logo (1)

Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

How to Write a Research Paper Fast

How-to-Write-a-Research-Paper-Fast

As a student, you knew it was inevitable. The day has come where you have to write a research paper, but you’ve put it off until the last minute. Now the pressure is sinking in to get it done quickly and you want to know how to write a research paper fast.

The good news is that it’s doable. The better news is that there are ways to avoid waiting until the last minute. We will tackle those after we give you everything you need to know to get it done.

Citing a book as a source for research

Photo by Russ Ward

The process.

A research paper is what it sounds like — a paper that requires a thesis (or argument) along with the research to back it up. Research papers involve citing a variety of sources, analyzing arguments, and pulling different academic pieces together to prove a point.

1. Understand the Assignment:

The first thing you have to make sure you do before you get to outlining and writing is to understand the assignment. You will need to organize different pieces of information, from books, essays, interviews, articles and more.

2. Choose a Topic:

Depending on the assignment provided, you will either have a topic in front of you or you will have to decide on one yourself. If your professor did not provide you with a topic, here are some helpful ways to choose one that will work for your needs:

  • Choose something you understand enough so that you will be able to interpret the research about it
  • Before you get started, check that there is a lot of content about that topic by performing a simple online search to see what turns up
  • Write out your topic as a research question that you plan to answer
  • Research more about your topic and find evidence to back up what you want to answer
  • Make a list of keywords that you continue to see pop up about the topic
  • Create your thesis

3. Perform Research:

While performing research is as easy as conducting an online search for sources, the more important element is evaluating the validity of a source. Don’t use Wikipedia as a source, because it is crowdsourced and can be edited by anyone. Instead, rely on digital encyclopedias, scholarly databases, trustworthy publications like TIME magazine and the New York Times, and the like. Since you’re writing this research paper at the last minute, the library may not be a possible option. However, for the next time you write a research paper and plan in advance, definitely utilize books from the library.

4. Write Your Thesis:

A thesis statement is the gist of your entire paper. It is what you will spend your writing proving; therefore, it has to be strong and to the point. A thesis statement appears in the introduction of your research paper, following the strong hook statement that draws your readers in. There is a formulaic way to write a strong thesis statement, and it looks something like this:

“By examining (argument 1), (argument 2), and (argument 3), it is clear that (statement you will prove).”

A thesis statement is typically one sentence and it is clearly written so that the reader knows exactly what they will read about in your paper.

To check that you’ve written a strong thesis statement, ask yourself if it achieves the following:

  • Is it in the introduction?
  • Does it answer the question from the prompt?
  • Can others argue against my thesis?
  • Is it going to prove a single claim?
  • Does it answer something meaningful?

5. Outline Your Paper:

Now that you have the main ingredients for your research paper, namely your thesis and supporting research, you can start outlining. Everyone has their own way they like to create an outline for papers. Here’s one good example of how it can be done — this is called a flat outline:

  • List the topics you will discuss
  • Under each topic, write your sources
  • If you are lacking sources, revisit and research more to give more meat to your paper
  • Move your topics and their information onto your paper in an organized flow
  • Write your thesis at the top so you can ensure that you are answering/proving your thesis throughout the paper’s argument

6. The Body/Intro and Conclusion:

So, do you start with your introduction and conclusion and then fill in the body? Or, do you do it the other way around? Really, there is no right or wrong way. It ultimately depends on your preference. Some people like to write their introduction and use it to serve as an outline of their paper and then flow from there. Others like to write their points in the body of their paper and then extrapolate the introduction and conclusion from what they wrote.

Regardless of how you perform your work, there is a structure that the paper must follow, which looks like this:

  • Introduction – includes a hook sentence (grabs the reader), your thesis and a menu sentence (a list of what you will discuss).
  • Body paragraphs – each body paragraph comes from what you mentioned in your introduction’s menu sentence. Each body paragraph has a topic sentence, or a first sentence that clearly states what it will be about. Each body paragraph includes support and sources that prove the topic sentence or argument.
  • Conclusion – here, you restate your introduction and thesis in different words. You want to end with a strong and memorable sentence. Just like your introduction began with a hook statement, your conclusion should end with something that will be remembered.

7. Cite Sources:

One of the major differences between a research paper and any other academic paper is that you must cite your sources. The end of your paper will have a list of sources, or a bibliography. Depending on your professor’s preferences, they will either be listed in APA format , MLA , Chicago , etc. This is an imperative step because your entire research paper’s evidence is based on and backed up by these sources, so you must give them credit where credit is due.

While this is not in the cards for all paper writing, it is very important for a last minute research paper. You’ve likely spent hours crunching the information and regurgitating it in your own words to fill up the once blank pages. As such, it’s a good idea to step away from your paper, get some sleep, and then revisit it with fresh eyes in the morning.

9. Proofread Revise and Editing:

As with any paper, you want to make sure you read it over to catch any mistakes. Not only should you use the Word processing tool that checks spelling and grammar for you, but you must also read it out loud to find any mistakes.

10. Find and Remove Plagiarism:

Once you are done with the entire proofreading and checking phase, the last thing that you have to do is find and remove plagiarism in your research paper. Plagiarism has a lot of consequences, and you have to make sure that your research paper is completely free of it. To do this, you first have to use a plagiarism checker to find all the plagiarized parts. Once found, you can either remove them or give the required accreditations.

If there is time to ask a friend or peer to read over your paper one time, that will be a good idea, too.

Notebook with notes and research

Photo by  Dan Dimmock  on  Unsplash

How to write a research paper in a day.

Granted, all the steps above can help you write a research paper fast. Here’s a brief look at how you can do this in a day:

1. Brainstorm Quickly

  • Use the prompt
  • Outline possible options
  • Perform a simple Google search and find what has the most information
  • Choose your topic
  • Create an outline

2. Research

  • Find research to support each point in your outline

3. Write Quickly

  • Put it all on paper as you think of it
  • Take time to edit, condense, and rewrite

Distraction-free writing environment

Photo by  Nick Morrison  on  Unsplash

Find a good writing environment.

Before sitting down to get started on your last-minute task, make sure you set up an environment that is conducive to getting your work done. Things you want to consider:

1. Distraction-free:

Choose somewhere quiet and distraction-free. You will have to stay focused for a few hours, so you’ll want to choose a comfortable setting.

2. Good lighting:

Along with comfort, make sure you have adequate lighting to read and write.

3. Go somewhere studious:

Perhaps, if time permits, you can choose to work in somewhere like a library or a study lounge.

4. Bring just your supplies needed:

Even if you work at home, make sure you set up a table with only the supplies you need, as to limit distractions. This could include: a computer, tablet, pen, paper, highlighter, books, and sticky notes. Plus, don’t forget water!

Tips to Avoid Procrastination

Writing a last-minute paper, especially that involves research, is stressful and less than optimal . Instead of finding yourself in this position, you can follow this advice to avoid such a situation.

1. Start early:

Once you’re given the prompt, start thinking about what you want to write about. You can write down ideas on paper and look into the research that supports each point.

2. Outline first and take breaks:

Begin outlining your paper so that when you sit to write, you already have the bulk of it prepared. If you start early, you will have the advantage and ability to take breaks. This helps to revisit your argument with a clear head and potentially see things that you may have otherwise missed.

3. Ask for help if you need it:

Starting early means that you are not crunched for time. So, you have the added benefit of asking for help. You can solicit advice from friends, peers, family, your professors, teacher assistants, the online community, and more. Plus, when you finish writing your paper, you have time to ask for help from someone other than you to read it over and edit it.

The Bottom Line

While knowing how to write a paper fast is useful and at times necessary, it is not the optimal way to approach assignments. However, sometimes being in a bind is out of your control. Therefore, the best way to write a research paper fast is to follow the aforementioned steps and remember to stay calm.

While a research paper involves a lot of work, from creating a strong thesis to finding supporting research, it can be made into an enjoyable activity when you choose to write about something you are interested in. It gives you a chance to digest other people’s findings and make your own inferences about what they mean.

By following the typical structure of a research paper, creating an outline and finding good sources, you can get your research paper done in a night. Good luck!

Related Articles

Privacy overview.

How to write a whole research paper in a week

get a research paper done quickly

Writing up a full research article in a single week? Maybe you think that’s impossible. Yet I have done it repeatedly, and so have students in my courses. This is an exceptionally joyful (even if demanding) experience: being so productive just feels great! You are not wasting any time, and a paper produced in one go is typically coherent and nice to read. Even if you are a slow writer, you can write a whole paper in a single week — if you follow my strategy. Read below about what you need to prepare and how to approach this project.

I wrote my first scientific research article in 7 days. It started as a desperate effort to stop my procrastination and “just do it”. But I was surprised what a positive experience it was: focused and efficient, I was making daily progress, feeling motivated and content. Finally, the fruits of my hard work were gaining shape — and they did it so quickly!

I realized it was highly effective to write up a paper like this: writing for the whole day, every day until the first draft was finished. My writing project was firmly present in my mind — I didn’t lose time catching up with what I have written in the last session. Since I was not doing anything else, my wandering mind settled in very fast, and I was getting into a routine. The daily progress was clearly visible and motivated me to continue. And the result was a coherent paper that was easy to revise.

Meanwhile, this paper-a-week approach is my favorite. That’s how I write my papers, and that’s what I teach to students. In on-site courses young scientists draft a whole paper in 5 days, writing one major section per day. At the beginning of the week, many participants have doubts. But at the end of the week, they are all excited to see how much they managed to write in just a single week.

If you would also like to try out this approach, then read on about the necessary preparations, the optimal setting, and a productive writing strategy.

If you would like to get support during the preparation, drafting and revising of your research article, check out my online course Write Up Your Paper .

Prepare well

get a research paper done quickly

  • First, think about your audience and pick a suitable journal . This is an important step because the audience and journal determine the content & style of your paper. As a reference, pick two recent papers on a similar topic published in your target journal.
  • Create a storyline for your paper. What is the main message you want to convey, and how are you going to present your results?
  • Put together all the results that you need to present your story convincingly: collect the necessary data, finish analyses, and create figures and tables.
  • Select and read the relevant background literature as well as studies you want to compare your work with. As you read, note down any point that comes to your mind as something to be mentioned in the Introduction or Discussion section.
  • Draft a preliminary Abstract : it will help you keep the direction and not get distracted by secondary ideas as you write the individual sections.

Depending on how complete your results already are, you might need 2-4 weeks to finish all these preparations. To help you keep an overview, I created a checklist with detailed steps that you need to take before you attempt to write up your paper in a week. Subscribe to our Newsletter and get your copy of the checklist.

Reserve a whole week for writing

Now, writing a paper in a single week is a serious business. You can’t do it if you don’t focus solely on the writing and create good writing conditions. Therefore, I recommend the following settings:

  • Find a place where you can write without distractions. I have written my first paper over the Easter holidays when there was nobody in the office. You might choose to write at home or in a library. Though if possible, the best is to go for a retreat: removing yourself from your everyday settings immensely helps focus on the writing.
  • Cancel (all) social obligations for the week. While it’s crucial to relax in the evening, you want to avoid disturbances associated with social events. Anything that makes your thoughts drift away from your work because it requires planning, exchanging of messages with others, or simply because it’s too exciting is better left for some other week. On the other hand, a quiet meeting with a good friend over a glass of wine or beer might be just the perfect way to unwind and rest after a productive, yet exhausting day of writing.
  • Get support from the partner, family or friends — if possible. It’s best when you don’t need to run errands, cook and clean during this week. If you live alone, you can probably easily arrange yourself for undisturbed work. If you live with other people, ask them for consideration and support.

What I described above are the *ideal* conditions for undisturbed writing. But don’t give up if you can’t create such conditions for yourself. Work with what is possible — maybe it will take you 7-8 instead of 5-6 days but that’s still a great result, right?

Do you need to revise & polish your manuscript or thesis but don’t know where to begin?

Get your Revision Checklist

Click here for an efficient step-by-step revision of your scientific texts.

Maybe you think that you can never ever draft a research article in a single week. Because you write so slowly, producing only few paragraphs per day. Well — I agree that if you don’t optimize your writing strategy, it would be hard to impossible to write up a whole paper in a week.

get a research paper done quickly

  • Separate the processes of writing and revising. That’s the most important principle. Resist the urge to revise as you write the first draft. Moreover, don’t interrupt your writing to look up missing information. Work with placeholders instead. This allows you to get into the state of flow and proceed much faster than you can imagine.
  • Start your writing day with 10 minutes of freewriting . Write without stopping about anything that comes to your mind. This helps you to warm up for writing, clear your head of any unrelated thoughts, and get into the mood of writing without editing.
  • Take regular power breaks. I recommend to follow the Pomodoro technique : write for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After 3-4 such sessions take a longer break of 0.5-1 hour. During the breaks get up, walk a bit, stretch, look around, and breathe deeply. These breaks help you sustain high focus and productivity throughout the whole day.
  • Eat and sleep well. What you are doing is similar to a professional athlete. So take care of your brain and body, and they will serve you well.
  • Reward yourself. Every day celebrate the progress you have made. You have full right to be proud of you!

Write the individual sections in a reasonable order

If you have written a research paper before, you have probably realized that starting with the Introduction and finishing with the Discussion is not the ideal order in which to tackle the individual sections. Instead, I recommend the following procedure:

get a research paper done quickly

  • Start with the Methods section. This is the easiest section to write, so it’s great as a warm-up, to get into writing without the need to think (and procrastinate ;)) too much. Look at your figures and tables: what methods did you use to create them? Then describe your methods, one after another.
  • Results section: Writing the Methods section refreshes your memory about the research you have done. So writing the Results section next should not be too hard: Take one display object (figure or table) after another, and describe the results they contain. While you do so, you will come across points that need to be discussed in the Discussion section. Note them down so you don’t forget them.
  • Introduction : When your results are fresh in your mind, you are in a great position to write the Introduction — because the Introduction should contain selected information that gives the reader context for your research project and allows them to understand your results and their implications.
  • Discussion : When you have taken notes while writing the Results section, the Discussion section should be quite easy to draft. Don’t worry too early about the order in which you want to discuss the individual points. Write one paragraph for each point , and then see how you can logically arrange them.
  • Abstract and title : On the last day, revise the preliminary Abstract or write a new one. You could also take a break of a few days before tackling the Abstract, to gain clarity and distance. Generate multiple titles (I recommend 6-10), so that you and your co-authors can choose the most appropriate one.

