Writing Your First Research Paper: Dos And Don’ts You Have To Know

Carmen Bray
3 min readDec 22, 2020

Are scheduled to do your first research paper?

If so then you have come to the right place.

A research paper is arguably one of the most important assignments every student must do in college that’s meant to help them convey their hard work and research skills to their professors.

Due to its significance, you’re going to need to make sure all the boxes are checked.

Besides, submitting a well-written research paper will make you face a few questions from the reviewers.

In this article, you’re going to learn the research paper writing do’s and don’ts so you know what to do and what you shouldn’t.

So without much ado, let’s get rolling.

Research Paper Writing Do’s

· Seek external help. It’s possible to think that you’re prepared enough to write the research paper yourself but sometimes seeking external help could help you. To get cheap research papers or the highest quality ones, you must seek help from a reputable company.

This involves checking company reviews, qualifications of the research paper writers, etc.

If you decide to tackle the research paper yourself…

· Write something worth reading. When writing your research paper, ask yourself, “can I read this piece I’m writing?”, “is the research paper worth reading by someone else?”

The research paper needs to give your reader enough information to make them understand your writing. You need to write it in simple and clear language that’s easy to understand.

· Use unambiguous language. Someone reading your research paper shouldn’t get confused. Your target reader should be able to tell what your research paper is all about by reading the title. Avoid writing stories but focus on explaining the topic.

· Authenticate the accuracy and correctness of the data you present. Remember that your research paper could be the foundation of future research. Giving incorrect data could mislead others who are going to use your research paper in the future.

Therefore, ensure your formula, data, and figures are accurate.

· Provide solid evidence to support your arguments. As you will be required to back up your research findings, you’re therefore required to provide concrete evidence.

· Cite your references properly. As you gather information to compile your research paper together, make sure you write down the sources you obtained data from. This will help you to cite your references once you’re done writing. Remember to use reliable sources for your citations as well.

· Proofread and edit your paper. Once you have written your research paper, be sure to proofread it several times, and correct any mistake you might have made. You could have a friend or colleague to proofread your work or hire an expert proofreader.

Research Paper Writing Don’ts

· Don’t include irrelevant information. The content of your research paper needs to answer the questions asked or provide solutions to problems you discovered with your research. You should, therefore, include information pertinent to the topic only.

· Don’t use Wikipedia. As stated earlier, you should use accredited sources to cite your references.

· Don’t forget to reference other materials by other researchers. If you use other material presented by other prominent researchers, be sure to attribute it.

· Don’t use first-person pronouns. As a rule, your research paper needs to be in the second-person pronouns. You should avoid using first-person pronouns like “me”, “my”, “I”, “we”, etc.

· Don’t exceed the stated word count limit. As a general rule of thumb, you should stick to the guidelines specified.

Final Thoughts

Following these research paper writing rules will make your writing process fun and enjoyable. It will also help you to compile an excellent research paper.

Good luck!

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Carmen Bray
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Writer, blogger, academic mentor, tutor.