best ways to write a research paper

How To Write A Research Paper

Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + FREE Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | March 2024

For many students, crafting a strong research paper from scratch can feel like a daunting task – and rightly so! In this post, we’ll unpack what a research paper is, what it needs to do , and how to write one – in three easy steps. 🙂 

Overview: Writing A Research Paper

What (exactly) is a research paper.

• How to write a research paper
• Stage 1 : Topic & literature search
• Stage 2 : Structure & outline
• Stage 3 : Iterative writing
• Key takeaways

Let’s start by asking the most important question, “ What is a research paper? ”.

Simply put, a research paper is a scholarly written work where the writer (that’s you!) answers a specific question (this is called a research question ) through evidence-based arguments . Evidence-based is the keyword here. In other words, a research paper is different from an essay or other writing assignments that draw from the writer’s personal opinions or experiences. With a research paper, it’s all about building your arguments based on evidence (we’ll talk more about that evidence a little later).

Now, it’s worth noting that there are many different types of research papers , including analytical papers (the type I just described), argumentative papers, and interpretative papers. Here, we’ll focus on analytical papers , as these are some of the most common – but if you’re keen to learn about other types of research papers, be sure to check out the rest of the blog .

With that basic foundation laid, let’s get down to business and look at how to write a research paper .

Overview: The 3-Stage Process

While there are, of course, many potential approaches you can take to write a research paper, there are typically three stages to the writing process. So, in this tutorial, we’ll present a straightforward three-step process that we use when working with students at Grad Coach.

These three steps are:

• Finding a research topic and reviewing the existing literature
• Developing a provisional structure and outline for your paper, and
• Writing up your initial draft and then refining it iteratively

Let’s dig into each of these.

Need a helping hand?

Step 1: Find a topic and review the literature

As we mentioned earlier, in a research paper, you, as the researcher, will try to answer a question . More specifically, that’s called a research question , and it sets the direction of your entire paper. What’s important to understand though is that you’ll need to answer that research question with the help of high-quality sources – for example, journal articles, government reports, case studies, and so on. We’ll circle back to this in a minute.

The first stage of the research process is deciding on what your research question will be and then reviewing the existing literature (in other words, past studies and papers) to see what they say about that specific research question. In some cases, your professor may provide you with a predetermined research question (or set of questions). However, in many cases, you’ll need to find your own research question within a certain topic area.

Finding a strong research question hinges on identifying a meaningful research gap – in other words, an area that’s lacking in existing research. There’s a lot to unpack here, so if you wanna learn more, check out the plain-language explainer video below.

Once you’ve figured out which question (or questions) you’ll attempt to answer in your research paper, you’ll need to do a deep dive into the existing literature – this is called a “ literature search ”. Again, there are many ways to go about this, but your most likely starting point will be Google Scholar .

If you’re new to Google Scholar, think of it as Google for the academic world. You can start by simply entering a few different keywords that are relevant to your research question and it will then present a host of articles for you to review. What you want to pay close attention to here is the number of citations for each paper – the more citations a paper has, the more credible it is (generally speaking – there are some exceptions, of course).

Ideally, what you’re looking for are well-cited papers that are highly relevant to your topic. That said, keep in mind that citations are a cumulative metric , so older papers will often have more citations than newer papers – just because they’ve been around for longer. So, don’t fixate on this metric in isolation – relevance and recency are also very important.

Beyond Google Scholar, you’ll also definitely want to check out academic databases and aggregators such as Science Direct, PubMed, JStor and so on. These will often overlap with the results that you find in Google Scholar, but they can also reveal some hidden gems – so, be sure to check them out.

Once you’ve worked your way through all the literature, you’ll want to catalogue all this information in some sort of spreadsheet so that you can easily recall who said what, when and within what context. If you’d like, we’ve got a free literature spreadsheet that helps you do exactly that.

Step 2: Develop a structure and outline

With your research question pinned down and your literature digested and catalogued, it’s time to move on to planning your actual research paper .

It might sound obvious, but it’s really important to have some sort of rough outline in place before you start writing your paper. So often, we see students eagerly rushing into the writing phase, only to land up with a disjointed research paper that rambles on in multiple

Now, the secret here is to not get caught up in the fine details . Realistically, all you need at this stage is a bullet-point list that describes (in broad strokes) what you’ll discuss and in what order. It’s also useful to remember that you’re not glued to this outline – in all likelihood, you’ll chop and change some sections once you start writing, and that’s perfectly okay. What’s important is that you have some sort of roadmap in place from the start.

At this stage you might be wondering, “ But how should I structure my research paper? ”. Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here, but in general, a research paper will consist of a few relatively standardised components:

• Introduction
• Literature review
• Methodology

Let’s take a look at each of these.

First up is the introduction section . As the name suggests, the purpose of the introduction is to set the scene for your research paper. There are usually (at least) four ingredients that go into this section – these are the background to the topic, the research problem and resultant research question , and the justification or rationale. If you’re interested, the video below unpacks the introduction section in more detail. 

The next section of your research paper will typically be your literature review . Remember all that literature you worked through earlier? Well, this is where you’ll present your interpretation of all that content . You’ll do this by writing about recent trends, developments, and arguments within the literature – but more specifically, those that are relevant to your research question . The literature review can oftentimes seem a little daunting, even to seasoned researchers, so be sure to check out our extensive collection of literature review content here .

With the introduction and lit review out of the way, the next section of your paper is the research methodology . In a nutshell, the methodology section should describe to your reader what you did (beyond just reviewing the existing literature) to answer your research question. For example, what data did you collect, how did you collect that data, how did you analyse that data and so on? For each choice, you’ll also need to justify why you chose to do it that way, and what the strengths and weaknesses of your approach were.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that for some research papers, this aspect of the project may be a lot simpler . For example, you may only need to draw on secondary sources (in other words, existing data sets). In some cases, you may just be asked to draw your conclusions from the literature search itself (in other words, there may be no data analysis at all). But, if you are required to collect and analyse data, you’ll need to pay a lot of attention to the methodology section. The video below provides an example of what the methodology section might look like.

By this stage of your paper, you will have explained what your research question is, what the existing literature has to say about that question, and how you analysed additional data to try to answer your question. So, the natural next step is to present your analysis of that data . This section is usually called the “results” or “analysis” section and this is where you’ll showcase your findings.

Depending on your school’s requirements, you may need to present and interpret the data in one section – or you might split the presentation and the interpretation into two sections. In the latter case, your “results” section will just describe the data, and the “discussion” is where you’ll interpret that data and explicitly link your analysis back to your research question. If you’re not sure which approach to take, check in with your professor or take a look at past papers to see what the norms are for your programme.

Alright – once you’ve presented and discussed your results, it’s time to wrap it up . This usually takes the form of the “ conclusion ” section. In the conclusion, you’ll need to highlight the key takeaways from your study and close the loop by explicitly answering your research question. Again, the exact requirements here will vary depending on your programme (and you may not even need a conclusion section at all) – so be sure to check with your professor if you’re unsure.

Step 3: Write and refine

Finally, it’s time to get writing. All too often though, students hit a brick wall right about here… So, how do you avoid this happening to you?

Well, there’s a lot to be said when it comes to writing a research paper (or any sort of academic piece), but we’ll share three practical tips to help you get started.

First and foremost , it’s essential to approach your writing as an iterative process. In other words, you need to start with a really messy first draft and then polish it over multiple rounds of editing. Don’t waste your time trying to write a perfect research paper in one go. Instead, take the pressure off yourself by adopting an iterative approach.

Secondly , it’s important to always lean towards critical writing , rather than descriptive writing. What does this mean? Well, at the simplest level, descriptive writing focuses on the “ what ”, while critical writing digs into the “ so what ” – in other words, the implications . If you’re not familiar with these two types of writing, don’t worry! You can find a plain-language explanation here.

Last but not least, you’ll need to get your referencing right. Specifically, you’ll need to provide credible, correctly formatted citations for the statements you make. We see students making referencing mistakes all the time and it costs them dearly. The good news is that you can easily avoid this by using a simple reference manager . If you don’t have one, check out our video about Mendeley, an easy (and free) reference management tool that you can start using today.

Recap: Key Takeaways

We’ve covered a lot of ground here. To recap, the three steps to writing a high-quality research paper are:

• To choose a research question and review the literature
• To plan your paper structure and draft an outline
• To take an iterative approach to writing, focusing on critical writing and strong referencing

Remember, this is just a b ig-picture overview of the research paper development process and there’s a lot more nuance to unpack. So, be sure to grab a copy of our free research paper template to learn more about how to write a research paper.

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How to Write a Research Paper

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Research Paper Fundamentals

How to choose a topic or question, how to create a working hypothesis or thesis, common research paper methodologies, how to gather and organize evidence , how to write an outline for your research paper, how to write a rough draft, how to revise your draft, how to produce a final draft, resources for teachers .

It is not fair to say that no one writes anymore. Just about everyone writes text messages, brief emails, or social media posts every single day. Yet, most people don't have a lot of practice with the formal, organized writing required for a good academic research paper. This guide contains links to a variety of resources that can help demystify the process. Some of these resources are intended for teachers; they contain exercises, activities, and teaching strategies. Other resources are intended for direct use by students who are struggling to write papers, or are looking for tips to make the process go more smoothly.

The resources in this section are designed to help students understand the different types of research papers, the general research process, and how to manage their time. Below, you'll find links from university writing centers, the trusted Purdue Online Writing Lab, and more.

What is an Academic Research Paper?

"Genre and the Research Paper" (Purdue OWL)

There are different types of research papers. Different types of scholarly questions will lend themselves to one format or another. This is a brief introduction to the two main genres of research paper: analytic and argumentative. 

"7 Most Popular Types of Research Papers" (Personal-writer.com)

This resource discusses formats that high school students commonly encounter, such as the compare and contrast essay and the definitional essay. Please note that the inclusion of this link is not an endorsement of this company's paid service.

How to Prepare and Plan Out Writing a Research Paper

Teachers can give their students a step-by-step guide like these to help them understand the different steps of the research paper process. These guides can be combined with the time management tools in the next subsection to help students come up with customized calendars for completing their papers.

"Ten Steps for Writing Research Papers" (American University)  

This resource from American University is a comprehensive guide to the research paper writing process, and includes examples of proper research questions and thesis topics.

"Steps in Writing a Research Paper" (SUNY Empire State College)

This guide breaks the research paper process into 11 steps. Each "step" links to a separate page, which describes the work entailed in completing it.

How to Manage Time Effectively

The links below will help students determine how much time is necessary to complete a paper. If your sources are not available online or at your local library, you'll need to leave extra time for the Interlibrary Loan process. Remember that, even if you do not need to consult secondary sources, you'll still need to leave yourself ample time to organize your thoughts.

"Research Paper Planner: Timeline" (Baylor University)

This interactive resource from Baylor University creates a suggested writing schedule based on how much time a student has to work on the assignment.

"Research Paper Planner" (UCLA)

UCLA's library offers this step-by-step guide to the research paper writing process, which also includes a suggested planning calendar.

There's a reason teachers spend a long time talking about choosing a good topic. Without a good topic and a well-formulated research question, it is almost impossible to write a clear and organized paper. The resources below will help you generate ideas and formulate precise questions.

"How to Select a Research Topic" (Univ. of Michigan-Flint)

This resource is designed for college students who are struggling to come up with an appropriate topic. A student who uses this resource and still feels unsure about his or her topic should consult the course instructor for further personalized assistance.

"25 Interesting Research Paper Topics to Get You Started" (Kibin)

This resource, which is probably most appropriate for high school students, provides a list of specific topics to help get students started. It is broken into subsections, such as "paper topics on local issues."

"Writing a Good Research Question" (Grand Canyon University)

This introduction to research questions includes some embedded videos, as well as links to scholarly articles on research questions. This resource would be most appropriate for teachers who are planning lessons on research paper fundamentals.

"How to Write a Research Question the Right Way" (Kibin)

This student-focused resource provides more detail on writing research questions. The language is accessible, and there are embedded videos and examples of good and bad questions.

It is important to have a rough hypothesis or thesis in mind at the beginning of the research process. People who have a sense of what they want to say will have an easier time sorting through scholarly sources and other information. The key, of course, is not to become too wedded to the draft hypothesis or thesis. Just about every working thesis gets changed during the research process.

CrashCourse Video: "Sociology Research Methods" (YouTube)

Although this video is tailored to sociology students, it is applicable to students in a variety of social science disciplines. This video does a good job demonstrating the connection between the brainstorming that goes into selecting a research question and the formulation of a working hypothesis.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement for an Analytical Essay" (YouTube)

Students writing analytical essays will not develop the same type of working hypothesis as students who are writing research papers in other disciplines. For these students, developing the working thesis may happen as a part of the rough draft (see the relevant section below). 

"Research Hypothesis" (Oakland Univ.)

This resource provides some examples of hypotheses in social science disciplines like Political Science and Criminal Justice. These sample hypotheses may also be useful for students in other soft social sciences and humanities disciplines like History.

When grading a research paper, instructors look for a consistent methodology. This section will help you understand different methodological approaches used in research papers. Students will get the most out of these resources if they use them to help prepare for conversations with teachers or discussions in class.

"Types of Research Designs" (USC)

A "research design," used for complex papers, is related to the paper's method. This resource contains introductions to a variety of popular research designs in the social sciences. Although it is not the most intuitive site to read, the information here is very valuable. 

"Major Research Methods" (YouTube)

Although this video is a bit on the dry side, it provides a comprehensive overview of the major research methodologies in a format that might be more accessible to students who have struggled with textbooks or other written resources.

"Humanities Research Strategies" (USC)

This is a portal where students can learn about four methodological approaches for humanities papers: Historical Methodologies, Textual Criticism, Conceptual Analysis, and the Synoptic method.

"Selected Major Social Science Research Methods: Overview" (National Academies Press)

This appendix from the book  Using Science as Evidence in Public Policy , printed by National Academies Press, introduces some methods used in social science papers.

"Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: 6. The Methodology" (USC)

This resource from the University of Southern California's library contains tips for writing a methodology section in a research paper.

How to Determine the Best Methodology for You

Anyone who is new to writing research papers should be sure to select a method in consultation with their instructor. These resources can be used to help prepare for that discussion. They may also be used on their own by more advanced students.

"Choosing Appropriate Research Methodologies" (Palgrave Study Skills)

This friendly and approachable resource from Palgrave Macmillan can be used by students who are just starting to think about appropriate methodologies.

"How to Choose Your Research Methods" (NFER (UK))

This is another approachable resource students can use to help narrow down the most appropriate methods for their research projects.

The resources in this section introduce the process of gathering scholarly sources and collecting evidence. You'll find a range of material here, from introductory guides to advanced explications best suited to college students. Please consult the LitCharts  How to Do Academic Research guide for a more comprehensive list of resources devoted to finding scholarly literature.

Google Scholar

Students who have access to library websites with detailed research guides should start there, but people who do not have access to those resources can begin their search for secondary literature here.

"Gathering Appropriate Information" (Texas Gateway)

This resource from the Texas Gateway for online resources introduces students to the research process, and contains interactive exercises. The level of complexity is suitable for middle school, high school, and introductory college classrooms.

"An Overview of Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection Methods" (NSF)

This PDF from the National Science Foundation goes into detail about best practices and pitfalls in data collection across multiple types of methodologies.

