Basic Parts of a Research Paper

A research paper is the document that you write once you join higher learning institutions. When in the university or college working on your undergraduate degree, or Masters’ degree, you will pass through the research paper. The academic paper refers to a document that explores and identifies scientific, technical and also social science matters. The first time writing a research paper might feel like the process is overwhelming you. Don’t despair because with good focus and clarity, the process gets easier. With planning and preparation, the writing process falls into place.

The Rules and Regulations
With the research paper, there are general rules and guidelines which are followed when writing them. You should familiarize yourself with other writer’s works so that you can compare them to your personal ideas and utilize them. The main parts of a research paper include the following:
•    Title - This is also referred to as a cover page. In this section, you can indicate your research title, your name and also the relevant information regarding the institution that you study from. Your instructor can also ask you to include other information to your title page. It is good to check with your instructor about any additional information they might have with regards to your assignment.
•    The Introduction - Introduce your readers to the topic you are writing about through your thesis statement. It should summarize the purpose of your research assignment by offering primary reasons for the problem, and the solutions and recommendations offered.
•    Literature Review - This section forms parts of a research paper, and it is essential to the writing process of the academic works. You will provide the relevant readings of your sources through this part. The research material should be from credible academic sources. These include educational books and peer-reviewed journals. This section includes authors’ names, title of their works, and the publication year.
•    The Research Methodology - This section provides you with research methods. When you check through various samples of research papers, you will notice that this section is vital to your writing process. You cannot afford not to have it within your writing. It explains the methods that you have used to gather your research information. They include observation, statistical calculations, laboratory experiments and others.
•    Data Analysis - This section is one of the main parts of a research paper. It is used to analyze the data obtained. Depending on your research paper, the instruments that you use to analyze your data might vary. Some of the common data analysis methods include the SWOT qualitative analysis which refers to the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats analysis.
•    The Results - This forms parts of a research paper, and it is whereby you present your actual analysis results based on the methodology you chose. You also outline the implications of your results to various fields of study. The recommendations for improvement get outlined here.
•    The Conclusion - When you view various samples of research papers you will notice that they all have the conclusion section.  Examples of sample research papers include APA, MLA, and Turabian and Harvard style. It is vital that you re-state your general thesis statement, the methodology, data analysis and the results. Your readers will keep remembering the main purpose of your research paper when you re-state it.
•    Reference Page - In this section, you get to list all the academic sources and material you have used for your research paper. You should also follow the standard formats that your instructors provide. They could be the APA style, the Harvard style, MLA and the Chicago style.