Important Parts of the Informative Abstract

• Purpose: Here, the main objectives of the research are presented, as well as the hypothesis or thesis. By declaring these, the reader will know right away why the paper was done and what it hoped to prove.

• Methodology: This portion of the abstract briefly explains how the hypothesis was tested. Because the methods themselves are quite detailed, provide only enough information to understand what was done. The rest will be found inside the document itself.

• Results: Research often looks into multiple factors, so explaining all of them will go beyond the word count of the abstract. Therefore, you should only highlight the most important findings.

• Conclusion: Similar to the abstract’s results, only the most important implications should be mentioned here. It is expected, however, to inform the reader whether the hypothesis was correct or not.

Other things to consider

Aside from the main portions a reader expects to see, you should also consider these tips:

1. Write in the third person

Most academic papers require you to write in the third person. Thus, the same is true for your abstract. So avoid the first person.

2. Use keywords

If you want your paper to be searchable online, use SEO keywords just like the many other articles on the web. There are some sites online that give recommendations about common search items. Take a look at what is closest to your work and insert them in the abstract. 

It might seem like a hassle at first, but you will appreciate it if other researchers begin citing your work in their studies.

3. Avoid including data

The abstract is not long enough to include any figures, so avoid using them if possible. Instead, find a way to summarize your findings so that you do not need the figures.

4. Don’t use too many technical terms

Although it is a scientific paper that may be possibly meant for a scientific journal, not everyone who looks at your abstract is an expert in your field. So if your abstract is filled with technical jargon, other specialists might not glance at it because they are much too busy to research what all those terms mean. Rather than technical terms, go for layman’s terms that can still describe what you want to say.

5. Proofread your work

Some researchers focus a lot on their actual paper but give minimal time to their abstract. It will be a shame if your paper was well made, but nobody looked at it because of an abstract filled with typos. So proofread your work, especially if you are aiming for it to be published.

Summary

Your abstract is the window to your paper. If you want others to be interested in what you spent months or even years researching, do a good job on your abstract.

The importance of the thesis statement

Though the thesis statement is not the answer to the research, what many first-time researchers do not realize is that it does direct how the research will be conducted. This is why the thesis statement is usually decided upon before preparations for your study can be made in earnest.

1. Start with a topic you enjoy

The research paper will consume a lot of time as you will read many sources, take notes, analyze what you have found, and then write everything down. This is why it makes sense to select a topic you enjoy rather than picking something just to impress your teacher – you will regret having a difficult topic that you are tired of reading about.

2. Research before deciding

You won’t know what to test unless you understand more about what needs investigating. So read about the various arguments connected to your topic and start thinking about what can be done. 

3. Be specific as possible

One mistake some students make is to create a very general thesis statement. For instance, they might say something like, “Reading books is helpful to young children.” Though it is an idea, the thesis statement is much too broad. For it to be useful, the parameters must be narrowed down to something like, “Reading comic books helps develop creativity and better reading skills in young children.”

4. Ensure you have a backup or two

As you consider your primary thesis statement, always have a backup or two prepared. Although you might have a great idea, sometimes what you plan is not possible or too difficult to achieve. So, it is good to have another option just in case.

This backup can still be connected to your primary choice where you change the variables to something more manageable. But your backup may also be something quite different, especially if you have realized that gathering data for your first topic may be too difficult or even too expensive.

Additional examples

If you still need more examples of what a thesis statement should look like, consider some of the following.

• Fad diets are hurting overweight teenagers more than helping them.
• Raising a pet at a young age makes children more mature than those who have no pets.
• Sugary drinks are more responsible for deaths in young adults than smoking cigarettes.
• Stricter gun regulations will protect school children more than metal detectors on campus.
• Teenage violence is rising because of what they play on their gadgets, not what they see on TV.
• Work production can be increased if employers opt for a 4-day workweek.
• The rapid development of technology is causing stress in the average household.

Summary

If you would like to complete your research paper on time, you need to come up with a good thesis statement to get things started. Therefore, consider the tips and examples given so that you can create a thesis statement for your paper.