"Social Science Methods for Data Collection and Analysis" (Swiss FIT)

This resource is appropriate for advanced undergraduates or teachers looking to create lessons on research design and data collection. It covers techniques for gathering data via interviews, observations, and other methods.

"Collecting Data by In-depth Interviewing" (Leeds Univ.)

This resource contains enough information about conducting interviews to make it useful for teachers who want to create a lesson plan, but is also accessible enough for college juniors or seniors to make use of it on their own.

There is no "one size fits all" outlining technique. Some students might devote all their energy and attention to the outline in order to avoid the paper. Other students may benefit from being made to sit down and organize their thoughts into a lengthy sentence outline. The resources in this section include strategies and templates for multiple types of outlines. 

"Topic vs. Sentence Outlines" (UC Berkeley)

This resource introduces two basic approaches to outlining: the shorter topic-based approach, and the longer, more detailed sentence-based approach. This resource also contains videos on how to develop paper paragraphs from the sentence-based outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL)

The Purdue Online Writing Lab's guide is a slightly less detailed discussion of different types of outlines. It contains several sample outlines.

"Writing An Outline" (Austin C.C.)

This resource from a community college contains sample outlines from an American history class that students can use as models.

"How to Structure an Outline for a College Paper" (YouTube)

This brief (sub-2 minute) video from the ExpertVillage YouTube channel provides a model of outline writing for students who are struggling with the idea.

"Outlining" (Harvard)

This is a good resource to consult after completing a draft outline. It offers suggestions for making sure your outline avoids things like unnecessary repetition.

As with outlines, rough drafts can take on many different forms. These resources introduce teachers and students to the various approaches to writing a rough draft. This section also includes resources that will help you cite your sources appropriately according to the MLA, Chicago, and APA style manuals.

"Creating a Rough Draft for a Research Paper" (Univ. of Minnesota)

This resource is useful for teachers in particular, as it provides some suggested exercises to help students with writing a basic rough draft. 

Rough Draft Assignment (Duke of Definition)

This sample assignment, with a brief list of tips, was developed by a high school teacher who runs a very successful and well-reviewed page of educational resources.

"Creating the First Draft of Your Research Paper" (Concordia Univ.)

This resource will be helpful for perfectionists or procrastinators, as it opens by discussing the problem of avoiding writing. It also provides a short list of suggestions meant to get students writing.

Using Proper Citations

There is no such thing as a rough draft of a scholarly citation. These links to the three major citation guides will ensure that your citations follow the correct format. Please consult the LitCharts How to Cite Your Sources guide for more resources.

Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide

Some call  The Chicago Manual of Style , which was first published in 1906, "the editors' Bible." The manual is now in its 17th edition, and is popular in the social sciences, historical journals, and some other fields in the humanities.

APA Citation Guide

According to the American Psychological Association, this guide was developed to aid reading comprehension, clarity of communication, and to reduce bias in language in the social and behavioral sciences. Its first full edition was published in 1952, and it is now in its sixth edition.

MLA Citation Guide

The Modern Language Association style is used most commonly within the liberal arts and humanities. The  MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing  was first published in 1985 and (as of 2008) is in its third edition.

Any professional scholar will tell you that the best research papers are made in the revision stage. No matter how strong your research question or working thesis, it is not possible to write a truly outstanding paper without devoting energy to revision. These resources provide examples of revision exercises for the classroom, as well as tips for students working independently.

"The Art of Revision" (Univ. of Arizona)

This resource provides a wealth of information and suggestions for both students and teachers. There is a list of suggested exercises that teachers might use in class, along with a revision checklist that is useful for teachers and students alike.

"Script for Workshop on Revision" (Vanderbilt University)

Vanderbilt's guide for leading a 50-minute revision workshop can serve as a model for teachers who wish to guide students through the revision process during classtime. 

"Revising Your Paper" (Univ. of Washington)

This detailed handout was designed for students who are beginning the revision process. It discusses different approaches and methods for revision, and also includes a detailed list of things students should look for while they revise.

"Revising Drafts" (UNC Writing Center)

This resource is designed for students and suggests things to look for during the revision process. It provides steps for the process and has a FAQ for students who have questions about why it is important to revise.

Conferencing with Writing Tutors and Instructors

No writer is so good that he or she can't benefit from meeting with instructors or peer tutors. These resources from university writing, learning, and communication centers provide suggestions for how to get the most out of these one-on-one meetings.

"Getting Feedback" (UNC Writing Center)

This very helpful resource talks about how to ask for feedback during the entire writing process. It contains possible questions that students might ask when developing an outline, during the revision process, and after the final draft has been graded.

"Prepare for Your Tutoring Session" (Otis College of Art and Design)

This guide from a university's student learning center contains a lot of helpful tips for getting the most out of working with a writing tutor.

"The Importance of Asking Your Professor" (Univ. of Waterloo)

This article from the university's Writing and Communication Centre's blog contains some suggestions for how and when to get help from professors and Teaching Assistants.

Once you've revised your first draft, you're well on your way to handing in a polished paper. These resources—each of them produced by writing professionals at colleges and universities—outline the steps required in order to produce a final draft. You'll find proofreading tips and checklists in text and video form.

"Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper" (Univ. of Minnesota)

While this resource contains suggestions for revision, it also features a couple of helpful checklists for the last stages of completing a final draft.

Basic Final Draft Tips and Checklist (Univ. of Maryland-University College)

This short and accessible resource, part of UMUC's very thorough online guide to writing and research, contains a very basic checklist for students who are getting ready to turn in their final drafts.

Final Draft Checklist (Everett C.C.)

This is another accessible final draft checklist, appropriate for both high school and college students. It suggests reading your essay aloud at least once.

"How to Proofread Your Final Draft" (YouTube)

This video (approximately 5 minutes), produced by Eastern Washington University, gives students tips on proofreading final drafts.

"Proofreading Tips" (Georgia Southern-Armstrong)

This guide will help students learn how to spot common errors in their papers. It suggests focusing on content and editing for grammar and mechanics.

This final set of resources is intended specifically for high school and college instructors. It provides links to unit plans and classroom exercises that can help improve students' research and writing skills. You'll find resources that give an overview of the process, along with activities that focus on how to begin and how to carry out research. 

"Research Paper Complete Resources Pack" (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This packet of assignments, rubrics, and other resources is designed for high school students. The resources in this packet are aligned to Common Core standards.

"Research Paper—Complete Unit" (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This packet of assignments, notes, PowerPoints, and other resources has a 4/4 rating with over 700 ratings. It is designed for high school teachers, but might also be useful to college instructors who work with freshmen.

"Teaching Students to Write Good Papers" (Yale)

This resource from Yale's Center for Teaching and Learning is designed for college instructors, and it includes links to appropriate activities and exercises.

"Research Paper Writing: An Overview" (CUNY Brooklyn)

CUNY Brooklyn offers this complete lesson plan for introducing students to research papers. It includes an accompanying set of PowerPoint slides.

"Lesson Plan: How to Begin Writing a Research Paper" (San Jose State Univ.)

This lesson plan is designed for students in the health sciences, so teachers will have to modify it for their own needs. It includes a breakdown of the brainstorming, topic selection, and research question process. 

"Quantitative Techniques for Social Science Research" (Univ. of Pittsburgh)

This is a set of PowerPoint slides that can be used to introduce students to a variety of quantitative methods used in the social sciences.

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• CAREER FEATURE
• 28 February 2018
• Correction 16 March 2018

How to write a first-class paper

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Manuscripts may have a rigidly defined structure, but there’s still room to tell a compelling story — one that clearly communicates the science and is a pleasure to read. Scientist-authors and editors debate the importance and meaning of creativity and offer tips on how to write a top paper.

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Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to start your research paper [step-by-step guide]

1. Choose your topic

2. find information on your topic, 3. create a thesis statement, 4. create a research paper outline, 5. organize your notes, 6. write your introduction, 7. write your first draft of the body, 9. write your conclusion, 10. revise again, edit, and proofread, frequently asked questions about starting your research paper, related articles.

Research papers can be short or in-depth, but no matter what type of research paper, they all follow pretty much the same pattern and have the same structure .

A research paper is a paper that makes an argument about a topic based on research and analysis.

There will be some basic differences, but if you can write one type of research paper, you can write another. Below is a step-by-step guide to starting and completing your research paper.

Choose a topic that interests you. Writing your research paper will be so much more pleasant with a topic that you actually want to know more about. Your interest will show in the way you write and effort you put into the paper. Consider these issues when coming up with a topic:

• make sure your topic is not too broad
• narrow it down if you're using terms that are too general

Academic search engines are a great source to find background information on your topic. Your institution's library will most likely provide access to plenty of online research databases. Take a look at our guide on how to efficiently search online databases for academic research to learn how to gather all the information needed on your topic.

Tip: If you’re struggling with finding research, consider meeting with an academic librarian to help you come up with more balanced keywords.

If you’re struggling to find a topic for your thesis, take a look at our guide on how to come up with a thesis topic .

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing. It can be defined as a very brief statement of what the main point or central message of your paper is. Our thesis statement guide will help you write an excellent thesis statement.

In the next step, you need to create your research paper outline . The outline is the skeleton of your research paper. Simply start by writing down your thesis and the main ideas you wish to present. This will likely change as your research progresses; therefore, do not worry about being too specific in the early stages of writing your outline.

Then, fill out your outline with the following components:

• the main ideas that you want to cover in the paper
• the types of evidence that you will use to support your argument
• quotes from secondary sources that you may want to use

Organizing all the information you have gathered according to your outline will help you later on in the writing process. Analyze your notes, check for accuracy, verify the information, and make sure you understand all the information you have gathered in a way that you can communicate your findings effectively.

Start with the introduction. It will set the direction of your paper and help you a lot as you write. Waiting to write it at the end can leave you with a poorly written setup to an otherwise well-written paper.

The body of your paper argues, explains or describes your topic. Start with the first topic from your outline. Ideally, you have organized your notes in a way that you can work through your research paper outline and have all the notes ready.

After your first draft, take some time to check the paper for content errors. Rearrange ideas, make changes and check if the order of your paragraphs makes sense. At this point, it is helpful to re-read the research paper guidelines and make sure you have followed the format requirements. You can also use free grammar and proof reading checkers such as Grammarly .

Tip: Consider reading your paper from back to front when you undertake your initial revision. This will help you ensure that your argument and organization are sound.

Write your conclusion last and avoid including any new information that has not already been presented in the body of the paper. Your conclusion should wrap up your paper and show that your research question has been answered.

Allow a few days to pass after you finished writing the final draft of your research paper, and then start making your final corrections. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gives some great advice here on how to revise, edit, and proofread your paper.

Tip: Take a break from your paper before you start your final revisions. Then, you’ll be able to approach your paper with fresh eyes.

As part of your final revision, be sure to check that you’ve cited everything correctly and that you have a full bibliography. Use a reference manager like Paperpile to organize your research and to create accurate citations.

The first step to start writing a research paper is to choose a topic. Make sure your topic is not too broad; narrow it down if you're using terms that are too general.

The format of your research paper will vary depending on the journal you submit to. Make sure to check first which citation style does the journal follow, in order to format your paper accordingly. Check Getting started with your research paper outline to have an idea of what a research paper looks like.

The last step of your research paper should be proofreading. Allow a few days to pass after you finished writing the final draft of your research paper, and then start making your final corrections. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gives some great advice here on how to revise, edit and proofread your paper.

There are plenty of software you can use to write a research paper. We recommend our own citation software, Paperpile , as well as grammar and proof reading checkers such as Grammarly .

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How to write your first research paper.

Writing a research manuscript is an intimidating process for many novice writers in the sciences. One of the stumbling blocks is the beginning of the process and creating the first draft. This paper presents guidelines on how to initiate the writing process and draft each section of a research manuscript. The paper discusses seven rules that allow the writer to prepare a well-structured and comprehensive manuscript for a publication submission. In addition, the author lists different strategies for successful revision. Each of those strategies represents a step in the revision process and should help the writer improve the quality of the manuscript. The paper could be considered a brief manual for publication.

It is late at night. You have been struggling with your project for a year. You generated an enormous amount of interesting data. Your pipette feels like an extension of your hand, and running western blots has become part of your daily routine, similar to brushing your teeth. Your colleagues think you are ready to write a paper, and your lab mates tease you about your “slow” writing progress. Yet days pass, and you cannot force yourself to sit down to write. You have not written anything for a while (lab reports do not count), and you feel you have lost your stamina. How does the writing process work? How can you fit your writing into a daily schedule packed with experiments? What section should you start with? What distinguishes a good research paper from a bad one? How should you revise your paper? These and many other questions buzz in your head and keep you stressed. As a result, you procrastinate. In this paper, I will discuss the issues related to the writing process of a scientific paper. Specifically, I will focus on the best approaches to start a scientific paper, tips for writing each section, and the best revision strategies.

1. Schedule your writing time in Outlook

Whether you have written 100 papers or you are struggling with your first, starting the process is the most difficult part unless you have a rigid writing schedule. Writing is hard. It is a very difficult process of intense concentration and brain work. As stated in Hayes’ framework for the study of writing: “It is a generative activity requiring motivation, and it is an intellectual activity requiring cognitive processes and memory” [ 1 ]. In his book How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing , Paul Silvia says that for some, “it’s easier to embalm the dead than to write an article about it” [ 2 ]. Just as with any type of hard work, you will not succeed unless you practice regularly. If you have not done physical exercises for a year, only regular workouts can get you into good shape again. The same kind of regular exercises, or I call them “writing sessions,” are required to be a productive author. Choose from 1- to 2-hour blocks in your daily work schedule and consider them as non-cancellable appointments. When figuring out which blocks of time will be set for writing, you should select the time that works best for this type of work. For many people, mornings are more productive. One Yale University graduate student spent a semester writing from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. when her lab was empty. At the end of the semester, she was amazed at how much she accomplished without even interrupting her regular lab hours. In addition, doing the hardest task first thing in the morning contributes to the sense of accomplishment during the rest of the day. This positive feeling spills over into our work and life and has a very positive effect on our overall attitude.

Rule 1: Create regular time blocks for writing as appointments in your calendar and keep these appointments.

2. start with an outline.

Now that you have scheduled time, you need to decide how to start writing. The best strategy is to start with an outline. This will not be an outline that you are used to, with Roman numerals for each section and neat parallel listing of topic sentences and supporting points. This outline will be similar to a template for your paper. Initially, the outline will form a structure for your paper; it will help generate ideas and formulate hypotheses. Following the advice of George M. Whitesides, “. . . start with a blank piece of paper, and write down, in any order, all important ideas that occur to you concerning the paper” [ 3 ]. Use Table 1 as a starting point for your outline. Include your visuals (figures, tables, formulas, equations, and algorithms), and list your findings. These will constitute the first level of your outline, which will eventually expand as you elaborate.

The next stage is to add context and structure. Here you will group all your ideas into sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion/Conclusion ( Table 2 ). This step will help add coherence to your work and sift your ideas.

