Paper Outline

Although there are differences across journals, methodologies, and disciplines for how one is to organize a research paper. In general, a basic research paper in the social sciences will be organized more or less along the following lines:

1. Introduction
2. Review of the Literature
3. Theory
4. Methods
5. Results
6. Discussion
7. Conclusion

Sometimes, the review of the literature and the theory get smooshed into the same section and the same goes for discussion and conclusion.… Read More “Paper Outline”

Sometimes starting a paper feels like the hardest part, especially you when have a lot of information in your head you just want to get down on paper. To simplify the process, I almost always give my students the following template for writing a basic introduction to any research paper:

Paragraph 1: Contextualize the issue, end with the last sentence giving the research question and/or thesis statement

Paragraph 2: Explain how you’re going to answer this question, give some details about what method you’ll be using

Paragraph 3: Explain why the reader should care.… Read More “A Formula for the Introduction”

Lit Review vs. Theory Section

A “lit review” or a literature review or a review of the literature is the section of a research paper that provides an overview of the state of the research on the topic of the paper.… Read More “Lit Review vs. Theory Section”

Methods Section Components

The methods section of a research paper is kind of like the instructions you get with a piece of furniture from IKEA. It tells you how the furniture was or will be put together but not why it works, why we care, and it’s not the thing itself.… Read More “Methods Section Components”