1. Your topic: The starting point is the choice of a topic that you have a flair for. The topic should be one that interests you. The topic should be specific; a loose or broad topic will not be in your favor. 
2. Research your topic: Content is very important in academic work. Do not rely on social media for info. Use your school library or credible academic sites to get useful info on the topic.
3. Thesis statement: Now that you have collected info on the topic; you can go ahead and create a thesis statement that will tell the idea of what you are about working on. It should contain a hook statement that will excite the readers to read through your work.
4. Research paper Outline: At this juncture, you can go ahead and create an outline for your research paper. It is the initial format of how you intended to go about the work. There is a need for flexibility here because the outline might change along the line.
5. Get organized: If what you wanted is to achieve the real goals; then you have to get your work organized. When you are organized, it will be pretty easy to get high grades at the end of the exercise. 
6. Write your introduction: You can now write your introduction. It will tell the direction of the flow of your work. Do not wait till the end before writing your introduction.
7. Your first body draft: It is now time to write the first draft of the body of your paper. You must follow the outline that you have written earlier because it will lead the right way. Writing with the outline as a guide will make your work organized and you are going to achieve much in terms of worthy results.
8. Revise: It will be in your best interest if you take the time to revise your work at this point. This is the time to fix all the errors that appear in the paper. Read the instructions of the research paper to get a clearer idea of what is expected from you.
9. Conclusion: This is the summary, not a repeat of what you have written in the body of your paper. The conclusion should not include ideas that you did not express in the body of your paper. It should be brief and must show the relevance of your research work to the realities of our times.
10. Revision: The goal is to score the higher marks that will boost your CGPA. In that case, make sure all grammatical errors or mistakes are corrected before you turn in your final draft. Proofread your work and give it to others to do this on your behalf. You can make use of reputable online sources. 

Final thoughts

The roadmap explained above will lead you to the Eldorado when you are writing the draft of your research paper.

An easy outline for writing an introduction:

1. What is the main idea of the topic?
2. Is the problem stated?
3. What are the solutions? (Your thesis statement will provide an answer to this.)
4. Is the solution addressing social change?

To illustrate the first point, here are a few examples of paper introductions with different approaches to this problem:

Example 1: Good Introductory Introduction

“The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the feminist movement has been stalled by the irresolvable conflict between two separate ideas, namely feminism and Marxist feminism.”

Well-done. The problem and solution are stated clearly. And, according to the paper’s title, the main thesis is social change. Thus, you can tell the reader that you will address social change.

Example 2: Bad Introductory Introduction

“The purpose of this paper is to argue that Marxist feminism has been successful in its goal of introducing women into the labor force and generally improving their social status, but that it has been called into question by its failure to develop a coherent theory.”

Terrible. This kind of introduction is often thought to hide or even deny the problem with feminist thought. The word “but” does not help matters. The introduction also has several problems. First, is the point clear? The title of the paper doesn’t make it clear. Second, what is the problem? Who should be blamed? Third, how might a solution to this conflict come about?

Example 3: Good Introductory Introduction:

“The purpose of this paper is to propose that the feminist movement needs a new way of understanding capitalism as a social system.”

Good! This introduction does not shy away from stating an issue that many feminists are only now beginning to understand. However, the author of this paper is not certain just how this new understanding of capitalism will solve the problem. Thus, she is cautious in her introduction and does not make an obvious claim. On the other hand, she does define a problem that needs to be addressed.

Another way to write an introductory paper:

“The purpose of this research project is to study the relationship between feminism and Marxism.”

It appears to be another example of an introduction that doesn’t solve a whole lot of problems. The purpose is clear, but the research project doesn’t tell the reader what exactly it is going to do. What is the author’s thesis? If he wants to study the relationship between feminism and Marxism, then what relation does this relationship have?

Example 4: Bad Introductory Introduction:

“The purpose of this research project is to compare and contrast feminism and post-structuralist theories.”

Again, the problem here appears to be burying or denying things that are not immediately apparent. What is the author’s purpose? How will this purpose be accomplished? Why should the reader even care?

In conclusion, keep in mind that your introduction should tell the reader what they are about to read. It should introduce them to your topic and get them excited about learning what it has to teach. Your introduction can also inform your audience of previous research done on this topic, but be careful not to write a bibliography for your paper! Remember also that in terms of length, an introductory paragraph should be at least one sentence.

1. What has been said or done on this topic?
2. What is the problem with what has been said or done?
3. What will you offer to solve the problem? (The answer to this question is your thesis statement.)
4. How does your solution address social change? (Social change can be broadened beyond just feminism, but this point is made in the paper’s title.)
5. Why is social change important? (Social change can be broadened beyond just feminism, but this point is made in the paper’s title.)
6. How will you address the issue of social change?
7. Who is your audience?
8. What question or questions may they ask?
9. What do you mean by “social change?”
10. How will you answer their questions? (The answer to this question is your thesis statement. Also, this step should lead into the next paragraph.)
11. How will this paper be different from others on the topic? (Try to keep your introduction concise by answering these questions. Brevity is important for good presentations!)
12. What does your study contribute to knowledge about this topic?
13. Who is your audience? How do you plan to address their problems?
14. Why should they pay attention to you? (An excellent way of introducing yourself and alerting your audience that you are serious about what you are writing.

