Parts of Research Paper: Definition and Guidelines

Academic papers mean a lot to students and failure to present them right could lead to regrettable failures. A research paper usually carries more details than the rest of the paper and therefore requires a student to put in more work. The length of this paper depends on the course or subject of study. You can have all the right materials and use the perfect methodology but if your format is wrong, then you are at loss. Different academic papers have different formats. The recommended style of writing also determines how the format goes.

The following are the parts of a research paper:

• Title Page

The title is the head of the study and it comes first on the paper. It is the most important part of the paper since without it the study cannot begin. For you to get this part right, you will need to do a lot of brainstorming. Consider a trendy topic that you are interested in. Also, let your scope be reasonable so that it is not too broad or too narrow.

• The Abstract

Depending on the overall length of the whole paper, this section should be around one hundred to five hundred words long. It contains the summary, the goal, and the objective of the research paper. In other words, the abstract should summarize the whole research so that your reader gets the gist of the study before they even go further.

• Introduction

This is the part where the writer explains briefly their paper objective and they do so by listing the main points. The introduction should be compelling and catchy enough to keep the reader going. The thesis statement should also be included in this section. It includes the writer’s opinion which also forms the basis of the study.

• The Methodology

In this section, you should give a detailed report on the research process. This includes the materials and methods of data collection, analysis, and presentation. This part is specifically beneficial to researchers who would like to repeat your study and compare results. By seeing what you did and how you did it, they can pick on the loopholes and do better.

• Structure

Here, the writer gives detailed explanations of the key points. These are written in separate paragraphs to give clarity and enough attention to each point. In this part, the methodology of the study is discussed, tables and figures are also included. Detailed examples are needed here.

• Research Paper Conclusion

This is a summary of the paper. It should capture all the key points and reconcile them to the thesis statement. In this section, the writer gives personal opinions, recommendations, and a call to action. It should be as compelling as possible to give the reader a reason to follow up.

Bottom Line

The format of a research paper is just as important as the content. If you mix up the parts or leave out some of the important ones, you end up with a different document. Follow the format given here for quality and legit research paper.