How To Write A Strong Research Paper: Creating The First Draft

It is impossible to write a good research paper at once without creating a draft. The first draft is the starting point of your text work. It should include all notes in your possession, which contain the most important points of your work. It also shows the outline of the future final text and is the base of your whole work. The base should be strong and the following ideas can help you in preparing your first draft.

  1. Split the work.
  2. Many graduate students study large amounts of information and they end up writing tons of pages, thus spending a lot of time on this toilsome work. Divide the research into parts and after finishing each of them, start noting it. This will help you avoid a long text work and have a clear mind.

  3. Don’t be a perfectionist.
  4. Remember that it is not your final draft! There is no need to spend much time on clarifying, expanding and explaining all your notes. Write quickly and roughly and only the most vital points. That will be enough before refining the text and bringing it to perfection.

  5. Imagine the reader you are writing to.
  6. Knowing to whom you address the text, makes it easier to select proper words. Just write as fast as you can, without thinking about the style. You can always correct it later. The outline of the research paper is more important now.

  7. Create a plan of writing.
  8. Write the points of your future content and select the number of hours you are able to devote to writing. Write three or four pages a day, but don’t overwork.

  9. Avoid self-criticism.
  10. Criticism is unnecessary while working on your draft. Don’t start checking the text after every written page. If you start deleting and correcting things now, you’ll eventually delete and correct even more.

  11. Write the easiest points first.
  12. The easiest paragraphs should be written first so that you didn’t have to return to them later and work on more difficult topics. Think of your work as several little research papers united by the same idea.

  13. Write down anything that might be useful.
  14. You can’t know for sure what information you will include in the final draft of your research paper. Take notes on everything that interests you. After filtering the material, it will be easier to choose what to use from a greater variety of information.

  15. Use both paper and electronic resources.
  16. Have several copies of your information to avoid losing some vital data. Both paper and digital copies are fine.

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