The Research Paper

The Research Paper: The Many Parts

There are many parts that make up the research paper. They are meant to guide you as you go along the writing process. They can also help readers skim through the different sections of the research paper.

Title Page. The title of the research paper does not have to be long. Nevertheless, it should reflect the general idea of the research paper. You can also add your name or date of submission; however, unless this is a requirement in your class, you can leave out the latter.

Abstract. An abstract is a section of the research paper that will summarize everything you’ve written in your paper. Like the title, you don’t have to make this so lengthy. As much as possible, limit your word count to between 150 and 200 words.

Introduction. Usually, when you have an abstract in the research paper, you can already forego with the introduction. However, if you want to establish your point and provide your rationale for creating the research paper, make sure that you include an introduction. It should be more than 2 pages.

Methodology. This should be considered as the easiest part of the research paper, as you’re not bound by any word count or page limit. Your main goal of adding this in your research paper is to educate your readers about the methodologies—processes and procedures—that you have applied to derive your conclusion. For easy reading, you may want to divide this portion of the research paper into different subheadings.

Discussion. The methodology can only be about the process. The analysis and arguments are placed in the Discussion section. This is a crucial part as you are obliged to provide facts to support your claims or evaluation. Otherwise, readers will doubt you and the paper will lose its ultimate purpose.

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