paper Planner" (UCLA)

UCLA's library offers this step-by-step guide to the research paper writing process, which also includes a suggested planning calendar.

There's a reason teachers spend a long time talking about choosing a good topic. Without a good topic and a well-formulated research question, it is almost impossible to write a clear and organized paper. The resources below will help you generate ideas and formulate precise questions.

"How to Select a Research Topic" (Univ. of Michigan-Flint)

This resource is designed for college students who are struggling to come up with an appropriate topic. A student who uses this resource and still feels unsure about his or her topic should consult the course instructor for further personalized assistance.

"25 Interesting Research Paper Topics to Get You Started" (Kibin)

This resource, which is probably most appropriate for high school students, provides a list of specific topics to help get students started. It is broken into subsections, such as "paper topics on local issues."

"Writing a Good Research Question" (Grand Canyon University)

This introduction to research questions includes some embedded videos, as well as links to scholarly articles on research questions. This resource would be most appropriate for teachers who are planning lessons on research paper fundamentals.

"How to Write a Research Question the Right Way" (Kibin)

This student-focused resource provides more detail on writing research questions. The language is accessible, and there are embedded videos and examples of good and bad questions.

It is important to have a rough hypothesis or thesis in mind at the beginning of the research process. People who have a sense of what they want to say will have an easier time sorting through scholarly sources and other information. The key, of course, is not to become too wedded to the draft hypothesis or thesis. Just about every working thesis gets changed during the research process.

CrashCourse Video: "Sociology Research Methods" (YouTube)

Although this video is tailored to sociology students, it is applicable to students in a variety of social science disciplines. This video does a good job demonstrating the connection between the brainstorming that goes into selecting a research question and the formulation of a working hypothesis.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement for an Analytical Essay" (YouTube)

Students writing analytical essays will not develop the same type of working hypothesis as students who are writing research papers in other disciplines. For these students, developing the working thesis may happen as a part of the rough draft (see the relevant section below).

"Research Hypothesis" (Oakland Univ.)

This resource provides some examples of hypotheses in social science disciplines like Political Science and Criminal Justice. These sample hypotheses may also be useful for students in other soft social sciences and humanities disciplines like History.

When grading a research paper, instructors look for a consistent methodology. This section will help you understand different methodological approaches used in research papers. Students will get the most out of these resources if they use them to help prepare for conversations with teachers or discussions in class.

"Types of Research Designs" (USC)

A "research design," used for complex papers, is related to the paper's method. This resource contains introductions to a variety of popular research designs in the social sciences. Although it is not the most intuitive site to read, the information here is very valuable.

"Major Research Methods" (YouTube)

Although this video is a bit on the dry side, it provides a comprehensive overview of the major research methodologies in a format that might be more accessible to students who have struggled with textbooks or other written resources.

"Humanities Research Strategies" (USC)

This is a portal where students can learn about four methodological approaches for humanities papers: Historical Methodologies, Textual Criticism, Conceptual Analysis, and the Synoptic method.

"Selected Major Social Science Research Methods: Overview" (National Academies Press)

This appendix from the book Using Science as Evidence in Public Policy , printed by National Academies Press, introduces some methods used in social science papers.

"Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: 6. The Methodology" (USC)

This resource from the University of Southern California's library contains tips for writing a methodology section in a research paper.

How to Determine the Best Methodology for You

Anyone who is new to writing research papers should be sure to select a method in consultation with their instructor. These resources can be used to help prepare for that discussion. They may also be used on their own by more advanced students.

"Choosing Appropriate Research Methodologies" (Palgrave Study Skills)

This friendly and approachable resource from Palgrave Macmillan can be used by students who are just starting to think about appropriate methodologies.

"How to Choose Your Research Methods" (NFER (UK))

This is another approachable resource students can use to help narrow down the most appropriate methods for their research projects.

The resources in this section introduce the process of gathering scholarly sources and collecting evidence. You'll find a range of material here, from introductory guides to advanced explications best suited to college students. Please consult the LitCharts How to Do Academic Research guide for a more comprehensive list of resources devoted to finding scholarly literature.

Google Scholar

Students who have access to library websites with detailed research guides should start there, but people who do not have access to those resources can begin their search for secondary literature here.

"Gathering Appropriate Information" (Texas Gateway)

This resource from the Texas Gateway for online resources introduces students to the research process, and contains interactive exercises. The level of complexity is suitable for middle school, high school, and introductory college classrooms.

"An Overview of Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection Methods" (NSF)

This PDF from the National Science Foundation goes into detail about best practices and pitfalls in data collection across multiple types of methodologies.

"Social Science Methods for Data Collection and Analysis" (Swiss FIT)

This resource is appropriate for advanced undergraduates or teachers looking to create lessons on research design and data collection. It covers techniques for gathering data via interviews, observations, and other methods.

"Collecting Data by In-depth Interviewing" (Leeds Univ.)

This resource contains enough information about conducting interviews to make it useful for teachers who want to create a lesson plan, but is also accessible enough for college juniors or seniors to make use of it on their own.

There is no "one size fits all" outlining technique. Some students might devote all their energy and attention to the outline in order to avoid the paper. Other students may benefit from being made to sit down and organize their thoughts into a lengthy sentence outline. The resources in this section include strategies and templates for multiple types of outlines.

"Topic vs. Sentence Outlines" (UC Berkeley)

This resource introduces two basic approaches to outlining: the shorter topic-based approach, and the longer, more detailed sentence-based approach. This resource also contains videos on how to develop paper paragraphs from the sentence-based outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL)

The Purdue Online Writing Lab's guide is a slightly less detailed discussion of different types of outlines. It contains several sample outlines.

"Writing An Outline" (Austin C.C.)

This resource from a community college contains sample outlines from an American history class that students can use as models.

"How to Structure an Outline for a College Paper" (YouTube)

This brief (sub-2 minute) video from the ExpertVillage YouTube channel provides a model of outline writing for students who are struggling with the idea.

"Outlining" (Harvard)

This is a good resource to consult after completing a draft outline. It offers suggestions for making sure your outline avoids things like unnecessary repetition.

As with outlines, rough drafts can take on many different forms. These resources introduce teachers and students to the various approaches to writing a rough draft. This section also includes resources that will help you cite your sources appropriately according to the MLA, Chicago, and APA style manuals.

"Creating a Rough Draft for a Research Paper" (Univ. of Minnesota)

This resource is useful for teachers in particular, as it provides some suggested exercises to help students with writing a basic rough draft.

Rough Draft Assignment (Duke of Definition)

This sample assignment, with a brief list of tips, was developed by a high school teacher who runs a very successful and well-reviewed page of educational resources.

"Creating the First Draft of Your Research Paper" (Concordia Univ.)

This resource will be helpful for perfectionists or procrastinators, as it opens by discussing the problem of avoiding writing. It also provides a short list of suggestions meant to get students writing.

Using Proper Citations

There is no such thing as a rough draft of a scholarly citation. These links to the three major citation guides will ensure that your citations follow the correct format. Please consult the LitCharts How to Cite Your Sources guide for more resources.

Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide

Some call The Chicago Manual of Style , which was first published in 1906, "the editors' Bible." The manual is now in its 17th edition, and is popular in the social sciences, historical journals, and some other fields in the humanities.

APA Citation Guide

According to the American Psychological Association, this guide was developed to aid reading comprehension, clarity of communication, and to reduce bias in language in the social and behavioral sciences. Its first full edition was published in 1952, and it is now in its sixth edition.

MLA Citation Guide

The Modern Language Association style is used most commonly within the liberal arts and humanities. The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing was first published in 1985 and (as of 2008) is in its third edition.

Any professional scholar will tell you that the best research papers are made in the revision stage. No matter how strong your research question or working thesis, it is not possible to write a truly outstanding paper without devoting energy to revision. These resources provide examples of revision exercises for the classroom, as well as tips for students working independently.

"The Art of Revision" (Univ. of Arizona)

This resource provides a wealth of information and suggestions for both students and teachers. There is a list of suggested exercises that teachers might use in class, along with a revision checklist that is useful for teachers and students alike.

"Script for Workshop on Revision" (Vanderbilt University)

Vanderbilt's guide for leading a 50-minute revision workshop can serve as a model for teachers who wish to guide students through the revision process during classtime.

"Revising Your Paper" (Univ. of Washington)

This detailed handout was designed for students who are beginning the revision process. It discusses different approaches and methods for revision, and also includes a detailed list of things students should look for while they revise.

"Revising Drafts" (UNC Writing Center)

This resource is designed for students and suggests things to look for during the revision process. It provides steps for the process and has a FAQ for students who have questions about why it is important to revise.

Conferencing with Writing Tutors and Instructors

No writer is so good that he or she can't benefit from meeting with instructors or peer tutors. These resources from university writing, learning, and communication centers provide suggestions for how to get the most out of these one-on-one meetings.

"Getting Feedback" (UNC Writing Center)

This very helpful resource talks about how to ask for feedback during the entire writing process. It contains possible questions that students might ask when developing an outline, during the revision process, and after the final draft has been graded.

"Prepare for Your Tutoring Session" (Otis College of Art and Design)

This guide from a university's student learning center contains a lot of helpful tips for getting the most out of working with a writing tutor.

"The Importance of Asking Your Professor" (Univ. of Waterloo)

This article from the university's Writing and Communication Centre's blog contains some suggestions for how and when to get help from professors and Teaching Assistants.

Once you've revised your first draft, you're well on your way to handing in a polished paper. These resources—each of them produced by writing professionals at colleges and universities—outline the steps required in order to produce a final draft. You'll find proofreading tips and checklists in text and video form.

"Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper" (Univ. of Minnesota)

While this resource contains suggestions for revision, it also features a couple of helpful checklists for the last stages of completing a final draft.

Basic Final Draft Tips and Checklist (Univ. of Maryland-University College)

This short and accessible resource, part of UMUC's very thorough online guide to writing and research, contains a very basic checklist for students who are getting ready to turn in their final drafts.