Now that you have expanded your outline, you are ready for the next step: discussing the ideas for your paper with your colleagues and mentor. Many universities have a writing center where graduate students can schedule individual consultations and receive assistance with their paper drafts. Getting feedback during early stages of your draft can save a lot of time. Talking through ideas allows people to conceptualize and organize thoughts to find their direction without wasting time on unnecessary writing. Outlining is the most effective way of communicating your ideas and exchanging thoughts. Moreover, it is also the best stage to decide to which publication you will submit the paper. Many people come up with three choices and discuss them with their mentors and colleagues. Having a list of journal priorities can help you quickly resubmit your paper if your paper is rejected.

Rule 2: Create a detailed outline and discuss it with your mentor and peers.

3. continue with drafts.

After you get enough feedback and decide on the journal you will submit to, the process of real writing begins. Copy your outline into a separate file and expand on each of the points, adding data and elaborating on the details. When you create the first draft, do not succumb to the temptation of editing. Do not slow down to choose a better word or better phrase; do not halt to improve your sentence structure. Pour your ideas into the paper and leave revision and editing for later. As Paul Silvia explains, “Revising while you generate text is like drinking decaffeinated coffee in the early morning: noble idea, wrong time” [ 2 ].

Many students complain that they are not productive writers because they experience writer’s block. Staring at an empty screen is frustrating, but your screen is not really empty: You have a template of your article, and all you need to do is fill in the blanks. Indeed, writer’s block is a logical fallacy for a scientist ― it is just an excuse to procrastinate. When scientists start writing a research paper, they already have their files with data, lab notes with materials and experimental designs, some visuals, and tables with results. All they need to do is scrutinize these pieces and put them together into a comprehensive paper.

3.1. Starting with Materials and Methods

If you still struggle with starting a paper, then write the Materials and Methods section first. Since you have all your notes, it should not be problematic for you to describe the experimental design and procedures. Your most important goal in this section is to be as explicit as possible by providing enough detail and references. In the end, the purpose of this section is to allow other researchers to evaluate and repeat your work. So do not run into the same problems as the writers of the sentences in (1):

1a. Bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation. 1b. To isolate T cells, lymph nodes were collected.

As you can see, crucial pieces of information are missing: the speed of centrifuging your bacteria, the time, and the temperature in (1a); the source of lymph nodes for collection in (b). The sentences can be improved when information is added, as in (2a) and (2b), respectfully:

2a. Bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation at 3000g for 15 min at 25°C. 2b. To isolate T cells, mediastinal and mesenteric lymph nodes from Balb/c mice were collected at day 7 after immunization with ovabumin.

If your method has previously been published and is well-known, then you should provide only the literature reference, as in (3a). If your method is unpublished, then you need to make sure you provide all essential details, as in (3b).

3a. Stem cells were isolated, according to Johnson [23]. 3b. Stem cells were isolated using biotinylated carbon nanotubes coated with anti-CD34 antibodies.

Furthermore, cohesion and fluency are crucial in this section. One of the malpractices resulting in disrupted fluency is switching from passive voice to active and vice versa within the same paragraph, as shown in (4). This switching misleads and distracts the reader.

4. Behavioral computer-based experiments of Study 1 were programmed by using E-Prime. We took ratings of enjoyment, mood, and arousal as the patients listened to preferred pleasant music and unpreferred music by using Visual Analogue Scales (SI Methods). The preferred and unpreferred status of the music was operationalized along a continuum of pleasantness [ 4 ].

The problem with (4) is that the reader has to switch from the point of view of the experiment (passive voice) to the point of view of the experimenter (active voice). This switch causes confusion about the performer of the actions in the first and the third sentences. To improve the coherence and fluency of the paragraph above, you should be consistent in choosing the point of view: first person “we” or passive voice [ 5 ]. Let’s consider two revised examples in (5).

5a. We programmed behavioral computer-based experiments of Study 1 by using E-Prime. We took ratings of enjoyment, mood, and arousal by using Visual Analogue Scales (SI Methods) as the patients listened to preferred pleasant music and unpreferred music. We operationalized the preferred and unpreferred status of the music along a continuum of pleasantness. 5b. Behavioral computer-based experiments of Study 1 were programmed by using E-Prime. Ratings of enjoyment, mood, and arousal were taken as the patients listened to preferred pleasant music and unpreferred music by using Visual Analogue Scales (SI Methods). The preferred and unpreferred status of the music was operationalized along a continuum of pleasantness.

If you choose the point of view of the experimenter, then you may end up with repetitive “we did this” sentences. For many readers, paragraphs with sentences all beginning with “we” may also sound disruptive. So if you choose active sentences, you need to keep the number of “we” subjects to a minimum and vary the beginnings of the sentences [ 6 ].

Interestingly, recent studies have reported that the Materials and Methods section is the only section in research papers in which passive voice predominantly overrides the use of the active voice [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. For example, Martínez shows a significant drop in active voice use in the Methods sections based on the corpus of 1 million words of experimental full text research articles in the biological sciences [ 7 ]. According to the author, the active voice patterned with “we” is used only as a tool to reveal personal responsibility for the procedural decisions in designing and performing experimental work. This means that while all other sections of the research paper use active voice, passive voice is still the most predominant in Materials and Methods sections.

Writing Materials and Methods sections is a meticulous and time consuming task requiring extreme accuracy and clarity. This is why when you complete your draft, you should ask for as much feedback from your colleagues as possible. Numerous readers of this section will help you identify the missing links and improve the technical style of this section.

Rule 3: Be meticulous and accurate in describing the Materials and Methods. Do not change the point of view within one paragraph.

3.2. writing results section.

For many authors, writing the Results section is more intimidating than writing the Materials and Methods section . If people are interested in your paper, they are interested in your results. That is why it is vital to use all your writing skills to objectively present your key findings in an orderly and logical sequence using illustrative materials and text.

Your Results should be organized into different segments or subsections where each one presents the purpose of the experiment, your experimental approach, data including text and visuals (tables, figures, schematics, algorithms, and formulas), and data commentary. For most journals, your data commentary will include a meaningful summary of the data presented in the visuals and an explanation of the most significant findings. This data presentation should not repeat the data in the visuals, but rather highlight the most important points. In the “standard” research paper approach, your Results section should exclude data interpretation, leaving it for the Discussion section. However, interpretations gradually and secretly creep into research papers: “Reducing the data, generalizing from the data, and highlighting scientific cases are all highly interpretive processes. It should be clear by now that we do not let the data speak for themselves in research reports; in summarizing our results, we interpret them for the reader” [ 10 ]. As a result, many journals including the Journal of Experimental Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Investigation use joint Results/Discussion sections, where results are immediately followed by interpretations.

Another important aspect of this section is to create a comprehensive and supported argument or a well-researched case. This means that you should be selective in presenting data and choose only those experimental details that are essential for your reader to understand your findings. You might have conducted an experiment 20 times and collected numerous records, but this does not mean that you should present all those records in your paper. You need to distinguish your results from your data and be able to discard excessive experimental details that could distract and confuse the reader. However, creating a picture or an argument should not be confused with data manipulation or falsification, which is a willful distortion of data and results. If some of your findings contradict your ideas, you have to mention this and find a plausible explanation for the contradiction.

In addition, your text should not include irrelevant and peripheral information, including overview sentences, as in (6).

6. To show our results, we first introduce all components of experimental system and then describe the outcome of infections.

Indeed, wordiness convolutes your sentences and conceals your ideas from readers. One common source of wordiness is unnecessary intensifiers. Adverbial intensifiers such as “clearly,” “essential,” “quite,” “basically,” “rather,” “fairly,” “really,” and “virtually” not only add verbosity to your sentences, but also lower your results’ credibility. They appeal to the reader’s emotions but lower objectivity, as in the common examples in (7):

7a. Table 3 clearly shows that … 7b. It is obvious from figure 4 that …

Another source of wordiness is nominalizations, i.e., nouns derived from verbs and adjectives paired with weak verbs including “be,” “have,” “do,” “make,” “cause,” “provide,” and “get” and constructions such as “there is/are.”

8a. We tested the hypothesis that there is a disruption of membrane asymmetry. 8b. In this paper we provide an argument that stem cells repopulate injured organs.

In the sentences above, the abstract nominalizations “disruption” and “argument” do not contribute to the clarity of the sentences, but rather clutter them with useless vocabulary that distracts from the meaning. To improve your sentences, avoid unnecessary nominalizations and change passive verbs and constructions into active and direct sentences.

9a. We tested the hypothesis that the membrane asymmetry is disrupted. 9b. In this paper we argue that stem cells repopulate injured organs.

Your Results section is the heart of your paper, representing a year or more of your daily research. So lead your reader through your story by writing direct, concise, and clear sentences.

Rule 4: Be clear, concise, and objective in describing your Results.

3.3. now it is time for your introduction.

Now that you are almost half through drafting your research paper, it is time to update your outline. While describing your Methods and Results, many of you diverged from the original outline and re-focused your ideas. So before you move on to create your Introduction, re-read your Methods and Results sections and change your outline to match your research focus. The updated outline will help you review the general picture of your paper, the topic, the main idea, and the purpose, which are all important for writing your introduction.

The best way to structure your introduction is to follow the three-move approach shown in Table 3 .

Adapted from Swales and Feak [ 11 ].

The moves and information from your outline can help to create your Introduction efficiently and without missing steps. These moves are traffic signs that lead the reader through the road of your ideas. Each move plays an important role in your paper and should be presented with deep thought and care. When you establish the territory, you place your research in context and highlight the importance of your research topic. By finding the niche, you outline the scope of your research problem and enter the scientific dialogue. The final move, “occupying the niche,” is where you explain your research in a nutshell and highlight your paper’s significance. The three moves allow your readers to evaluate their interest in your paper and play a significant role in the paper review process, determining your paper reviewers.

Some academic writers assume that the reader “should follow the paper” to find the answers about your methodology and your findings. As a result, many novice writers do not present their experimental approach and the major findings, wrongly believing that the reader will locate the necessary information later while reading the subsequent sections [ 5 ]. However, this “suspense” approach is not appropriate for scientific writing. To interest the reader, scientific authors should be direct and straightforward and present informative one-sentence summaries of the results and the approach.

Another problem is that writers understate the significance of the Introduction. Many new researchers mistakenly think that all their readers understand the importance of the research question and omit this part. However, this assumption is faulty because the purpose of the section is not to evaluate the importance of the research question in general. The goal is to present the importance of your research contribution and your findings. Therefore, you should be explicit and clear in describing the benefit of the paper.

The Introduction should not be long. Indeed, for most journals, this is a very brief section of about 250 to 600 words, but it might be the most difficult section due to its importance.

Rule 5: Interest your reader in the Introduction section by signalling all its elements and stating the novelty of the work.

3.4. discussion of the results.

For many scientists, writing a Discussion section is as scary as starting a paper. Most of the fear comes from the variation in the section. Since every paper has its unique results and findings, the Discussion section differs in its length, shape, and structure. However, some general principles of writing this section still exist. Knowing these rules, or “moves,” can change your attitude about this section and help you create a comprehensive interpretation of your results.

The purpose of the Discussion section is to place your findings in the research context and “to explain the meaning of the findings and why they are important, without appearing arrogant, condescending, or patronizing” [ 11 ]. The structure of the first two moves is almost a mirror reflection of the one in the Introduction. In the Introduction, you zoom in from general to specific and from the background to your research question; in the Discussion section, you zoom out from the summary of your findings to the research context, as shown in Table 4 .

Adapted from Swales and Feak and Hess [ 11 , 12 ].

The biggest challenge for many writers is the opening paragraph of the Discussion section. Following the moves in Table 1 , the best choice is to start with the study’s major findings that provide the answer to the research question in your Introduction. The most common starting phrases are “Our findings demonstrate . . .,” or “In this study, we have shown that . . .,” or “Our results suggest . . .” In some cases, however, reminding the reader about the research question or even providing a brief context and then stating the answer would make more sense. This is important in those cases where the researcher presents a number of findings or where more than one research question was presented. Your summary of the study’s major findings should be followed by your presentation of the importance of these findings. One of the most frequent mistakes of the novice writer is to assume the importance of his findings. Even if the importance is clear to you, it may not be obvious to your reader. Digesting the findings and their importance to your reader is as crucial as stating your research question.

Another useful strategy is to be proactive in the first move by predicting and commenting on the alternative explanations of the results. Addressing potential doubts will save you from painful comments about the wrong interpretation of your results and will present you as a thoughtful and considerate researcher. Moreover, the evaluation of the alternative explanations might help you create a logical step to the next move of the discussion section: the research context.

The goal of the research context move is to show how your findings fit into the general picture of the current research and how you contribute to the existing knowledge on the topic. This is also the place to discuss any discrepancies and unexpected findings that may otherwise distort the general picture of your paper. Moreover, outlining the scope of your research by showing the limitations, weaknesses, and assumptions is essential and adds modesty to your image as a scientist. However, make sure that you do not end your paper with the problems that override your findings. Try to suggest feasible explanations and solutions.

If your submission does not require a separate Conclusion section, then adding another paragraph about the “take-home message” is a must. This should be a general statement reiterating your answer to the research question and adding its scientific implications, practical application, or advice.

Just as in all other sections of your paper, the clear and precise language and concise comprehensive sentences are vital. However, in addition to that, your writing should convey confidence and authority. The easiest way to illustrate your tone is to use the active voice and the first person pronouns. Accompanied by clarity and succinctness, these tools are the best to convince your readers of your point and your ideas.

Rule 6: Present the principles, relationships, and generalizations in a concise and convincing tone.

4. choosing the best working revision strategies.

Now that you have created the first draft, your attitude toward your writing should have improved. Moreover, you should feel more confident that you are able to accomplish your project and submit your paper within a reasonable timeframe. You also have worked out your writing schedule and followed it precisely. Do not stop ― you are only at the midpoint from your destination. Just as the best and most precious diamond is no more than an unattractive stone recognized only by trained professionals, your ideas and your results may go unnoticed if they are not polished and brushed. Despite your attempts to present your ideas in a logical and comprehensive way, first drafts are frequently a mess. Use the advice of Paul Silvia: “Your first drafts should sound like they were hastily translated from Icelandic by a non-native speaker” [ 2 ]. The degree of your success will depend on how you are able to revise and edit your paper.

The revision can be done at the macrostructure and the microstructure levels [ 13 ]. The macrostructure revision includes the revision of the organization, content, and flow. The microstructure level includes individual words, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

The best way to approach the macrostructure revision is through the outline of the ideas in your paper. The last time you updated your outline was before writing the Introduction and the Discussion. Now that you have the beginning and the conclusion, you can take a bird’s-eye view of the whole paper. The outline will allow you to see if the ideas of your paper are coherently structured, if your results are logically built, and if the discussion is linked to the research question in the Introduction. You will be able to see if something is missing in any of the sections or if you need to rearrange your information to make your point.

The next step is to revise each of the sections starting from the beginning. Ideally, you should limit yourself to working on small sections of about five pages at a time [ 14 ]. After these short sections, your eyes get used to your writing and your efficiency in spotting problems decreases. When reading for content and organization, you should control your urge to edit your paper for sentence structure and grammar and focus only on the flow of your ideas and logic of your presentation. Experienced researchers tend to make almost three times the number of changes to meaning than novice writers [ 15 , 16 ]. Revising is a difficult but useful skill, which academic writers obtain with years of practice.