Just do it!

get a research paper done quickly

Once you have written the whole draft, let it sit for a week or two, and then revise it. Follow my tips for efficient revising and get your revision checklist that will guide you step-by-step through the whole process.

Now I am curious about your experience: Have you ever written up an academic article quickly? How did you do it? Please, share with us your tips & strategies!

Do you need to revise & polish your manuscript or thesis but don’t know where to begin? Is your text a mess and you don't know how to improve it?

Click here for an efficient step-by-step revision of your scientific texts. You will be guided through each step with concrete tips for execution.

7 thoughts on “ How to write a whole research paper in a week ”

Thank for your guide and suggestion. It gives to me very precious ways how to write a article. Now I am writing a article related to Buddhist studies. Thank you so much.

You are welcome!

excellent! it helped me a lot! wish you all best

Hi Parham, I’m happy to hear that!

I have never written any paper before. As I am from very old school.

But my writing skill is actually very good. Your help is definitely going to help me as this has inspired me alot. Will let you know, once done. I really like the outline that you have given. Basically you have made it so easy for me .

Hope fully will be in touch with you soon.

Thanks and ki d Regards, Shehla

Dear Shehla, that sounds great! I’m looking forward to hearing about your paper!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Diese Webseite verwendet Cookies, um Ihnen ein besseres Nutzererlebnis zu bieten. Wenn Sie die Seite weiternutzen, stimmen Sie der Cookie-Nutzung zu.

Related Topics

  • Types of Writers
  • How to Become a Writer
  • Author Overview
  • Document Manager Overview
  • Screenplay Writer Overview
  • Technical Writer Career Path
  • Technical Writer Interview Questions
  • Technical Writer Salary
  • Google Technical Writer Interview Questions
  • How to Become a Technical Writer
  • UX Writer Career Path
  • Google UX Writer
  • UX Writer vs Copywriter
  • UX Writer Resume Examples
  • UX Writer Interview Questions
  • UX Writer Skills
  • How to Become a UX Writer
  • UX Writer Salary
  • Google UX Writer Overview
  • Google UX Writer Interview Questions
  • Technical Writing Certifications
  • Grant Writing Certifications
  • UX Writing Certifications
  • Proposal Writing Certifications
  • Content Design Certifications
  • Knowledge Management Certifications
  • Medical Writing Certifications
  • Grant Writing Classes
  • Business Writing Courses
  • Technical Writing Courses
  • Content Design Overview
  • Documentation Overview
  • User Documentation
  • Process Documentation
  • Technical Documentation
  • Software Documentation
  • Knowledge Base Documentation
  • Product Documentation
  • Process Documentation Overview
  • Process Documentation Templates
  • Product Documentation Overview
  • Software Documentation Overview
  • Technical Documentation Overview
  • User Documentation Overview
  • Knowledge Management Overview
  • Knowledge Base Overview
  • Publishing on Amazon
  • Amazon Authoring Page
  • Self-Publishing on Amazon
  • How to Publish
  • How to Publish Your Own Book
  • Document Management Software Overview
  • Engineering Document Management Software
  • Healthcare Document Management Software
  • Financial Services Document Management Software
  • Technical Documentation Software
  • Knowledge Management Tools
  • Knowledge Management Software
  • HR Document Management Software
  • Enterprise Document Management Software
  • Knowledge Base Software
  • Process Documentation Software
  • Documentation Software
  • Internal Knowledge Base Software
  • Grammarly Premium Free Trial
  • Grammarly for Word
  • Scrivener Templates
  • Scrivener Review
  • How to Use Scrivener
  • Ulysses vs Scrivener
  • Character Development Templates
  • Screenplay Format Templates
  • Book Writing Templates
  • API Writing Overview
  • How to Write a Book
  • Writing a Book for the First Time
  • How to Write an Autobiography
  • How Long Does it Take to Write a Book?
  • Do You Underline Book Titles?
  • Snowflake Method
  • Book Title Generator
  • How to Write Nonfiction Book
  • How to Write a Children's Book
  • How to Write a Memoir
  • Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Book
  • How to Write a Book Title
  • How to Write a Book Introduction
  • How to Write a Dedication in a Book
  • How to Write a Book Synopsis
  • Business Writing Examples
  • Business Writing Skills
  • Types of Business Writing
  • Dialogue Writing Overview
  • Grant Writing Overview
  • Medical Writing Overview
  • How to Write a Novel
  • How to Write a Thriller Novel
  • How to Write a Fantasy Novel
  • How to Start a Novel
  • How Many Chapters in a Novel?
  • Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Novel
  • Novel Ideas
  • How to Plan a Novel
  • How to Outline a Novel
  • How to Write a Romance Novel
  • Novel Structure
  • How to Write a Mystery Novel
  • Novel vs Book
  • Round Character
  • Flat Character
  • How to Create a Character Profile
  • Nanowrimo Overview
  • How to Write 50,000 Words for Nanowrimo
  • Camp Nanowrimo
  • Nanowrimo YWP
  • Nanowrimo Mistakes to Avoid
  • Proposal Writing Overview
  • Screenplay Overview
  • How to Write a Screenplay
  • Screenplay vs Script
  • How to Structure a Screenplay
  • How to Write a Screenplay Outline
  • How to Format a Screenplay
  • How to Write a Fight Scene
  • How to Write Action Scenes
  • How to Write a Monologue
  • Short Story Writing Overview
  • Technical Writing Overview
  • UX Writing Overview
  • Reddit Writing Prompts
  • Romance Writing Prompts
  • Flash Fiction Story Prompts
  • Dialogue and Screenplay Writing Prompts
  • Poetry Writing Prompts
  • Tumblr Writing Prompts
  • Creative Writing Prompts for Kids
  • Creative Writing Prompts for Adults
  • Fantasy Writing Prompts
  • Horror Writing Prompts
  • Book Writing Software
  • Novel Writing Software
  • Screenwriting Software
  • ProWriting Aid
  • Writing Tools
  • Literature and Latte
  • Hemingway App
  • Final Draft
  • Writing Apps
  • Grammarly Premium
  • Wattpad Inbox
  • Microsoft OneNote
  • Google Keep App
  • Technical Writing Services
  • Business Writing Services
  • Content Writing Services
  • Grant Writing Services
  • SOP Writing Services
  • Script Writing Services
  • Proposal Writing Services
  • Hire a Blog Writer
  • Hire a Freelance Writer
  • Hire a Proposal Writer
  • Hire a Memoir Writer
  • Hire a Speech Writer
  • Hire a Business Plan Writer
  • Hire a Script Writer
  • Hire a Legal Writer
  • Hire a Grant Writer
  • Hire a Technical Writer
  • Hire a Book Writer
  • Hire a Ghost Writer

Home » Blog » How to Write a Research Paper Fast in 9 Steps

How to Write a Research Paper Fast in 9 Steps

get a research paper done quickly

TABLE OF CONTENTS

So you have a blank document opened and you don’t know how to write a research paper from scratch. Well, academic writing is indeed challenging and much different than other types of writing. If you haven’t written a research paper and it is your first time, it could turn out to be an overwhelming task.

It gets more challenging if you have to write your research paper fast. It really gets tough. And if you don’t learn how to write a good research paper fast that is more than a well-written paper, you’ll find yourself in deep trouble.

However, if you know what steps to follow and how to do a research paper, it will get a whole lot easier. All you have to do is follow a systematic approach. Follow a step-by-step guide and it will become a piece of cake. That’s why I created this guide below.

It shows you what steps you have to take in order to write a research paper and how to get it finished and submitted on time. It covers everything including topic selection, research, write-up, editing and proofreading, and much more.

This guide is all you need to write a killer research paper fast. Let’s get started.

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper is an extended form of essay that represents original research work of the author. It is an academic piece on a topic that is based on original research, arguments, interpretation, and analysis. Examples of a research paper include term papers, doctoral dissertations, and scientific research articles.

So who needs to write a research paper?

Anyone can write a research paper but generally, graduate students, PhDs, and academicians write research papers and have them get published in journals. The idea is to share your research and findings with the world.

Here is a research paper example from the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal :

research paper example

Here is another research paper example from the Journal of Academic Librarianship :

research paper example

Yes, research paper involves a lot of research and this is one reason why a lot of people struggle. If you get to know how to write a good research paper and you know the exact steps, you can manage it easily.

How to Write a Research Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

Here are the steps that you can follow to write a good research paper fast:

  • Set objectives
  • Choose a topic
  • Review literature
  • Organize your research
  • Create a thesis
  • Create an outline
  • Start writing
  • Edit and revise

These steps are covered in detail below.

Step #1: Set Objectives

To learn everything on how to write a research paper quickly, the first thing you need to do is set clear objectives. Why do you need to write a research paper in the first place?

There are several reasons why you should end up writing a research paper:

  • It could be a requirement from your university or supervisor to get your degree
  • It could be to share your original research work with the right people
  • To move ahead in your career as an academician or a professional
  • You’re writing a research paper just to let others know of your experience and you don’t intend to get anything in exchange

If you’re writing a research paper as a degree requirement, you’ll approach it differently as compared to if you’re writing one as a professor. Setting the right objectives and goals for your research paper helps you stay focused and organized.

Ask yourself following questions to set objectives for your assignment:

Why do you need to write a research paper?

What is its deadline?

What is the research paper format?

Is there a specific word count requirement?

Do you have a topic in mind?

Where do you wish to publish your research paper?

Set realistic yet challenging objectives and goals for your assignment based on your answers. If you have to write a research paper as a requirement for your graduate degree, you will get clear objectives from your university. It will make your job easier. You just have to stick to them.

However, if you’re writing a research paper to get it published in a journal to strengthen your resume and to get a better job, you’ll have different objectives that will be more geared towards the journal’s requirements.

Step #2: Plan

After you have identified objectives for your research paper, you need to create a plan to achieve your objectives. If you’re serious about how to do a research paper, you should plan it. The best way to plan your research article is to create a Gantt chart.

A Gantt chart helps you manage your research paper and set schedule for different activities (discussed later in this guide). You’ll be able to complete important tasks on time so that you don’t end up missing deadlines.

gantt chart template

If, for instance, you have to submit a research paper to a journal’s call for paper request, you’ll have to get it ready well before the deadline. This is where the Gantt charts are very helpful. You can set a schedule based on the priority of the tasks.

You can’t write your complete research paper in a single go even if it has to be 3K words or less. You need to collect data and you have to analyze your data using a statistical tool. And this is where things get complicated because data collection and analysis can take months. It isn’t necessary that you personally collect data so if someone else is collecting data, you have to manage things at your end smartly. You can’t do it without planning and proper scheduling.

Planning is essential because you have to rely on different resources for data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, data reporting, editing, etc. When there are multiple individuals and tools involved, you need to set your priorities and you need a proper plan that will show you what needs to be done, who will do it, when it should start, and when a task should be completed.

At the same time, there are certain resources that you’d need special access to from your university such as statistical tools. If you’re analyzing data in SmartPLS , you’d need a key from your university which remains active for 30 days. Not only that you have to request a key on time after you have collected the data, but you’ll also have to make sure that data is analyzed in 30 days else you’ll have to request for key renewal which takes a few days.

In the absence of planning, you might not get access to several critical university resources and this will significantly delay your research article.

A proper plan will let you put requests for resources well before the time that will be entertained as compared to putting requests at the last moment (that are normally rejected due to resource unavailability or overload).

Step #3: Choose a Topic

Your research topic is of central importance in the research article. You should give special attention to topic selection as everything else will be derived from the topic. A wrong topic selected and you won’t be able to get back on track very soon.

There are two ways to choose a topic for your research paper:

  • If you’re writing a research paper for a degree requirement, you’ll receive guidelines from your supervisor/university. Follow the guidelines. You’ll have to choose a topic of your interest.
  • If you’re writing a research paper for publication in a journal, you’ll have to identify a journal, read its scope, read author guidelines, and then choose a topic that is most likely to be accepted by the journal for publication.

Even if you’re writing a paper as an assignment, you’ll still have to get it published in a relevant journal so you have to choose an appropriate journal first. That’s the right approach to choosing a topic.

So your research topic should meet these two criteria:

  • You should have an interest in the topic.
  • You have identified an appropriate journal that’s likely to accept and publish your research article.

Choosing a topic of your interest will make it easier for you to write about it. Your passion will motivate you and you’ll rarely feel bored. Aligning your topic to a specific journal will make publication easier. Journals are very choosy and publish articles that meet their scope and won’t publish anything that doesn’t meet their scope.

Here is an example of the scope of the Alternative Law Journal:

screenshot of journal's scope and aims

If you submit an article to this journal, it will be accepted if and only if it meets the aims and scope. And this holds true for all the journals out there. So you have to choose a topic and then you have to find a relevant journal that will accept your research paper.

Here are a few actionable tips on how to choose a topic for your research paper:

  • The topic should meet the assignment requirements.
  • Use brainstorming to identify a decent research topic.
  • Start from a broad topic such as human resource management and then narrow it down. Ensure that the topic isn’t too broad.
  • Narrow down the focus. The more focused your topic is, the better. Broader topics don’t tend to do well. For instance, you can narrow down your human resource management topic to organizational citizenship behavior in the banking sector.
  • Don’t narrow your topic too much as it will limit your options for data collection. There has to be a balance between too broad and too narrow.
  • Ask industry experts as they might be able to help you identify a hot topic based on their experience and the challenges they’re facing in the industry. This will make your research practically applicable and useful for practitioners.
  • The topic needs to be of interest for practitioners or a certain group (e.g. researchers). If it only interests you and is considered invaluable by others, you’ll struggle to get your research paper published in a high impact journal.

how to choose a research topic

Once you have finalized your topic, you then need to identify a journal to get your article published. This is the stage where you’ll be able to further refine your topic, tweak it, and make it compatible with the journal’s requirement.

