At some point in your academic journey, you will find yourself writing a research paper at the last minute. Although it is best to start early, you cannot avoid some hindrances. It may be other assignments, activities, part-time jobs, or lack of motivation. Whatever reason you have, you know that you have to finish it before the deadline. You do not want to get deductions or receive failing grades for not submitting on time.
Fortunately, there are custom writing companies who can write research papers for you. They will make sure to send your project ahead of time. However, this is not the case for all companies. For sure, you wish to submit a secured output. It would be best for you to know some tips to finish quickly. Discussed below are steps and strategies on how to do a research paper in one night.
Choose a Topic
One of the most crucial steps in writing a research paper is deciding on the topic. Sometimes, teachers give their students respective themes so that they will not have similar subjects. If this does not apply to you, you cannot do much but proceed with the next step. But if your teacher allowed you to choose one on your own, you have to decide carefully.
If you are wondering how to start writing a research paper, you should ask a question first. Ponder on your answer to this question: “What do I like to talk about or analyze?” Once you have figured this out, list your preferences and interests. This way, you will be confident in sharing your insights and opinions because of your prior knowledge.
After listing, it would help to look for lists of topics online. These will give you more specific prompts related to your likes. You might also see some issues that will catch your interest. But, you should think twice before choosing any of them. You cannot waste precious time talking about things you knew recently.
Do Your Research and Outline 3-5 Subtopics
In writing a paper in one night, you have to be strategic. It is part of learning how to write a paper fast. Hence, it would be best if you do prior research first. Doing this will help you create a precise claim using all the credible resources you have collected. If you do not gather enough information before drafting, it will be time-consuming to do this halfway.
While researching, you should make a rough outline with three to five subtopics. You may refer to the ones found on Wikipedia or similar resources. You can use them as guides in creating your outline. However, it is advisable not to cite any information from there. You must only include details from credible sources, such as journal articles or scholarly papers. Maximize the tools designed for research purposes, like Google Scholar. Also, it would help to bookmark the websites or digital copies of your references beforehand.
Afterward, you should copy and paste the information you will use as supporting details on your outline. Then, copy and paste the sources’ links to re-access them for later. It will help you quickly cite while writing and generate their citations at the end. Lastly, make sure that you have sufficient evidence for each subtopic you have.
Develop Your Thesis
Like mentioned earlier, you need to formulate your thesis statement. By now, you already have an idea of what it will be because of your prior research. It is vital because it is the central idea of your entire research paper. Without it, you will not have a clear direction and concrete goal. It would be best for you to make it specific while still considering your subtopics. Once you have developed it already, place it in the last part of the introductory paragraph. This will establish the beginning of your argument.
Construct The Body
If you think that you should make an introduction first whenever you write a paper, you are mistaken. Some people tend to spend a lot of time thinking of the best way to start. While it is not impossible, it can be time-consuming. Not having a memorable hook leads them to frustration. Therefore, it would be more efficient to start with the body paragraphs.
Based on your outline, think of how many paragraphs you will dedicate to each subtopic. Also, take note of how many pages your teacher required you to fill. Then, write an overview of what each paragraph will contain. It will help you organize the flow of your paper and the sources of the supporting details.
Citing in the body of the paper is an essential step to avoid plagiarism, especially in academic writing. There are various citation styles, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. So, make sure that you use the correct edition as your teacher instructed.
Make The Introduction and Conclusion
After writing the body paragraphs, you should proceed with the introduction and conclusion. You have several options to write the “hook.” You may start with a thought-provoking question, recent study, or interesting fact. Make sure that it is relevant to your topic to avoid confusion from the reader. Then, your thesis statement should be the last sentence in the introduction.
Because you already know your research’s contents, you have a clearer idea of how to finish your paper. In the concluding paragraph, you should paraphrase your thesis statement and main points. It would be best to indicate the significance of your research in the academe or society.
Proofread and Edit
To write by night is not an easy feat. Once you have finished your draft, you might feel tempted to leave it as it is. But, it is called a draft for a reason. It is not yet final without proofreading and making final edits.
After drafting, you need to get some sleep first. This will allow you to have better focus while editing. It will also help if you use readily available spelling and grammar checkers. Maximize these tools to make the editing process faster.
While doing this process, do not forget to check if you utilized transitional devices. It is to ensure a smooth and cohesive flow of sentences and paragraphs. Moreover, you need to double-check if all your citations are complete and properly formatted. Your research paper thesis must follow all guidelines and free from grammatical errors and plagiarism to receive excellent remarks.
To conclude, you need to consider many things in writing a research for a short time. They include brainstorming for a topic, researching and gathering resources, and writing and editing the entire output. Learning how to finish a paper in one night is easy, but applying the steps is challenging. So next time, start as early as possible.