In contrast to the macrostructure revision, which is a linear process and is done usually through a detailed outline and by sections, microstructure revision is a non-linear process. While the goal of the macrostructure revision is to analyze your ideas and their logic, the goal of the microstructure editing is to scrutinize the form of your ideas: your paragraphs, sentences, and words. You do not need and are not recommended to follow the order of the paper to perform this type of revision. You can start from the end or from different sections. You can even revise by reading sentences backward, sentence by sentence and word by word.

One of the microstructure revision strategies frequently used during writing center consultations is to read the paper aloud [ 17 ]. You may read aloud to yourself, to a tape recorder, or to a colleague or friend. When reading and listening to your paper, you are more likely to notice the places where the fluency is disrupted and where you stumble because of a very long and unclear sentence or a wrong connector.

Another revision strategy is to learn your common errors and to do a targeted search for them [ 13 ]. All writers have a set of problems that are specific to them, i.e., their writing idiosyncrasies. Remembering these problems is as important for an academic writer as remembering your friends’ birthdays. Create a list of these idiosyncrasies and run a search for these problems using your word processor. If your problem is demonstrative pronouns without summary words, then search for “this/these/those” in your text and check if you used the word appropriately. If you have a problem with intensifiers, then search for “really” or “very” and delete them from the text. The same targeted search can be done to eliminate wordiness. Searching for “there is/are” or “and” can help you avoid the bulky sentences.

The final strategy is working with a hard copy and a pencil. Print a double space copy with font size 14 and re-read your paper in several steps. Try reading your paper line by line with the rest of the text covered with a piece of paper. When you are forced to see only a small portion of your writing, you are less likely to get distracted and are more likely to notice problems. You will end up spotting more unnecessary words, wrongly worded phrases, or unparallel constructions.

After you apply all these strategies, you are ready to share your writing with your friends, colleagues, and a writing advisor in the writing center. Get as much feedback as you can, especially from non-specialists in your field. Patiently listen to what others say to you ― you are not expected to defend your writing or explain what you wanted to say. You may decide what you want to change and how after you receive the feedback and sort it in your head. Even though some researchers make the revision an endless process and can hardly stop after a 14th draft; having from five to seven drafts of your paper is a norm in the sciences. If you can’t stop revising, then set a deadline for yourself and stick to it. Deadlines always help.

Rule 7: Revise your paper at the macrostructure and the microstructure level using different strategies and techniques. Receive feedback and revise again.

5. it is time to submit.

It is late at night again. You are still in your lab finishing revisions and getting ready to submit your paper. You feel happy ― you have finally finished a year’s worth of work. You will submit your paper tomorrow, and regardless of the outcome, you know that you can do it. If one journal does not take your paper, you will take advantage of the feedback and resubmit again. You will have a publication, and this is the most important achievement.

What is even more important is that you have your scheduled writing time that you are going to keep for your future publications, for reading and taking notes, for writing grants, and for reviewing papers. You are not going to lose stamina this time, and you will become a productive scientist. But for now, let’s celebrate the end of the paper.

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Writing a Research Paper

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The Research Paper

There will come a time in most students' careers when they are assigned a research paper. Such an assignment often creates a great deal of unneeded anxiety in the student, which may result in procrastination and a feeling of confusion and inadequacy. This anxiety frequently stems from the fact that many students are unfamiliar and inexperienced with this genre of writing. Never fear—inexperience and unfamiliarity are situations you can change through practice! Writing a research paper is an essential aspect of academics and should not be avoided on account of one's anxiety. In fact, the process of writing a research paper can be one of the more rewarding experiences one may encounter in academics. What is more, many students will continue to do research throughout their careers, which is one of the reasons this topic is so important.

Becoming an experienced researcher and writer in any field or discipline takes a great deal of practice. There are few individuals for whom this process comes naturally. Remember, even the most seasoned academic veterans have had to learn how to write a research paper at some point in their career. Therefore, with diligence, organization, practice, a willingness to learn (and to make mistakes!), and, perhaps most important of all, patience, students will find that they can achieve great things through their research and writing.

The pages in this section cover the following topic areas related to the process of writing a research paper:

• Genre - This section will provide an overview for understanding the difference between an analytical and argumentative research paper.
• Choosing a Topic - This section will guide the student through the process of choosing topics, whether the topic be one that is assigned or one that the student chooses themselves.
• Identifying an Audience - This section will help the student understand the often times confusing topic of audience by offering some basic guidelines for the process.
• Where Do I Begin - This section concludes the handout by offering several links to resources at Purdue, and also provides an overview of the final stages of writing a research paper.

• Writing Worksheets and Other Writing Resources
• The Writing Process

A Process Approach to Writing Research Papers

About the slc.

• Our Mission and Core Values

(adapted from Research Paper Guide, Point Loma Nazarene University, 2010) 

Step 1: Be a Strategic Reader and Scholar 

Even before your paper is assigned, use the tools you have been given by your instructor and GSI, and create tools you can use later. 

See the handout “Be a Strategic Reader and Scholar” for more information.

Step 2: Understand the Assignment 

• Free topic choice or assigned?
• Type of paper: Informative? Persuasive? Other?
• Any terminology in assignment not clear?
• Library research needed or required? How much?
• What style of citation is required?
• Can you break the assignment into parts?
• When will you do each part?
• Are you required or allowed to collaborate with other members of the class?
• Other special directions or requirements?

Step 3: Select a Topic 

• interests you
• you know something about
• you can research easily
• Write out topic and brainstorm.
• Select your paper’s specific topic from this brainstorming list.
• In a sentence or short paragraph, describe what you think your paper is about.

Step 4: Initial Planning, Investigation, and Outlining 

• the nature of your audience
• ideas & information you already possess
• sources you can consult
• background reading you should do

Make a rough outline, a guide for your research to keep you on the subject while you work. 

Step 5: Accumulate Research Materials 

• Use cards, Word, Post-its, or Excel to organize.
• Organize your bibliography records first.
• Organize notes next (one idea per document— direct quotations, paraphrases, your own ideas).
• Arrange your notes under the main headings of your tentative outline. If necessary, print out documents and literally cut and paste (scissors and tape) them together by heading.

Step 6: Make a Final Outline to Guide Writing 

• Reorganize and fill in tentative outline.
• Organize notes to correspond to outline. 
• As you decide where you will use outside resources in your paper, make notes in your outline to refer to your numbered notecards, attach post-its to your printed outline, or note the use of outside resources in a different font or text color from the rest of your outline. 
• In both Steps 6 and 7, it is important to maintain a clear distinction between your own words and ideas and those of others.

Step 7: Write the Paper 

• Use your outline to guide you.
• Write quickly—capture flow of ideas—deal with proofreading later.
• Put aside overnight or longer, if possible.

Step 8: Revise and Proofread 

• Check organization—reorganize paragraphs and add transitions where necessary.
• Make sure all researched information is documented.
• Rework introduction and conclusion.
• Work on sentences—check spelling, punctuation, word choice, etc.
• Read out loud to check for flow.

Carolyn Swalina, Writing Program Coordinator  Student Learning Center, University of California, Berkeley ©2011 UC Regents

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

11.1 The Purpose of Research Writing

Learning objectives.

• Identify reasons to research writing projects.
• Outline the steps of the research writing process.

Why was the Great Wall of China built? What have scientists learned about the possibility of life on Mars? What roles did women play in the American Revolution? How does the human brain create, store, and retrieve memories? Who invented the game of football, and how has it changed over the years?

You may know the answers to these questions off the top of your head. If you are like most people, however, you find answers to tough questions like these by searching the Internet, visiting the library, or asking others for information. To put it simply, you perform research.

Whether you are a scientist, an artist, a paralegal, or a parent, you probably perform research in your everyday life. When your boss, your instructor, or a family member asks you a question that you do not know the answer to, you locate relevant information, analyze your findings, and share your results. Locating, analyzing, and sharing information are key steps in the research process, and in this chapter, you will learn more about each step. By developing your research writing skills, you will prepare yourself to answer any question no matter how challenging.

Reasons for Research

When you perform research, you are essentially trying to solve a mystery—you want to know how something works or why something happened. In other words, you want to answer a question that you (and other people) have about the world. This is one of the most basic reasons for performing research.

But the research process does not end when you have solved your mystery. Imagine what would happen if a detective collected enough evidence to solve a criminal case, but she never shared her solution with the authorities. Presenting what you have learned from research can be just as important as performing the research. Research results can be presented in a variety of ways, but one of the most popular—and effective—presentation forms is the research paper . A research paper presents an original thesis, or purpose statement, about a topic and develops that thesis with information gathered from a variety of sources.

If you are curious about the possibility of life on Mars, for example, you might choose to research the topic. What will you do, though, when your research is complete? You will need a way to put your thoughts together in a logical, coherent manner. You may want to use the facts you have learned to create a narrative or to support an argument. And you may want to show the results of your research to your friends, your teachers, or even the editors of magazines and journals. Writing a research paper is an ideal way to organize thoughts, craft narratives or make arguments based on research, and share your newfound knowledge with the world.

Write a paragraph about a time when you used research in your everyday life. Did you look for the cheapest way to travel from Houston to Denver? Did you search for a way to remove gum from the bottom of your shoe? In your paragraph, explain what you wanted to research, how you performed the research, and what you learned as a result.

Research Writing and the Academic Paper

No matter what field of study you are interested in, you will most likely be asked to write a research paper during your academic career. For example, a student in an art history course might write a research paper about an artist’s work. Similarly, a student in a psychology course might write a research paper about current findings in childhood development.

Having to write a research paper may feel intimidating at first. After all, researching and writing a long paper requires a lot of time, effort, and organization. However, writing a research paper can also be a great opportunity to explore a topic that is particularly interesting to you. The research process allows you to gain expertise on a topic of your choice, and the writing process helps you remember what you have learned and understand it on a deeper level.

Research Writing at Work

Knowing how to write a good research paper is a valuable skill that will serve you well throughout your career. Whether you are developing a new product, studying the best way to perform a procedure, or learning about challenges and opportunities in your field of employment, you will use research techniques to guide your exploration. You may even need to create a written report of your findings. And because effective communication is essential to any company, employers seek to hire people who can write clearly and professionally.

Writing at Work

Take a few minutes to think about each of the following careers. How might each of these professionals use researching and research writing skills on the job?

• Medical laboratory technician
• Small business owner
• Information technology professional
• Freelance magazine writer

A medical laboratory technician or information technology professional might do research to learn about the latest technological developments in either of these fields. A small business owner might conduct research to learn about the latest trends in his or her industry. A freelance magazine writer may need to research a given topic to write an informed, up-to-date article.

Think about the job of your dreams. How might you use research writing skills to perform that job? Create a list of ways in which strong researching, organizing, writing, and critical thinking skills could help you succeed at your dream job. How might these skills help you obtain that job?

Steps of the Research Writing Process

How does a research paper grow from a folder of brainstormed notes to a polished final draft? No two projects are identical, but most projects follow a series of six basic steps.

These are the steps in the research writing process:

• Choose a topic.
• Plan and schedule time to research and write.
• Conduct research.
• Organize research and ideas.
• Draft your paper.
• Revise and edit your paper.

Each of these steps will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter. For now, though, we will take a brief look at what each step involves.

Step 1: Choosing a Topic

As you may recall from Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , to narrow the focus of your topic, you may try freewriting exercises, such as brainstorming. You may also need to ask a specific research question —a broad, open-ended question that will guide your research—as well as propose a possible answer, or a working thesis . You may use your research question and your working thesis to create a research proposal . In a research proposal, you present your main research question, any related subquestions you plan to explore, and your working thesis.

Step 2: Planning and Scheduling

Before you start researching your topic, take time to plan your researching and writing schedule. Research projects can take days, weeks, or even months to complete. Creating a schedule is a good way to ensure that you do not end up being overwhelmed by all the work you have to do as the deadline approaches.

During this step of the process, it is also a good idea to plan the resources and organizational tools you will use to keep yourself on track throughout the project. Flowcharts, calendars, and checklists can all help you stick to your schedule. See Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , Section 11.2 “Steps in Developing a Research Proposal” for an example of a research schedule.

Step 3: Conducting Research

When going about your research, you will likely use a variety of sources—anything from books and periodicals to video presentations and in-person interviews.

Your sources will include both primary sources and secondary sources . Primary sources provide firsthand information or raw data. For example, surveys, in-person interviews, and historical documents are primary sources. Secondary sources, such as biographies, literary reviews, or magazine articles, include some analysis or interpretation of the information presented. As you conduct research, you will take detailed, careful notes about your discoveries. You will also evaluate the reliability of each source you find.

Step 4: Organizing Research and the Writer’s Ideas

When your research is complete, you will organize your findings and decide which sources to cite in your paper. You will also have an opportunity to evaluate the evidence you have collected and determine whether it supports your thesis, or the focus of your paper. You may decide to adjust your thesis or conduct additional research to ensure that your thesis is well supported.

Remember, your working thesis is not set in stone. You can and should change your working thesis throughout the research writing process if the evidence you find does not support your original thesis. Never try to force evidence to fit your argument. For example, your working thesis is “Mars cannot support life-forms.” Yet, a week into researching your topic, you find an article in the New York Times detailing new findings of bacteria under the Martian surface. Instead of trying to argue that bacteria are not life forms, you might instead alter your thesis to “Mars cannot support complex life-forms.”

Step 5: Drafting Your Paper

Now you are ready to combine your research findings with your critical analysis of the results in a rough draft. You will incorporate source materials into your paper and discuss each source thoughtfully in relation to your thesis or purpose statement.

When you cite your reference sources, it is important to pay close attention to standard conventions for citing sources in order to avoid plagiarism , or the practice of using someone else’s words without acknowledging the source. Later in this chapter, you will learn how to incorporate sources in your paper and avoid some of the most common pitfalls of attributing information.

Step 6: Revising and Editing Your Paper

In the final step of the research writing process, you will revise and polish your paper. You might reorganize your paper’s structure or revise for unity and cohesion, ensuring that each element in your paper flows into the next logically and naturally. You will also make sure that your paper uses an appropriate and consistent tone.

Once you feel confident in the strength of your writing, you will edit your paper for proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and formatting. When you complete this final step, you will have transformed a simple idea or question into a thoroughly researched and well-written paper you can be proud of!

Review the steps of the research writing process. Then answer the questions on your own sheet of paper.

• In which steps of the research writing process are you allowed to change your thesis?
• In step 2, which types of information should you include in your project schedule?
• What might happen if you eliminated step 4 from the research writing process?

Key Takeaways

• People undertake research projects throughout their academic and professional careers in order to answer specific questions, share their findings with others, increase their understanding of challenging topics, and strengthen their researching, writing, and analytical skills.
• The research writing process generally comprises six steps: choosing a topic, scheduling and planning time for research and writing, conducting research, organizing research and ideas, drafting a paper, and revising and editing the paper.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Essential Rules for Academic Writing: A Beginner’s Guide

Unlock the key rules for academic writing: from structure to citations. Master scholarly communication with expert insights.

Mastering the art of academic writing is a fundamental skill that empowers students and researchers to express their ideas, convey complex concepts, and contribute meaningfully to their respective fields. However, for beginners venturing into the realm of scholarly writing, navigating the intricacies of this formal discourse can be a daunting task.

“Essential Rules for Academic Writing: A Beginner’s Guide” serves as a beacon of guidance, illuminating the path for aspiring scholars as they embark on their academic journey. This comprehensive article offers invaluable insights into the fundamental principles and key rules that underpin successful academic writing, providing a strong foundation for those new to the craft.