Here are some tips to identify the right journal based on your research topic and how to make your topic compatible with your preferred journal:

  • Visit leading publishers such as Elsevier , Sage , Wiley , etc. and search for journals based on your topic.
  • Use Google Scholar to identify recent articles published on your topic.
  • Read the aims and scope of the journals to screen them and identify the ones that are most likely to publish your article.
  • Read the recently published article in these journals. This will give you an idea of what type of articles they publish. Tweak your research topic if needed to make it compatible with a journal’s policies.
  • Read author guidelines and any special instructions that will help you craft a better research paper.
  • Target one journal and stick with its requirements. This will help you focus on one journal’s requirements which makes acceptance easier as you’ll write specifically for it.

Once your topic is finalized, you’re ready to proceed with an in-depth literature review to create your thesis and outline.

Step #4: Literature Review

Reviewing literature is an essential step of how to write a research paper. You can’t do research without reviewing literature.

The literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on your selected topic. It involves reviewing existing research papers, books, scholarly articles, and any other authentic and reliable data source that is related to your topic.

review of literature meaning

The purpose of the literature review is to describe, summarize, and evaluate previous research on your topic to find what has already been done and where you want to move from here. Existing literature helps you identify theories on your topic, history of the topic, current issues, and future research directions that help you refine your research topic and build a thesis.

The literature review is essential as it lets you understand the topic and previous research. You don’t want to end up researching an issue that’s already covered by someone else. How’d you find what work other researchers have done on the subject? By reviewing literature. Besides, you get to learn methodologies, theories, models, and other critical information about your topic during the literature review process.

Since writing a research paper is much different than writing a novel where you can write a novel even if you haven’t read any novel in your life. In case of writing a research article, you can’t write a research paper (on any topic) without reading existing literature. You need a base and a theory to support your arguments. It’s a scholarly article that can’t exist in isolation.

Here is what in-depth literature review will help you with:

  • It will clarify your topic and will help you refine it
  • It helps you find theories and models
  • It helps you narrow the focus of your research
  • You get to learn everything about your research topic
  • You get resources that you can cite in your research paper
  • It helps you create a thesis for your research paper
  • You give an overview of the past research to the readers which helps them better understand your research and how it is relevant to the existing research

how to review literature for your research paper

Follow these steps to review the literature for your research paper.

Step #1: Select Literature to Review

Identify keywords that are relevant to your research topic and start searching for the existing literature. Google Scholar and your university’s library should be your starting point.

Besides, you can access databases like JSTOR , Medline , EBSCO , and others to search for articles, books, and other relevant material. You’ll be able to access databases and journals that your university has an agreement with so it’d be best to use your university’s resources.

Step #2: Take Notes

The literature review is a part of your research paper so it will be best to start writing it as you review and analyze literature. You need to interpret and synthesize published work with your critique.

ways to review literature

If you want, you can create an Excel sheet where you can add article titles with their key findings and your comments. This type of sheet helps you keep a record of all the literature reviewed.

Step #3: Write

Don’t just write a summary of the literature rather add your arguments, critique, and analysis. Create a structure for your literature review as it makes writing easier. Here is a structure that you should follow:

  • Introduction: Tell readers the purpose of the introduction.
  • Body: Organize literature in one of the forms: Systematic, chronological, theoretically, thematic, or methodological.
  • Conclusion: Highlight key findings and summarize your literature review.

By the time you’ll be done with the literature review, you’ll have a thorough understanding of your research topic.

Step #5: Organize Your Research

If you’re writing a research paper for the first time and don’t know anything about how to write a good research paper or how to do a research paper, you’ll get lost easily.

Because writing a research article is not the same as how to write a novel. It’s much different. You have to read a lot of literature, you have to take notes, and you have to keep everything organized.

Organizing your research, literature, notes, PDFs, data files, and other resources are essential. Your research paper isn’t just the paper you write but it is based on and is linked to several other elements.

Organizing your research paper and research work is essential.

It also helps you write a research paper fast. I mean if you’re short of time, you don’t want to spend half of your day finding missing files, literature, and theories that you have already reviewed. This is why using tools is essential.

First off, if you’re interested in writing your research paper fast, you need a writing software like Squibler .

Why Squibler specifically?

Because it helps you organize your content, paper, literature, and everything else. Authors use it to organize their manuscripts and to get their books published fast (in as low as 30 days). This shows how powerful this tool can be for your research paper’s organization.

Squibler alone will reduce your writing time to a great extent. If you’re in a hurry, don’t miss it.

But Squibler isn’t all you need, it helps you manage and organize your files, manuscript, and content, you still need other tools to manage other stuff. Here is a list of tools that you must use to organize your research:

  • NVivo for reviewing the literature and for qualitative analysis
  • EndNote for managing references and citations
  • Grammarly for writing, editing, plagiarism, and proofreading
  • Evernote for taking notes and managing your research
  • Scrivener for writing and managing your research paper

You should also check with your university for tools and apps. You might get access to tools for free that have partnered with your university. In any case, don’t go without tools as they can save you a lot of time at the end of the day.

Step #6: Create a Thesis Statement

Now that you have reviewed a lot of literature, refined your research topic, and have organized your research work (so far) appropriately, it is time to create your thesis statement.

A thesis statement is a one-sentence that defines your research and topic. It tells the readers what your research paper will discuss. Here is an example of a thesis statement:

thesis statement example

The thesis statement is derived from the literature. You can’t (and in fact shouldn’t) write a thesis statement without extensive review of the literature.

Here is what a thesis statement does:

  • It tells readers what big problem you’re addressing
  • It sets the expectations of the readers
  • It shows how you’ll interpretation of the question your research paper will address
  • It makes a claim

In simple words, your thesis statement is a sentence that represents your point of view (or argument) about the topic that you’ll defend in the rest of the research paper.

Here is an example of a good and a bad thesis statement:

good and bad thesis statement example

Your thesis statement should be:

  • Unambiguous
  • Shows your position or point of view

A great technique to create a thesis statement is to convert your research paper topic into a question and then answer the question is a sentence or two. The answer to the question will be your thesis statement.

For instance, your topic is to discuss the benefits of cinnamon for weight loss .

Convert it into a question as: What are the benefits of using cinnamon for weight loss?

Answer it as: The benefits of using cinnamon for weight loss are …

This answer is your thesis statement. Make it a bit scholarly as: Using cinnamon will reduce weight by …

That’s how simple it is.

Step #7: Create an Outline

Once you’re done with the thesis statement, you need to create an outline for research paper. You can skip this step if you want but it isn’t recommended. If you plan to write a decent research article and if you want to know how to write a good research paper, you should know the ins and outs of creating an outline.

An outline for research paper helps you structure your paper. It tells you what you’re supposed to do and how to do it. And it helps you write your research paper fast.

Here is how an outline for research paper looks like :

outline for research paper

The outline can be as detailed as you want or as short as you want it to be. You should, however, keep outline fairly detailed by listing all the headings and subheadings. List what you’ll cover in each subheading. The following outline for research paper is a perfect example that lists all the major portions of the article:

example of outline for research paper

If you’re writing a research paper as a degree requirement, you’ll get an outline template from your university. Follow the template and stick with it.

If your university doesn’t provide you with a template, you can find a free template from the internet. There are tons of free templates available out there for research papers that help you with research paper format and outline.

For journal submissions, you’ll have to create an outline using the journal’s author guidelines. Journals have specific requirements in terms of word count, headings, subheadings, number of tables, number of figures, etc. They provide you with in-depth details so in this case, creating an outline becomes a whole lot easier.

Follow these tips to create a perfect outline for your research paper:

  • Start by listing the major headlines including abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, bibliography, and appendices.
  • Add subheadings by looking at previous research papers.
  • Since you have already reviewed literature, you’ll be in a better position to identify subheadings and sections for your research paper.
  • Keep outline flexible.
  • Don’t hesitate to tweak your outline. You should update it as you start writing your paper.

Step #8: Start Writing

Finally, it’s the stage in your how to write a research paper guide where you can start writing it. I have to admit that writing is the most difficult part. The good news is that you have already done most of the hard work by preparing an outline, thesis statement, and literature review.

You now need to write the remaining sections as per outline which normally includes:

Introduction

Methodology.

The introduction is derived from the thesis statement and literature review. You have to write the background, research purpose, research questions and objectives, the significance of your research paper, and the structure of the research paper.

It isn’t a very detailed section rather it lays the foundation of your paper. The introduction needs to be interesting so readers don’t lose interest and continue reading.

This section comes right after the literature review where you mention the methodology you’ll follow to conduct your research. This is an important section of your research paper that needs to be written clearly.

Methodology includes:

  • Research methods
  • Research philosophy
  • Population and sampling techniques
  • Data collection and data analysis techniques
  • Instruments and scale used
  • Pilot study details

You need to justify your selection of research methods and techniques with strong arguments. For instance, if you’re doing qualitative research, you need to present arguments as to why you selected qualitative research as opposed to quantitative.

This section covers the results of your research paper. It happens to be a crucial part of your research paper as it highlights the findings of your research which is your contribution.

Write your results scientifically in this section and relate them to your thesis statement and research questions. Add tables, figures, and other details from the statistical tool that you used in your study.

Explain your results in detail in the discussion section. Link results to theory and literature. You need to explain results in an easy-to-understand language not just scientifically. Provide arguments for your results that weren’t supported by theory or weren’t as expected.

The discussion section includes:

  • Discussion on results
  • Limitations of the research paper
  • Implications
  • Future research directions

Finally, write a conclusion that summarizes your research paper’s findings and contribution. The conclusion should give a concise overview of your research paper that should be meaningful in isolation.

Step #9: Edit and Revise

This is the last step in how to write a research paper process. You have written the first draft and it’s time to edit and revise it.

You need to complete the first draft of your manuscript well before the submission date so you get time to edit and tweak it. This is where the Gantt chart becomes so handy. In the absence of planning, you’ll finish your first draft right on the last day leaving no room for edits.

Editing your research paper is essential. You need to go through it once and fix errors and typos. Then use editing software like Grammarly to fix grammatical errors, typos, sentence structure errors, and to check plagiarism. It is an extremely handy tool. You can use its Word extension to fix errors as you type.

As you find and fix errors in your draft, revise it by fixing sentence structure and flow. Academic writing is different than other types of writing (fiction, non-fiction, etc.) so you have to make sure your research paper’s language is academic. You might have to revise sentences and even paragraphs to make them robust.

It is a good idea to have someone preferably a colleague review your research paper. This is a great way to find and fix errors that might go unnoticed otherwise.

Start Writing Your Research Paper

A research paper is way different than novel writing and other types of writing. If you know how to write a novel or how to write a book , it doesn’t mean you’ll know how to write a research paper. If you think you can write a research paper just because you have written a novel, you’re mistaken.

Research paper writing is something different. You need to learn it. You need to at least learn the basics. The 9-step to writing a research paper fast discussed in this guide is more than enough to help you get started right away. You’re all set to write an amazing paper.

Get cracking.

get a research paper done quickly

Related Posts

The 10 Best Writing Exercises That are Borderline Genius

Published in Writing

close

Join 5000+ Technical Writers

Get our #1 industry rated weekly technical writing reads newsletter.

close

get a research paper done quickly

Start Early

If you want to deliver an excellent paper, you should start your work as soon as possible. Do not let procrastination influence your results.

Edit Carefully

Even if you're an experienced writer, we recommend to proofread everything you write before submitting. You just can't be too careful.

How to Research Paper Fast – 10 Easy Tricks!

It’s easy to procrastinate on a research paper, especially if you don’t enjoy the topic. Other times, you might be too busy to get a head start. Regardless, when you are racing to get your writing assignment done, check out these guidelines on how to write a research paper fast and easy. By following this advice, you can learn a skill that will benefit you the rest of your school career!

Tips for Writing a Research Paper Fast

  • Have a direction. You cannot write an organized paper unless you know where you want to go. As with planning any paper, start with a thesis.
  • Choose a topic that interests you. The research and writing go faster when you are interested in what you are writing.
  • Pick something you are knowledgeable of. This will make it easier to write. Since you will need to do less research, you will also finish the paper faster.
  • Plan the topic well. If you have a topic that is too narrow or too broad for the assignment, it is going to be difficult to get the word count right.
  • Get organized. Planning your thoughts is key as you consider how to write a good research paper fast. Writing an outline also makes the drafting stage go significantly quicker.
  • Practice. The more that you write, the less time it will take you to research and express your ideas. You will also find that you can organize easier and make less mistakes while writing.
  • Outsource part of the process. Many writing services will do the research, help with drafting or outlining, or even just proofread your work. This is a good option if you fall behind before the deadline or when you need a little extra help.
  • Use the computer-but print to proofread. If you type the first draft on a computer, you can easily submit it after making corrections. However, you should still print it out to proofread. This is easier and more effective than staring at it on a computer screen.
  • Keep sources together. You do not want to lose your source notes in the confusion and end up having to do extra work at the end. Making your reference page as you go can also help.
  • Always proofread. Even when you are rushed, it is important to look over your work. You may even find more than your usual number of mistakes because you hurried.

Why Do I Need to Write Quickly?

Writing quickly has many benefits. It gives you the opportunity to jot down your ideas without being restricted. It is also useful when you are pinched for time. Students do not always have the time they need to get everything done. By knowing how to write a research paper fast, you ensure you can get good grades even when you are in a hurry.

Can I Get a Good a Good Grade and Write Fast?

When you take the time to do your assignments, you get better grades. However, this isn’t always practical with the number of assignments most students work. As you consider the best way to write a research paper fast, remember that you’ll get better with practice. As you follow these guidelines, you’ll become a writing expert.

It might be best to start your papers early, but that does not always happen. When life gets in the way, it is good to know you can still produce a quality assignment quickly. Hopefully, this article has given you more tips on how to write a research paper really fast.

  • Productivity

How to Get a Research Paper Done Fast

Table of contents.

In the fast-paced world of academic writing, knowing how to get a research paper done fast can be a lifesaver. Whether you’re a college student with a tight deadline or a researcher wanting to produce more work, this guide is for you. Dive in to learn the secrets behind speeding up your research paper writing process without compromising on quality.

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper is an academic paper where you make an argument or explain a phenomenon based on original research. It involves a thesis statement, literature review, methodology, body paragraphs, and a logical conclusion. Whether for high school or college, the aim is to present and interpret data to support your argument.