Final Draft Checklist (Everett C.C.)

This is another accessible final draft checklist, appropriate for both high school and college students. It suggests reading your essay aloud at least once.

"How to Proofread Your Final Draft" (YouTube)

This video (approximately 5 minutes), produced by Eastern Washington University, gives students tips on proofreading final drafts.

"Proofreading Tips" (Georgia Southern-Armstrong)

This guide will help students learn how to spot common errors in their papers. It suggests focusing on content and editing for grammar and mechanics.

This final set of resources is intended specifically for high school and college instructors. It provides links to unit plans and classroom exercises that can help improve students' research and writing skills. You'll find resources that give an overview of the process, along with activities that focus on how to begin and how to carry out research.

"Research Paper Complete Resources Pack" (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This packet of assignments, rubrics, and other resources is designed for high school students. The resources in this packet are aligned to Common Core standards.

"Research Paper—Complete Unit" (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This packet of assignments, notes, PowerPoints, and other resources has a 4/4 rating with over 700 ratings. It is designed for high school teachers, but might also be useful to college instructors who work with freshmen.

"Teaching Students to Write Good Papers" (Yale)

This resource from Yale's Center for Teaching and Learning is designed for college instructors, and it includes links to appropriate activities and exercises.

"Research Paper Writing: An Overview" (CUNY Brooklyn)

CUNY Brooklyn offers this complete lesson plan for introducing students to research papers. It includes an accompanying set of PowerPoint slides.

"Lesson Plan: How to Begin Writing a Research Paper" (San Jose State Univ.)

This lesson plan is designed for students in the health sciences, so teachers will have to modify it for their own needs. It includes a breakdown of the brainstorming, topic selection, and research question process.

"Quantitative Techniques for Social Science Research" (Univ. of Pittsburgh)

This is a set of PowerPoint slides that can be used to introduce students to a variety of quantitative methods used in the social sciences.

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Jason Kerwin

Associate Professor of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota

How to get your paper done

There is a lot of writing advice out there and most of it is bad. Even worse, much writing advice is totally inapplicable to empirical science writing. Considering that, it’s entirely likely that this advice will be bad as well. Thus—as with all advice—you should feel free to exercise free disposal on what follows. But it’s what I teach my students and it works for many of them.

Economics is not a “write a lot of words” discipline. At the margin it’s better to have more papers, but all else equal a shorter paper is better and quality matters much more than quantity.

It’s easy to let yourself get psyched out by having to Write A Paper (or, even worse, having to Write A Dissertation). A common suggestion for overcoming that mental barrier is the “just write a bad draft quickly and then fix it later” strategy. A common suggestion is that you should just let the words flow out of you, forcing yourself to write lots, and then do a ton of editing after the fact. That might be great in fields where you need to churn out tons of pages, but economics is not like that (and quantitative science is generally not like that either, or at least it shouldn’t be). Another related strategy is to set goals of writing X hundred words per day, or to force yourself to write words for blocks of Y minutes at a time. None of this is conducive to our goal as social scientists, which is to communicate specific things to our audience rather than to flood the zone with tons of content.

Writing an applied microeconomics paper can be broken into the following manageable steps. Other than steps 1 and 3 you can do all the rest in 1 week apiece.

Here are the steps:

1. Get your results figured out. This is easily the most important part. I make publication-quality tables and figures that are easy to read and tell a clear story. You don’t want to waste time writing up results before you know what they are.

– This is the actual research process. Obviously there is a lot that happens before this, but if you are ready to write a paper then you need results to write about.

2. Figure out your story and write it in 100 words maximum (the AER limit), which is 5 sentences. This is your abstract.

– If you can’t tell your story in 100 words then you don’t have a paper yet. You might have several papers, but most commonly you actually have zero.

3. Present your work to try to convince others of your story. This helps you hammer out what the argument is and nail down the exact results. It is iterative with 1 and 2.

4. Write your story in roughly 15 sentences that outline everything you will do in the paper. These will be the topic sentences for your introduction. (Good intros in applied micro have topic sentences for each intro paragraph, that can be read on their own and also say what the paragraph is about. Your paper has to be designed to be skimmed.)

These should discuss the following points in order (many with more than one sentence apiece):

– What is the research question

– What do you do

– What do you find

– Mechanisms for the results, if relevant

– What does this mean?

– How does this contribute to the literature, i.e. how does it build on what we already know?

Note that first five of these points could also be the five sentences in your abstract. If you have other key things to say then they belong somewhere in the introduction—most likely under “What does this mean?”

5. Fill in the details behind each topic sentence. This is your introduction. I aim for 4 pages but many good recent papers go longer.

– Supreet Kaur’s paper about nominal wage rigidities has a great example of how to write an effective introduction

– More generally, your introduction should emulate the structure of well-published papers in your area—there are plenty of great papers outside the top 5, but top 5 papers are much more likely to have nailed a good introduction

– reviews of the literature should only go into the contributions paragraphs at the end. Do not start with a lit review, no one cares. Do not write a separate lit review section; no one cares. You should integrate citations into your actual argument or leave them out.

– get to your results on page 1.

Writing your introduction is the hardest and most important part of writing the paper. Many people will not read anything else, even conditional on opening the paper. Economics papers are all way too long, and part of the reason is that they include many things that would be in the online methods appendix of a paper in the hard sciences. Our introductions are the equivalent of the entire paper in many disciplines.

– Introductions that use topic sentences for each paragraph and communicate the entirety of the paper are the norm in high-quality economics papers. My understanding is that this is how students are trained to write at Harvard and MIT. Once you start noticing this approach you will see it all over the top econ journals.

While this is an implication of the previous points, I want to state explicitly that your results go in the introduction . Do not tell people that your paper will estimate the effect of X on Y; tell them the effect of X on Y. Definitely do not wait until the last paragraph of the introduction to mention your results.

6. Write the data section of the paper

7. Write the methods section

8. Write up the results. This should be a discussion of what the results mean. Do not include a separate “discussion” section since in that case the results section is pointless.

– Robustness checks go in a subsection here

– Limitations should be acknowledged in here, and also in the introduction where relevant. If they’re major (or if a referee/editor demands it) you can make them a separate subsection.

9. If relevant, write the mechanisms section.

10. Write a conclusion section using Marc Bellemare’s conclusion formula ( https://marcfbellemare.com/wordpress/12060 ). I think conclusions are pointless and shouldn’t exist but since you have to have one, Marc’s approach is the constrained optimum.

– My view is that anything that’s truly important in the conclusion should be in the introduction of the paper. Since many people will not read the conclusion, you should state the key parts in your introduction as well.

That’s it: 10 weeks and you have a paper, and you can easily do a bunch of other stuff on the side at the same time. Now you might say “but Jason, I don’t have my results and story figured out” which might be true. In that case step 1 is going to take longer—but your issue is not finishing the paper, but rather doing the research. The good news in that case is that doing research is fun! So at least you can enjoy it.

How To Skim Read Journal Articles

Fast-Track Your Literature Review By Focusing On Three Sections

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | May 2020

How to read scientific journal articles quickly and efficiently.

If you’ve just started your literature review process, you’re probably sitting on a pile of scientific journal articles and research papers that are (1) lengthy and (2) written in very dense , academic language that is difficult to digest (at the best of times). It’s intimidating, for sure – and you’re probably wondering how on earth you’re going to get through it all.

You might be asking yourself some of these questions:

Do I need to read every journal article to make sure I cover everything?
Do I need to read every section of each article to understand it?
If not, which sections should I focus on?

First things first, relax (I can feel your tension!). In this post, I’m going answer these questions and explain how to approach your review of the literature the smart way , so that you focus only on the most relevant literature and don’t waste time on low-value activities.

So, grab a nice hot cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever – just no beers) and let’s take a look at those questions, one at a time.

Question 1:

Do i need to read every journal article on my topic when doing my literature review.

The good news is that you don’t need to read every single journal article on your topic. Doing so would just be a waste of your time, as you’re generally looking to understand the current state of the literature – not the full history of it.

But… and this is an important but. You do need to read quite a bit to make sure that you have a comprehensive view of the current state of the literature (and of knowledge) in your area of research.

Quality trumps quantity when it comes to reviewing the literature. In other words, you need to focus on reading the journal articles that are most cited (i.e. that other academics have referenced) in relation to your topic keyword(s). You should focus on articles that are recent, relevant and well cited .

But how do I know if an article is well cited?

Thankfully, you can check the number of citations for any article really easily using Google Scholar . Just enter the article title in Google Scholar and it will show you how many citations it has – here’s an example:

How to read journal articles quickly and efficiently

In fact, Google Scholar is a great way to find the key journal articles for any keyword (topic) in general, so chances are you’ll be using this to find your journal articles in the first place. Therefore, be sure to keep an eye on citation count while you’re sourcing articles. It would also be smart to dedicate a column to it in your literature review catalogue (you can download one for free here ) so that you can quickly filter and sort by citation count.

A quick caveat – citation count is not a perfect metric for the quality of a journal article (unfortunately there is no unicorn metric that indicates quality). While its usually a good indicator of how popular an article is, it doesn’t mean the findings of the article are perfect (remember, the Kardashians are popular too – enough said). To the contrary, it could indicate that there’s a lot of controversy regarding the findings (sounds like the Kardashians again).

So, long story short – don’t be conned by citation count alone. Be sure to also pay attention the to quality of the journal each article is published in (you can check journal rank here ), and pay attention to what other articles say about any given popular article.

Need a helping hand?

Question 2:

Do i need to read the full journal journal article when doing my literature review.

Some more good news – no, you don’t need to read every single word in each journal article you review as part of your literature review. When you’re just starting your literature review, you need to get a big picture view of what each journal article is saying (in other words, the key questions and findings). Generally you can get a good feel for this by reading a few key sections in each article (we’ll get to these next).

That said (ah, there had to be a catch, right?), as you refine your literature review and establish more of a focus, you’ll need to dive deeper into the most important articles. Some articles will be central to your research – but you probably still don’t need to read them from first page to the last.

