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Writing a research paper is a critical skill to be learned to successfully pass many high school and college courses. It will also serve you well in your life regardless of your field. Learn five steps to writing a research paper below.

Choose an Appropriate Topic

Choosing an appropriate topic involves selecting one fitting the criteria of the assignment your professor has laid out for you, but also one that interests you and which you can handle in the amount of time given to you to complete the assignment. Choosing a topic that is too specialized or technical will make the assignment extraordinarily difficult or even impossible for you to complete within the specified time frame.

Spend Some Time Doing Quality Research

Quality research is needed to make the job of writing a research paper easier. You should utilize both online and offline resources for thorough research. This includes the Internet, newspapers, magazines, books, and more. When it comes to online research, note the websites you are taking information from in regards to their domain name extensions - .com, .net, .edu, .org, .gov, etc. Information from sites with the latter three extensions can provide more specialized and expert details about a topic than information from the first two extensions, so it is best to utilize as many different types of sites as possible.

Create Your Thesis

When writing a research paper, your thesis statement is the main idea of your paper, what the whole paper will be about. Your research will lead to arguments that support your thesis, as well as counterarguments that will help to evaluate your thesis and why you hold the position that you do. Carefully think about what your position is and state this at the end of your introductory paragraph.

Outline Your Paper

It is usually easier to write a research paper when you outline what you will write about first. This way, you have a clear idea of what you should discuss in your paper and ensure you stay on topic so that your paper isn’t longer than it needs to be. This outline usually consists of the main idea, topics about the main idea, and subtopics that discuss the topics in greater detail.

Write Several Drafts

Your best work will usually result from writing a draft, rereading and revising it, then writing another draft and repeating the entire process a time or two. This will help to organize your thoughts, make your argument stronger and details clearer, and enable you to write your best paper possible.