How to Create a Methods Section of a Research Paper

The methods section provides a detailed outline of how you conducted your research. Begin with background information on your research question. Next, detail the research methods – whether qualitative or quantitative. Describe your sample, data collection techniques, and analytical tools. Ensure you use the appropriate APA or MLA in-text citations.

How to Write High-Quality Papers and Essays Quickly?

  • Brainstorm your ideas first. This helps in forming a clear research question.
  • Use Google Scholar and encyclopedias for initial research.
  • Create an essay writing template . This helps in structuring your argument.
  • Draft your paper. Don’t aim for perfection in the first draft.
  • Proofread for grammatical errors and typos. Make use of apps and tools to aid in this.

How Long Does it Take to Write a 100 Page Research Paper?

The time it takes varies. If well-versed in the topic, with all research materials on hand, it can take a week. However, usually, writing, proofreading, and ensuring zero plagiarism can stretch it to several weeks. Always account for enough time for revisions.

What Makes a Great Research Paper?

A good research paper has a clear thesis statement, comprehensive literature review, credible sources, and well-structured body paragraphs. Transitions between sections should be smooth. Most importantly, a good research paper is free from plagiarism and is proofread thoroughly.

How to Write a Research Paper in a Day?! Is it the last minute? Good luck! Start with brainstorming main points. Use a template to streamline the writing process. Prioritize your strongest arguments. Use tools like Speechify to proofread. Avoid procrastination and ensure a distraction-free environment.

9 Essential Research Paper Tools:

1. speechify text to speech.

Cost: Free with a premium version available.

When diving into the vast world of research paper writing, Speechify emerges as a savior. It effortlessly converts written English text into high-quality speech, making the research process and proofreading sessions more efficient. Whether you’re proofing your first draft or trying to understand a complicated thesis statement, Speechify has got your back.

Top Features:

  • Text-to-speech conversion in clear, natural voices.
  • Speed adjustments to cater to user preferences.
  • Proofread feature to catch typos and grammatical errors.
  • Suitable for essay writing and academic papers.
  • Integrates with various platforms for a seamless experience.

2. Grammarly

Cost: Free with a premium version available. Grammarly is the go-to app for ensuring a grammatically sound and high-quality research paper. It streamlines the writing process by providing real-time feedback on your academic writing, ensuring that your college paper is free from common errors.

  • Real-time grammatical and spelling check.
  • Tone and style suggestions.
  • Plagiarism detection.
  • Word count tracker.
  • Advanced punctuation correction.

3. Google Scholar

Cost: Free. Google Scholar acts as a gateway to credible sources and academic papers. It’s essential for anyone brainstorming research paper topics or seeking background information on existing literature.

  • Wide range of scholarly articles.
  • Direct citation feature in APA, MLA, and other formats.
  • Relevant research paper suggestions.
  • Access to some full-text papers.
  • User-friendly interface for easy navigation.

4. Turnitin

Cost: Pricing varies based on institutional agreements.

Plagiarism can tarnish the reputation of a good research paper. Turnitin, widely adopted by high school and college institutions, helps ensure your writing assignment is original.

  • Advanced plagiarism detection.
  • Feedback studio for comprehensive reviews.
  • Integrates with many Learning Management Systems.
  • In-text citations checker.
  • Easy-to-understand originality reports.

Cost: Free.

Zotero simplifies the process of collecting, organizing, and citing research materials. For those working on an extensive research paper or term paper, it’s an indispensable tool.

  • Collects and organizes research in one place.
  • Browser extension for easy addition of sources.
  • Automatic generation of in-text citations and bibliographies.
  • Supports APA, MLA, and other formats.
  • Enables collaboration with shared libraries.

6. Microsoft Word’s Review Features

Cost: Part of Microsoft Office Suite; price varies.

Microsoft Word isn’t just a word processor. Its review features make it essential for research paper writing. The comments, tracking, and editing tools help refine your academic paper draft.

  • Track changes for collaborative editing.
  • Comments section for feedback.
  • Spelling and grammar check.
  • Word count and formatting tools.
  • Easy-to-use templates for various writing styles.

7. Mendeley

Cost: Free with premium plans available.

Mendeley is a blend of a reference manager and a social network for researchers. It aids in organizing research, discovering the latest findings, and collaborating online.

  • Stores and organizes research offline.
  • Suggests relevant papers based on your reading.
  • Citation plugin for Word.
  • Enables academic collaboration with shared folders.
  • Offers a mobile app for research on-the-go.

8. Wikipedia (with caution)

While Wikipedia isn’t a primary source, it’s excellent for an initial understanding or an overview of a topic. However, always check its references and avoid direct citations in your research paper.

  • Comprehensive articles on a plethora of topics.
  • Linked references at the end of articles.
  • Available in multiple languages.
  • Regularly updated content.
  • User-edited with a robust reviewing system.

9. RefWorks

RefWorks is a premier reference management service that supports collaboration and ensures your paper meets the style guide’s requirements. It’s a favorite among those battling last-minute deadlines.

  • Organizes references effortlessly.
  • Integrates with Word for in-text citations.
  • Supports numerous citation styles, including APA and MLA.
  • Collaboration tools for shared access.
  • Cloud-based for access anywhere.

Crafting a research paper fast without compromising quality is indeed a challenge. Yet, with the right tools, dedication, and a distraction-free environment, you can

How quickly can you write a research paper?

Depending on length and familiarity with the topic, between a day to several weeks.

How many pages does a research paper need to be?

Depends on the assignment. High school papers can be 5-10 pages, college papers can range from 8-25 pages or more.

How many hours does it take to write a research paper?

Typically between 15 to 60 hours based on depth and word count.

Can I finish a research paper in one week?

Yes, with dedication, an organized approach, and minimal distractions.

Can I do a research paper in one day?

Yes, but it’s challenging. Prioritize main points, use tools, and avoid distractions.

How do I get my research paper done in 1 day?

Use a template, focus on main points, proofread with tools like Speechify, and maintain a distraction-free environment.

Mastering the art of efficient research paper writing is crucial in the demanding academic environment. By leveraging tools like Grammarly, Speechify, and Google Scholar, individuals can expedite the writing process while ensuring quality.

Understanding the foundational elements of a research paper, from thesis formulation to comprehensive literature reviews, remains pivotal. As students and professionals alike grapple with tight deadlines, a blend of strategic planning, the right resources, and unwavering focus can lead to swift and impactful research outputs.

  • Previous Is Text to Speech Free?
  • Next How Long Should a Research Paper Be? A Short Read.

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

Recent Blogs

Voice API

Voice API: Everything You Need to Know

Text to audio

Best text to speech generator apps

The best AI tools other than ChatGPT

The best AI tools other than ChatGPT

Top voice over marketplaces reviewed

Top voice over marketplaces reviewed

Speechify Studio vs. Descript

Speechify Studio vs. Descript

Google Cloud Text to Speech API

Everything to Know About Google Cloud Text to Speech API

Source of Joe Biden deepfake revealed after election interference

Source of Joe Biden deepfake revealed after election interference

How to listen to scientific papers

How to listen to scientific papers

How to add music to CapCut

How to add music to CapCut

What is CapCut?

What is CapCut?

VEED vs. InVideo

VEED vs. InVideo

Speechify Studio vs. Kapwing

Speechify Studio vs. Kapwing

Voices.com vs. Voice123

Voices.com vs. Voice123

Voices.com vs. Fiverr Voice Over

Voices.com vs. Fiverr Voice Over

Fiverr voice overs vs. Speechify Voice Over Studio

Fiverr voice overs vs. Speechify Voice Over Studio

Voices.com vs. Speechify Voice Over Studio

Voices.com vs. Speechify Voice Over Studio

Voice123 vs. Speechify Voice Over Studio

Voice123 vs. Speechify Voice Over Studio

Voice123 vs. Fiverr voice overs

Voice123 vs. Fiverr voice overs

HeyGen vs. Synthesia

HeyGen vs. Synthesia

Hour One vs. Synthesia

Hour One vs. Synthesia

HeyGen vs. Hour One

HeyGen vs. Hour One

Speechify makes Google’s Favorite Chrome Extensions of 2023 list

Speechify makes Google’s Favorite Chrome Extensions of 2023 list

How to Add a Voice Over to Vimeo Video: A Comprehensive Guide

How to Add a Voice Over to Vimeo Video: A Comprehensive Guide

How to Add a Voice Over to Canva Video: A Comprehensive Guide

How to Add a Voice Over to Canva Video: A Comprehensive Guide

What is Speech AI: Explained

What is Speech AI: Explained

How to Add a Voice Over to Canva Video

How to Add a Voice Over to Canva Video

The Ultimate Guide to Speech AI

The Ultimate Guide to Speech AI

Fan Fiction Audiobooks: The Fusion of Storytelling and Fandom

Fan Fiction Audiobooks: The Fusion of Storytelling and Fandom

Everything to Know About AI Spotify Ads: The Power of Artificial Intelligence in Audio Advertising

Everything to Know About AI Spotify Ads: The Power of Artificial Intelligence in Audio Advertising

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

get a research paper done quickly

Speechify text to speech helps you save time

Popular blogs.

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

The Best Celebrity Voice Generators in 2024

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

YouTube Text to Speech: Elevating Your Video Content with Speechify

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

The 7 best alternatives to Synthesia.io

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

Everything you need to know about text to speech on TikTok

The 10 best text-to-speech apps for android.

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

How to convert a PDF to speech

The top girl voice changers, how to use siri text to speech.

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

Obama text to speech

Robot voice generators: the futuristic frontier of audio creation, pdf read aloud: free & paid options, alternatives to fakeyou text to speech.

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

All About Deepfake Voices

Respeecher and Calm app bring Jimmy Stewart’s voice back through AI technology

Only available on iPhone and iPad

To access our catalog of 100,000+ audiobooks, you need to use an iOS device.

Coming to Android soon...

Join the waitlist

Enter your email and we will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

You’ve been added to the waitlist. We will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

College Info Geek

How to Write a Killer Research Paper (Even If You Hate Writing)

get a research paper done quickly

C.I.G. is supported in part by its readers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.

get a research paper done quickly

Research papers.

Unless you’re a weirdo like me, you probably dread them. When I was in college, depending on the class, I even dreaded these.

It’s the sort of project that can leave even the most organized student quaking in their boots, staring at the assignment like they’re Luke Skywalker and it’s the Death Star.

You have to pick a broad topic, do some in-depth research, hone in on a research question, and then present your answer to that question in an interesting way. Oh, and you have to use citations, too.

How on earth are you supposed to tackle this thing?

Fear not, for even the Death Star had weaknesses. With a well-devised plan, some courage, and maybe a little help from a few midichlorians, you can conquer your research paper, too.

Let’s get started.

1. Pick a Topic

And pick one that interests you. This is not up for debate.

You and this topic are going to be spending a lot of time together, so you might as well pick something you like, or, at the very least, have a vague interest in. Even if you hate the class, there’s probably at least one topic that you’re curious about.

Maybe you want to write about “mental health in high schools” for your paper in your education class. That’s a good start, but take a couple steps to hone your idea a little further so you have an idea of what to research. Here’s a couple of factors to look at when you want to get more specific:

  • Timeframe : What are the most important mental health issues for high schoolers that have come up in the last five years?
  • Location : How does the mental health of students in your area compare to students in the next state (or country) over?
  • Culture or Group : How does the mental health of inner-city students compare to those in the suburbs or places like Silicon Valley?
  • Solution : If schools were to make one change to high schools to improve the well-being of their students, what would be most effective, and why?

It’s good to be clear about what you’re researching, but make sure you don’t box yourself into a corner. Try to avoid being too local (if the area is a small town, for example), or too recent, as there may not be enough research conducted to support an entire paper on the subject.

Also, avoid super analytical or technical topics that you think you’ll have a hard time writing about (unless that’s the assignment…then jump right into all the technicalities you want).

You’ll probably need to do some background research and possibly brainstorm with your professor before you can identify a topic that’s specialized enough for your paper.

At the very least, skim the Encyclopedia Britannica section on your general area of interest. Your professor is another resource: use them! They’re probably more than happy to point you in the direction of a possible research topic.

Of course, this is going to be highly dependent on your class and the criteria set forth by your professor, so make sure you read your assignment and understand what it’s asking for. If you feel the assignment is unclear, don’t go any further without talking to your professor about it.

2. Create a Clear Thesis Statement

Say it with me: a research paper without a thesis question or statement is just a fancy book report.

All research papers fall under three general categories: analytical, expository, or argumentative.

  • Analytical papers present an analysis of information (effects of stress on the human brain)
  • Expository papers seek to explain something (Julius Caesar’s rise to power)
  • Argumentative papers are trying to prove a point (Dumbledore shouldn’t be running a school for children).

So figure out what sort of paper you’d like to write, and then come up with a viable thesis statement or question.

Maybe it starts out looking like this:

  • Julius Caesar’s rise to power was affected by three major factors.

Ok, not bad. You could probably write a paper based on this. But it’s not great , either. It’s not specific, neither is it arguable . You’re not really entering any sort of discussion.

Maybe you rework it a little to be more specific and you get:

  • Julius Caesar’s quick rise to power was a direct result of a power vacuum and social instability created by years of war and internal political corruption.

Better. Now you can actually think about researching it.

Every good thesis statement has three important qualities: it’s focused , it picks a side , and it can be backed up with research .

If you’re missing any of these qualities, you’re gonna have a bad time. Avoid vague modifier words like “positive” and “negative.” Instead use precise, strong language to formulate your argument.

Take this thesis statement for example:

  • “ High schools should stop assigning so much homework, because it has a negative impact on students’ lives.”

Sure, it’s arguable…but only sort of . It’s pretty vague. We don’t really know what is meant by “negative”, other than “generically bad”. Before you get into the research, you have to define your argument a little more.

Revised Version:

  • “ High schools in the United States should assign less homework, as lower workloads improve students’ sleep, stress levels, and, surprisingly, their grades.”

When in doubt, always look at your thesis and ask, “Is this arguable?”  Is there something you need to prove ? If not, then your thesis probably isn’t strong enough. If yes, then as long as you can actually prove it with your research, you’re golden.

