Another research paper? No matter where you are in your academic journey, the idea of another research paper assignment looming at the horizon fills you with exasperation. It’s natural since most college and university assignments revolve around writing and researching, which makes it seem that you’re always working on a research paper or another.
Find Inspiration for Your Research Paper
If you’re stressed about finding a topic, creating an outline, uncovering important sources and references, and then coming up with a good draft for your research paper, don’t worry. There are several ways to make things easier for yourself by using tested methods that have helped countless students survive college.
Find Professional Writing Help
The most convenient solution to most of your writing problems is searching for a professional service that provides assistance to students. Maybe you have a specific assignment such as writing a research paper on Beowulf or a personal essay about a hero. You can use samples of a research paper on Beowulf and find your style by seeing what experienced writers have to write about your subject.
Not only that checking out samples by professional writers is the fastest way to get inspiration, but it is also an efficient way to learn how your research paper or essay should look like at the end. These examples are usually written by highly educated writers with wide experience in academia who follow all the rules of academic writing and researching.
A good sample is also indicative of the most important ideas regarding your topic, so you can use it as a starting point for further research. You can print an online essay and research paper and then read it carefully and underline all the important themes, ideas, and words that you can explore later. Since our brains need a trigger in order to come up with new associations, having examples at your disposal is a helpful trick to kick-start your creativity engine.
Visit the Library
While the Internet is an immense source of information and knowledge, sometimes using your university’s library is much more effective. Librarians are educated professionals who can advise you on what books, journals, and articles to consult and where to find information related to the topic of your assignment. Moreover, libraries are very well organized so it’s easier to find all the references you need in one place.
In a library, you have access to:
- Books and periodicals
- Newspapers and magazines
- Scientific journals
- Encyclopedias and dictionaries
- Official reports, guides, and publications from organizations, government, cultural institutions, research facilities
Another big plus for libraries is that you can also be sure that all references come from reputable sources, and your professors will be impressed. There’s hardly a place that can inspire new associations and ideas than a library since this is where you are surrounded by all the material you may need. Just browsing the shelves can reveal hidden gems of insights.
Brainstorm With Your Colleagues
When you feel stuck with your research paper, it’s good to remember that your colleagues suffer through the same ordeal as you. Maybe a good way to find both inspiration and motivation to get to work is to meet up and devise a good plan together. Collaborative work is great for generating ideas and exploring topics in detail. While you can brainstorm by yourself, there are bigger chances of coming up with original ideas when you can bounce off thoughts with someone else.
Group sessions are great at enhancing your creativity and boosting problem-solving skills. If you use techniques such as mind-mapping, productivity will soar. You can do a good mind-mapping exercise on paper or by using specific online software.
First of all, a mind map is a diagram that helps you organize your information visually. For example, if you have to write a research paper on Shakespeare, you will draw a rectangle in the center of a blank page and write “Shakespeare” in it. Then you will think about words connected to his works and add them to the diagram with pointing arrows. Around each word, you can add new related words and ideas.
A mind map creates branches and allows you to understand better where you can get with your research paper once you connect all the dots. This is a very important step because, with all those keywords available, you can start researching them individually and find all the necessary references to add to your bibliography.
Browse Scientific Journals
Finding inspiration for a research paper is made even more difficult by the fact that so many students have already written about most common topics, so it seems impossible to come up with something original. Especially if you are in a scientific field of study, you cannot possibly invent new things or discover important scientific facts as a student.
Having access to scientific journals can be immensely helpful because it can give you an idea about what has been written already in your field. Searching by topic or keywords, you will find all relevant works on that specific subject, which you can either use as reference or read to make sure you are not repeating the same arguments.
Ask Your Professor
While this should be your last resort, if you followed all the steps above and still cannot come up with a good research topic or you cannot find references to consult, consider asking your professor for advice. Professors are intensely passionate about their courses and will know exactly what’s been written on the topic, thus being able to direct you towards relevant sources.
Writing yet another research paper does not have to be an excruciating task. Following all the tips above will allow you to write quickly and efficiently and get the grade you hope for. Don’t let yourself get stuck in the procrastination stage. Whether you’re writing in social sciences, literature, economics, or science-related topics, consult relevant tools and services to revive your interest in the task at hand. Read this article in case if you have to compile a research paper on a scientific topic.