Question 3:

Which sections of each journal article should i read.

To get a big-picture view of what any article is all about, there are three sections that are very useful. These three sections generally explain both what the article is about (i.e. what questions they were trying to answer) and what the findings were (i.e. what their answers were). This is exactly what you’re looking for, so these three sections provide a great way for you to save time during your literature review.

So, let’s take a look at the three sections:

1 – The abstract (or executive summary)

The abstract (which is located right up front) provides a high-level overview of what the article is about. This is giving you the first little taste of the soup , so to speak. Generally, it will discuss what the research objectives were was and why they were important. This will give you a clear indication of how relevant the article is to your specific research, so pay close attention.

Sometimes the abstract will also discuss the findings of the article (much like a thesis abstract ), but this is not always the case (yeah, the abstract can be such a tease sometimes). If it does, it’s a bonus. But even so, you should still read the other sections, as the abstract only provides a very high-level view, and can miss out on specific nuances of the research.

2 – The introduction section

The introduction section will go into more detail about the topic being investigated and why this is important for the field of research. This will help you understand a bit more detail about what exactly they were investigating and in what context . Context is really important, so pay close attention to that.

For example, they might be investigating your exact topic, but in a country other than your own, or a different industry. In that case, you’d know that you need to pay very close attention to exactly how they undertook their research.

So, make sure you pay close attention to the introduction chapter to fully understand the focus of the research and the context in which it took place . Both will be important when it comes to writing your literature review, as you’ll need to use this information to build your arguments.

3 – The conclusion

While the introduction section tells you what the high-level questions the researchers asked, the conclusion section tells you what answers they found . This provides you with something of a shortcut to grasping the gist of the article, without reading all the dull and dry detail – yeah, it’s a little cheeky, I know. Of course, the conclusion is not going to highlight every nuance of the analysis findings, so if the article is highly relevant to your research, you should make sure to also pay close attention to the analysis findings section.

In addition to the findings of the research, the conclusion section will generally also highlight areas that require further research . In other words, they’ll outline areas that genuinely require further academic investigation (aka research gaps ). This is a gold mine for refining your topic into something highly original and well-rooted in the existing literature – just make sure that the article is recent, or someone else may have already exploited the research gap. If you’re still looking to identify a research topic, be sure to check out our video covering that here .

By reviewing these three sections of each article, you’ll save yourself a lot of time, while still getting a good understanding of what each article is saying. Keep in mind that as your literature review progresses, you focus will narrow and you’ll develop a set of core highly relevant articles, which you should sink your teeth into more deeply.

To fast-track your reading, always start by working through the abstract, the introduction section and the conclusion section.

Let’s Recap

In this post, we looked at how to read academic journal articles quickly and efficiently, to save you many hours of pain while undertaking your literature review.

The key takeaways to remember are:

You don’t need to read every single journal article covering your topic – focus on the most popular, authoritative and recent ones
You don’t need to read every word of every article. To start, you just need to get a high-level understanding of the literature, which you can get by focusing on three key areas in each journal article.
The three sections of each journal article to review are the abstract , the introduction and the conclusion .
Once you’ve narrowed down your focus and have a core set of highly relevant, highly authoritative articles, you can dive deeper into them, paying closer attention to the methodology and analysis findings.

And there you have it – now go on and hammer through that pile of articles at warp speed. While you’re at it, why not also check out our other posts and videos covering research topic ideation , dissertation and thesis proposal , literature review , methodology , analysis and more.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling Udemy Course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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Literature review 101 - how to find articles

28 Comments

Thanks Derek for the tips

Reviewing the Literature can be overwhelming if you do not have the plan or the right structure to navigate the pool of information

You’re most welcome, Aletta. All the best with your literature review.

I personally have found these tips as a key to my long standing problem of reading articles. Thanks a million times

Simple and easy to read guidance… funny too

Great to hear that, Rishen 🙂

Much appreciated Derek. I already realized I could not read everything, but you confirming that has brought a lot of relief.

Great to hear that, Mazwakhe 🙂

Derek sir, I’m really happy for you.You made me to think very smart and effective way to do the review of literature.

Thank you so much.

Dear Derek, thank you for your easy and straight forward guidance,

Thanks for the interesting and informative article

You’re most welcome, Sanoon. Glad it was useful.

Thanks for the insights, I am about to start my literature review and this article as well as the other material from GradCoach will help me on the jorney.

You’re most welcome! Good luck writing your literature review

It was a great and effective information.

Thank you that was very helpful. I am taking a directed studies summer course, and I have to submit a literature review by end of August. That article was short, straight to the point and interesting 🙂 thank you Derek

You’re welcome, Emy 🙂 Good luck with your studies!

Thanks Derek. Reading this article has given me a boost because I have been so stock on how to go about my literature review.Though I know I am not meant to read the whole article.But your explanation has given me a greater insight.

Thank you very much sir for your great explanation 😄 Hopefully I’ve enough diligence and courage to start

You’re most welcome, Felicia. Good luck with your research.

thanks, it was helpful.

Thanks Derek for doing such a wonderful job of helping. Blessings Bro!

Concise and applicable, nice! what a great help. I am now doing a literature review section on my thesis, I used to waste so much time on reading articles that is not relevant back and forth.

Thank for your great help!

Hi Derek, i am busy with my research literature. I submited my 1st draft but it was way irrelevant as per comments made by my supervisor… i gave myself time to find out where i diverted until i lesson to some of your videos. As we speak now, i am starting following the guidelines and i feel confident that i am on the right track now. Thanks a lot my brother

You’re most welcome 🙂

I can’t explain my mood when I realised I had to study more than 40 articles about my study field. It was indeed a game-changer. Thank you very much, Derek. Also, Kardashian was the best example that can be used for this situation :)))

Thank you for posting this. It truly takes a load off! I’m new to Doctoral research and peer review study and “Overwhelmed” doesn’t quite sum up how I felt. This is a tremendous help!

Thank you for the advice. Question, how do one keep count of all the articles considered from starting point to narrowed down. Manually, or is there another way?

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How to find Research Papers: A Cheat Sheet for Graduate Students

July 23, 2022
PRODUCTIVITY

“I will read this paper later.” I thought to myself before adding another paper to my overflowing internet browser.

Of course, I didn’t read it later.

Since my workflow was unorganized, I missed out on reading many important papers.

This was a crucial period in my undergraduate career. I had been working with a company for my final year project and knew success would require a solid intellectual foundation. For many hours, I read papers, determined to master the literature in my field.

“How to find research papers quickly?” has been a never-ending question for me.

However, I was unable to succeed despite my best intentions, largely due to inefficiency. In addition, I did not have a system in place for keeping track of new papers being published daily in my topic area or checking if I had missed key studies.

Nothing is worse than forgetting where you saved an important research paper. If I couldn’t find that specific paper, I couldn’t do anything else, and sometimes a day would pass before I found it.

As I was about to begin my PhD, I convinced myself that I should be more organized.

This is the first post of the four-part blog series: The Bulletproof Literature Management System . Follow the links below to read the other posts in the series:

How to How to find Research Papers (You are here)
How to Manage Research Papers
How to Read Research Papers
How to Organize Research Papers

My workflow has evolved through many iterations, and I have finally found a system that suits my needs after lots of trial and error.

These tips will help you how to find research papers quickly and more efficiently.

Get recommendations from your supervisor

You may have already received a folder of information from your supervisor regarding your thesis topic. Your supervisor should have already been working on the proposal before you were hired for a funded project.

My supervisor, for example, has a folder named “Literature” for each project folder that contains all the important papers one might need to complete that project.

Therefore, asking your supervisor is one of the most straightforward ways to find research papers.

Even though your supervisor has not put up a folder like that, you can still ask them for recommendations, and they can point out a couple of pertinent articles. From there, you can find the references in the papers they recommended.

Use feed aggregators

Feed aggregators, such as Feedly , Inoreader , and NewsBlur , help me organize my feeds. In the morning, I dedicate five minutes to scanning my feed. For most papers, I just glance at the title and scroll past. Whenever I come across something interesting, I add it to my ‘Read Later’ folder.

Instead of storing papers in an unsecured location, my papers are more secure. As a result, it is much easier for me to look at that folder later on.

Use literature mapping tools

ResearchRabbit , Inciteful , Litmaps , and Connected Papers are literature-mapping tools you can use to dig deeper into a topic. It lets you see which papers are the most groundbreaking in a given field based on their citation networks.

This might not be very helpful if you’re doing research in a relatively new area. Finding relevant research papers in such cases may be more challenging.

This is why checking research databases would be a better option.

Use standard research databases

Scopus has strong searching capabilities and publishes metrics that can measure the relative importance of papers in their fields. However, it may take up to 2 years before an article is included in Scopus.

It has more features for sorting and filtering, so you might not feel overwhelmed when searching.

Therefore, if you are just starting your research, SCOPUS might be an excellent option for finding research papers.

ResearchGate

In addition to traditional searching for publications, ResearchGate offers the following features:

Follow researchers in your field, so you can keep up with their work.
Keep up-to-date with the research projects of other researchers by following their research projects, and
Comment on publications, ask questions, and send direct messages to interact with others.

As most of the comments on ResearchGate are coming from experts in their respective fields, the QnA section may be a great resource for finding the right paper for your research.

An RSS(Really Simple Syndication) feed, as the name implies, is a straightforward solution. By subscribing to RSS, users can access content from specific websites.

You can find RSS feeds for nearly every major journal and preprint server on their home pages – just look for the orange icon. As new articles are added to PubMed or Google Scholar, you can even subscribe to specific keywords.

Use academic textbooks the right way

If you are new to a particular research area, it would be best to start by reading textbooks to understand the topic better.

Despite the lack of depth and detail in a textbook, it can provide you with the basic concepts you need to read further. Furthermore, textbooks often include extensive lists of references as well as this information to get you started . Download the relevant articles from these references.

You might feel overwhelmed if you try to read an academic textbook from beginning to end. For this reason, read only the sections which contain the information you need for your project.