What Is Academic Writing?

Academic writing refers to a formal style of writing that is prevalent in academic settings such as universities, research institutions, and scholarly publications. It is a mode of communication used by students, researchers, and scholars to convey their ideas, present research findings, and engage in intellectual discourse within their respective fields of study.

Related article: 11 Best Grammar Checker Tools For Academic Writing

Unlike other forms of writing, academic writing adheres to specific conventions and standards that prioritize clarity, precision, objectivity, and critical thinking. It is characterized by a rigorous approach to presenting arguments, supporting claims with evidence, and adhering to the principles of logic and reasoning.

Academic writing encompasses a wide range of genres, including essays, research papers, literature reviews, theses, dissertations, conference papers, and journal articles. Regardless of the specific genre, academic writing typically follows a structured format, includes proper citation and referencing, and adheres to established academic style guides such as APA (American Psychological Association) or MLA (Modern Language Association).

Types Of Academic Writing

Here’s a table summarizing the different types of academic writing, along with their definitions, purposes and typical structures:

Also read: Words To Use In Essays: Amplifying Your Academic Writing

General Rules For Academic Writing

Here are some general rules for academic writing: by adhering to these general guidelines, you can enhance the clarity, effectiveness, and professionalism of your academic writing, ensuring that your ideas are communicated with precision and impact.

Clarity and Precision

Academic writing demands clarity and precision in the expression of ideas. Use clear and concise language to communicate your thoughts effectively. Avoid ambiguous or vague statements, and strive for a logical flow of ideas within your writing.

Audience Awareness

Consider your intended audience when writing academically. Be aware of their background knowledge and familiarity with the topic. Adapt your writing style and level of technicality accordingly, ensuring that your content is accessible and understandable to your readers.

Use Formal Language

Academic writing requires a formal tone and language. Avoid colloquialisms, slang, and overly informal expressions. Instead, employ a vocabulary appropriate to the academic context, using specialized terms when necessary.

Structure and Organization

Structure your writing in a logical and coherent manner. Use clear headings, subheadings, and paragraphs to guide the reader through your work. Ensure that your ideas are well-organized and presented in a cohesive manner, with each paragraph or section contributing to the overall argument or discussion.

Evidence-Based Reasoning

Support your arguments and claims with credible evidence. Reference authoritative sources and cite them appropriately to establish the foundation for your ideas. Use empirical data, scholarly research, and reputable references to strengthen the validity and reliability of your work.

Critical Thinking

Academic writing encourages critical thinking and analysis. Engage with the existing literature, identify strengths and weaknesses in the arguments, and develop your own well-reasoned perspective. Challenge assumptions, evaluate alternative viewpoints, and provide well-supported arguments.

Proper Referencing and Citation

Maintain academic integrity by properly referencing and citing all sources used in your writing. Follow the specific citation style required by your academic institution or field, such as APA , MLA , or Chicago style . Accurate referencing gives credit to the original authors, allows readers to verify your sources, and demonstrates your commitment to scholarly integrity.

Revision and Proofreading

Academic writing involves a process of revision and proofreading. Review your work for clarity, coherence, grammar, and spelling errors. Ensure that your writing is free from typographical mistakes and inconsistencies. Seek feedback from peers, instructors, or writing centers to enhance the quality of your work.

Also read: What Is Proofreading And How To Harness Its Benefits?

How To Improve The Academic Writing

To enhance your academic writing skills, it is crucial to engage in regular practice and give careful consideration to various aspects. Here are some essential focal points to pay attention to in order to improve your academic writing:

Punctuation

• Proper use of commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation marks to enhance clarity and meaning in sentences.
• Effective use of semicolons and colons to join related independent clauses and introduce lists or explanations.
• Understanding the role of dashes and hyphens to indicate interruptions or join words in compound adjectives.

Capitalization

• Capitalize proper nouns, including names of people, places, institutions, and specific titles or terms.
• Follow capitalization rules for titles, capitalizing the first and last words, as well as major words within the title.
• Ensure consistency in capitalization within headings and subheadings.

Grammar and Sentence Structure

• Ensure subject-verb agreement, ensuring that the subject and verb agree in number and person.
• Use proper tenses and maintain consistency in verb tense usage within a paragraph or section.
• Write clear and unambiguous sentences, avoiding run-on sentences, fragments, or unclear pronoun references.

Academic Conventions

• Apply appropriate formatting and font style as per the guidelines of the specific academic institution or style guide.
• Use headings and subheadings correctly, following a consistent hierarchy and formatting style.
• Use abbreviations appropriately and consistently, following the accepted conventions in the field.
• Adhere to specific guidelines for tables, figures, and graphs, including proper numbering, labeling, and citation.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 113 great research paper topics.

General Education

One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

• Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
• Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
• How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
• How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
• How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

Current Events

• What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
• How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
• How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
• Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
• What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
• What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
• How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
• How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
• How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
• What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
• What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
• What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
• Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
• Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
• Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
• Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
• Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
• Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
• How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
• Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
• What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
• How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
• What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
• Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
• Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
• Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
• How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
• Should graduate students be able to form unions?

• What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
• How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
• Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
• How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
• How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
• Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
• Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
• Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
• Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
• Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
• Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
• Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
• Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
• Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
• How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
• How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
• What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
• What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
• Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
• What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
• What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
• Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
• Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
• Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
• What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
• How does stress affect the body?
• Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
• Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
• How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
• What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
• Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
• What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
• What were the causes of the Civil War?
• How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
• Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
• What caused Hitler's rise to power?
• Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
• What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
• How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
• What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

• Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
• Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
• How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
• How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
• What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
• What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
• How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

• How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
• How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
• Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
• Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
• How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
• How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
• What are the pros and cons of fracking?
• What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
• What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
• How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
• Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
• Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
• What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
• What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
• How are black holes created?
• Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
• How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
• Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
• How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
• Has social media made people more or less connected?
• What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
• Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
• What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
• How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
• When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
• Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

Are you also learning about dynamic equilibrium in your science class? We break this sometimes tricky concept down so it's easy to understand in our complete guide to dynamic equilibrium .

Thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner? Nurse practitioners have one of the fastest growing careers in the country, and we have all the information you need to know about what to expect from nurse practitioner school .

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

• Broadening a Topic Idea
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Importance of Broadening the Research Topic

It is important to adopt a flexible approach when choosing a topic to investigate. The goal when writing any paper is to choose a research problem that is focused and time-limited. However, your starting point should not be so narrowly defined that you unnecessarily constrict your opportunity to investigate the topic thoroughly. A research problem that is too narrowly defined leads to any of the following problems :

• You can't find enough information and what you do find is tangential or irrelevant.
• You find information that is so specific that it can't lead to any significant conclusions.
• Your sources cover so few ideas that you can't expand them into a significant paper.
• The research problem is so case specific that it limits opportunities to generalize or apply the results to other contexts.
• The significance of the research problem is limited to only a very small, unique population.

Ravitch, Sharon M. and Matthew Riggan. Reason and Rigor: How Conceptual Frameworks Guide Research . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2017.

Strategies for Broadening the Research Topic

In general, an indication that a research problem is too narrowly defined is that you can't find any relevant or meaningful information about it. If this happens, don't immediately abandon your efforts to investigate the problem because it could very well be an excellent topic of study. A good way to begin is to look for parallels and opportunities for broader associations that apply to the initial research problem. A strategy for doing this is to ask yourself the basic six questions of who, what, where, when, how, and why.

Here is an example of how to apply the six questions strategy to broadening your topic. Let's use the research topic of how to investigate ways to improve trade relations between Peru and Bolivia as an example. Ask yourself:

• Who? -- are there other countries involved in the relations between these two countries that might want to challenge or encourage this relationship? Are there particular individuals or special interest groups [e.g., politicians, union leaders, etc.] promoting trade relations or trying to inhibit it? [remember to ask either the individual who question, the collective who question, or the institutional who question].
• What? -- what are the specific trading commodities you are examining? Are there commodities not currently traded between Peru and Bolivia that could be? What commodities are being traded but should be traded in greater volume? What barriers exist that may help or hinder the import-exports of specific commodities?
• Where? -- where are examples of other bi-lateral trade agreements that could model the potential for closer trade relations between Peru and Bolivia? Where are the benefits most likely to be felt within each country? Note that the question of where can also relate to specific spatial and geographical issues, such as, are there any areas impeding transportation of goods in the region?
• When? -- how long have these countries had or not had trade relations? How far into the future might a trade relationship last given other factors? The question of when can apply to either past issues or future areas of interest.
• How? -- how might Peru and Bolivia forge these ties in relation to, for example, long-standing internal conflicts within each country? Note that the how question can also be framed as, "In what way might...." [e.g., In what way might improved trade relations lead to other forms of economic exchanges between the two countries?].
• Why? -- what advantages can each country gain by pursuing active trade relations? Why might other countries be concerned about closer ties between these two countries? Asking why can illuminate the " So What? " question applied to your topic and, thus, provide a means of assessing significance.

Reflecting upon these six questions during your initial review of the literature can help you formulate ways to expand the parameters of your initial research problem, providing an opportunity to identify new avenues of investigation and centering your study around gaps in the literature when answers to questions cannot be found. Once you've identified additional directions in which to proceed with your topic, you can try narrowing it down again, if needed.

NOTE:   Do not determine on your own that a research problem is too narrowly defined . Always consult with a librarian before making this assumption because librarians are experts in finding information and interpreting it in relation to a research problem. As such, they can help guide you to undiscovered research or suggest ways to design a broader analysis of your research problem using resources you did not even know existed.

Booth, Wayne C. The Craft of Research . Fourth edition. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2016; Coming Up With Your Topic. Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Getting Started With Your Research: A Self-Help Guide to Quality Information, Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Vanderbilt University; Strategies for Broadening a Topic. University Libraries. Information Skills Modules. Virginia Tech University.

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A Must-see for Researchers! How to Ensure Inclusivity in Your Scientific Writing

• 4 minute read

Table of Contents

Highly influential research findings have several real-world implications that affect the public’s perception of individuals and communities to some extent. The way science is communicated shapes people’s behavior, interactions, and even related policies. As a result, in recent years there has been a growing recognition of the need to foster inclusive language within scholarly communication, which can help avoid bias or misunderstanding.  

Researchers, especially the younger generation, are becoming increasingly aware of the significance of using inclusive language in academic writing. This approach helps create a collaborative global academic landscape, while fostering respect for diverse perspectives. It is also conducive to the wide dissemination of papers and supports researchers in their long-term academic endeavors.  

This article will explain why and how to use inclusive language in your manuscript. Also, it will help researchers improve their ability to choose words with precision when writing by providing examples of appropriate inclusive terms. Let’s have a look!  

1. Referring to Persons with Disabilities¹  

When referring to someone with a disability, it is important to focus on the person first, not highlight their condition . Avoid using the terms “disabled person” or “handicapped person.” Instead, use person-first language, such as “a person with disability,” “a person with hearing loss,” etc.  

Additionally, when referring to individuals without disabilities, avoid using terms such as “normal” or “typical.” Instead, use phrases like “individuals without disabilities” or “people without disabilities.”  

Example of inclusive language : Students with disabilities often encounter distinct challenges in academic settings. These can range from physical barriers like inaccessible buildings to difficulties accessing educational materials in suitable formats. In contrast, students without disabilities typically navigate the educational environment with fewer hindrances.  

2. Using Gendered Nouns  

Gendered nouns such as “man” or words ending in “-man” can exclude certain groups, so it is best to avoid them² . Fortunately, they can be easily substituted with neutral terms . For instance, instead of writing “man”, write “person” or “individual” and instead of writing “mankind,” write “humanity” or “human beings.”  

When discussing people’s occupational roles, using neutral language is essential. For example, instead of writing “policeman,” write “police officer,” and instead of writing “chairman,” write “chairperson.”  

Example of gendered noun use:  The chairman oversees the company’s operations.  

Example of inclusive language:  The chairperson oversees the company’s operations.  

3. Using Pronouns  

When you know a person’s preferred pronoun, it is easy to incorporate it into writing. For example, most people use the pronouns he/him or she/her. However, using pronouns can become tricky in neutral or ambiguous contexts. In the past, it was common to use the  generic he   in these situations³ . However, it is best to avoid this practice as it can be exclusionary .  

Here are some tips to avoid the  generic he³ :  

Don’t only use he/his, add she/her  

For example, do not write:  An early career researcher needs mentors. He can learn the secrets to making an impact in academia with someone more experienced.  

Instead, write:  An early career researcher needs mentors. He or she can learn the secrets to making an impact in academia with someone more experienced.  

Eliminate the pronoun if possible  

For example, do not write:  We returned his manuscript two days after submission.  

Instead, write:  We returned the manuscript two days after submission.  

Use a plural term  

For example, do not write:  When an author revises his manuscript , he should consider the feedback provided by the peer reviewers.  

Instead, write:  When authors revise their manuscripts , they should consider the feedback provided by the peer reviewers.  

4. Describing Age  

As a general rule, refrain from mentioning a person’s age unless it is absolutely necessary for the context . In scientific writing, it is acceptable to use broad terms , such as infants, children, young adults, or older adults, to categorize age groups⁴ . This approach maintains inclusivity and respects individuals regardless of their age.   

Conclusion  

Embracing inclusive language in scholarly communication fosters a more welcoming environment for scholars from diverse backgrounds. It ensures that everyone, regardless of their life experiences, can equally benefit from advancements in science. It is worth noting that inclusive language constantly evolves with social development, which poses a great challenge for authors in terms of their English skills and the ability to pay attention to social trends.  

If you would like to achieve more efficient and inclusive expression in your papers, please choose Elsevier Language Services . Our professional editors, all native English speakers, with editing experience in more than 100 disciplines, can help you achieve professional, authentic, and inclusive academic expression in your papers, improve the chances of successful publication, and achieve long-term academic success.  

References:  

• University of Idaho Inclusive Writing Guide. (n.d.). https://www.uidaho.edu/brand/print-digital-content/inclusive-writing-guide  
• UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center. (2023, December 8). Gender-Inclusive Language – The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/gender-inclusive-language/  
• Leu, P. (2020, July 2). Academic Writing: How do we use gender-inclusive language in academic writing? – Explorations in English Language Learning. Explorations in English Language Learning. https://englishexplorations.check.uni-hamburg.de/academic-writing-how-do-we-use-gender-inclusive-language-in-academic-writing/  
• Inclusive writing | York St John University. (n.d.). York St John University. https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/brand/our-writing-style/inclusive-writing/#age  

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How to Ace Grant Writing for Research Funding with Paperpal 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)—a major federal funding agency for scientific research—reported a 20% success rate 1 for funding of new research projects in 2022. That is, only one in 10 applicants who submitted grant applications from across the globe received monetary support from the NIH to conduct their research.  

As a researcher, grappling with the tedious and intensive process of grant writing and making these numbers work in your favor is crucial to your career, no matter where you are in your trajectory of climbing up the academic ladder. 

Let’s put things in perspective first—what is it about grant applications that makes them so elusive to begin with, and what strategies and best practices can you align with to put your best foot forward in writing a grant? To answer these questions, it is imperative to understand what reviewers look for in grant applications and where most of these applications falter. 

Table of Contents

• Grant Writing: What Reviewers Look for in Research Funding Applications 

Align well with the grant requirements

Pin down the ‘so what’ of your proposal, get your grant application critiqued.

