How to Write a Research Paper

Five steps to writing a research paper—from reading the instructions to the finished product.
Step 1: Don’t Panic
Step 2: Research and Other Disasters
Step 3: Citations, Not Warnings
Step 4: Dry Run
Step 5: There is no great writing, only great rewriting

"This page lists some of the stages involved in writing a library-based research paper.
Although this list suggests that there is a simple, linear process to writing such a paper, the actual process of writing a research paper is often a messy and recursive one, so please use this outline as a flexible guide.
1. Discovering, Narrowing, and Focusing a Researchable Topic
2. Finding, Selecting, and Reading Sources
3. Grouping, Sequencing, and Documenting Information
4. Writing an Outline and a Prospectus for Yourself
5. Writing the Introduction
6. Writing the Body
7. Writing the Conclusion
8. Revising the Final Draft"

"There will come a time in most students' careers when they are assigned a research paper. Such an assignment often creates a great deal of unneeded anxiety in the student, which may result in procrastination and a feeling of confusion and inadequacy. This anxiety frequently stems from the fact that many students are unfamiliar and inexperienced with this genre of writing. Never fear—inexperience and unfamiliarity are situations you can change through practice! Writing a research paper is an essential aspect of academics and should not be avoided on account of one's anxiety." (Contributors: Jack Raymond Baker, Allen Brizee, Ashley Velázquez)

College Writing: "help you figure out what your college instructors expect when they give you a writing assignment"
Thesis Statements: what they are, how they work, how to use them
Argument: what it is and why you need one
Paragraph Development: how they're formed and how to develop stronger ones
Introductions: functions, strategies, examples
Conclusions: functions, strategies, examples