Writing Tips for Research Paper 

1. You must first understand your sources before you can write a good paper.
   1. Reread sentences or passages you don’t understand.
   2. Look up unfamiliar words.
   3. Don’t be afraid to ask a question if you do not understand something.
2. Think about where you are going before you begin to write.
   1. Create an outline.
   2. Organize your thoughts.
   3. Make a plan
3. Write to illuminate, not to impress
   1. Use the simplest words and phrasing.
   2. Define any specialized terminology (if a term was new to you, assume it will also be new to your reader).
   3. If you make a statement, back it up.
   4. Your statements will only be considered important to your paper if you can support them.  Ask yourself if you have proven every point in your paper. 

                                                               i.      -Some ways to back up your statements

1.       -reference to a reliable source (this will probably be the most common way)

2.       -relevant data

4. Always distinguish fact from possibility or opinion.
   1. You may form an opinion in your paper, but be sure the reader can tell the difference between your opinion and verifiable fact.  For example,  “the 1999 water polo team won more games than any team before them ever has,” is a fact;  “the 1999 water polo team is the best water polo team ever,” is your opinion, and should be supported by drawing the readers attention to relevant data to support your idea.
5. Say exactly what you mean.
   1. Imagery is great in some types of writing, but in research reporting you do not want the reader to have to guess what you are trying to say.
   2. Be precise.
   3. Never make the reader back up. Your paper should build.  If the reader continually has to refer back to the first page of your paper to see what you are talking about, then you are not building. You may need to remind the reader of what has already been written.
6. Never make the reader work, do the work for them.
   1. For example, never write: “ the difference in the absorption rate is clearly shown.”  Instead you may write, “Clearly, alcohol is more readily absorbed into the bloodstream from distilled, rather than brewed beverages.”
7. Stick to the point
   1. Ask yourself if all your information is relevant.  Even if it interesting but does not have anything     to do with your paper, delete it.
8. Don’t plagiarize.
   1. Express your own thoughts in your own words.  If you are quoting from another writer or restating that writer’s idea, you must credit your source.
9. Proof read
   1. If you can’t understand what you wrote, odds are no one else can either.
10. Appearances are important.
11. Never underestimate the subjective element in grading.  Your instructor will certainly take into      account the neatness of your project and consider MLA style.
12. Always make an extra copy of your paper and save it frequently.  After all, everyone loses stuff every now and then.