Review papers are game changers

A review paper on your topic is a great starting point for finding good references and getting a broad overview of your research topic.

After reading the review paper, you can read the references cited therein.

You are reading a much more comprehensive summary of the topic than you would have found reading ten individual research papers on the same topic if you found a highly relevant review paper for your research.

Look for technical reports and theses

Make sure you don’t limit yourself to research papers when looking for references. A technical report or code document on your topic may contain important citations (as well as practical information).

There is nothing that compares to a PhD thesis when it comes to the depth and extent of analytical work. See which references students have cited in their theses on your topic.

If you find a relevant thesis for your literature review, you will have extensive information about the research topic in one place, saving you a ton of time.

Google Scholar

The best for the last!

Due to its versatility and efficiency in finding academic papers, I decided to include Google Scholar separately from the database section.

I enjoy using Google Scholar among all the fancy databases available. One drawback to Google Scholar is that it lacks the ability to search for keywords and filter results.

Therefore, if you are just starting your research and aren’t sure what “keywords” to search for, Google Scholar might not be your first choice.

The advantage of Google Scholar is that if you are already familiar with your field of study and already know what you are doing, you will be able to find relevant research papers more quickly.

Use Google Scholar’s search function to locate relevant articles. Furthermore, you can subscribe to updates from colleagues in your field to access the latest references. The publisher of a journal paper may also report an article faster to Google Scholar than another database, which can take up to two years to include an article.

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Aruna Kumarasiri

Founder at Proactive Grad, Materials Engineer, Researcher, and turned author. In 2019, he started his professional carrier as a materials engineer with the continuation of his research studies. His exposure to both academic and industrial worlds has provided many opportunities for him to give back to young professionals.

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Eight Ways (and More) To Find and Access Research Papers

This blog is part of our Research Smarter series. You’ll discover the various search engines, databases and data repositories to help you along the way. Click on any of the following links for in an in-depth look at how to find relevant research papers, journals , and authors for your next project using the Web of Science™. You can also check out our ultimate guides here , which include tips to speed up the writing process.

If you’re in the early stages of your research career, you’re likely struggling to learn all you can about your chosen field and evaluate your options. You also need an easy and convenient way to find the right research papers upon which to build your own work and keep you on the proper path toward your goals.

Fortunately, most institutions have access to thousands of journals, so your first step should be to be to check with library staff and find out what is available via your institutional subscriptions.

For those who may be unfamiliar with other means of access, this blog post – the first in a series devoted to helping you “research smarter” – will provide a sampling of established data sources for scientific research. These include search engines, databases, and data repositories.

Search Engines and Databases

You may have already discovered that the process of searching for research papers offers many choices and scenarios. Some search engines, for example, can be accessed free of charge. Others require a subscription. The latter group generally includes services that index the contents of thousands of published journals, allowing for detailed searches on data fields such as author name, institution, title or keyword, and even funding sources. Because many journals operate on a subscription model too, the process of obtaining full-text versions of papers can be complicated.

On the other hand, a growing number of publishers follow the practice of Open Access (OA) , making their journal content freely available. Similarly, some authors publish their results in the form of preprints, posting them to preprint servers for immediate and free access. These repositories, like indexing services, differ in that some concentrate in a given discipline or broad subject area, while others cover the full range of research.

Search Engines

Following is a brief selection of reputable search engines by which to locate articles relevant to your research.

Google Scholar is a free search engine that provides access to research in multiple disciplines. The sources include academic publishers, universities, online repositories, books, and even judicial opinions from court cases. Based on its indexing, Google Scholar provides citation counts to allow authors and others to track the impact of their work.

The Directory of Open Access Journals ( DOAJ ) allows users to search and retrieve the article contents of nearly 10,000 OA journals in science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and humanities. All journals must adhere to quality-control standards, including peer review.

PubMed , maintained by the US National Library of Medicine, is a free search engine covering the biomedical and life sciences. Its coverage derives primarily from the MEDLINE database, covering materials as far back as 1951.

JSTOR affords access to more than 12 million journal articles in upwards of 75 disciplines, providing full-text searches of more than 2,000 journals, and access to more than 5,000 OA books.

Selected Databases

The following selection samples a range of resources, including databases which, as discussed above, index the contents of journals either in a given specialty area or the full spectrum of research. Others listed below offer consolidated coverage of multiple databases. Your institution is likely subscribed to a range of research databases, speak to your librarian to see which databases you have access to, and how to go about your search.

Web of Science includes The Web of Science Core Collection, which covers more than 20,000 carefully selected journals, along with books, conference proceedings, and other sources. The indexing also captures citation data, permitting users to follow the thread of an idea or development over time, as well as to track a wide range of research-performance metrics. The Web of Science also features EndNote™ Click , a free browser plugin that offers one-click access to the best available legal and legitimate full-text versions of papers. See here for our ultimate guide to finding relevant research papers on the Web of Science .

Science.gov covers the vast territory of United States federal science, including more than 60 databases and 2,200-plus websites. The many allied agencies whose research is reflected include NASA, the US Department of Agriculture, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

CiteSeerx is devoted primarily to information and computer science. The database includes a feature called Autonomous Citation Indexing, designed to extract citations and create a citation index for literature searching and evaluation.

Preprint and Data Repositories

An early form of OA literature involved authors, as noted above, making electronic, preprint versions of their papers freely available. This practice has expanded widely today. You can find archives devoted to a single main specialty area, as well as general repositories connected with universities and other institutions.

The specialty archive is perhaps best exemplified by arXiv (conveniently pronounced “archive,” and one of the earliest examples of a preprint repository). Begun in 1991 as a physics repository, ArXiv has expanded to embrace mathematics, astronomy, statistics, economics, and other disciplines. The success of ArXiv spurred the development of, for example, bioArXiv devoted to an array of topics within biology, and for chemistry, ChemRxiv .

Meanwhile, thousands of institutional repositories hold a variety of useful materials. In addition to research papers, these archives store raw datasets, graphics, notes, and other by-products of investigation. Currently, the Registry of Open Access Repositories lists more than 4,700 entries.

Reach Out Yourself?

If the resources above don’t happen to result in a free and full-text copy of the research you seek, you can also try reaching out to the authors yourself.

To find who authored a paper, you can search indexing platforms like the Web of Science , or research profiling systems like Publons™ , or ResearchGate , then look to reach out to the authors directly.

So, although the sheer volume of research can pose a challenge to identifying and securing needed papers, plenty of options are available.

Unlocking u.k. research excellence: key insights from the research professional news live summit.

For better insights, assess research performance at the department level

Getting the Full Picture: Institutional unification in the Web of Science

How to Write an Essay Fast: Tips and Examples

Almost every student has experienced a circumstance where they had just a few hours before the essay deadline. So, what is the best course of action in this case? We suggest that you should either begin writing right away or seek professional assistance. Hiring a pro to write your essay is an easy way out. You can just order essay from our research paper writing services , and in a blink of an eye, your piece is ready to be sent out on time. But, if you want to write it yourself, then you need to know how to write an essay quickly.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write an Essay Fast

The essay writing process isn't simple. Especially when you want to do it quickly under the pressure of upcoming deadlines, but don't panic! Whether you’re wondering how to write an essay in a day or just an hour, you can still write an engaging and good essay fast. Here are some tips to help you write a paper faster:

Make a plan for your writing process - The first and most important thing to do is to understand a thesis statement, spend 10-15 minutes planning your essay, and brainstorm some ideas about your main point.
Start essay writing - Start with a hook in the introduction; add three body paragraphs and explain your major point. Make a clear image of your ideas in the conclusion.
Edit your paper - Always keep the last 5 minutes for proofreading your essay; slowly read complex sentences to avoid any grammar mistakes; after editing, give the appropriate title to your work.

These are some useful short tips to do a paper fast. But if you don’t feel like doing any writing, you can use the help of qualified writing service to get yourself a solid essay.

How Can You Write an Essay as Fast as Possible

We discussed a few tips to write an essay fast, but they may still not be enough for everyone to do their essay quickly. There are many reasons why it can get difficult: you struggle to understand the essay topic and the main idea of it, you lack motivation, you overthink an essay prompt, you get constantly distracted, etc. Sometimes we all feel that way, and it's normal, but to make writing your last-minute essay easier, we should overcome those feelings.

So, let's dive deeper into how to write an essay fast to help you with the paper you completely overlooked.

Step 1. Get Rid of Distractions and Plan Your Time

One of the reasons why you can't focus on writing is a constant distraction. Our digital gadgets distract us not only from the essay writing process but from many important things in life. So when you need to focus, set your mind on it and keep the electronic devices away from the working space.

The next step is to manage time. If you want to learn how to write essays quickly, you need to know how to divide the time left correctly. If you have only 2 hours before your deadline, it's crucial to distribute it accordingly. You have to do it in three main parts: outline, body paragraphs, and conclusion paragraphs. Besides that, keep extra 10 minutes for proofreading and revising your essay. Spend 25 minutes on essay structure and half of your 2 hours on shaping the paper's body. Usually, body paragraphs are needed most of the time, but distribution is on you. Spend more of it on the part you struggle to write.

Step 2. Write First Ideas Which Spring up in Your Mind

While reading an essay question carefully, start making a note of the very first ideas that pop up in your mind. This way, you'll have a view of what to write about. Then start analyzing the thesis statement, highlight the major points of the key sentences you want to discuss and then choose which ideas fit best to them.

Don't overthink the statement. To write essays faster, you need to have a concise view of what you are writing about from the very beginning. You don't have much time, so do not spend any of it on overthinking.

Step 3. Elaborate a Plan to Write an Essay Fast

If you have ever had only an hour left to write your essay or are now in that situation, you're lucky to be here reading this. It's entirely possible to do your paper in an hour, and we'll show you an essential step-by-step plan on how to write an essay fast.

But before planning the whole essay, you have to choose your topic. This is a no-brainer, but people are often stuck at this point. If you have the freedom to choose your own topic, determine the kind of theme you are familiar with and can discuss without having to spend much time on research. But if you have several topics, choose the one on which you can deliver a more in-depth analysis.