• How to Write Strong Grant Applications with Paperpal  

Grant Writing: What Reviewers Look for in Research Funding Applications

According to grant reviewers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), 2 many applicants fall short in failing to support their hypotheses and discussing contingency plans in case their original approach does not work, while others are weak in making a case for why the studies are being done in the first place. Although a number of factors contribute to whether your application makes the cut or not, in essence, reviewers place irrevocable emphasis on the scientific merit of the grant application when making research funding decisions. This can be preliminarily judged on the following criteria: 

• Influence in the field of research: If the project’s aims are achieved, how would the current scientific knowledge and capability advance and further drive the field forward? 
• Challenging the status quo: Does the proposed research seek to move the needle on the currently accepted concepts and approaches? 
• Well-reasoned approach: Is the project founded on strategies that ensure an unbiased inquiry, with a sound understanding of potential challenges, alternatives, and benchmarks/milestones of the project? 

Although not an exhaustive list, these factors are foundational to what makes a well-rounded grant application with higher chances of being favorably reviewed. A case in point is this publicly available grant application by Dr. David Wagner, a recognized voice in the field of autoimmune research, particularly type 1 diabetes. 3  The grant reviewers lauded the applicant for setting a strong premise for the proposed study based on reliable published data, rigor of the experimental approach, and backing the application with promising preliminary results.  

3 Practical Grant Writing Tips to Elevate Your Grant Applications

Creating the perfect grant application and navigating the grant writing process can be daunting. You need to do your research and get science-backed insights to support your proposal. Here are some go-to tips to polish your grant application and put your best foot forward: 

Read the submission criteria and driving principles of the grant organization thoroughly and ensure that you highlight how your proposal befits them. What may seem to be a simple housekeeping step can go a long way to convince reviewers that you have done the due diligence of tailoring your grant application to the requirements and expectations of the funding body.  

While drafting your grant application, focus on why you want to investigate the aims that you identify and why the outcome of your research would be of importance in a larger and broader context. Developing a sharp elevator pitch can help you get closer to a convincing answer of the ‘so what’ of your proposal. 

A thorough critique early on in the grant writing journey by friends, colleagues, or professional grant reviewers/editing services is critical. This can help you break out of your thought patterns and biases and reflect on your proposal from multiple facets and perspectives. The diversity and depth that this exercise can bring to your proposal would be a great value addition in the favor of your grant application. 

How to Write Strong Grant Applications with Paperpal

The art of competitive grant writing involves writing about facts and ideas with intrigue and from a broader point of view, something that may not be second nature to an academic who is already juggling with a desk load of tasks from troubleshooting experiments, drafting rebuttals for their manuscripts’ peer reviews, and attending to administrative duties.  

With Paperpal as your academic writing guide, you can create a compelling narrative for your grant application. A well-rounded understanding of scientific literature is crucial in backing and validating your ideas that are still to be put to the test in a laboratory. With Paperpal’s ‘Research’ feature, you can get answers to specific research enquiries from a repository of over 250 million research publications. Using these inputs, you can back up your hypothesis with relevant findings. This would give you a good footing to set a strong premise for your grant application. 

Here’s a quick 3-step process to leverage Paperpal’s Research feature effectively:  

1. Submit your query: Login or sign-up to Paperpal for free and click on the Research tab. Type your question in simple English to get instant factual insights from over 250 million articles, with verified sources.  

2. Review and save: Scan the summarized response and citations provided by the AI; click to read related references and save relevant papers to your citation library.   

3. Cite references: Use these insights to develop your grant writing; don’t forget to cite relevant references to deliver a well-thought-out grant application for research funding. 

Paperpal transforms how you research and write, turning a typically long, disjointed process into a seamless experience. Try Paperpal for free today to back your ideas with evidence and nail the grant writing game!    References:  

• Lauer, M. FY 2022 By the Numbers: Extramural Grant Investments in Research. National Institutes of Health, March 2023. Available online at https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2023/03/01/fy-2022-by-the-numbers-extramural-grant-investments-in-research/  
• Mohan-Ram, V. Murder Most Foul: How Not to Kill a Grant Application. Science, January 2000. Available online at https://www.science.org/content/article/murder-most-foul-how-not-kill-grant-application  
• Wagner, D.H. Developing a small peptide to control autoimmune inflammation in type 1 diabetes. Available online at https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/R41-Wagner-Summary-Statement.pdf  

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.  

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!  

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Hello Aithors! We're back again with another feature highlight. Today, we want to talk about a tool that can be a game-changer for your essay writing process - our Table of Contents tool.

Writing an essay isn't just about getting your ideas down on paper. It's about presenting them in a clear, structured way that makes sense to your reader. However, figuring out the best structure for your essay can sometimes be a tough nut to crack. That's why we developed the Table of Contents feature.

The best part about this tool is how easy it is to use. When you're about to start an Aithor essay, the Table of Contents tool is the sixth step. You can set up a structure for your essay before the AI starts writing the text. This helps you map out your essay before you dive into the writing part.

But what if you want to make changes to the structure? No problem! The Table of Contents feature is flexible and allows you to adjust the structure to fit your needs. You can add a new point, remove a section, or switch around the order. And all of this can be done with just a few clicks.

So, if the thought of structuring your essay feels overwhelming, let our Table of Contents feature help. We believe it can make your essay-writing process simpler and more enjoyable. Give it a try and see how it works for you. Happy writing, Aithors!

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Top 10 Best AI Research Assistants in 2024 (Free + Paid)

21 min read

Feeling overwhelmed by the ever-growing ocean of academic literature? Drowning in research papers and struggling to find the information you need? In this guide, we explore the exciting world of AI research assistants, your secret weapon for conquering research challenges.

AI research assistants are intelligent tools that streamline the research process, saving you time and effort. Imagine having a personal research companion by your side, summarizing complex papers, answering your questions, and even explaining tricky concepts.

This guide dives deep into the top 10 AI research assistants available in 2024, exploring their strengths, weaknesses, and pricing options. Whether you're a student swamped with assignments, an academic conducting in-depth studies, or a professional needing to stay up-to-date on industry research, there's a perfect AI assistant waiting to transform your research experience. So lets get started. 

Top 10 AI Research Assistants at a Glance 

Best ai research assistant for different fields , key features of elephas for research, elephas pricing , elephas reviews , scispace key features , scispace pricing , scispace reviews , key features of elicit , elicit reviews , chatpdf key features , chatpdf pricing , chatpdf reviews , explain paper key features , explain paper pricing , explain paper reviews , connected papers key features , connected papers pricing , connected papers reviews , lex ai key features , lex ai pricing .

• Lex AI Reviews 

Consensus Key Features 

Consensus pricing .

• Consensus Reviews 

Semantic Scholar Key Features 

Semantic scholar pricing , semantic scholar reviews , system key features .

• System Pricing 

System Reviews 

Consider your research style:, what is an ai research assistant , what are the advantages of using ai research assistants , our selection criteria to pick the top 10 ai research assistants, why elephas is the best ai research assistant .

• Conclusion 
• 1. What does an AI research assistant do?

2. What is the best AI research assistant?

3. how can ai assist in research.

Elephas: AI research assistant with multi-AI integration and offline mode for customized writing.

Scispace: It provides in-depth explanations and multilingual support.

Elicit: It excels at literature review and summarization.

Explain Paper: It simplifies complex research papers with customizable explanations.

Connected Papers: Creates a visual map to explore connections between research papers.

Lex AI: It streamlines research writing with formatting and content generation.

Consensus: Delivers evidence-based answers from scientific research with summaries and in-depth analysis.

ChatPDF: It helps in summarizing PDFs, answering questions, and translating languages.

Semantic Scholar: It has a massive paper library, advanced search, and summaries.

System: It provides summaries of relevant scientific literature and visualizations.

1. Elephas 

Elephas is an advanced AI research assistant designed to enhance productivity and streamline the research process. This powerful tool integrates seamlessly with your devices, providing context-aware assistance for various tasks. Elephas can summarize content, rewrite text, and interact with multiple platforms, making it an indispensable companion for researchers. With its user-friendly interface and customizable features, Elephas ensures that you can focus on your research while it handles the tedious tasks, saving you valuable time and effort.

Context-Aware AI Assistance: Access Elephas anywhere on your Mac with a simple shortcut, providing custom use cases based on the current screen, such as summarizing YouTube videos or web pages.

Multi-AI Provider Integration: Elephas allows users to leverage multiple AI providers, including Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, and Groq. This enables customization based on specific writing styles, project requirements, and personal preferences.

Robust Offline Mode: Elephas introduces an offline mode, allowing users to harness AI capabilities without an internet connection, ensuring seamless writing regardless of location.

Integrated Web Search: The enhanced Super Chat feature now includes integrated web search, enabling users to access and incorporate relevant online information directly within the interface.

Smart AI Keyboard: The AI-powered keyboard for iOS devices automates the writing process, offering modes like Professional, Friendly, and Viral to suit different research contexts.

Super Brain Feature: Sync and chat with your personalized AI brains across iOS devices, ensuring your research data is always accessible and organized.

Audio Processing: Record and transcribe audio notes or upload audio files from meetings and podcasts to create comprehensive research brains .

Customisable Snippets and Tones: Define repetitive tasks and set personalized writing styles, allowing Elephas to assist with tasks in a way that matches your unique research needs.

Elephas is one of the best chatgpt apps on the market right now.

It works locally and it's 100% privacy friendly!

If you own a Mac, you should definitely try it out.

2. Scispace

SciSpace Copilot is an innovative AI research assistant who acts as your friendly guide through the challenging world of academic research . It helps you to understand complex topics, and SciSpace Copilot goes beyond summaries. This innovative AI research assistant acts like a friendly study buddy, breaking down complex research papers into easy-to-understand summaries and explanations. It analyzes text, formulas, and data visualizations within research papers, providing clear explanations and answers to your questions in real time.

Breakthrough Comprehension: Copilot goes beyond summaries. It deciphers complex text, equations, and tables, providing clear explanations tailored to your needs. Ask questions directly within your research papers, and receive instant, contextual answers – all without leaving the document.

Multilingual Mastery: Converse with Copilot in 13 languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and French. This removes language barriers and opens doors to a world of scientific knowledge.

Seamless Summarization: Turn mountains of text into manageable molehills. Copilot condenses lengthy sections into concise summaries, allowing you to grasp key points quickly and efficiently. This frees up valuable time for deeper analysis.

Effortless Literature Evaluation: Shortlist relevant papers faster than ever. Pose in-depth questions to Copilot and assess the paper's applicability to your research without relying solely on abstracts.

Personalized Learning Experience: Annotate your research for future reference. Copilot allows you to create your own notes alongside its insightful responses. This personalized learning approach ensures a deeper understanding and streamlines future review.

Premium Plan Starts at $7.79/month 

Some reported the tool has been charging without their consent, and they have to cancel their card to stop making payments. The customer support of the tool is not great. Few other users reported that the tool publishes fake articles in the name of well known authors on their site.

3. Elicit 

Elicit is a free research tool that helps you find relevant academic papers and gain insights from them. It uses natural language processing to understand your questions and find papers that match your needs, even if they don't use the exact keywords. Elicit summarizes key information and provides helpful metrics to assess paper quality. You can upload your own PDFs and explore them with ease. Elicit is a great way to save time and streamline your research workflow.

Effortless Literature Search: Ask your research question in plain English and Elicit, the AI research assistant, will scour vast academic databases to find relevant publications in a matter of minutes.

Intelligent Paper Summarization: No more sifting through endless papers! Elicit analyzes top results and generates concise summaries highlighting key observations. Gain valuable insights quickly and stay on top of the latest research.

Customizable Research Organization: Tailor your research experience. Elicit allows you to filter by study type and personalize how information about each paper is displayed. Organize your findings for efficient analysis and easy reference.

Data-Driven Insights: Gain a deeper understanding of research methods and outcomes. Elicit unveils the datasets used and results measured by different authors, enriching your research perspective.

Elicit Pricing 

• It is free to use 

Some users have reported that they cannot go back to the homepage once they start the search on the tool. Additionally, if you want to modify your search a little, the previously started papers won't remain and need to be searched for again in order to get their info.

ChatPDF is an innovative web tool that acts like your personal AI research assistant for all things PDF. Forget clunky software and confusing interfaces. ChatPDF lets you chat with your PDFs in plain English, making it a breeze to unlock the information you need. Whether you're a student analyzing research papers, a lawyer reviewing contracts, or a busy professional summarizing reports, ChatPDF streamlines your workflow and saves you valuable time.

Effortless Summarization: Get concise summaries of your PDFs to grasp key points and information quickly.

AI-powered Q&A: Have questions about the document's content? Ask ChatPDF, and it will use its AI capabilities to provide insightful answers.

Multilingual Marvel: ChatPDF breaks down language barriers. Upload PDFs in any language, and it will process and respond in multiple languages for your convenience.

Cited Sources for Credibility: Answers generated by ChatPDF are backed by references to the original PDF, allowing you to easily verify the information and find the source within the document.

Multitasking Made Easy: ChatPDF lets you manage multiple PDFs simultaneously, making research and information gathering a breeze.

Free Plan ( 3 PDFs Daily and 50 Questions Per day ) 

Premium Plan Starts $5 Per month 

5. Explain Paper  

Explain Paper is an AI research assistant to simplify and explain those head-scratching concepts. Explain Paper utilizes cutting-edge AI technology to break down dense research papers into easy-to-understand explanations. Simply upload your paper (PDF or URL) and highlight any confusing sections. Explainpaper, your AI research assistant, will analyze the text and provide clear explanations right on the page, eliminating the need to jump between countless websites

Highlight & Explain: Struggling with a specific passage? Highlight it, and Explainpaper will provide a clear explanation using advanced AI.

AI-Powered Insights: Don't get bogged down by technical jargon. Explainpaper leverages sophisticated AI to simplify complex concepts in research papers.

Save for Later: Don't lose track of those valuable explanations! Save your uploaded papers for future reference and revisit them anytime.

Customization is Key: Explainpaper tailors explanations to your needs. Choose the difficulty level, from basic explanations suitable for a 5-year-old to in-depth analyses for experts.

Dive Deeper: Gain a more comprehensive understanding with related resources provided alongside each explanation, allowing you to delve deeper into specific topics.

Premium Plan starts at $12 per month

We couldn’t find any public reviews on the internet about the tool. We suggest readers proceed with caution while using the tool.

6. Connected Papers 

Connected Papers is your AI-powered research assistant, designed to revolutionize the way you explore scientific literature. Imagine a vibrant map where each point represents a research paper, and the closer they are, the more the ideas connect. It is a visual playground for researchers to uncover hidden connections and spark groundbreaking discoveries. Also, the size of the map reflects its influence, and connecting lines showcase the thematic bridges between them. That's the magic of Connected Papers!

Visualize the Conversation: Ditch the endless lists! Connected Papers creates a dynamic map of related research, using circles to represent papers and lines to depict their connections.

Beyond Citations: Sure, citations are important, but Connected Papers goes deeper. It analyzes the meaning and ideas within papers, connecting those that share similar concepts – a far richer way to explore your field.

See the Forest and the Trees: Dive into a single paper or explore a broader topic. Connected Papers lets you input multiple starting points, building a comprehensive map that reveals the connections between different research areas.