Excellent academic papers require students to polish their skills in writing the pieces. Because of this, practice and experience play a key role. For instance, you cannot compare how a freshman writes their academic paper to a finalist. The finalist will write a better and more polished paper that will resonate better with the intended audience, owing to the advanced writing skills.

Guidelines to Help Write Your Academic Paper in College like an Expert

• Practice a lot. As already mentioned, writing becomes better honed with practice. Therefore, try and write as much as you can to get better. It also proves essential to research and adopt better insights while continuously honing your skill; otherwise, you will not make noticeable improvements. To schedule a writing session every day and spend considerable time horning your writing. Starting by incorporating a new technique every day in your writing can prove a perfect place to start. Additionally, write comprehensively and avoid doing two sentences and abandoning the cause for the day. Further, writing a lot will also help you retain some of the useful information you consume when reading.
• A reading culture. You cannot become an excellent writer without reading widely. For this reason, you need to acquire and develop a reading culture. Therefore, surround and become good friends with students who have a knack for performing. With such a company, then you get to encourage each other in performing better.
  Schedule a daily essay writing activity without supervision. If you want to become the best, then the drive and love for writing need to come from within. Therefore, try and schedule essay writing exercises without your professors’ supervision or leaving you an assignment.You can read and subsequently write on a wide range of subjects. Additionally, go beyond the subjects that tickle your fancy to ensure that your writing skills come full-circle. After doing diverse write-ups on different subjects, judge your writing ability on the topic you fail the most. Read widely and embrace the work of various writers to appreciate and learn from their expertise. The way expert writers go about their work differs as they have different writing voices and writing styles that prove unique to them.
• Work on and improve your grammar. It matters very little if you prove well-versed in a subject yet lack the polish to present the concepts in exquisite grammar and spelling. Such an endeavor will lose your marks. Take time and analyze the different tenses and spellings of words. It will help you differentiate word spellings of similar-sounding terms. Plenty of students fail to recognize the proper tenses and spellings, and therefore, it would do you a world of good to distinguish yourself from them by learning these.
  Additionally, it becomes crucial to write your paper in impressive grammar, even if the assignment entails something else other than English. Therefore, incorporate essential editing tools such as Grammarly to help you edit and proof your paper once you finish writing the piece.
• Consult widely and with your instructors. Your professors exist for a reason, therefore, try and become bold enough to approach them for writing insights. For instance, if you have a torrid time understanding and executing a specific writing technique, consult your instructor and get the much-needed help. Additionally, consulting your instructors will save you valuable time when it comes to understanding writing techniques, which comes in short supply when you consider the workload of a college student.  Always display boldness when seeking assistance. Who knows, such consultations can also enhance your relationship and boost your chances of nailing down opportunities when they come about.

Conclusion

Excelling in your write-ups in college comes as no excuse, especially if you want to succeed academically. Therefore starting by considering the guidelines provided will offer you a good background for your academic journey.

Scholars and researchers should understand the suitable format of citing different sources. Writers should write websites in different formats than books, periodicals, newspapers, films, and journals. A student may use in-text citation in research projects when using direct quotes, information is being paraphrased, or when explaining some information obtained from a different source.

Steps to follow when citing a source:

1. Decide your source’s category, be it an anthology, a book, journal article, or online source.
2. Gather enough information that is necessary from the source that you choose. When the source is online, the information requires more research and digging.
3. Display the most important information the same way it looks in the example and include all punctuations and styles.
4. Arrange citation descent alphabetical order according to the first letter of the word, which appears on the citation page at the end of a paper. You should arrange the citation after obtaining all your citations.

If you require an extensive reference list entry list and source types, you have to look at the publication manual. We have given some reference entry examples below that should be commonly used for citation purposes.

The simple arrangement that suits print books:

The format in which a print book is cited using APA style follows the given format; the author’s last name, the first initial, the publication year, the book title, the Publisher.

A single author:

Scott, W. (1996). Digitally growing up. McGraw

Many authors:

Copeland, P., and Hamer, D. (1998). Surviving with our genes. Tripplepay.

Books containing several editors:

Starks, P. (1997). Sociology (7th ed.). Wadsworth.

Electronic Book (electronic or printed book version):

The format of citing an e-book would have the following format; the author’s last name, the first initial (Year), the book’s title, and the Publisher’s name, then the URL.

Citation of APA without an author

If a source has no author’s name, the format would be as follows; the title, year, and page number. Writers should write the title in italics if it’s alone such as a report or a movie. When the source is part of a whole, the title should be written in quotation marks and not italicizing.

Running heads

The older APA format required running heads in all papers. The 7th edition is now revolutionary, whereby the student’s paper does not require a running head, while the professional paper needs the inclusion of a running head.