Good thesis statements give you a clear goal. You know exactly what you’re looking for, and you know exactly where you’re going with the paper. Try to be as specific and clear as possible. That makes the next step a lot easier:

3. Hit the Books

So you have your thesis, you know what you’re looking for. It’s time to actually go out and do some real research. By real research, I mean more than a quick internet search or a quick skim through some weak secondary or tertiary sources.

If you’ve chosen a thesis you’re a little unsteady on, a preliminary skim through Google is fine, but make sure you go the extra mile. Some professors will even have a list of required resources (e.g. “Three academic articles, two books, one interview…etc).

It’s a good idea to start by heading to the library and asking your local librarian for help (they’re usually so excited to help you find things!).

Check your school library for research papers and books on the topic. Look for primary sources, such as journals, personal records, or contemporary newspaper articles when you can find them.

As you’re starting your research, create some kind of system for filing helpful quotes, links, and other sources. I preferred it to all be on one text document on my computer, but you could try a physical file, too.

In this text document, I start compiling a list of all the sources I’m using. It tends to look like this:

Research file example

Remember that at this point, your thesis isn’t solid. It’s still in a semi-squishy state. If your research starts to strongly contradict your thesis, then come up with a new thesis, revise, and keep on compiling quotes.

The more support you can find, the better. Depending on how long your paper is, you should have 3-10 different sources, with all sorts of quotes between them.

Here are some good places to look for reputable sources:

  • Google Scholar
  • Sites ending in .edu, .org, or .gov. While it’s not a rule, these sites tend to represent organizations, and they are more likely to be reputable than your run-of-the-mill .com sites
  • Your school library. It should have a section for articles and newspapers as well as books
  • Your school’s free academic database
  • Online encyclopedias like Britannica
  • Online almanacs and other databases

As you read, analyze your sources closely, and take good notes . Jot down general observations, questions, and answers to those questions when you find them. Once you have a sizable stack of research notes, it’s time to start organizing your paper.

4. Write an Outline

Even if you normally feel confident writing a paper without one, use an outline when you’re working on a research paper.

Outlines basically do all the heavy lifting for you when it comes to writing. They keep you organized and on track. Even if you feel tempted to just jump in and brain-dump, resist. You’ll thank me later.

Here’s how to structure an outline:

outline example

You’ll notice it’s fairly concise, and it has three major parts: the introduction , the body , and the conclusion . Also notice that I haven’t bothered to organize my research too much.

I’ve just dumped all the relevant citations under the headings I think they’ll end up under, so I can put in my quotes from my research document later as they fit into the overall text.

Let’s get a little more in-depth with this:

The Introduction

The introduction is made up of two main parts: the thesis and the introduction to the supporting points. This is where you essentially tell your reader exactly what sort of wild ride they’re in for if they read on.

It’s all about preparing your reader’s mind to start thinking about your argument or question before you even really get started.

Present your thesis and your supporting points clearly and concisely. It should be no longer than a paragraph or two. Keep it simple and easy to read.

Body Paragraphs

Okay, now that you’ve made your point, it’s time to prove it. This is where your body paragraphs come in. The length of this is entirely dependent on the criteria set by your professor, so keep that in mind.

However, as a rule, you should have at least three supporting points to help defend, prove, or explain your thesis. Put your weakest point first, and your strongest point last.

This doesn’t need a lot of outlining. Basically, take your introduction outline and copy it over. Your conclusion should be about a paragraph long, and it should summarize your main points and restate your thesis.

There’s also another key component to this outline example that I haven’t touched on yet:

Research and Annotations

Some people like to write first, and annotate later. Personally, I like to get my quotes and annotations in right at the start of the writing process.

I find the rest of the paper goes more smoothly, and it’s easier to ensure that I’ve compiled enough support for my claim. That way, I don’t go through all the work of writing the paper, only to discover that my thesis doesn’t actually hold any water!

As a general rule, it’s good to have at least 3-5 sources for every supporting point. Whenever you make a claim in your paper, you should support it with evidence.

Some professors are laxer on this, and some are more stringent. Make sure you understand your assignment requirements really, really, really well. You don’t want to get marked down for missing the correct number of sources!

At this stage, you should also be sure of what sort of format your professor is looking for (APA, MLA, etc.) , as this will save you a lot of headache later.

When I was in college, some professors wanted in-text parenthetical citations whenever I made a claim or used my research at all. Others only wanted citations at the end of a paragraph. And others didn’t mind in-text citations at all, so long as you had a bibliography at the end of your entire paper.

So, go through your outline and start inserting your quotes and citations now. Count them up. If you need more, then add them. If you think you have enough (read: your claims are so supported that even Voldemort himself couldn’t scare them), then move on to the next step:

5. Write the First Draft

Time to type this thing up. If you created a strong enough outline, this should be a breeze. Most of it should already be written for you. All you have to do at this point is fill it in. You’ve successfully avoided the initial blank-screen panic .

Don’t worry too much about grammar or prose quality at this point. It’s the rough draft, and it’s not supposed to see the light of day.

I find it helpful to highlight direct quotes, summaries, paraphrases, and claims as I put them in. This helps me ensure that I never forget to cite any of them.

So, do what you’ve gotta do . Go to a studious place or create one , put on an awesome playlist, close your social media apps, and get the work done.

Once you’ve gotten the gist of your paper down, the real work begins:

6. Revise Your Draft

Okay, now that you’ve word-vomited everywhere in a semi-organized fashion, it’s time to start building this thing into a cohesive paper. If you took the time to outline properly, then this part shouldn’t be too difficult.

Every paper has two editing stages:the developmental edit , and the line edit.

The developmental edit (the first one, at least) is for your eyes only. This is the part where you take a long, hard look at your paper and ask yourself, “Does this make sense, and does it accomplish what I want it to accomplish?” If it does, then great. If it doesn’t, then how can you rearrange or change it so that it does?

Here are a few good questions to ask yourself at this stage:

  • Is the paper well-organized, and does it have a logical flow of thought from paragraph to paragraph?
  • Does your thesis hold up to the three criteria listed earlier? Is it well supported by your research and arguments?
  • Have you checked that all your sources are properly cited?
  • How repetitive is the paper? Can you get rid of superlative points or language to tighten up your argument?

Once you’ve run the paper through this process at least once, it’s time for the line edit . This is the part where you check for punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors.

It helps to let your paper sit overnight, and then read it out loud to yourself, or the cat, or have a friend read it. Often, our brains know what we “meant” to say, and it’s difficult for us to catch small grammatical or spelling errors.

Here are a couple more final questions to ask yourself before you call it a day:

  • Have you avoided filler words , adverbs , and passive voice as much as possible?
  • Have you checked for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation? Spell-checker software is pretty adept these days, but it still isn’t perfect.

If you need help editing your paper, and your regular software just isn’t cutting it, Grammarly is a good app for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Chrome that goes above and beyond your run-of-the-mill spell-checker. It looks for things like sentence structure and length, as well as accidental plagiarism and passive tense.

7. Organize Your Sources

The paper’s written, but it’s not over. You’ve still got to create the very last page: the “works cited” or bibliography page.

Now, this page works a little differently depending on what style your professor has asked you to use, and it can get pretty confusing, as different types of sources are formatted completely differently.

The most important thing to ensure here is that every single source, whether big or small, is on this page before you turn your paper in. If you forget to cite something, or don’t cite it properly, you run the risk of plagiarism.

I got through college by using a couple of different tools to format it for me. Here are some absolute life-savers:

  • EasyBib – I literally used this tool all throughout college to format my citations for me, it does all the heavy lifting for you, and it’s free .
  • Microsoft Word – I honestly never touched Microsoft Word throughout my college years, but it actually has a tool that will create citations and bibliographies for you, so it’s worth using if you have it on your computer.

Onwards: One Step at a Time

I leave you with this parting advice:

Once you understand the method, research papers really aren’t as difficult as they seem. Sure, there’s a lot to do, but don’t be daunted. Just take it step by step, piece by piece, and give yourself plenty of time. Take frequent breaks, stay organized, and never, ever, ever forget to cite your sources. You can do this!

Looking for tools to make the writing process easier? Check out our list of the best writing apps .

Image Credits: featured

Jason Kerwin

Associate Professor of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota

How to get your paper done

There is a lot of writing advice out there and most of it is bad. Even worse, much writing advice is totally inapplicable to empirical science writing. Considering that, it’s entirely likely that this advice will be bad as well. Thus—as with all advice—you should feel free to exercise free disposal on what follows. But it’s what I teach my students and it works for many of them.

Economics is not a “write a lot of words” discipline. At the margin it’s better to have more papers, but all else equal a shorter paper is better and quality matters much more than quantity.

It’s easy to let yourself get psyched out by having to Write A Paper (or, even worse, having to Write A Dissertation). A common suggestion for overcoming that mental barrier is the “just write a bad draft quickly and then fix it later” strategy. A common suggestion is that you should just let the words flow out of you, forcing yourself to write lots, and then do a ton of editing after the fact. That might be great in fields where you need to churn out tons of pages, but economics is not like that (and quantitative science is generally not like that either, or at least it shouldn’t be). Another related strategy is to set goals of writing X hundred words per day, or to force yourself to write words for blocks of Y minutes at a time. None of this is conducive to our goal as social scientists, which is to communicate specific things to our audience rather than to flood the zone with tons of content.

Writing an applied microeconomics paper can be broken into the following manageable steps. Other than steps 1 and 3 you can do all the rest in 1 week apiece.

Here are the steps:

1. Get your results figured out. This is easily the most important part. I make publication-quality tables and figures that are easy to read and tell a clear story. You don’t want to waste time writing up results before you know what they are.

– This is the actual research process. Obviously there is a lot that happens before this, but if you are ready to write a paper then you need results to write about.

2. Figure out your story and write it in 100 words maximum (the AER limit), which is 5 sentences. This is your abstract.

– If you can’t tell your story in 100 words then you don’t have a paper yet. You might have several papers, but most commonly you actually have zero.

3. Present your work to try to convince others of your story. This helps you hammer out what the argument is and nail down the exact results. It is iterative with 1 and 2.

4. Write your story in roughly 15 sentences that outline everything you will do in the paper. These will be the topic sentences for your introduction. (Good intros in applied micro have topic sentences for each intro paragraph, that can be read on their own and also say what the paragraph is about. Your paper has to be designed to be skimmed.)

These should discuss the following points in order (many with more than one sentence apiece):

– What is the research question

– What do you do

– What do you find

– Mechanisms for the results, if relevant

– What does this mean?

– How does this contribute to the literature, i.e. how does it build on what we already know?

Note that first five of these points could also be the five sentences in your abstract. If you have other key things to say then they belong somewhere in the introduction—most likely under “What does this mean?”

5. Fill in the details behind each topic sentence. This is your introduction. I aim for 4 pages but many good recent papers go longer.

– Supreet Kaur’s paper about nominal wage rigidities has a great example of how to write an effective introduction

– More generally, your introduction should emulate the structure of well-published papers in your area—there are plenty of great papers outside the top 5, but top 5 papers are much more likely to have nailed a good introduction

– reviews of the literature should only go into the contributions paragraphs at the end. Do not start with a lit review, no one cares. Do not write a separate lit review section; no one cares. You should integrate citations into your actual argument or leave them out.

– get to your results on page 1.

Writing your introduction is the hardest and most important part of writing the paper. Many people will not read anything else, even conditional on opening the paper. Economics papers are all way too long, and part of the reason is that they include many things that would be in the online methods appendix of a paper in the hard sciences. Our introductions are the equivalent of the entire paper in many disciplines.

– Introductions that use topic sentences for each paragraph and communicate the entirety of the paper are the norm in high-quality economics papers. My understanding is that this is how students are trained to write at Harvard and MIT. Once you start noticing this approach you will see it all over the top econ journals.

While this is an implication of the previous points, I want to state explicitly that your results go in the introduction . Do not tell people that your paper will estimate the effect of X on Y; tell them the effect of X on Y. Definitely do not wait until the last paragraph of the introduction to mention your results.

6. Write the data section of the paper

7. Write the methods section

8. Write up the results. This should be a discussion of what the results mean. Do not include a separate “discussion” section since in that case the results section is pointless.

– Robustness checks go in a subsection here

– Limitations should be acknowledged in here, and also in the introduction where relevant. If they’re major (or if a referee/editor demands it) you can make them a separate subsection.

9. If relevant, write the mechanisms section.

10. Write a conclusion section using Marc Bellemare’s conclusion formula ( https://marcfbellemare.com/wordpress/12060 ). I think conclusions are pointless and shouldn’t exist but since you have to have one, Marc’s approach is the constrained optimum.

– My view is that anything that’s truly important in the conclusion should be in the introduction of the paper. Since many people will not read the conclusion, you should state the key parts in your introduction as well.

That’s it: 10 weeks and you have a paper, and you can easily do a bunch of other stuff on the side at the same time. Now you might say “but Jason, I don’t have my results and story figured out” which might be true. In that case step 1 is going to take longer—but your issue is not finishing the paper, but rather doing the research. The good news in that case is that doing research is fun! So at least you can enjoy it.

Getting into the right mindset to read scientific papers quickly:

Before you start anything, you need to isolate your singular goal for reading papers in the first place. Otherwise, you’ll be passively reading every paper that comes up rather than hunting for specific details. Don’t be a forager, consuming anything edible that crosses your path. Be a hunter: have a specific target that keeps you selective, efficient, and guides every step you take.

Most of these tips are designed to help you focus on extracting value efficiently so you won’t give up after two papers! So, what is your goal here? Is it:

  • Getting a solid foundation in your field?
  • Collecting the newest research for a cutting-edge literature review?
  • Finding ideas and inspiration to further your own research?  

I’ll be honest here: The first dozen papers of a new subject will be a grind. But it gets easier, I promise! When you find yourself blasting through the “template” introduction and recognizing citations you’ve already read, you know you’re close to being an expert. At this point, if you’re struggling to understand a new paper in the field, it’s likely the authors’ fault, not yours. 