Explore from Multiple Angles: Dive deeper by feeding Connected Papers with several starting points. It will then craft a unified map, highlighting the relationships between your chosen papers.

Save for Later: Don't lose track of your research journey. Connected Papers lets you save interesting papers and their connections for future reference.

Paid Plan starts at $10 Per month

7. Lex AI 

Lex Ai is an AI research assistant who acts like a smart companion by your side, streamlining the research writing process so you can focus on what matters most – groundbreaking discoveries. Lex goes beyond a simple word processor. It's a powerful AI tool trained on a massive dataset to understand the nuances of academic and scientific writing. Whether you're crafting a research paper, grant proposal, or technical report, Lex can significantly boost your productivity.

Effortless Formatting: Say goodbye to tedious formatting! Lex uses simple prompts to handle references, headers, tables, and lists, freeing you to concentrate on your content.

AI-powered Content Generation : Lex can generate relevant and accurate content based on your specific prompts, saving you precious time.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Maintain complete control over your research. Track and compare your input with the AI-generated text to ensure seamless integration and top-notch quality.

Real-time Research Support: No more research roadblocks! Ask Lex quick questions directly within the platform. No need to switch tabs or lose your train of thought.

Intelligent Learning: The more you use Lex, the smarter it gets. As you write, Lex learns your style and preferences, continuously improving the quality of its suggestions.

Free to use 

Lex AI Reviews  

8. consensus .

Consensus cuts through the noise by delivering evidence-based answers straight from scientific research. This innovative platform leverages the power of artificial intelligence to analyze millions of peer-reviewed papers, providing you with trustworthy, up-to-date findings. Gone are the days of sifting through mountains of unverified sources. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, Consensus dives deep into a vast collection of over 200 million scientific papers to surface insights and summaries you can rely on.

Trustworthy Results: Focus on findings, not fluff. Every answer in Consensus is meticulously sourced from credible scientific publications, ensuring the information you receive is dependable and verifiable.

AI-powered Summaries: Consensus utilizes advanced AI to generate concise summaries, saving you valuable time and effort.

AI-Powered Insights: Unleash the power of AI. Consensus utilizes cutting-edge technology to analyze and summarize complex research papers, delivering clear and concise summaries that save you valuable time and effort.

Effortless Navigation: Experience a breeze with Consensus' user-friendly interface. The intuitive design streamlines the search process, allowing you to find the information you need quickly and efficiently.

In-Depth Analysis: Gain a deeper understanding of the "Synthesize" feature. This powerful tool analyzes the top research papers on your topic, providing a comprehensive overview of the key findings.

Premium Plan Starts at $8.99/month 

Consensus Reviews  

9. semantic scholar .

Semantic Scholar is an AI-powered research assistant. This innovative tool helps researchers of all levels to navigate the vast ocean of academic literature with ease.  This AI research assistant helps you to find exactly what you need when you need it. Semantic Scholar boasts a staggering collection of over 207 million scientific papers, meticulously categorized across diverse fields.

Massive Paper Library: Explore over 207 million research papers across various scientific disciplines.

Laser-Focused Search: Refine your research with advanced filters like journals, authors, publication dates, and more.

AI-powered Recommendations: Never miss a relevant study again. Semantic Scholar suggests related papers based on your search, keeping you on the cutting edge of your field.

TLDR Time Savers: Short on time? Semantic Scholar offers concise summaries (think "Too Long; Didn't Read") for millions of papers, allowing you to grasp key concepts quickly.

Organize Your Research: Build a personalized library to store and categorize your favourite papers. Access them from any device and create custom folders for better organization.

10. System  

System is an innovative AI research assistant that simplifies the research process, saving you time and effort. System acts as your personal research companion, using advanced AI to understand your queries and deliver insightful summaries of relevant scientific literature. No more sifting through endless papers – System efficiently gathers and synthesizes information, providing you with a clear and concise overview of the latest research in your field.

• Effortless Research: Simply enter your topic and System delivers a fast, up-to-date summary of relevant research, saving you hours of searching.
• Crystal Clear Insights: System doesn't just provide information, it clarifies it. Each summary is accompanied by transparent citations, ensuring you understand the source of the information.
• Always Current: System stays ahead of the curve by constantly refreshing its knowledge base with the latest research from trusted sources.
• Uncover Hidden Connections: System's unique visualization tools help you see the bigger picture, revealing connections and insights you might have missed.

System Pricing  

Free: Basic search.

Premium Plans start at $6/month 

How to Choose the Right AI Research Assistant for your Day to Day Activities? 

AI Research Assistants are powerful tools that can streamline your daily tasks, but with a plethora of options, choosing the right one can be tricky. Here's how to pick the perfect AI research assistant for your specific needs:

Power User: If you juggle various projects and need an all-in-one tool, consider Elephas. It integrates with multiple AI providers, letting you customise writing styles and tackle diverse tasks.

Free Spirit: For those on a budget, Elicit and Lex AI offer valuable features for free. Elicit excels at summarizing and finding relevant papers, while Lex AI assists with academic writing.

Language Learner: Researching in multiple languages? Scispace Copilot provides multilingual support and in-depth explanations, breaking down language barriers.

Decoding Complex Papers: Then try out the Explain Paper tool that excel at simplifying dense concepts.

Need Massive Library: Semantic Scholar has a massive library of 207 Million research papers. 

Elephas: Your Customizable Research Powerhouse

Elephas stands out for its versatility and user-friendliness. Its unique features include:

Offline Mode: Work seamlessly without an internet connection.

AI Integration: Choose from multiple AI providers to fit your writing style.

Smart Summarization: Get clear, concise summaries of research papers.

Customisable Snippets: Automate repetitive tasks and personalise writing styles.

While exploring different options, keep Elephas on your radar. This versatile AI assistant acts like a Swiss Army knife for researchers. Need summaries, rewrites, or help with specific writing styles? Elephas has you covered. Plus, its unique offline mode allows you to access AI help anywhere, anytime.

By following these steps and considering Elephas, you'll be well on your way to finding the perfect AI research assistant. Remember, the best research assistant depends on your specific needs and will help you conquer your research challenges, transforming your daily grind into a breeze. Explore free trials and various features to find your ideal solution.

Before we move on to the advantages of research assistants, let's look at what exactly an AI research assistant is.

Think of an AI research assistant as your own personal research librarian on steroids. It saves you time, simplifies complex information, and even explains tricky concepts. It helps you focus on the most important parts of your research.

These are powerful tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that help researchers navigate the ever-growing ocean of academic literature. They act like smart companions, helping you with various tasks such as:

Slicing Through Text Mountains: AI assistants can quickly summarize lengthy research papers, saving you hours of reading time.

Finding the Perfect Papers: Struggling to find relevant research? AI assistants can search vast databases to pinpoint studies that align with your topic.

Understanding the Jargon: AI can break down complex concepts and explain them in clear, easy-to-understand language.

Supercharge Your Writing: Some AI assistants can help with academic writing tasks like formatting references and generating content prompts.

Here's the best part: AI research assistants come in all shapes and sizes. Some are free to use, while others offer paid plans with more advanced features.

Who can benefit from an AI research assistant?

Students swamped with research papers

Academics conducting in-depth studies

Professionals need to stay up-to-date on industry research

Research can feel like quicksand sometimes - the more you struggle, the deeper you sink. But what if there was a helpful tool to pull you out? That's where AI research assistants come in!

So, what exactly can these AI helpers do?

Save Time & Effort: AI assistants can summarize research papers, find relevant articles, and even answer your questions about them. This frees you up to focus on the important stuff - understanding the research and making cool discoveries!

Understand Complex Concepts: AI can break down tough research papers into easy-to-grasp chunks. No more head-scratching over confusing jargon!

Write Like a Pro: Some AI assistants can even help you write your research papers or reports. They can suggest citations, improve formatting, and even rephrase sentences for better clarity.

Stay Organized: Keep track of all your research in one place! Some AI assistants let you store and organize your findings, making it easy to find what you need later.

Work Offline: No internet connection? No problem! Some AI assistants work even without wifi such as Elephas, so you can keep researching on the go.

More Efficient Workflow: Organize your research materials and streamline the process.

Less Stress: Free up mental space by letting AI handle repetitive tasks.

Write Smarter, Not Harder: From suggesting citations to helping with formatting, AI assistants can streamline your academic writing, making it faster and more efficient.

Basically, AI research assistants are like having a personal research buddy who can:

Save you time and effort

Boost your research productivity

Make research less stressful and more enjoyable

Picking the perfect AI research assistant can feel overwhelming. But fret no more! Here's a peek behind the curtain at how we select the AI assistants to bring you the top 10 list.

Accuracy is King: We prioritize assistants with an impressive track record of delivering accurate information and completing tasks flawlessly. Imagine a research partner that gets your facts straight every time!

Knowledge Powerhouse: The best assistants boast vast knowledge bases, able to answer your questions on nearly any topic. Whether it's obscure historical details or cutting-edge science, a top contender will have it covered.

Understanding Your Needs: We value assistants that can decipher your intent and respond accordingly. Imagine an assistant that anticipates what kind of information you need, saving you tons of time and effort.

Multilingual Mastery: Research shouldn't have language barriers! Top assistants can understand and respond in multiple languages, making them ideal for global research projects.

We also looked into the Reputation and Reliability of each Tool:

User Reviews and Ratings: What do actual researchers have to say about the assistant's effectiveness?

Data Source Credibility: Does the assistant rely on trustworthy sources for its information (e.g., peer-reviewed journals)?

Transparency and Explainability: Does it provide clear explanations for its findings and avoid presenting AI-generated content as absolute truth?

By applying these stringent criteria, we've curated a diverse selection of AI research assistants, each catering to specific research needs and budgets. From the comprehensive summaries of Elephas to the visual exploration offered by Connected Papers, there's a perfect companion waiting to transform your research experience.

Conclusion  

Choosing the right AI research assistant depends on your specific needs and research style. If you're a busy researcher juggling multiple projects, consider Elephas, a versatile tool with features like multi-AI integration, customizable writing styles, and an offline mode. For those on a budget, free options like Elicit and Lex AI offer valuable functionalities.

No matter your needs, there's an AI research assistant waiting to transform your research experience. Explore free trials and different features to find your perfect match. Elephas stands out for its comprehensive features and customizability, making it a powerful companion for researchers of all levels. Try out Elephas today and see how AI can supercharge your research journey!

1. Wha t does an AI research assistant do?

An AI research assistant tackles tedious tasks like summarizing complex papers, finding relevant articles through vast databases, and even explaining mind-bending scientific jargon in clear language. This frees you up to focus on the analysis and discovery that make research exciting.

While several AI research assistants offer valuable features, Elephas stands out for its versatility and customizability. Elephas integrates with various AI providers, letting you tailor writing styles to your needs. It can even work offline, making it a reliable companion wherever research takes you.

AI research assistants are like supercharged research partners. They can slash through time spent summarizing lengthy papers and pinpoint the most relevant studies from massive databases. AI can break them down into clear explanations. Some AI assistants can even help with formatting and citations.

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Home — Blog — AI Hacks and Tips — 165 AI Prompt Examples for Students to Use in 2024

165 AI Prompt Examples for Students to Use in 2024

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become increasingly significant in various fields, including education. One of the key applications of AI in education is through the use of AI prompts. These prompts can help students generate ideas, write essays, create art, and solve problems more efficiently. This article provides 100 AI prompt examples that students can use in 2024 to enhance their learning and creativity.

What is an AI Prompt?

An AI prompt is a set of instructions or a question designed to elicit a response from an AI system. In essence, it is a way to communicate with AI, guiding it to generate specific types of content. AI prompts are crucial in applications such as AI writing assistants, AI art generators, and more. For instance, an AI prompt writer can craft precise and effective prompts that help students and professionals achieve their desired outcomes with AI tools.

AI prompts examples can vary widely, from simple queries like "Write a summary of this article" to more complex instructions such as "Generate a creative story about a futuristic world where AI governs society." The versatility of AI prompts makes them an invaluable resource across various fields, including education, art, and research.

Importance of AI Prompts in AI Applications

AI prompts are essential because they shape the output of the AI. Well-crafted prompts can lead to insightful essays, creative art pieces, and accurate problem-solving, making them invaluable tools for students. For example, a prompt AI system can use specific instructions to produce high-quality academic content, aiding students in their studies. By understanding how to create effective AI prompts, users can maximize the potential of AI technologies, ensuring that the responses generated are relevant, accurate, and useful. Whether for academic, creative, or practical applications, the right AI prompts can significantly enhance the capabilities of AI systems.

How to Write AI Prompts?

Crafting effective AI prompts is an essential skill for leveraging the full potential of AI technologies. Knowing how to write AI prompts correctly can significantly enhance the quality of the output generated by AI systems, making them invaluable for educational, creative, and professional applications. Below are detailed tips, common pitfalls to avoid, and useful tools for writing effective AI prompts.

Tips and Techniques for Writing Effective AI Prompts

To ensure that AI systems generate the desired content, it is crucial to follow some key techniques. Here are several practical tips for crafting effective AI prompts:

• Be Specific: Clearly state what you want the AI to generate. Specificity helps the AI understand and deliver precise responses, improving the overall quality of the output.
• Provide Context: Give the AI enough background information to understand the task. Contextual information can guide the AI to produce more accurate and relevant content.
• Use Clear Language: Avoid ambiguity to ensure accurate results. Clear and straightforward language prevents misinterpretation and ensures the AI comprehends the instructions fully.
• Experiment and Iterate: Test different prompts to see what works best. Iteration allows you to refine your prompts for optimal results.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While writing AI prompts, certain common mistakes can hinder the effectiveness of the AI's output. Being aware of these pitfalls can help in crafting better prompts:

• Vagueness: Unclear prompts can lead to irrelevant or incomplete responses. Ensure your instructions are detailed and specific.
• Overloading: Too much information can confuse the AI. Simplify and focus your prompts to keep them effective.
• Lack of Structure: Disorganized prompts can result in disjointed outputs. Maintain a clear structure in your prompts for cohesive responses.

Tools and Resources for AI Prompt Writing

Several tools and resources can assist in writing high-quality AI prompts. These tools provide templates, suggestions, and platforms to experiment with prompts:

• GPT-3 Playground: Experiment with different prompts and see instant results. This tool allows you to interact with AI directly and refine your prompts.
• AI Writing Assistants: Tools like Essay Writer , Jasper, and Copy.ai offer templates and suggestions for prompt writing. These assistants can help you create effective prompts with ease.

Explanation of Terms

Understanding key terms related to AI prompts can enhance your ability to write them effectively:

• AI Writing Prompt: A prompt designed to generate written content. These prompts guide AI systems to produce text-based responses.
• AI Prompt Writer: A tool or person specializing in crafting AI prompts. Skilled AI prompt writers can create precise and effective prompts for various applications.
• Prompt AI: The practice of creating prompts for AI systems. This involves understanding how to design prompts that elicit specific and useful outputs from AI technologies.

🏫 30 Good AI Prompts Examples for Education

Using AI prompts can significantly aid in various educational tasks. Below are detailed examples of AI prompts that students can use for different types of assignments, from essays to research papers, and more.