Now let's move to the next steps on how to plan the process to write an essay fast.

Step 4. Conduct a Research

Conducting research may seem difficult when you have an hour for the whole essay, but don't worry. You can manage that too! You already have the topic and the thoughts around it, and now you need a little research. So be brief and concise, look for the specific information that you're definitely using in your paper, and don't waste time on general concepts. To write an essay fast, you have to conduct research faster.

While searching on the internet, save bookmarks of your needed pages. This will serve not to start looking for the information all over.

Do these tips to write an essay fast make enough sense for you yet?! Anyways, don't pressure yourself! If it's manageable for others to write essay fast, then it is for you too. So read through carefully, act according to this plan, and you'll make it.

Step 5. Make an Outline

Before you start writing:

Create an outline of your ideas, and organize your thoughts around the theme.
Write down your words on paper and determine how they are logically connected.
List your ideas and relate them to the larger concepts.

This way, you can have a general structure for your paper and step forward to write an essay fast. Regardless of how much effort and time you put into the work, it's useless if you can't organize your thoughts.

Now that you have an essay topic and the main idea around it, you can think of creating the thesis statement. Refer to the outlines you noted and try to express the major points of your essay with them. The statement will have two parts - outlining the topic and outlining the objective of your essay.

Now you are one step closer to mastering how to write essays quickly. Several steps to go, and you're all done!

Step 6. Write a Draft with Key Sentences for Each Paragraph

You should develop your arguments in the body and turn every idea you outlined before into separate paragraphs. Remember that each of the sections should have the same format. Start to incorporate your primary ideas into the opening sentence. After that, add your secondary supporting ideas to it. Also, do not forget to use proper sentence format.

You should clearly explain your topic in key sentences to strengthen the arguments. Every paragraph should contain supporting evidence, main points, and summarizing sentences.

Does it seem easier now to write an essay fast? Then, let us make it completely manageable for you with further steps.

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Step 7. Intro: Start with a Hook

After finishing the previous steps, then it is time to write an introduction. But how will you introduce something that hasn't been created yet? It may be unusual to write the beginning after you've already got the middle part, but it makes sense. Now that you have your thesis and arguments on paper, you can take the interesting elements and turn them into an attention-grabbing intro. Write a hook preceding it - it can be statistical information, a dialogue, a relevant anecdote, a quote, or just some fact, but it has to tie in with your thesis.

Also, if it's more comfortable to think of the hook first and then about the other parts, you're free to do so. Starting with the hook can help your creative process, but don't think too much about it. This way is more adjustable when you don't need to search for ‘how to write an essay quickly’ and have enough time to spend on it.

Step 8. Make a Strong Conclusion

Writing the conclusion paragraph is an important part of making a clear expression of everything you wrote above that. It is your opportunity to reinforce the thesis. Restate the arguments to leave the reader with something interesting to think about. It should be 3-5 strong conclusive sentences that place the whole information into a broader context. Don't forget to avoid introducing new points or ideas in your conclusion,

The introduction and conclusion is often the hardest part to write. So, you should save both for last, especially when you want to write an essay fast. It will take all of your time if you start thinking about them in the beginning when you haven't discussed any arguments yet. When you have the body paragraphs of your essay, it should be much easier to write a summarized conclusion and introduction.

Step 9. Check Everything

If you just typed ‘how to write an essay quickly’ and now reading this, then you already know you have to review your paper besides how much time you have before the deadline. So you always have to keep extra minutes to revise your work.

Check if there are any grammatical errors, if the paragraphs are in order - the main argument should be the first and last paragraph in your body, or if your work makes sense at all. These little elements affect the quality of your essay, especially the one you're writing in an hour.

This is the ultimate guide and your last step in learning to write an essay fast. Just don't panic and set your mind on doing it properly.

How to Write 500 Word Essay Fast

The essay writing process isn't so easy, especially when you want it done quickly. But it doesn't mean it's impossible. For example, have you ever wondered how to write a 500 word essay fast? If you are reading this article, you already have the answer. The previous examples we examined about writing papers faster are also adjustable to 500-word essays.

Let's do a small recap! First, decide on an interesting topic you want to write about, but don't overthink it. Instead, choose the one you know more about. Secondly, make a quick, basic outline of your thoughts and thesis statements. Then start working on your body paragraph, and lastly, do your introduction and conclusion. You can read above how to do each of these steps very easily.

In addition, you might be writing an SAT paper. In this case, you can apply these tips to the writing process with specific needs.

How to Write a Research Essay Fast

If you ever looked up 'how to write a research essay fast' and couldn't manage to find the solution through research, then we're here to help you out.

While writing a research paper requires a lot of effort—from developing a compelling thesis to locating relevant literature—doing so may be more fun if you select a topic you are passionate about. In addition, you have an opportunity to consider other people's discoveries and draw your own conclusions about what they signify.

Most essays have specifics that should be considered to be worth a good grade. If you don't know these needs, it can be difficult for you to complete the task properly. So then, what's your answer to it? Are you just sitting there wondering, 'how can I get research paper writing help ?' If you still haven't found the way, click on it, and there is your solution.

Pros and Cons of Writing an Essay Fast

As with everything else, writing your paper fast has its positive and negative sides too.

Let's start with the cons:

When writing fast, you may not leave yourself the time for proofreading and editing the work, which will lead to not a very good essay and a satisfactory grade.
Knowing that the deadline is coming closer can pressure you while preventing the creative process which can be destructive for your essay.
Time spent on each part of the paper may not be enough or correctly distributed, which can mess with essay structure.

Pros of writing essay fast:

The positive side of writing an argumentative essay fast is that now you know how to do it and don't need much time to waste.
You are always on time for deadlines when you know how to write a good essay fast.
Improves your time management skills.

So, It's entirely possible to write a good essay fast. For example, if you need to know how to write a process analysis essay, consider what we have already discussed above, and just like that, you are left with a great piece in a very short period!

There are many reasons why you can't finish your paper before the deadline. But it's not the end of the world, right? That's why essay writing services provide support for students. When you are in a position where you need to get your paper done fast by a professional, you can turn to EssayPro's cheap essay writing service. It's not a problem you have to worry about.

It doesn't matter if you need, for example, descriptive or expository essays, EssayPro's experts can provide both for you. You're just one click away from your perfect paper!

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How to Write a Policy Analysis Paper Step-by-Step

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Prices at BBQPapers start at $5.85 for 100 words. If you find yourself needing their services often, or requesting a lot of lengthy papers, then you can take advantage of their loyalty program. This gives you lifetime discounts of 5%, 10%, and 15% off all of your future papers.

Every paper comes with accurate referencing (in the style that you request), a review by a trained editor, and unlimited free revisions within 10 days. If even after this you’re not satisfied with the essay that you receive, you have a 60-day money-back guarantee.

If you’re looking for a specialized, completely confidential service with services available up to Ph.D. level of study, then look no further than BBQPapers.

3. EssayTerritory : Best Value

Saving money everywhere you can as a student is important, which is why great value paper writing services like EssayTerritory are great to find. You can expect a cheap, reliable, and fast service, for both education and business assignments!

A high school level paper with a 14-day deadline from EssayTerritory costs just $10 — and this price includes high-quality editing and proofreading, relevant case studies and sources, and unlimited free revisions. This service has one of the largest varieties of assignment types to choose from, including job applications, dissertation chapters, and thesis proposals.

Essays and college assignments from EssayTerritory can be written for Ph.D. level, and even then, prices are still very competitive. The highest price you’ll pay for Ph.D. projects with a 1-day turnaround is $81, much less than other paper writing services.

If you’re not satisfied with your paper, it’s easy to reach out to EssayTerritory 24/7 customer support. They can guide you through the process of requesting revisions or even give you a full refund thanks to their money-back guarantee.

If you’re looking for a high-quality, fast service at the best possible price that you can find, EssayTerritory can help you to pass your assignments without breaking the bank.

4. SpeedyPaper : Best Customer Support

What sets SpeedyPaper apart from the competition is its commitment to providing excellent service. With their friendly and dedicated customer support, at every stage of your purchase, you can feel confident and assured of the progress of your paper.

Their customer reviews praise the fast delivery, great price, and the communication that was received throughout the process. Their writers are professional and know how to deal with different subject areas to minute levels of detail.

We were impressed with how transparent SpeedyPaper is about its services. They outline their criteria for recruiting writers on their website, which includes academic verification using university degree qualifications, GPA, and high grammar test scores. They even outline how much their writers are paid.

SpeedyPaper pride themselves on their good customer reputation, which is maintained thanks to their reliable service and high quality customer care team. They have samples of previous work available to view on their website, which will give you an idea of the quality you can expect from the finished product.

SpeedyPaper is our recommendation for the research paper writing site that provides the best customer service and dedication to customer satisfaction.

5. EssayPro : Best for Choice and Flexibility

Any good essay writing service will assign writers to papers based on their expertise, knowledge, and education level. But some of these sites do this using an algorithm, which is efficient, but can make mistakes…and there’s no true substitute for a human eye.

EssayPro takes a revolutionary approach to this model, and instead of leaving your paper in the hands of AI, allows you to choose which of their writers you want to take care of your assignment. This unique service means that you can find the best possible writer who matches the needs of your paper.

EssayPro acts as an intermediary service that connects you with freelance writers who are highly qualified, and have often been working as professional writers for years. All of the writers on EssayPro have 5+ years of experience of academic writing, and have a Masters degree or higher qualification.

Thanks to the site-wide policy, you are entitled to unlimited free revisions with your order, no matter which writer you choose. You will also be guaranteed a fast, friendly, and professional writing service.

If you want to make sure that your paper is written by someone you can trust, then make sure to check out EssayPro!

FAQs About Research Paper Writing Services

How do essay writing services work.

If you’ve never ordered from an essay writing service before, then you might not know what to expect — or where to start. More and more college students are turning to these sites to help them with the increasing number of essays that they are assigned every semester — but how do essay writing services work?