Keep in mind that academics aren’t exactly known for concise writing. Practice skimming paragraphs for high-value verbs, numerical values and claims. Skip over wordy low-value prose like “We thus appear to have potentially demonstrated a novel and eco-friendly synthesis method for…” It’s easy to fall back to a casual fiction-reading mentality. Try to stay in a high-energy search mode and you’ll be effectively done in half the time.

Later on I’ll reference our journal article notes template , which I used to synthesize notes for my literature review. Go ahead now and open it in Google Drive where you can download and edit it for free. We just ask that you drop your email so that we can stay in touch on new helpful resources and awesome new tools for scientists.

How do you read scientific papers effectively?

Below are my tips for how to read scientific papers most effectively. I used this methodology to write a critical literature review in a brand new field in about 4 months, citing over 150 papers. My first-author paper now has nearly 1000 citations in only six years since publication, making it my advisor’s most highly-cited paper in his 30-year career! You can do this. Just keep reading: 

1. Briefly read the Abstract

The abstract is your most condensed look at the paper. Read it quickly and highlight any claims or phrases that you want more details on. I like to copy the entire abstract text or screenshot into the journal article notes template for later reference. It also helps to copy the keyword text into the template or your citation manager tags so you can search for them later. Things to read for:

  • Is the research applicable to what you need right now?
  • Are the findings significant enough to help you with your goal?
  • What is the most interesting aspect of this paper?

2. Carefully read the Conclusion

Reading the conclusion gives you an instant look at the quality of the paper. Do the authors seem to make claims bigger than appropriate for the scope of the paper? Do they use hyperbole to inflate the importance of the work? Are the results not clearly stated? These could be red flags identifying a poor quality paper. 

Highlight and copy a few of the most important phrases or sentences out of the conclusion into the journal article template in the first bulleted section or into the notes section of your reference manager. Look for:

  • What the authors think they accomplished in this work.
  • The reasoning behind their results. Any useful insights?
  • Ideas for future experiments.  

3. Identify the most important figures and dig through the Results & Discussion for more detail

If you’re still interested after the first two steps, start digging into the results and discussion for more details. Before making the deep dive, write down the specific questions you need to answer in your notes section. Search the paper for those answers, writing down new questions as they come to mind. 

One favorite strategy here is to look at each figure, read the caption and then dig through the text for supporting information (use Ctrl+F for “Fig. 3”, for example). The figures should tell the story as well as (and more quickly than) the text. 

Copy and paste specific claims you may want to quote or paraphrase later. Isolate what the authors think they did from your own commentary and summarize it in your own words.

4. Search the Methods section to answer questions if necessary

The Methods section is usually the most tedious and tiring to read. That’s why we don’t do it first. Only go through it when necessary or you’ll never get to the 100 other papers you just downloaded.

Go back through the Methods when:

  • This paper showed a different result than another similar paper, and the methods may have caused the difference. 
  • You’re sure you want to include the paper and you want to be critical of the way they conducted their experiments. 
  • You may want to replicate their experiment in your own work.

Make sure to note anything unique, odd, or unexpected in their methods. Maybe it will lead to a breakthrough in your own work or help explain a surprise result!

the scientific method funny PhD Comics cartoon

5. Summarize your thoughts and critiques

Re-read your notes so far to check for any missed questions. Go back and extract sentences or paragraphs of the paper that you want to challenge so you can quickly find them verbatim. Write your own thoughts and questions around those topics so you can copy them into your literature review later. Ideas for notes:

  • What would you have done differently in the experiment or data analysis?
  • Is there an obvious gap or follow-up experiment?
  • Does this paper uniquely contribute to the field’s body of knowledge? What is its contribution?

6. Copy important figures into your notes

This is the most important step but many don’t do this. Figures are the anchors of every good journal article and the authors who spend the most time making excellent figures also will get cited the most often in review papers. This leads to even more citations from experimental articles. My secret for getting the most citations of my review paper was to spend more time than typical finding or creating the best possible figures for explaining the content. You can do this too, it just takes time!

The best reference manager Zotero doesn’t have an “add image” button in the “Notes” section but you can actually screenshot the image with the Snipping Tool then Ctrl+v paste it into the notes section! Now when you come back to the paper you’ll get an instant look at the most significant figures. If you know you want to use one of these figures in your review, add a tag to the paper like “Figure Rev. Paper 1”.

7. Pick important references (especially review papers) out of the Introduction and Discussion

Now that you have a good understanding of the paper, it’s time to start tidying things up and thinking of where to go next. Skim the introduction for helpful references or check the first 5-10 listed in the References section to find mostly review papers you can use for new leads. Go and download these into an “Unread review papers” folder in your citation manager for when you get stuck later. 

Then, go to the journal/library website and check for new papers that have cited this paper. This will help you follow the trail of a specific research topic to see how it’s developing. Download the interesting ones and put them in an “unread” folder for this very specific research topic. In Zotero, you can even tag the paper as “related” to the current paper for quick access later.  

Zotero example of making unread review paper folders

8. Clean up the metadata if you plan on citing this paper later

If there’s a chance you’ll cite this paper later, make sure to clean up the metadata so your word processor citation plugin creates a clean reference section. Author initials may be backward, special characters in the title may be corrupted, the year or issue of the journal could be missing or the “type” of citation could be wrong (listed as a book instead of journal article) which would change the format.

zotero metadata fields missing example

Fully tag the paper using whatever system you’ve come up with. Keywords, chemicals, characterization methods or annotation tags like “Best” can all be useful. One other trick I used was to come up with an acronym for the paper I was about to write - “NMOBH” for example - and use that as a tag in any paper that I planned to cite later.

zotero citation manager metadata tagging example

Being methodical in your post-read organization will save you many hours and endless frustration later on. Follow these tips on how to organize your research papers and you’ll be a pro in no time. You’re almost done, but don’t skip this part!

9. Take a break, then repeat!

This methodology makes it a little easier to get through a paper quickly once you get some practice at it. But what about 10 papers? 100?! You can’t do all of your reading in a week. I set a habit for myself over the summer to read two papers a day for 2 months. If I missed a day, I made it up the next day. This keeps you fresh for each paper and less likely to miss important points because you’re falling asleep!

Get comfortable. I preferred to kick back on a couch or outside in a chair using my laptop in tablet mode so I had a long vertical screen and a stylus to highlight or circle things. Reading 2-column scientific articles on a 13 inch 16:9 laptop screen at a desk for hours on end is a special kind of torture that I just couldn’t endure. Change scenery often, try different beverages, take breaks, and move around!

Here are some bonus tips for breaking the monotony between papers:

  • Pick your top few most controversial, confusing, or interesting papers and ask a colleague or advisor for their thoughts. Bring them some coffee to discuss it with you for another perspective. 
  • Email the authors to ask a question or thank them for their contribution. This is a great way to make a connection. Don’t ask for too much on the first email or they may not respond - they are busy!  
  • Reward yourself for every paper read. Maybe a small snack or a short walk around the block. Physically cross this paper off your to-do list so you internalize the good feeling of the accomplishment!

How do you choose which papers to read next?

So you’re downloading 15 new papers for every 1 paper you read? This could get out of control quickly! How do you keep up? Here are some tips for prioritization:

Google Scholar is an excellent tool for tracking citation trees and metrics that show the “importance” of each paper. Library portals or the journal websites can also be good for this.

  • If you’re starting a search on a new topic, begin with a relevant review paper if one exists. Beware of reading too many review papers in a row! You’ll end up with an intimidating pile of citations to track down and it will be difficult to know where to start after a few-day break. 
  • Prioritize experimental papers with high citation numbers, in journals with high impact factors and by authors with a high h-index (30+) published within the last 5 years. These papers will set the bar for every paper you read after. You can check the journal’s rank in your field by using Scimago . 
  • Identify the most prominent authors in this field and find their most recent papers that may not have many citations (yet). This indicates where the field is heading and what the top experts are prioritizing. 
  • After you’ve covered a lot of ground above, start taking more chances on less-established authors who may be taking new approaches or exploring new topics. By now you’ll be well-equipped to identify deficiencies in methods, hyperbolic claims, and arguments that are not well-supported by data. 

Final takeaways for how to read a scientific paper:

  • Don't be a passive word-for-word reader. Be actively hunting and searching for info.
  • Read in this order: Abstract, Conclusion, Figures, Results/Discussion, Methods.
  • The figures are the anchors. Save the best ones to reproduce in your article and spend extra time to create your own summary figures to supercharge your chances of citation.
  • Clean up the metadata and use a good tagging system to save time later. 
  • Set your daily goal, reward yourself for finishing, and take breaks to avoid burnout!

Lastly, remember that this blog is sponsored by BioBox Analytics ! BioBox is a data analytics platform designed for scientists and clinicians working with next-generation-sequencing data. Design and run bioinformatic pipelines on demand, generate publication-ready plots, and discover insights using popular public databases. Get on the waitlist and be the first to access a free account at biobox.io !

BioBox Analytics Logo

What sections of a research paper should you read first?

The Abstract and Conclusion sections of a research paper give you a quick sense if you should continue spending time on the paper. Assess the quality of the research and whether the results are significant to your goals. If so, move to the most important Figures and find additional details in the Results and Discussion when necessary. 

What is the fastest way to read a research article?

Skim the Abstract and highlight anything of interest. Skip to the Conclusions and do the same. Write questions that pop up. Examine each Figure and find the in-line reference text for further details if needed for understanding. Then search the Results and Discussion for answers to your pre-written questions.  

What is the best citation manager software to use for my scientific papers?

I used Mendeley through grad school but recently Zotero seems to be more popular. Both are free and have all the features you need! EndNote is excellent but expensive, and if you lose your institutional license you’ll have a hard time transferring to one of the free offerings. Zotero is your best bet for long-term organizational success!

Also in Life after the PhD - Finishing grad school and what's on the other side

Reviewer #2 speaks out after being "canceled" on Twitter

  • Reviewer #2 speaks out after being "canceled" on Twitter

11 books to help get you through grad school (in 2024)

  • 11 books to help get you through grad school (in 2024)

11 min read

8 PhD Job Interview Questions: What They Ask vs. What They Mean

  • 8 PhD Job Interview Questions: What They Ask vs. What They Mean

Recent Articles

  • 27 ILLEGAL Interview Questions to Know Before Your PhD Job Interview
  • How I negotiated for an extra week (and a half!) of vacation at my first post-PhD research job
  • Common pitfalls of PhD thesis writing and 17 tips to avoid them

STEM Gift Lists

Science Gifts Biology Gifts Microbiology Gifts Neuroscience Gifts Geology Gifts Ecology Gifts

Stay up to date

Drop your email to receive new product launches, subscriber-only discounts and helpful new STEM resources.

Gifts for PhD Students, Post-docs & Professors

The Pocket Scientist - Scientific Ruler and Reference

Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more …

Enago Academy

Want to Get Your Research Published Faster? Here’s What Not to Do!

' src=

During the COVID-19 pandemic, new research is being published more quickly than ever before. Getting new research results out there as soon as possible has clear benefits. Important discoveries can be shared with researchers and the general public around the world; at its best, this will aid efforts to fight the pandemic and help prevent duplication of research effort.

Some researchers might also have personal reasons for wanting to publish as quickly as possible during this time. For example, they could see an opportunity to build a publication list in a short span of time. In addition, COVID-19 research is currently likely to attract much more attention than other topics. So, irrespective of the reason, researchers are opting for ways to get their research published faster.

In order to publish faster, many researchers have targeted preprint servers . Preprint servers, such as BioRxiv, have certain advantages—mainly that they are both fast and free (to publish and to access, respectively.) However, the articles on preprint servers have not gone through peer review, raising the possibility that they could be spreading “bad science.”

During the pandemic, some well-known journals have shortened the time they take to get an article to publication. At the same time, some less-reputable journals might be attracting more papers as they tend to be quicker to publish articles—perhaps because their review processes are less stringent.

Should publishing research faster be a priority? Or should researchers strive, as always, for high-quality research publications? The answer, I think, is that sharing research quickly can be a good thing—but not if it is at the expense of quality of the work.

Speed Over Quality?

There are many reasons why speed of publication should NOT take priority over the quality of the research. This applies to both preprints and journals.

Crucially, there must be enough time for a proper review. This is at the heart of scientific publication and is the best way to ensure “good science.” Additionally, while “bad science” can be damaging at any time, it could have particularly severe consequences during this pandemic. False or misleading results could have a direct impact on human health.

You should certainly ensure that you submit your article to a reputable journal with a proper peer review process. If you are aiming to submit your article to a preprint server, you can also make sure your work is thoroughly checked first, by you and your co-authors.

What Not to Do

Understandably, you want to publish your work quickly. But you also understand that it is essential not to compromise on quality . So, what should you look out for?

Normally, good scientists spend months or years developing their ideas before carrying out research and turning their findings into a paper. Now, some researchers are managing to do this in a matter of days. In such cases, the focus is on the goal, rather than the scientific process. Often, researchers who are guilty of this are seeking an exciting, newsworthy result and will neglect the science in the process. Problems with methodology, such as a small sample size and selective reporting of results can also arise when research is rushed.

Don’t Forget to Be Transparent

As with all papers, transparency is essential in scientific publishing. You should make sure that anyone reading your paper has all the information they need to be able to assess the work. A desire to publish quickly is no excuse for leaving out crucial information. If you do this when you submit your paper to a reputable journal, it will almost certainly be rejected. However, if you have large amounts of data, you can make this available in a repository.

Avoid Method Mistakes

Researchers working on COVID-19 generally have very clear goals. For example, they might want to know if a particular treatment is helpful, or how many people in a certain population have had the disease. As these questions are of great importance to human health, it is tempting to choose a method that will give a quick answer rather than the most scientifically sound method. Take sample size, for example—while a small study might give an apparently striking result, it must be made clear that its impact will be limited.

Avoid Bad Statistics

People have so many questions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, these boil down to: how bad is it? What is my risk of catching the disease? What is my risk of dying?

Statistics can potentially answer these kinds of questions (although not with the certainty that the media might like). However, scientists must avoid the temptation to use statistics in a biased way—to give a positive result, or one that is likely to attract attention, for example. As always, be clear in your report about exactly which statistical analyses you have done and what the implications are.