Best AI Prompt Examples for an Essay

AI prompts can be incredibly helpful in generating well-structured essays on a variety of topics. Here are some examples:

• Argumentative Essay: "Discuss the impact of climate change on global agriculture and propose potential solutions."
• Descriptive Essay: "Describe a day in the life of a medieval blacksmith."
• Narrative Essay: "Write a story about a young explorer discovering a hidden island."
• Expository Essay: "Explain the process of photosynthesis and its importance to plant life."
• Compare and Contrast Essay: "Compare the educational systems of the United States and Finland."
• Cause and Effect Essay: "Analyze the causes and effects of urbanization in developing countries."
• Persuasive Essay: "Argue whether or not college education should be free for all students."
• Reflective Essay: "Reflect on a personal experience that significantly changed your perspective on life."
• Definition Essay: "Define the concept of 'freedom' and discuss its implications in modern society."
• Process Essay: "Describe the steps involved in preparing for a marathon."

Best AI Prompt Examples for a Research Paper

When it comes to research papers, AI prompts can guide students in structuring their work and ensuring comprehensive coverage of their topics:

• Literature Review: "Summarize recent research on renewable energy sources and their effectiveness."
• Methodology: "Outline a research methodology for studying the effects of social media on mental health."
• Introduction: "Introduce the topic of cyber security and its importance in the digital age."
• Abstract: "Write an abstract for a study on the impact of remote learning on student performance."
• Discussion: "Discuss the implications of genetic engineering in modern medicine."
• Conclusion: "Conclude a research paper on the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence."
• Data Analysis: "Analyze data from a survey on consumer preferences for electric vehicles."
• Case Study: "Write a case study on the economic impact of tourism in small island nations."
• Research Questions: "Formulate three research questions for a study on climate change adaptation strategies."
• Hypothesis: "Develop a hypothesis for a research project on the relationship between diet and mental health."

Additional Education-Related AI Prompts Examples

AI prompts can also assist in other educational activities, such as summarizing articles, solving math problems, learning languages, and conducting science projects:

• AI Prompt for Summarizing Articles: "Summarize the main points of the article on quantum computing advancements in 300 words."
• AI Prompt for Solving Math Problems: "Solve the quadratic equation x^2 - 4x + 4 = 0 step-by-step."
• AI Prompt for Language Learning: "Create a list of 10 sentences using the past perfect tense in Spanish."
• AI Prompt for Science Projects: "Generate a hypothesis for an experiment on plant growth under different light conditions."
• AI Prompt for History Assignments: "Outline the key events leading up to the American Revolution."
• AI Prompt for Geography Projects: "Describe the climatic conditions of the Sahara Desert and their impact on local wildlife."
• AI Prompt for Economics Studies: "Analyze the effects of inflation on household savings and spending."
• AI Prompt for Literature Analysis: "Discuss the themes of love and revenge in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'."
• AI Prompt for Computer Science Projects: "Propose a simple algorithm for sorting a list of numbers."
• AI Prompt for Social Studies: "Examine the social and cultural impacts of globalization on indigenous communities."

These AI prompt examples demonstrate how versatile and useful AI can be in enhancing educational outcomes, guiding students through various types of assignments, and promoting deeper understanding and creativity.

🖼️ AI Prompt Examples for Art & Images

Ai art prompt tips.

Creating effective AI art prompts requires a blend of creativity and clarity. To inspire captivating art, it’s essential to use descriptive language and vivid imagery. Be specific about the elements you want to include, such as colors, themes, and styles. Incorporating emotions and moods can also guide the AI to produce more expressive and unique pieces. For instance, describing the scene as "a serene sunset over a tranquil lake" provides clear visual guidance. Remember, the more detailed and imaginative your prompts, the better the AI will capture your artistic vision. Utilize these ai art prompt tips to enhance your AI-generated art.

AI Art Prompt Ideas and Examples

AI art prompts can spark incredible creativity. Here are 20 prompt ideas and examples to help you generate stunning AI art pieces:

• Fantasy Landscape: "A misty forest with ancient, towering trees and glowing mushrooms."
• Abstract Art: "A vibrant composition of swirling colors representing chaos and order."
• Historical Scene: "A bustling medieval marketplace at dawn."
• Futuristic City: "A high-tech metropolis with flying cars and neon lights."
• Surreal Portrait: "A person with a galaxy swirling inside their eyes."
• Nature's Beauty: "A serene beach at sunset with gentle waves and a distant island."
• Animal Kingdom: "A majestic lion resting on a rock under a starry night sky."
• Dreamscape: "A floating island with cascading waterfalls and floating lanterns."
• Mythical Creature: "A dragon soaring above a mountain range with fire blazing from its mouth."
• Sci-Fi Setting: "An alien planet with bioluminescent plants and strange rock formations."
• Mystical Forest: "A hidden grove illuminated by bioluminescent plants and mythical creatures."
• Urban Jungle: "A city overtaken by nature, with vines and trees growing through skyscrapers."
• Seasonal Scene: "A cozy cabin in the woods during a snowy winter night."
• Art Nouveau Style: "An elegant woman in a flowing dress surrounded by intricate floral patterns."
• Cosmic Art: "A breathtaking view of a nebula with vibrant colors and swirling gases."
• Underwater World: "A coral reef teeming with colorful fish and marine life."
• Historical Figure: "A regal portrait of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh."
• Fantasy Character: "A warrior elf with intricate armor standing in an enchanted forest."
• Epic Battle: "A clash between knights and dragons in a mystical realm."
• Peaceful Scene: "A tranquil Japanese garden with cherry blossoms in full bloom."

AI Image Prompts

AI image prompts guide the AI to generate specific types of images. Here are 20 AI image prompts to inspire your creativity:

• Portraits: "A detailed portrait of a Renaissance artist in their workshop."
• Landscapes: "A snowy mountain peak under a starry night sky."
• Abstract Patterns: "Geometric shapes in contrasting colors forming a dynamic composition."
• Historical Events: "The signing of the Declaration of Independence."
• Sci-Fi Elements: "A spacecraft landing on a distant planet with alien flora."
• Fantasy Worlds: "A castle floating in the clouds with a rainbow arcing overhead."
• Modern Art: "An urban graffiti wall with vibrant, expressive colors."
• Botanical Illustrations: "Detailed drawings of exotic plants and flowers."
• Ocean Scenes: "Waves crashing against a rocky shore at sunset."
• Nightscapes: "A city skyline illuminated by the lights of skyscrapers."
• Animal Portraits: "A regal eagle soaring high above the mountains."
• Cultural Festivals: "A lively street parade during a cultural festival."
• Architectural Marvels: "A futuristic building with sleek, curved lines."
• Mythological Beasts: "A phoenix rising from its ashes in a burst of flames."
• Vintage Aesthetics: "A sepia-toned photograph of a 1920s jazz band."
• Weather Phenomena: "A dramatic thunderstorm with lightning striking across the sky."
• Urban Vibes: "A bustling city street filled with people and vibrant shops."
• Peaceful Villages: "A quaint village nestled in the rolling hills of the countryside."
• Festive Celebrations: "A colorful carnival with balloons, confetti, and smiling faces."
• Artistic Collages: "A collage of vintage postcards and modern graphic elements."

These ai prompts examples demonstrate the breadth of possibilities when using AI to generate images and art. By experimenting with these prompts, you can discover new ways to enhance your creativity and produce stunning visual content.

✏️ Best AI Prompt Examples for Writing

Writing prompts are a fantastic way to spark creativity and guide your writing process. Here are some of the best AI prompt examples for various writing tasks, along with tips for generating creative and engaging writing prompts.

Examples for Various Writing Tasks

• "Write a short story about a time traveler who discovers a hidden civilization."
• "Describe a mystery adventure set in an abandoned amusement park."
• "Craft a tale about a young detective solving their first big case."
• "Narrate a story about an astronaut's journey to a newly discovered planet."
• "Write about a family secret that changes everything for the protagonist."
• "Compose a poem about the changing seasons and the passage of time."
• "Write a haiku reflecting on the beauty of a rainy day."
• "Create a sonnet that explores the theme of unrequited love."
• "Generate a free-verse poem inspired by the ocean's waves."
• "Craft a limerick about a whimsical character from a fairy tale."
• "Create a dialogue between two characters debating the ethics of artificial intelligence."
• "Write a script for a short film about a day in the life of a superhero."
• "Generate a conversation between an inventor and their skeptical friend."
• "Script a scene where two old friends reunite after many years apart."
• "Compose a dialogue set in a futuristic world where humans and robots coexist."

Tips for Generating Creative and Engaging Writing Prompts

To make the most of AI writing prompts, here are five essential tips to ensure they are creative and engaging:

• Incorporate Conflict: Conflict drives narratives and keeps readers engaged. Introducing a challenging situation or problem for the characters to resolve can add depth and interest to your writing.
• Use Unique Settings: Unique settings provide a fresh backdrop for your story, allowing for imaginative scenarios and new perspectives. Consider places and times that aren't typical for your genre.
• Develop Complex Characters: Multi-dimensional characters with detailed backgrounds and motivations enrich your story. Think about their fears, desires, and secrets to add layers to your narrative.
• Explore Different Perspectives: Writing from unique perspectives can offer new insights and create intriguing narratives. Experiment with perspectives that challenge conventional viewpoints.
• Incorporate Themes and Symbols: Themes and symbols add depth to your writing, providing readers with a richer experience. Consider what larger ideas you want your story or poem to convey and weave these elements throughout your work.

These examples and tips are designed to help you harness the power of AI to enhance your writing process. By using specific, imaginative, and detailed prompts, you can unlock new levels of creativity and productivity in your writing endeavors.

😄 Best AI Prompt Examples for Fun

Introducing fun and creative AI prompts can enhance leisure activities, making them more engaging and stimulating. Here are some of the best AI prompt examples for various fun and entertaining tasks.

• "Generate a list of riddles that challenge logical thinking."
• "Create a riddle involving a mythical creature and its magical powers."
• "Compose a series of holiday-themed riddles."
• "Write a riddle that uses wordplay and puns."
• "Develop a riddle based on a famous historical figure."
• "Generate a riddle involving a common household item."
• "Create a riddle that requires lateral thinking to solve."
• "Write a riddle set in an enchanted forest."
• "Develop a riddle about a mysterious object found in space."
• "Compose a riddle that features a famous landmark."

Creative Activities:

• "Create prompts for a drawing challenge inspired by mythical creatures."
• "Design a weekly art challenge focusing on different themes each day."
• "Generate prompts for a creative writing marathon."
• "Suggest a theme for a DIY craft project using recyclable materials."
• "Create a list of photography prompts capturing different emotions."
• "Design a scavenger hunt with clues based on literary references."
• "Generate prompts for a storytelling game involving random words."
• "Develop ideas for a themed costume party."
• "Compose a set of prompts for a collaborative mural project."
• "Suggest themes for a poetry slam event."

Story Starters:

• "Once upon a time in a land where dragons ruled the skies..."
• "In a small village nestled in the mountains, a secret portal to another world was discovered..."
• "On a dark and stormy night, a knock at the door changed everything..."
• "In the year 3025, humanity discovered they were not alone in the universe..."
• "Deep in the enchanted forest, a hidden kingdom thrived..."
• "In a bustling city, a young detective stumbled upon a case that defied logic..."
• "In a world where magic is real, one young apprentice must prove their worth..."
• "The old library held more secrets than anyone could have imagined..."
• "On the edge of the galaxy, a lone spaceship encountered an ancient alien civilization..."
• "In the quiet town of Willow Creek, a series of mysterious events unfolded..."

Character Creation:

• "Describe a superhero with unconventional powers."
• "Create a character who is a time-traveling historian."
• "Develop a character who can communicate with animals."
• "Invent a villain who uses music to control minds."
• "Design a character who is a master of disguise."
• "Create a character who is the last of their kind in a post-apocalyptic world."
• "Develop a character who can manipulate dreams."
• "Invent a character who has the ability to transform into different elements."
• "Design a character who is a skilled hacker in a futuristic society."
• "Create a character who is an undercover agent with a hidden agenda."

🌿 Best AI Prompt Examples for Healthcare & Wellbeing

AI prompts can also be beneficial for improving health and wellbeing. Here are 10 examples of AI prompts tailored to support mental and physical health:

Mindfulness Prompts:

• "Generate a guided meditation script for stress relief."
• "Create a prompt for a mindfulness exercise focusing on deep breathing."
• "Develop a script for a body scan meditation to enhance relaxation."
• "Write a gratitude meditation to start or end the day positively."
• "Compose a visualization exercise to help manage anxiety."
• "Generate a mindfulness prompt for focusing on the present moment."
• "Create a meditation script for improving sleep quality."
• "Develop a series of prompts for a walking meditation."
• "Write a mindful eating exercise to promote healthier eating habits."
• "Compose a meditation to cultivate self-compassion and kindness."

Fitness Planning:

• "Create a weekly workout plan for beginners focusing on strength training."
• "Design a 30-day fitness challenge for improving cardiovascular health."
• "Generate a workout routine tailored for busy professionals."
• "Develop a fitness plan for improving flexibility and balance."
• "Create a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program for weight loss."
• "Design a fitness plan for building muscle mass."
• "Generate a workout schedule for preparing for a marathon."
• "Create a fitness routine for seniors to improve mobility."
• "Develop a workout plan that incorporates yoga and Pilates."
• "Generate a family-friendly exercise routine for all ages."

Meal Plans:

• "Suggest a balanced diet plan for vegetarians aiming to increase protein intake."
• "Create a weekly meal plan for individuals with gluten intolerance."
• "Generate a diet plan for boosting immune system health."
• "Develop a meal plan for athletes focusing on high-energy foods."
• "Create a balanced diet plan for weight management."
• "Generate a meal plan for maintaining heart health."
• "Design a meal plan for improving digestive health."
• "Create a vegan meal plan rich in essential nutrients."
• "Generate a meal plan for supporting healthy skin."
• "Develop a meal plan for individuals with diabetes to manage blood sugar levels."

Exercise Routines:

• "Design a 30-minute daily workout for improving cardiovascular health."
• "Create a morning exercise routine to boost energy levels."
• "Generate an evening workout plan to promote better sleep."
• "Develop a strength training routine that can be done at home."
• "Create a low-impact exercise plan for individuals with joint pain."
• "Generate a flexibility routine to improve range of motion."
• "Design a high-intensity workout for experienced fitness enthusiasts."
• "Create a quick 15-minute workout for busy days."
• "Develop an exercise plan incorporating both cardio and strength training."
• "Generate a workout routine for enhancing core stability and strength."

These AI prompts for fun and health are designed to inspire creativity, promote wellbeing, and enhance overall quality of life. By utilizing these prompts, you can explore new activities, stay engaged, and maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

How to Use These AI Prompt Examples

To effectively utilize these AI prompt examples, follow these steps. First, choose the right tool : select an AI platform that suits your needs, such as GPT-3 for text generation or DALL-E for image creation. Next, customize the prompt : tailor the provided prompts to fit your specific task or creative goal. Finally, evaluate the output : review and refine the AI-generated content to ensure it meets your quality standards.

Main tips for customizing and optimizing prompts:

• Iterate and Improve: Continuously refine your prompts based on the results.
• Seek Feedback: Use input from peers or educators to enhance the prompts' effectiveness.
• Experiment and Adapt: Try different approaches and variations to find what works best for your needs.