The research paper writing services connect you with professional and academic writers, who are either employed by the site or work as self-employed freelancers, to work on your paper. The professional research paper writer will see the subject area you request, the number of words or pages that are needed, the deadline for the paper, and other information that you provide.

The research paper helper may contact you to request additional information, or to keep you updated on the progress of your paper. Because the writer that has been assigned to your paper will have knowledge of your subject area, they will use a variety of specialized resources to write your assignment.

Once your paper has been completed, you will receive a PDF draft from the professional writer — this is the stage where you can ask for any revisions to be made. If you’re happy with what has been written, the full version of the paper will be released to you, and is officially all yours!

Are research paper writing websites legit?

Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing illegal about using a custom research paper writing website. As long as you follow the correct procedures of your university, you also can’t get into trouble for academic misconduct.

Writers who work for research paper writing services are normal human beings, who happen to have a passion and a talent for writing. Usually, these writers are paid a large percentage of what you pay to the research paper help site — sometimes, they are also paid to work specific hours.

Before you start spending money though, it’s important to verify the integrity of the site you’re looking to use. The essay writing services space has exploded in popularity in recent years, which means that some people want to take advantage of this. There are plenty of sites that will take your payment and run, leaving you out of pocket and without an essay for your upcoming deadline.

Make sure to check the reviews of the sites you’re looking at — especially those on impartial sites such as TrustPilot. It can also be helpful to look at the About Us section on the website, to learn more about the company. Finally, if it seems too good to be true, it likely is — don’t trust sites that are charging something like $10 for thousands of words, with a same-day turnaround.

Can I entrust someone to write my research paper? Is it safe?

Research paper assistance sites mentioned on this list are 100% safe to use, and you don’t need to worry about any negative repercussions from using their services. The most reputable sites will have a confidentiality policy, where your interaction with their research paper writers will remain anonymous. Nobody will know you have used the site unless you share this information yourself.

Most sites put their professional paper writers through strict verification processes — this ensures not only their writing ability, but also that they are a real and trustworthy person. They may ask their writers to provide government issued ID, and proof of their employment or academic qualifications.

You may also be concerned about if your payment is secure when using a term paper writing service — many of these sites use secure payment methods such as PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay and more. There is also support for a number of international, fee-free payment options.

A good research paper writing service will also have stringent anti-plagiarism measures. This includes checking the finished product a number of times through different services, and some sites will have their own purpose-built plagiarism checkers.

Will my essay be plagiarism-free?

One of the main concerns when ordering an essay from a writing service is whether it will be flagged for plagiarism. Having this happen to one of your assignments can get you into serious trouble. You may be investigated by your school’s academic misconduct department, and you could even be expelled from your high school, university, or college.

Professional research paper services include a guarantee of plagiarism-free content. Your paper will contain only unique content, with no copy-pasted information. All sources will also be properly referenced in the style that you request.

To achieve this, sites use plagiarism checkers from a variety of sources. Many custom research papers and term papers are checked multiple times, and every effort is taken to reduce the similarity percentage of the finished product.

Specifically, many sites will ensure that their research papers pass the plagiarism check enforced by Turnitin — one of the most popular assignment submission platforms that many universities use. The platform has a strict plagiarism checker that will flag an assignment if it is above a certain similarity percentage.

You can be confident that your essay will be plagiarism-free when ordering from a paper writing service; and if it isn’t, you may be entitled for a free refund under their money back guarantee.

How much does it cost to hire professional research paper writers?

The price to buy a research paper online will vary depending on a few factors. Many sites will allow you to input your basic requirements, and give you an estimation of the price based on this. The factors that can increase or decrease the cost of your paper include its length, the deadline for submission, the education level, and sometimes the subject area.

The specific cost of paying for an essay may be calculated per page, or per 100 words. In most cases, our research found that the standard price for a 1 page, high-school level essay with a 2 week turnaround was between $10 and $12.

If you want to save on your research paper, then make sure to request the services of a writing site well in advance — the more time you give them to complete your paper, the less it will cost.

Can you get caught using term paper writing services?

This is a common concern for people who are looking to find a research paper service to write academic papers for them. Plagiarism not only includes using uncited sources from the internet, but also trying to pass off someone else’s work as your own. As we covered earlier, this can get you into a lot of trouble.

When buying an essay to use as a model answer, as reference material, or ideas, you cannot get caught or punished for using it. Your professors won’t need to see the essay that you bought, and you won’t need to cite your usage of it; because for all intents and purposes, it does not exist.

Things become less clear when you consider, or intend to submit a research paper that you bought. Many sites do not encourage this, and it should not be the main reason that you look for a service to write your essay for you. You have a much higher chance of being caught for submitting a bought research paper as your own, but you may also get away with it … do so at your own risk!

So, to conclude, our overall choice for the best research paper writing service is PaperHelp. We’re crowning them as our winner based on their high quality services, low prices, and fast delivery. Their customer reviews and testimonials show that people trust them to deliver on-time, and to take attention to detail in their work.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration, editing and proofreading, or just expert advice on your research paper, you can be sure of receiving an A+ service from PaperHelp.

The news and editorial staff of the Delco Daily Times had no role in this post’s preparation.

Why is looking at a solar eclipse dangerous without special glasses? Eye doctors explain.

By Sara Moniuszko

Edited By Allison Elyse Gualtieri

Updated on: April 8, 2024 / 8:54 AM EDT / CBS News

The solar eclipse will be visible for millions of Americans on April 8, 2024, making many excited to see it — but how you watch it matters, since it can be dangerous for your eyes.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the sun's light . When the moon blocks some of the sun, it's a partial solar eclipse, but when moon lines up with the sun, blocking all of its light, a total solar eclipse occurs, NASA explains . Either way, you need eye protection when viewing.

"The solar eclipse will be beautiful, so I hope that everyone experiences it — but they need to experience it in the right way," said Dr. Jason P. Brinton, an ophthalmologist and medical director at Brinton Vision in St. Louis.

Here's what to know to stay safe.

Why is looking at a solar eclipse dangerous?

Looking at the sun — even when it's partially covered like during an eclipse — can cause eye damage.

There is no safe dose of solar ultraviolet rays or infrared radiation, said Dr. Yehia Hashad , an ophthalmologist, retinal specialist and the chief medical officer at eye health company Bausch + Lomb.

"A very small dose could cause harm to some people," he said. "That's why we say the partial eclipse could also be damaging. And that's why we protect our eyes with the partial as well as with the full sun."

Some say that during a total eclipse, it's safe to view the brief period time when the moon completely blocks the sun without eye protection. But experts warn against it.

"Totality of the eclipse lasts only about 1 to 3 minutes based on geographic location, and bright sunlight suddenly can appear as the moon continues to move," notes an eclipse viewing guide published in JAMA , adding, "even a few seconds of viewing the sun during an eclipse" can temporarily or permanently damage your vision.

Do I need special glasses for eclipse viewing?

Yes. Eclipse glasses are needed to protect your eyes if you want to look at the eclipse.

Regular sunglasses aren't protective enough for eclipse viewing — even if you stack more than one.

"There's no amount of sunglasses that people can put on that will make up for the filtering that the ISO standard filters and the eclipse glasses provide," Brinton said.

You also shouldn't look at the eclipse through a camera lens, phone, binoculars or telescope, according to NASA, even while wearing eclipse glasses. The solar rays can burn through the lens and cause serious eye injury.

Eclipse glasses must comply with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard , according to NASA, and should have an "ISO" label printed on them to show they comply. The American Astronomical Society has a list of approved solar viewers.

Can't find these, or they're sold out near you? You can also make homemade viewers , which allow you to observe the eclipse indirectly — just don't accidentally look at the sun while using one.

How to keep kids safe during the solar eclipse

Since this eclipse is expected to occur around the time of dismissal for many schools across the country, it may be tempting for students to view it without the proper safety precautions while getting to and from their buses. That's why some school districts are canceling classes early so kids can enjoy the event safely with their families.

Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, vitreoretinal surgeon at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai, said parents should also be careful because it can be difficult for children to listen or keep solar eclipse glasses on.

"You want to actually, in my opinion, kind of avoid them even looking at the eclipse, if possible," he said. "Never look directly at the sun, always wear the right eclipse sunglasses if you are going to look at the sun and make sure that those are coming from a reliable source."

Brinton recommends everyone starts their eclipse "viewing" early, by looking at professional photos and videos of an eclipse online or visiting a local planetarium.

That way, you "have an idea of what to expect," he said.

He also recommends the foundation Prevent Blindness , which has resources for families about eclipse safety.

What happens if you look at a solar eclipse without eclipse glasses?

While your eyes likely won't hurt in the moment if you look at the eclipse without protection, due to lowered brightness and where damage occurs in the eye, beware: The rays can still cause damage .

The harm may not be apparent immediately. Sometimes trouble starts to appear one to a few days following the event. It could affect just one or both eyes.

And while some will regain normal visual function, sometimes the damage is permanent.

"Often there will be some recovery of the vision in the first few months after it, but sometimes there is no recovery and sometimes there's a degree to which it is permanent," Brinton said.

How long do you have to look at the eclipse to damage your eyes?

Any amount of time looking at the eclipse without protection is too long, experts say.

"If someone briefly looks at the eclipse, if it's extremely brief, in some cases there won't be damage. But damage can happen even within a fraction of a second in some cases," Brinton said. He said he's had patients who have suffered from solar retinopathy, the official name for the condition.

Deobhakta treated a patient who watched the 2017 solar eclipse for 20 seconds without proper eye protection. She now has permanent damage in the shape of a crescent that interferes with her vision.

"The crescent that is burned into the retina, the patient sees as black in her visual field," he said. "The visual deficit that she has will never go away."

How to know if you've damaged your eyes from looking at the eclipse

Signs and symptoms of eye damage following an eclipse viewing include headaches, blurred vision, dark spots, changes to how you see color, lines and shapes.

Unfortunately, there isn't a treatment for solar retinopathy.