Don’t Be Afraid to Correct Your Work

Finally, remember that a paper that is rushed to publication is more likely to contain mistakes. On preprint servers, mistakes can be relatively easily corrected , by removing articles and replacing with revised versions. These corrections could even increase your chances of later publishing the article in a reputable journal.

What About Journals?

Interestingly, preprint servers are only a small part of the problem. Researchers have found that around 80% of the huge number of COVID-19 articles that have appeared in recent months are published in journals.

Researchers should not take sole responsibility for the problems of fast publishing. Journals can also help. For example, at this time, some journals have introduced an expedited peer review process. While this could be a good thing, journals should ensure that their normal review standards are not compromised for the sake of publishing articles more quickly. Journal editors could also insist that their normal standards and guidelines still apply.

Have you seen an increase in publication since the start of the pandemic? How important do you think speed of the publication should be? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Rate this article Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.

get a research paper done quickly

Enago Academy's Most Popular

manuscript writing with AI

  • AI in Academia
  • Infographic
  • Manuscripts & Grants
  • Reporting Research
  • Trending Now

Can AI Tools Prepare a Research Manuscript From Scratch? — A comprehensive guide

As technology continues to advance, the question of whether artificial intelligence (AI) tools can prepare…

Best Research Methodology

  • Manuscript Preparation
  • Publishing Research

How to Choose Best Research Methodology for Your Study

Successful research conduction requires proper planning and execution. While there are multiple reasons and aspects…

CSE Style Guide

  • Journal Guidelines

How to Use CSE Style While Drafting Scientific Manuscripts

What is CSE Style Guide? CSE stands for Council of Science Editors. Originated in the…

AIP Style Guide

How to Create Publication-ready Manuscripts Using AIP Style Guide

What is AIP Style Guide? The AIP style guide refers to a specific citation format…

Characteristics of the American Medical Association (AMA) Style Guide

What Are the Unique Characteristics of the AMA Style Guide?

What is the AMA Format? The American Medical Association (AMA) was founded in 1847 to…

Writing a Data Availability Statement: Expert Guidelines & Illustrations

Top 5 Key Differences Between Methods and Methodology

get a research paper done quickly

Sign-up to read more

Subscribe for free to get unrestricted access to all our resources on research writing and academic publishing including:

  • 2000+ blog articles
  • 50+ Webinars
  • 10+ Expert podcasts
  • 50+ Infographics
  • 10+ Checklists
  • Research Guides

We hate spam too. We promise to protect your privacy and never spam you.

I am looking for Editing/ Proofreading services for my manuscript Tentative date of next journal submission:

get a research paper done quickly

When should AI tools be used in university labs?

Your path to academic success

Improve your paper with our award-winning Proofreading Services ,  Plagiarism Checker , Citation Generator , AI Detector & Knowledge Base .

Thesis proofreading service

Proofreading & Editing

Get expert help from Scribbr’s academic editors, who will proofread and edit your essay, paper, or dissertation to perfection.

Plagiarism checker

Plagiarism Checker

Detect and resolve unintentional plagiarism with the Scribbr Plagiarism Checker, so you can submit your paper with confidence.

APA Citation Generator

Citation Generator

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr’s free citation generator and save hours of repetitive work.

get a research paper done quickly

Happy to help you

You’re not alone. Together with our team and highly qualified editors , we help you answer all your questions about academic writing.

Open 24/7 – 365 days a year. Always available to help you.

Very satisfied students

This is our reason for working. We want to make  all students  happy, every day.

Formatting and Citations

Formatting, especially the tables was fantastic. Citation and reference checks were wonderful.

Scribbr was an amazingly valuable…

Scribbr was an amazingly valuable experience! The team of editors tackled formatting, word choice, and flow within a one-week timeline. Their expert comments and suggestions were delivered with rationale and options for me to consider. Thank you for your speedy, quality service!

This saved me, honestly!

The Work is done promptly and meticulously. Thanks

The recommednded changes and editing…

The recommednded changes and editing are excellent and i would like to thanks Allison for help

I had a great experience with Kayla

I had a great experience with Kayla, who reviewed my journal article. I would welcome any opportunity to work with her again!

So worth the money

So worth the money! Joan was the editor for my dissertation and she did an amazing job! Edits were personalized and easy to understand, and she caught so many little things that I never would have found. She also gave feedback that gave me guidance on different options I could choose for formatting. I would highly recommend Sribbr for your editing needs.

Response time was fantastic and…

Response time was fantastic and provided an updated document with comments that wee helpful.

spectacular assistance!

I had a very next experience while getting 2 of my papers revised. All the comments and revisions very clear and extremely helpful. The citation help was also spectacular and it took even less of the time that it originally had said. I'm very satisfied and thankful for all the assistance and will definitely use this service more in the future. Thank you Tracey!

Great timely service

Great timely service, often considerably before the deadline. Have used this service around 5 times and it has always been top quality.

Reliable and of high quality service

Excellent service

Writing a bachelor’s thesis in English was definetly a challenge, given the importance of perfect grammar and precise wording in such a significant document. Scribbr’s service not only met but exceeded my expectations, ensuring my thesis was polished and professionally presented. I am satisfied with the quality of work, and I wholeheartedly recommend Scribbr to anyone in need of editing services. They are worth every penny I would like to extend my gratitude to Scribbr, and particularly to my editor, Mollie, for their exceptional work.

Excellent and prompt service!!!

Beyond words pleased

Outstanding PhD dissertation assist! I had already sent it through two edits with others, and it did not feel ready for the Chair to review. I am glad I paid for one more edit. Mitchel took my Results chapter and revealed to me just how far off I was from concise and scholarly writing. I am highly impressed and cannot recommend this service more. This edit alone may have saved me another semester's worth of tuition.

Excellent work

Excellent work! Thank you

Horizon EU proofreading

We used a 3-days service proofreading of an EU H-EU application (48pgs) - we got an excellent feedback - with both valuable proposals for changes but also information how to avoid similar paragraphs in the future, great service. A service we definitively will use another time.

Excellent and very helpful feedback

Excellent and very helpful feedback - thank you.

Helping me get across the finish line

I've been working on my paper over the last couple of years. I knew it needed some "flow" TLC. The person who was responsible for working on my paper did a fine job of smoothing out the edges of my paper. Thank you!

Excellent work!

Excellent work!! Much appreciated. Made it easy to accept the edits and the service was speedy as well.

The editor at Scribbr was knowledgeable…

The editor at Scribbr was knowledgeable about even minute APA rules. She edited my paper thoroughly and I feel confident in this final draft. On a side note, be prepared to take a whole day to process the edits!

Everything you need to write an A-grade paper

Free resources used by 5,000,000 students every month.

Bite-sized videos that guide you through the writing process. Get the popcorn, sit back, and learn!

Video 1.5x

Lecture slides

Ready-made slides for teachers and professors that want to kickstart their lectures.

  • Academic writing
  • Citing sources
  • Methodology
  • Research process
  • Dissertation structure
  • Language rules

Accessible how-to guides full of examples that help you write a flawless essay, proposal, or dissertation.

paper

Chrome extension

Cite any page or article with a single click right from your browser.

Time-saving templates that you can download and edit in Word or Google Docs.

Template 1.5x

Help you achieve your academic goals

Whether we’re proofreading and editing , checking for plagiarism or AI content , generating citations, or writing useful Knowledge Base articles , our aim is to support students on their journey to become better academic writers.

We believe that every student should have the right tools for academic success. Free tools like a paraphrasing tool , grammar checker, summarizer and an  AI Proofreader . We pave the way to your academic degree.

Ask our team

Want to contact us directly? No problem.  We  are always here for you.

Support team - Nina

Frequently asked questions

Our team helps students graduate by offering:

  • A world-class citation generator
  • Plagiarism Checker software powered by Turnitin
  • Innovative Citation Checker software
  • Professional proofreading services
  • Over 300 helpful articles about academic writing, citing sources, plagiarism, and more

Scribbr specializes in editing study-related documents . We proofread:

  • PhD dissertations
  • Research proposals
  • Personal statements
  • Admission essays
  • Motivation letters
  • Reflection papers
  • Journal articles
  • Capstone projects

Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker is powered by elements of Turnitin’s Similarity Checker , namely the plagiarism detection software and the Internet Archive and Premium Scholarly Publications content databases .

The add-on AI detector is also powered by Turnitin software and includes the Turnitin AI Writing Report.

Note that Scribbr’s free AI Detector is not powered by Turnitin, but instead by Scribbr’s proprietary software.

The Scribbr Citation Generator is developed using the open-source Citation Style Language (CSL) project and Frank Bennett’s citeproc-js . It’s the same technology used by dozens of other popular citation tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.

You can find all the citation styles and locales used in the Scribbr Citation Generator in our publicly accessible repository on Github .

get a research paper done quickly

How to Write an Essay Fast: Tips and Examples

get a research paper done quickly

Almost every student has experienced a circumstance where they had just a few hours before the essay deadline. So, what is the best course of action in this case? We suggest that you should either begin writing right away or seek professional assistance. Hiring a pro to write your essay is an easy way out. You can just order essay from our research paper writing services , and in a blink of an eye, your piece is ready to be sent out on time. But, if you want to write it yourself, then you need to know how to write an essay quickly.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write an Essay Fast

The essay writing process isn't simple. Especially when you want to do it quickly under the pressure of upcoming deadlines, but don't panic! Whether you’re wondering how to write an essay in a day or just an hour, you can still write an engaging and good essay fast. Here are some tips to help you write a paper faster:

  • Make a plan for your writing process - The first and most important thing to do is to understand a thesis statement, spend 10-15 minutes planning your essay, and brainstorm some ideas about your main point.
  • Start essay writing - Start with a hook in the introduction; add three body paragraphs and explain your major point. Make a clear image of your ideas in the conclusion.
  • Edit your paper - Always keep the last 5 minutes for proofreading your essay; slowly read complex sentences to avoid any grammar mistakes; after editing, give the appropriate title to your work.

These are some useful short tips to do a paper fast. But if you don’t feel like doing any writing, you can use the help of qualified writing service to get yourself a solid essay.

How Can You Write an Essay as Fast as Possible

We discussed a few tips to write an essay fast, but they may still not be enough for everyone to do their essay quickly. There are many reasons why it can get difficult: you struggle to understand the essay topic and the main idea of it, you lack motivation, you overthink an essay prompt, you get constantly distracted, etc. Sometimes we all feel that way, and it's normal, but to make writing your last-minute essay easier, we should overcome those feelings.

So, let's dive deeper into how to write an essay fast to help you with the paper you completely overlooked.

How to Write an Essay Fast

Step 1. Get Rid of Distractions and Plan Your Time

One of the reasons why you can't focus on writing is a constant distraction. Our digital gadgets distract us not only from the essay writing process but from many important things in life. So when you need to focus, set your mind on it and keep the electronic devices away from the working space.

The next step is to manage time. If you want to learn how to write essays quickly, you need to know how to divide the time left correctly. If you have only 2 hours before your deadline, it's crucial to distribute it accordingly. You have to do it in three main parts: outline, body paragraphs, and conclusion paragraphs. Besides that, keep extra 10 minutes for proofreading and revising your essay. Spend 25 minutes on essay structure and half of your 2 hours on shaping the paper's body. Usually, body paragraphs are needed most of the time, but distribution is on you. Spend more of it on the part you struggle to write.

Step 2. Write First Ideas Which Spring up in Your Mind

While reading an essay question carefully, start making a note of the very first ideas that pop up in your mind. This way, you'll have a view of what to write about. Then start analyzing the thesis statement, highlight the major points of the key sentences you want to discuss and then choose which ideas fit best to them.

Don't overthink the statement. To write essays faster, you need to have a concise view of what you are writing about from the very beginning. You don't have much time, so do not spend any of it on overthinking.

Step 3. Elaborate a Plan to Write an Essay Fast

If you have ever had only an hour left to write your essay or are now in that situation, you're lucky to be here reading this. It's entirely possible to do your paper in an hour, and we'll show you an essential step-by-step plan on how to write an essay fast.

But before planning the whole essay, you have to choose your topic. This is a no-brainer, but people are often stuck at this point. If you have the freedom to choose your own topic, determine the kind of theme you are familiar with and can discuss without having to spend much time on research. But if you have several topics, choose the one on which you can deliver a more in-depth analysis.

Now let's move to the next steps on how to plan the process to write an essay fast.

Step 4. Conduct a Research

Conducting research may seem difficult when you have an hour for the whole essay, but don't worry. You can manage that too! You already have the topic and the thoughts around it, and now you need a little research. So be brief and concise, look for the specific information that you're definitely using in your paper, and don't waste time on general concepts. To write an essay fast, you have to conduct research faster.

While searching on the internet, save bookmarks of your needed pages. This will serve not to start looking for the information all over.

Do these tips to write an essay fast make enough sense for you yet?! Anyways, don't pressure yourself! If it's manageable for others to write essay fast, then it is for you too. So read through carefully, act according to this plan, and you'll make it.

Step 5. Make an Outline

Before you start writing:

  • Create an outline of your ideas, and organize your thoughts around the theme.
  • Write down your words on paper and determine how they are logically connected.
  • List your ideas and relate them to the larger concepts.

This way, you can have a general structure for your paper and step forward to write an essay fast. Regardless of how much effort and time you put into the work, it's useless if you can't organize your thoughts.

Now that you have an essay topic and the main idea around it, you can think of creating the thesis statement. Refer to the outlines you noted and try to express the major points of your essay with them. The statement will have two parts - outlining the topic and outlining the objective of your essay.

Now you are one step closer to mastering how to write essays quickly. Several steps to go, and you're all done!

Step 6. Write a Draft with Key Sentences for Each Paragraph

You should develop your arguments in the body and turn every idea you outlined before into separate paragraphs. Remember that each of the sections should have the same format. Start to incorporate your primary ideas into the opening sentence. After that, add your secondary supporting ideas to it. Also, do not forget to use proper sentence format.

You should clearly explain your topic in key sentences to strengthen the arguments. Every paragraph should contain supporting evidence, main points, and summarizing sentences.

Does it seem easier now to write an essay fast? Then, let us make it completely manageable for you with further steps.