Cover page

The students and writers should write the cover page in the following format:

• The page number,
• The project’s title,
• Author’s name,
• The name of the institution,

Course number, the instructor’s name, the due date of the paper, and finally, the writers should include a running head if the paper is professional.

Abstract

An abstract provides a brief and thorough summary of the content of the dissertation. The students and writers should write an abstract at the opening of the writer’s work. An abstract would determine if the readers would continue reading the work. When writing an abstract, the writers and students should keep it as brief as possible. A writer must consider the purpose of the paper, use active voices and communicate the main points.

Tables and figures

When your work contains bulky numerical data or information, you may place it in tabular form. When the writers and students should organize the numbers into tables, it becomes simple to understand. Some of the information to keep in your mind when creating a table include;

1. Placing the tables when you are done with the APA reference page or after it is mentioned,
2. Using single spacing,
3. Avoid fluffy information,
4. Referencing all figures and tables,
5. Write the title of the tables even after numbering the tables and figures.

Conclusion

APA citation is primarily written in different formats when referring to various sources. There is variation when citing a book compared to journals, newspapers, articles, and other different sources.

Consider the period and geographical location you would like to study then look for related topics. Choose a topic with a reasonable scope of study so that you can make your research work easier and more effective. To help you with your search, below are thirty great history research paper topics that you can explore:

1. The causes and consequences of the Vietnam War
2. Discuss the cold war and the scars it left on the whole world
3. Martin Luther king’s speech and its impact on the generations after him
4. The abolition of the slave trade and what it meant to the world
5. Similarities and differences between the crusades and the jihads
6. Discuss the establishment of the democratic principles in France
7. The implications of the Holy Roman Empire 
8. Discuss the influence of communism ideas to the world
9. Effects of World War 1 on the economies of Europe
10. The People’s Republic of China and its developments
11. Discuss the failures of the most prominent queens in ancient Egypt
12. The aspects of ancient Sparta that made it so different from other cities
13. How monasteries affected education in the middle ages
14. Effects of colonization on America
15. The political powers of the pope in the middle ages and their effect on religion
16. Causes and consequences of the sexual revolution
17. Discuss worldwide industrial revolution
18. The impact of the American foreign policy in the 21st century
19. Role and impact of the Battle of Hastings in the history of England
20. Comparing ancient Greece to the Roman Empire
21. Did the hippie culture have a huge impact?
22. Can the Japanese economic wonder be repeated?
23. Discuss the importance of sports games in ancient times
24. Dynamics of the creation and failure of the Weimar Republic18
25. The golden age of the pirates and the Caribbean 
26. Impacts of the British colonialism in India
27. Independence of African countries and how it affected their economic performance
28. Revisiting the trading roots of the Renaissance period
29. Importance of bridal ceremonies in Ancient Rome
30. Discuss death and immortality in Ancient Egypt

Bottom Line

Finding a good topic is what you need to be on the right footing as you begin your research. There are numerous history topics that you can explore and the list provided here is a great place to start. 

• Specific and Precise. Your topic should not be all over the place. A precise topic will guide you in writing a solid research paper.
• In your field of interest. For your study to flow effortlessly, you will need to research on something you are interested in. This way, you will enjoy your research and gather as much material as you need.
• Innovative. If you take an innovative approach in your study, you can gain an edge over the other students. You will also have enough room to explore what others have not been able to.
• Clear. A research topic should not be vague but clear and to the point. You need a clear direction to take with your study and this begins right from the topic.

Below are some examples of research paper topics in different categories

Persuasive Topics

1. All parents should monitor and control what their children browse on the internet
2. Cybercrimes are meant to increase as technology continues to grow and evolve
3. It is wrong to use animals in conducting research experiments
4. Childhood traumas are to blame for depression among young adults
5. Teachers and parents have equal responsibility in determining how children grow up
6. Industrial pollution is the main cause of global warming
7. Post-modernity has both positive and negative effects on the institution of marriage
8. Human rights institutions should control minimum wages across the world

Argumentative Topics

1. Are celebrities good role models?
2. Should holiday breaks be shortened for final-year students?
3. Who is to blame for homelessness?
4. Should the minimum alcohol consuming age be increased?
5. Is technology to blame for increased moral decadence?
6. Should students at all levels of education be allowed to carry and use their smart gadgets in school?
7. Is it difficult for ex-convicts to find work?
8. Should all schools be faith-based institutions?

Controversial Topics

1. Introduction of sex education in middle school
2. The societal world view on surrogacy
3. Child adoption for gay partners
4. Negative effects of homework on students
5. Abortion laws and their effects across the world

In Conclusion

Choosing a great research paper topic is the first step to a great study. It might seem simple since there are lots of topics available for exploration. However, if you do not follow the guidelines provided here, you might end up with a limiting topic. Take your time to find the right topic and the rest will fall in place.