"Seeing an eye care professional to solidify the diagnosis and for education I think is reasonable," Brinton said, but added, "right now there is nothing that we do for this. Just wait and give it time and the body does tend to heal up a measure of it."

Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.

More from CBS News

Couple gets engaged on flight to see total solar eclipse

Bill Nye shares tips for eclipse: "Be in the moment"

How to get a lower mortgage rate this spring

Transcript: Avril Benoit, Doctors Without Borders executive director, and Janti Soeripto, Save the Children president, on "Face the Nation," April 7, 2024

Frequently asked questions

How do i write a college essay fast.

If you’ve got to write your college essay fast , don’t panic. First, set yourself deadlines: you should spend about 10% of your remaining time on brainstorming, 10% on outlining, 40% writing, 30% revising, and 10% taking breaks in between stages.

Second, brainstorm stories and values based on your essay prompt.

Third, outline your essay based on the montage or narrative essay structure .

Fourth, write specific, personal, and unique stories that would be hard for other students to replicate.

Fifth, revise your essay and make sure it’s clearly written.

Last, if possible, get feedback from an essay coach . Scribbr essay editors can help you revise your essay in 12 hours or less.

Frequently asked questions: College admissions essays

When writing your Common App essay , choose a prompt that sparks your interest and that you can connect to a unique personal story.

No matter which prompt you choose, admissions officers are more interested in your ability to demonstrate personal development , insight, or motivation for a certain area of study.

The Common App essay is your primary writing sample within the Common Application, a college application portal accepted by more than 900 schools. All your prospective schools that accept the Common App will read this essay to understand your character, background, and value as a potential student.

Since this essay is read by many colleges, avoid mentioning any college names or programs; instead, save tailored answers for the supplementary school-specific essays within the Common App.

Most importantly, your essay should be about you , not another person or thing. An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability.

Your essay shouldn’t be a résumé of your experiences but instead should tell a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding your message and content. Then, check for flow, tone, style , and clarity. Finally, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors .

If your college essay goes over the word count limit , cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

Avoid swearing in a college essay , since admissions officers’ opinions of profanity will vary. In some cases, it might be okay to use a vulgar word, such as in dialogue or quotes that make an important point in your essay. However, it’s safest to try to make the same point without swearing.

If you have bad grades on your transcript, you may want to use your college admissions essay to explain the challenging circumstances that led to them. Make sure to avoid dwelling on the negative aspects and highlight how you overcame the situation or learned an important lesson.

However, some college applications offer an additional information section where you can explain your bad grades, allowing you to choose another meaningful topic for your college essay.

Here’s a brief list of college essay topics that may be considered cliché:

Extracurriculars, especially sports
Role models
Dealing with a personal tragedy or death in the family
Struggling with new life situations (immigrant stories, moving homes, parents’ divorce)
Becoming a better person after community service, traveling, or summer camp
Overcoming a difficult class
Using a common object as an extended metaphor

It’s easier to write a standout essay with a unique topic. However, it’s possible to make a common topic compelling with interesting story arcs, uncommon connections, and an advanced writing style.

Yes. The college application essay is less formal than other academic writing —though of course it’s not mandatory to use contractions in your essay.

In a college essay , you can be creative with your language . When writing about the past, you can use the present tense to make the reader feel as if they were there in the moment with you. But make sure to maintain consistency and when in doubt, default to the correct verb tense according to the time you’re writing about.

The college admissions essay gives admissions officers a different perspective on you beyond your academic achievements, test scores, and extracurriculars. It’s your chance to stand out from other applicants with similar academic profiles by telling a unique, personal, and specific story.

Use a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial to avoid distracting the reader from your college essay’s content.

A college application essay is less formal than most academic writing . Instead of citing sources formally with in-text citations and a reference list, you can cite them informally in your text.

For example, “In her research paper on genetics, Quinn Roberts explores …”

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay . College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count .

Most topics are acceptable for college essays if you can use them to demonstrate personal growth or a lesson learned. However, there are a few difficult topics for college essays that should be avoided. Avoid topics that are:

Overly personal (e.g. graphic details of illness or injury, romantic or sexual relationships)
Not personal enough (e.g. broad solutions to world problems, inspiring people or things)
Too negative (e.g. an in-depth look at your flaws, put-downs of others, criticizing the need for a college essay)
Too boring (e.g. a resume of your academic achievements and extracurriculars)
Inappropriate for a college essay (e.g. illegal activities, offensive humor, false accounts of yourself, bragging about privilege)

To write an effective diversity essay , include vulnerable, authentic stories about your unique identity, background, or perspective. Provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your outlook, activities, and goals. If relevant, you should also mention how your background has led you to apply for this university and why you’re a good fit.

Many universities believe a student body composed of different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community, which is why they assign a diversity essay .

In addition to your main college essay , some schools and scholarships may ask for a supplementary essay focused on an aspect of your identity or background. This is sometimes called a diversity essay .

You can use humor in a college essay , but carefully consider its purpose and use it wisely. An effective use of humor involves unexpected, keen observations of the everyday, or speaks to a deeper theme. Humor shouldn’t be the main focus of the essay, but rather a tool to improve your storytelling.

Get a second opinion from a teacher, counselor, or essay coach on whether your essay’s humor is appropriate.

Though admissions officers are interested in hearing your story, they’re also interested in how you tell it. An exceptionally written essay will differentiate you from other applicants, meaning that admissions officers will spend more time reading it.

You can use literary devices to catch your reader’s attention and enrich your storytelling; however, focus on using just a few devices well, rather than trying to use as many as possible.

To decide on a good college essay topic , spend time thoughtfully answering brainstorming questions. If you still have trouble identifying topics, try the following two strategies:

Identify your qualities → Brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities
Identify memorable stories → Connect your qualities to these stories

You can also ask family, friends, or mentors to help you brainstorm topics, give feedback on your potential essay topics, or recall key stories that showcase your qualities.

Yes—admissions officers don’t expect everyone to have a totally unique college essay topic . But you must differentiate your essay from others by having a surprising story arc, an interesting insight, and/or an advanced writing style .

There are no foolproof college essay topics —whatever your topic, the key is to write about it effectively. However, a good topic

Is meaningful, specific, and personal to you
Focuses on you and your experiences
Reveals something beyond your test scores, grades, and extracurriculars
Is creative and original

Unlike a five-paragraph essay, your admissions essay should not end by summarizing the points you’ve already made. It’s better to be creative and aim for a strong final impression.

You should also avoid stating the obvious (for example, saying that you hope to be accepted).

There are a few strategies you can use for a memorable ending to your college essay :

Return to the beginning with a “full circle” structure
Reveal the main point or insight in your story
Look to the future
End on an action

The best technique will depend on your topic choice, essay outline, and writing style. You can write several endings using different techniques to see which works best.

College deadlines vary depending on the schools you’re applying to and your application plan:

For early action applications and the first round of early decision applications, the deadline is on November 1 or 15. Decisions are released by mid-December.
For the second round of early decision applications, the deadline is January 1 or 15. Decisions are released in January or February.
Regular decision deadlines usually fall between late November and mid-March, and decisions are released in March or April.
Rolling admission deadlines run from July to April, and decisions are released around four to eight weeks after submission.

Depending on your prospective schools’ requirements, you may need to submit scores for the SAT or ACT as part of your college application .

Some schools now no longer require students to submit test scores; however, you should still take the SAT or ACT and aim to get a high score to strengthen your application package.

Aim to take the SAT or ACT in the spring of your junior year to give yourself enough time to retake it in the fall of your senior year if necessary.

Apply early for federal student aid and application fee waivers. You can also look for scholarships from schools, corporations, and charitable foundations.

To maximize your options, you should aim to apply to about eight schools:

Two reach schools that might be difficult to get into
Four match schools that you have a good chance of getting into
Two safety schools that you feel confident you’ll get into

The college admissions essay accounts for roughly 25% of the weight of your application .

At highly selective schools, there are four qualified candidates for every spot. While your academic achievements are important, your college admissions essay can help you stand out from other applicants with similar profiles.

In general, for your college application you will need to submit all of the following:

Your personal information
List of extracurriculars and awards
College application essays
Transcripts
Standardized test scores
Recommendation letters.

Different colleges may have specific requirements, so make sure you check exactly what’s expected in the application guidance.

You should start thinking about your college applications the summer before your junior year to give you sufficient time for college visits, taking standardized tests, applying for financial aid , writing essays, and collecting application material.

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count , and demonstrates the organization’s values.

If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions. In a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, you can group or color-code overlapping essay prompts; then, write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can even reuse or adapt your main college essay .

You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year. Continue applying throughout your senior year.

Invest time in applying for various scholarships , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.

You can find scholarships through your school counselor, community network, or an internet search.

A scholarship essay requires you to demonstrate your values and qualities while answering the prompt’s specific question.

After researching the scholarship organization, identify a personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies how you will be a successful student.

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

A unique, personally meaningful topic
A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook
Specific stories and language that show instead of telling
Vulnerability that’s authentic but not aimed at soliciting sympathy
Clear writing in an appropriate style and tone
A conclusion that offers deep insight or a creative ending

While timelines will differ depending on the student, plan on spending at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing the first draft of your college admissions essay , and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Don’t forget to save enough time for breaks between each writing and editing stage.

You should already begin thinking about your essay the summer before your senior year so that you have plenty of time to try out different topics and get feedback on what works.

Your college essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s weight. It may be the deciding factor in whether you’re accepted, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurricular track records.

In most cases, quoting other people isn’t a good way to start your college essay . Admissions officers want to hear your thoughts about yourself, and quotes often don’t achieve that. Unless a quote truly adds something important to your essay that it otherwise wouldn’t have, you probably shouldn’t include it.

Cliché openers in a college essay introduction are usually general and applicable to many students and situations. Most successful introductions are specific: they only work for the unique essay that follows.

The key to a strong college essay introduction is not to give too much away. Try to start with a surprising statement or image that raises questions and compels the reader to find out more.

