Basic setup of a research paper

Your teacher or professor will typically tell you what style guide to use. Research studies begin with a question in mind. A paper that describes a particular study clearly states the question, methodology, findings, and other relevant information. Read below for descriptions and examples of research paper sections. However, all of the following sections are typically present in a formal research paper. Here is an example of a basic APA cover page.

An abstract is a detailed summary of your study. It should include a broad overview of the paper, your research question, the significance of your study, methods of research, and findings. Poverty affects more than 41 million Americans every day — most of whom are children. Food insecurity and undernutrition have a confirmed correlation to slower cognitive development for children under three years of age. Hungry children cannot form skills as quickly as their peers due to both deprivation of vital nutrients and poor concentration.

But, there has been little focus on how these effects scale up in terms of school performance past kindergarten. Public schools have several programs in place to mitigate the problem of food insecurity, including free breakfast and reduced lunch. We surveyed students at Arbor Elementary School over the course of one school year to see how effective these programs were in improving their academic performance and general contentment in school. The results of these surveys reveal how long children are academically affected by systemic food insecurity, even when their stomachs are currently full.

The introduction section tells the reader what problem your study is attempting to solve. Clearly state the research question in the form of a thesis statement. Poverty and poor school performance are two problems that keep Americans from reaching their full potential. Alongside poverty is food insecurity, which affects millions of households — and children — every day.

But could focusing on one problem help to solve the other? We wanted to find out whether programs designed to reduce food insecurity for targeted children would improve their school performance, and therefore, give them a more successful start in life. What inspired you to take on this study? What has previous research stated or revealed about this topic? The background section is the place to add historical data or define previous theories that provide context for your study.

Read on for an example of a paragraph from the background section of a research paper. Food insecurity is defined by the U. FAO Knowing whether you used qualitative or quantitative methods is an important part of understanding your study. You can list all the ways you collected data, including surveys, experiments, or field research. We used qualitative methods to gather data about students who may experience food insecurity.

The length depends on the size of your paper as a whole. In many cases, the introduction will be shorter than all of the other sections of your paper. Why is an introduction vital to a research paper? Citing your work is an essential part of any research paper. Yet, for some students, it is frustrating and tedious work. There are many interactive web tools designed to assist students when it comes to creating citations. For most of the tools, you simply fill out a form to provide the necessary information and select your preferred style.

Synopsis research paper example how to write a university psychology essay, Does your research or term paper require MLA style? Use this accessible template to help you follow the proper guidelines. Includes instructional text to assist you in easily creating your report.

Use this MLA example for your next high school or college research paper. Admission essay meaning paper write for a plan to research research How structure of an academic essay uk, writing about family for college essay festival essay in punjabi language, essay for pride.

Do not right justify your entire essay and do not automatically format hyphens if you are using a word processor to type your essay. Left justify or justify your essay and type in the hyphens yourself where needed. Left justification is preferred as it will not leave big gaps between words. When used within the text of your paper, titles of all full-length works such as novels, plays, or books, should be underlined, e. Put in quotation marks titles of shorter works, such as newspaper, journal, and magazine articles, chapters of books or essays, e.

Look it up in a dictionary whenever you are not sure whether a word is being used as a preposition, a conjunction, a noun, a verb, or an adverb. For complicated details on how to cite titles and quotations within titles, sacred texts, shortened titles, exceptions to the rule, etc.

If your written report or research paper is extremely long, it may be helpful to include a Table of Contents showing the page number where each section begins.

For those writing a lengthy document, i. A less involved Table of Contents may simply include the following sections: Introduction, Body use main section headings , Conclusion or Summary , Works Cited or References , along with the corresponding page number where each section begins. Introduction ………………………………………………………………… 1 Government ………………………………………………………………… 3 Economy ……………………………………………………………………… 6 Arts and Entertainment ………………………………………………..

No special word, phrase or fancy symbol is needed to mark the end of your essay. A period at the end of your last sentence is all that is needed. Sheets of paper should be stapled at the upper left-hand corner. Use a paper clip if no stapler is available. Do not use a pin or fold the paper. Unless specifically requested by your teacher, do not hand in your paper in a folder, a binder, a plastic jacket, rolled up with an elastic band around it, or tied with a ribbon or a string.

Do not spray perfume or cologne on your paper or use scented paper. And NEVER hand in your research or term paper in loose sheets even if the sheets are numbered and neatly placed in an envelope or folder.

The condition of the paper you hand in is an indication of the respect you have for yourself and for your teacher. The topics used for each research paper are inherently different, and even identical topics will appear to be unique based on the viewpoints and educational level of the author.

It should include a bulleted list of subheadings and headings; be sure to mention as much detail as possible. Crossing out each section as you finish it will help you to stay thorough. Here is a sample research paper outline. Read to the end and still stuck with ideas for your research paper?

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