The introduction of your college essay is the first thing admissions officers will read and therefore your most important opportunity to stand out. An excellent introduction will keep admissions officers reading, allowing you to tell them what you want them to know.

You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool . After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

In your application essay , admissions officers are looking for particular features : they want to see context on your background, positive traits that you could bring to campus, and examples of you demonstrating those qualities.

Colleges want to be able to differentiate students who seem similar on paper. In the college application essay , they’re looking for a way to understand each applicant’s unique personality and experiences.

You don’t need a title for your college admissions essay , but you can include one if you think it adds something important.

Your college essay’s format should be as simple as possible:

Use a standard, readable font
Use 1.5 or double spacing
If attaching a file, save it as a PDF
Stick to the word count
Avoid unusual formatting and unnecessary decorative touches

There are no set rules for how to structure a college application essay , but these are two common structures that work:

A montage structure, a series of vignettes with a common theme.
A narrative structure, a single story that shows your personal growth or how you overcame a challenge.

Avoid the five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in high school.

Campus visits are always helpful, but if you can’t make it in person, the college website will have plenty of information for you to explore. You should look through the course catalog and even reach out to current faculty with any questions about the school.

Colleges set a “Why this college?” essay because they want to see that you’ve done your research. You must prove that you know what makes the school unique and can connect that to your own personal goals and academic interests.

Depending on your writing, you may go through several rounds of revision . Make sure to put aside your essay for a little while after each editing stage to return with a fresh perspective.

Teachers and guidance counselors can help you check your language, tone, and content . Ask for their help at least one to two months before the submission deadline, as many other students will also want their help.

Friends and family are a good resource to check for authenticity. It’s best to seek help from family members with a strong writing or English educational background, or from older siblings and cousins who have been through the college admissions process.

If possible, get help from an essay coach or editor ; they’ll have specialized knowledge of college admissions essays and be able to give objective expert feedback.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding message, flow, tone, style , and clarity. Then, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
Whom do you admire most and why?
What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

In a college application essay , you can occasionally bend grammatical rules if doing so adds value to the storytelling process and the essay maintains clarity.

However, use standard language rules if your stylistic choices would otherwise distract the reader from your overall narrative or could be easily interpreted as unintentional errors.

Write concisely and use the active voice to maintain a quick pace throughout your essay and make sure it’s the right length . Avoid adding definitions unless they provide necessary explanation.

Use first-person “I” statements to speak from your perspective . Use appropriate word choices that show off your vocabulary but don’t sound like you used a thesaurus. Avoid using idioms or cliché expressions by rewriting them in a creative, original way.

If you’re an international student applying to a US college and you’re comfortable using American idioms or cultural references , you can. But instead of potentially using them incorrectly, don’t be afraid to write in detail about yourself within your own culture.

Provide context for any words, customs, or places that an American admissions officer might be unfamiliar with.

College application essays are less formal than other kinds of academic writing . Use a conversational yet respectful tone , as if speaking with a teacher or mentor. Be vulnerable about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences to connect with the reader.

Aim to write in your authentic voice , with a style that sounds natural and genuine. You can be creative with your word choice, but don’t use elaborate vocabulary to impress admissions officers.

Admissions officers use college admissions essays to evaluate your character, writing skills , and ability to self-reflect . The essay is your chance to show what you will add to the academic community.

The college essay may be the deciding factor in your application , especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars.

Some colleges also require supplemental essays about specific topics, such as why you chose that specific college . Scholarship essays are often required to obtain financial aid .

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Is it safe to look at a total solar eclipse? What to know about glasses, proper viewing

If you have your eyewear to take in monday's eclipse, here are some last-minute things to consider to ensure you're good to go..

The much-anticipated solar eclipse will finally enshroud thousands of miles of North America today in its long, narrow shadow. By now, those who plan to witness it should have their plans in place .

Travel has been completed. Schedules have been coordinated around the anticipated moment of totality. And proper eyewear is, of course, in your possession. Right?

We at USA TODAY have published no shortage of articles guiding you away from scam eclipse glasses and to the safest, most reliable options – some of which were even free. But if you need a last-minute refresher – or a crash course to catch you up on a topic you entirely missed – we're happy to oblige.

If you don't have your eclipse glasses by now, it may be too late. But some vendors, including Warby Parker , and even public libraries, have offered eclipse glasses giveaways , so be sure to check your local area before the historic event rolls into town.

And if you do have your eyewear to take in Monday's eclipse – the last one of these incredible astronomical events in North America for 20 years – here are some last-minute things to consider to ensure you're in good shape.

Solar eclipse 2024 live updates: See latest weather forecast, what time it hits your area

Can you go blind by looking at the solar eclipse?

Staring at the sun is unlikely to completely blind you , but its powerful rays can still burn and damage your retinas if you don't take proper safety precautions to view solar eclipses .

That's why eyewear is recommended if you plan to look up at the sun Monday to witness the solar eclipse, which most of the country will be able to experience in some way.

In the face of the sun's powerful rays, regular sunglasses made of cheap plastic and polycarbonate material just aren't going to cut it. Astronomers and other experts instead emphasize that skygazers intent on viewing the upcoming total solar eclipse do so with specialized eyewear crafted to protect their sensitive retinas from permanent damage.

Even viewing any part of the bright sun through camera lenses, binoculars and telescopes without a specialized solar filter could instantly cause severe eye injury , according to the American Astronomical Society.

Often made with a polyester film coated in aluminum, the glasses are highly specialized . Compared to regular sunglasses, proper eclipse glasses are 100,000 times darker to block nearly all visible, infrared and ultraviolet light and protect our sensitive retinas when looking skyward.

As another point of safety, don't look up while driving , please.

How to know when it's safe to view the eclipse without glasses

A total solar eclipse offers the unique opportunity for skygazers to witness the spectacular astral display with the naked eye – but only when the time is right.

Hundreds of cities in 13 states are along the path of totality for the eclipse, which will move across North America from southwest to northeast . When the moon moves completely in front of the sun and blocks its light for a brief period of time, you'll know it's safe to fully take in the dazzling display.

That moment is what is called "totality," whereby uncharacteristic darkness falls and all but the sun's outermost layer known as its corona makes a rare appearance to us here on Earth, according to NASA .

How to make sure your eclipse glasses aren't fake

In the rush to acquire some coveted eclipse glasses before April 8 , you may have inadvertently fallen victim to the fakes and imitators proliferating online retailers .

While plenty of legitimate certified eyewear was widely available – and may still be – less-scrupulous manufacturers try all sorts of methods and tricks to get your attention and make you believe the product you're about to buy is the real deal.

For instance, many vendors began making the grand (and entirely made-up) claim that their products are endorsed by NASA.

As the space agency reiterated to USA TODAY , NASA highly recommended that skygazers get a pair of certified eclipse glasses before the total solar eclipse charts a 115-mile-wide path of totality blanketing much of North America in uncharacteristic darkness . But it does not approve any particular brand of solar viewers, despite what many vendors may claim.

The responsibility of guiding American consumers to the safest eclipse glasses is largely left to the American Astronomical Society.

The organization maintains a curated list of approved vendors of solar eclipse glasses that it updated to give priority to North American manufacturers ahead of the total solar eclipse. Products you purchase that are listed on that site are guaranteed to be in compliance with the highest international safety standards.

Those standards are set by the International Organization for Standardization, which only vouches for solar eclipse glasses that are dark and strong enough to filter out a certain amount of the sun's harmful light.

The astronomical society also provides some helpful tips for how to spot counterfeit glasses.

No eclipse glasses? Welding lenses, pinhole projectors among alternative viewers

While certified solar eclipse glasses are the preferred method for viewing the eclipse, alternative methods do exist that don't necessarily sacrifice one's safety.

Many people, particularly blue-collar workers, may be tempted to turn to those welding lenses they have sitting in their workshop.

But beware: The most common welding goggles and helmets aren't typically strong enough to adequately withstand the sun's powerful rays and protect your vulnerable eyes.

Any welding lenses weaker than a Shade 12 filter – a number that indicates the level of protection offered – just aren't going to cut it when it comes to gazing upward in anticipation of the moon blocking all but the sun's outermost layer.

It's also not too late to buy some welding lenses, which Tractor Supply is promoting for sale at its 282 stores along the path of totality as a viable option for viewing the eclipse.

Another simple method is to create your own pinhole projector to project the sun onto a nearby surface. The American Astronomical Society offers helpful instructions to set them up.

And one final note: As you make your eclipse-viewing plans, these interactive maps should help you chart the time and duration for when totality would occur in cities along the path.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

COMMENTS

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How to write a whole research paper in a week

Prepare well

Reserve a whole week for writing

Get your Revision Checklist

Write the individual sections in a reasonable order

Just do it!

7 thoughts on “ How to write a whole research paper in a week ”

How to Write a Research Paper Fast

Photo by Russ Ward

1. Understand the Assignment:

2. Choose a Topic:

3. Perform Research:

4. Write Your Thesis:

5. Outline Your Paper:

6. The Body/Intro and Conclusion:

7. Cite Sources:

9. Proofread Revise and Editing:

10. Find and Remove Plagiarism:

Photo by Dan Dimmock on Unsplash

1. Brainstorm Quickly

2. Research

3. Write Quickly

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

1. Distraction-free:

2. Good lighting:

3. Go somewhere studious:

4. Bring just your supplies needed:

Tips to Avoid Procrastination

1. Start early:

2. Outline first and take breaks:

3. Ask for help if you need it:

The Bottom Line

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How to Write a Research Paper Fast in 9 Steps

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is a Research Paper?

How to Write a Research Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

Step #1: Set Objectives

Step #2: Plan

Step #3: Choose a Topic

Step #4: Literature Review

Step #1: Select Literature to Review

Step #2: Take Notes

Step #3: Write

Step #5: Organize Your Research

Step #6: Create a Thesis Statement

Step #7: Create an Outline

Step #8: Start Writing

Introduction

Step #9: Edit and Revise

Start Writing Your Research Paper

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