Want to research how Steve Jobs revolutionized the world?

Discussing how Steve Jobs shaped modern technology makes a perfect research paper. Our writers are ready to make it even more perfect!

Step 7. Intro: Start with a Hook

After finishing the previous steps, then it is time to write an introduction. But how will you introduce something that hasn't been created yet? It may be unusual to write the beginning after you've already got the middle part, but it makes sense. Now that you have your thesis and arguments on paper, you can take the interesting elements and turn them into an attention-grabbing intro. Write a hook preceding it - it can be statistical information, a dialogue, a relevant anecdote, a quote, or just some fact, but it has to tie in with your thesis.

Also, if it's more comfortable to think of the hook first and then about the other parts, you're free to do so. Starting with the hook can help your creative process, but don't think too much about it. This way is more adjustable when you don't need to search for ‘how to write an essay quickly’ and have enough time to spend on it.

Step 8. Make a Strong Conclusion

Writing the conclusion paragraph is an important part of making a clear expression of everything you wrote above that. It is your opportunity to reinforce the thesis. Restate the arguments to leave the reader with something interesting to think about. It should be 3-5 strong conclusive sentences that place the whole information into a broader context. Don't forget to avoid introducing new points or ideas in your conclusion,

The introduction and conclusion is often the hardest part to write. So, you should save both for last, especially when you want to write an essay fast. It will take all of your time if you start thinking about them in the beginning when you haven't discussed any arguments yet. When you have the body paragraphs of your essay, it should be much easier to write a summarized conclusion and introduction.

Step 9. Check Everything

If you just typed ‘how to write an essay quickly’ and now reading this, then you already know you have to review your paper besides how much time you have before the deadline. So you always have to keep extra minutes to revise your work.

Check if there are any grammatical errors, if the paragraphs are in order - the main argument should be the first and last paragraph in your body, or if your work makes sense at all. These little elements affect the quality of your essay, especially the one you're writing in an hour.

This is the ultimate guide and your last step in learning to write an essay fast. Just don't panic and set your mind on doing it properly.

How to Write 500 Word Essay Fast

The essay writing process isn't so easy, especially when you want it done quickly. But it doesn't mean it's impossible. For example, have you ever wondered how to write a 500 word essay fast? If you are reading this article, you already have the answer. The previous examples we examined about writing papers faster are also adjustable to 500-word essays.

Let's do a small recap! First, decide on an interesting topic you want to write about, but don't overthink it. Instead, choose the one you know more about. Secondly, make a quick, basic outline of your thoughts and thesis statements. Then start working on your body paragraph, and lastly, do your introduction and conclusion. You can read above how to do each of these steps very easily.

In addition, you might be writing an SAT paper. In this case, you can apply these tips to the writing process with specific needs.

How to Write a Research Essay Fast

If you ever looked up 'how to write a research essay fast' and couldn't manage to find the solution through research, then we're here to help you out.

While writing a research paper requires a lot of effort—from developing a compelling thesis to locating relevant literature—doing so may be more fun if you select a topic you are passionate about. In addition, you have an opportunity to consider other people's discoveries and draw your own conclusions about what they signify.

Most essays have specifics that should be considered to be worth a good grade. If you don't know these needs, it can be difficult for you to complete the task properly. So then, what's your answer to it? Are you just sitting there wondering, 'how can I get research paper writing help ?' If you still haven't found the way, click on it, and there is your solution.

Pros and Cons of Writing an Essay Fast

As with everything else, writing your paper fast has its positive and negative sides too.

Let's start with the cons:

  • When writing fast, you may not leave yourself the time for proofreading and editing the work, which will lead to not a very good essay and a satisfactory grade.
  • Knowing that the deadline is coming closer can pressure you while preventing the creative process which can be destructive for your essay.
  • Time spent on each part of the paper may not be enough or correctly distributed, which can mess with essay structure.

Pros of writing essay fast:

  • The positive side of writing an argumentative essay fast is that now you know how to do it and don't need much time to waste.
  • You are always on time for deadlines when you know how to write a good essay fast.
  • Improves your time management skills.

So, It's entirely possible to write a good essay fast. For example, if you need to know how to write a process analysis essay, consider what we have already discussed above, and just like that, you are left with a great piece in a very short period!

There are many reasons why you can't finish your paper before the deadline. But it's not the end of the world, right? That's why essay writing services provide support for students. When you are in a position where you need to get your paper done fast by a professional, you can turn to EssayPro's cheap essay writing service. It's not a problem you have to worry about.

It doesn't matter if you need, for example, descriptive or expository essays, EssayPro's experts can provide both for you. You're just one click away from your perfect paper!

Need urgent writing assistance?

Contact our experts to get a perfect paper tailored to your requirements!

Related Articles

Satire Essay

Grad Coach

How To Skim Read Journal Articles

Fast-Track Your Literature Review By Focusing On Three Sections

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | May 2020

How to read scientific journal articles quickly and efficiently.

If you’ve just started your literature review process, you’re probably sitting on a pile of scientific journal articles and papers that are (1) lengthy and (2) written in very dense , academic language that is difficult to digest (at the best of times). It’s intimidating, for sure – and you’re probably wondering how on earth you’re going to get through it all.

You might be asking yourself some of these questions:

  • Do I need to read every journal article to make sure I cover everything?
  • Do I need to read every section of each article to understand it?
  • If not, which sections should I focus on?

First things first, relax (I can feel your tension!). In this post, I’m going answer these questions and explain how to approach your review of the literature the smart way , so that you focus only on the most relevant literature and don’t waste time on low-value activities.

So, grab a nice hot cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever – just no beers) and let’s take a look at those questions, one at a time.

Free Webinar: Literature Review 101

Question 1:

Do i need to read every journal article on my topic when doing my literature review.

The good news is that you don’t need to read every single journal article on your topic. Doing so would just be a waste of your time, as you’re generally looking to understand the current state of the literature – not the full history of it.

But… and this is an important but. You do need to read quite a bit to make sure that you have a comprehensive view of the current state of the literature (and of knowledge) in your area of research.

Quality trumps quantity when it comes to reviewing the literature. In other words, you need to focus on reading the journal articles that are most cited (i.e. that other academics have referenced) in relation to your topic keyword(s). You should focus on articles that are recent, relevant and well cited .

But how do I know if an article is well cited?

Thankfully, you can check the number of citations for any article really easily using Google Scholar . Just enter the article title in Google Scholar and it will show you how many citations it has – here’s an example:

How to read journal articles quickly and efficiently

In fact, Google Scholar is a great way to find the key journal articles for any keyword (topic) in general, so chances are you’ll be using this to find your journal articles in the first place. Therefore, be sure to keep an eye on citation count while you’re sourcing articles. It would also be smart to dedicate a column to it in your literature review catalogue (you can download one for free here ) so that you can quickly filter and sort by citation count.

A quick caveat – citation count is not a perfect metric for the quality of a journal article (unfortunately there is no unicorn metric that indicates quality). While its usually a good indicator of how popular an article is, it doesn’t mean the findings of the article are perfect (remember, the Kardashians are popular too – enough said). To the contrary, it could indicate that there’s a lot of controversy regarding the findings (sounds like the Kardashians again).

So, long story short – don’t be conned by citation count alone. Be sure to also pay attention the to quality of the journal each article is published in (you can check journal rank here ), and pay attention to what other articles say about any given popular article.

Need a helping hand?

get a research paper done quickly

Question 2:

Do i need to read the full journal journal article when doing my literature review.

Some more good news – no, you don’t need to read every single word in each journal article you review as part of your literature review. When you’re just starting your literature review, you need to get a big picture view of what each journal article is saying (in other words, the key questions and findings). Generally you can get a good feel for this by reading a few key sections in each article (we’ll get to these next).

That said (ah, there had to be a catch, right?), as you refine your literature review and establish more of a focus, you’ll need to dive deeper into the most important articles. Some articles will be central to your research – but you probably still don’t need to read them from first page to the last.

Question 3:

Which sections of each journal article should i read.

To get a big-picture view of what any article is all about, there are three sections that are very useful. These three sections generally explain both what the article is about (i.e. what questions they were trying to answer) and what the findings were (i.e. what their answers were). This is exactly what you’re looking for, so these three sections provide a great way for you to save time during your literature review.

So, let’s take a look at the three sections:

1 – The abstract (or executive summary)

The abstract (which is located right up front) provides a high-level overview of what the article is about. This is giving you the first little taste of the soup , so to speak. Generally, it will discuss what the research objectives were was and why they were important. This will give you a clear indication of how relevant the article is to your specific research, so pay close attention.

Sometimes the abstract will also discuss the findings of the article (much like a thesis abstract ), but this is not always the case (yeah, the abstract can be such a tease sometimes). If it does, it’s a bonus. But even so, you should still read the other sections, as the abstract only provides a very high-level view, and can miss out on specific nuances of the research.

2 – The introduction section

The introduction section will go into more detail about the topic being investigated and why this is important for the field of research. This will help you understand a bit more detail about what exactly they were investigating and in what context . Context is really important, so pay close attention to that.

For example, they might be investigating your exact topic, but in a country other than your own, or a different industry. In that case, you’d know that you need to pay very close attention to exactly how they undertook their research.

So, make sure you pay close attention to the introduction chapter to fully understand the focus of the research and the context in which it took place . Both will be important when it comes to writing your literature review, as you’ll need to use this information to build your arguments.

3 – The conclusion

While the introduction section tells you what the high-level questions the researchers asked, the conclusion section tells you what answers they found . This provides you with something of a shortcut to grasping the gist of the article, without reading all the dull and dry detail – yeah, it’s a little cheeky, I know. Of course, the conclusion is not going to highlight every nuance of the analysis findings, so if the article is highly relevant to your research, you should make sure to also pay close attention to the analysis findings section.

In addition to the findings of the research, the conclusion section will generally also highlight areas that require further research . In other words, they’ll outline areas that genuinely require further academic investigation (aka research gaps ). This is a gold mine for refining your topic into something highly original and well-rooted in the existing literature – just make sure that the article is recent, or someone else may have already exploited the research gap. If you’re still looking to identify a research topic, be sure to check out our video covering that here .

By reviewing these three sections of each article, you’ll save yourself a lot of time, while still getting a good understanding of what each article is saying. Keep in mind that as your literature review progresses, you focus will narrow and you’ll develop a set of core highly relevant articles, which you should sink your teeth into more deeply.

To fast-track your reading, always start by working through the abstract, the introduction section and the conclusion section.

Let’s Recap

In this post, we looked at how to read academic journal articles quickly and efficiently, to save you many hours of pain while undertaking your literature review.

The key takeaways to remember are:

  • You don’t need to read every single journal article covering your topic – focus on the most popular, authoritative and recent ones
  • You don’t need to read every word of every article. To start, you just need to get a high-level understanding of the literature, which you can get by focusing on three key areas in each journal article.
  • The three sections of each journal article to review are the abstract , the introduction and the conclusion .
  • Once you’ve narrowed down your focus and have a core set of highly relevant, highly authoritative articles, you can dive deeper into them, paying closer attention to the methodology and analysis findings.

And there you have it – now go on and hammer through that pile of articles at warp speed. While you’re at it, why not also check out our other posts and videos covering research topic ideation , dissertation and thesis proposal , literature review , methodology , analysis and more.

Literature Review Course

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling Udemy Course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

You Might Also Like:

Literature review 101 - how to find articles

28 Comments

Aletta Malatji

Thanks Derek for the tips

Reviewing the Literature can be overwhelming if you do not have the plan or the right structure to navigate the pool of information

Derek Jansen

You’re most welcome, Aletta. All the best with your literature review.

Dennyson Mulenga

I personally have found these tips as a key to my long standing problem of reading articles. Thanks a million times

Rishen Moodley

Simple and easy to read guidance… funny too

Great to hear that, Rishen 🙂

Mazwakhe Mkhulisi

Much appreciated Derek. I already realized I could not read everything, but you confirming that has brought a lot of relief.

Great to hear that, Mazwakhe 🙂

Sangappa Vaggar

Derek sir, I’m really happy for you.You made me to think very smart and effective way to do the review of literature.

Thank you so much.

Khalid

Dear Derek, thank you for your easy and straight forward guidance,

Sanoon Fasana

Thanks for the interesting and informative article

You’re most welcome, Sanoon. Glad it was useful.

Celso

Thanks for the insights, I am about to start my literature review and this article as well as the other material from GradCoach will help me on the jorney.

You’re most welcome! Good luck writing your literature review

Aimal Waziri Waziri

It was a great and effective information.

Emy

Thank you that was very helpful. I am taking a directed studies summer course, and I have to submit a literature review by end of August. That article was short, straight to the point and interesting 🙂 thank you Derek

You’re welcome, Emy 🙂 Good luck with your studies!

Dorcas

Thanks Derek. Reading this article has given me a boost because I have been so stock on how to go about my literature review.Though I know I am not meant to read the whole article.But your explanation has given me a greater insight.

Felicia

Thank you very much sir for your great explanation 😄 Hopefully I’ve enough diligence and courage to start

You’re most welcome, Felicia. Good luck with your research.

Tamim Adnan

thanks, it was helpful.

JIMMY MAMING

Thanks Derek for doing such a wonderful job of helping. Blessings Bro!

Nino

Concise and applicable, nice! what a great help. I am now doing a literature review section on my thesis, I used to waste so much time on reading articles that is not relevant back and forth.

M.Tameem Mubarak

Thank for your great help!

Sandile

Hi Derek, i am busy with my research literature. I submited my 1st draft but it was way irrelevant as per comments made by my supervisor… i gave myself time to find out where i diverted until i lesson to some of your videos. As we speak now, i am starting following the guidelines and i feel confident that i am on the right track now. Thanks a lot my brother

You’re most welcome 🙂

Safoora

I can’t explain my mood when I realised I had to study more than 40 articles about my study field. It was indeed a game-changer. Thank you very much, Derek. Also, Kardashian was the best example that can be used for this situation :)))

Derrick

Thank you for posting this. It truly takes a load off! I’m new to Doctoral research and peer review study and “Overwhelmed” doesn’t quite sum up how I felt. This is a tremendous help!

Merisa

Thank you for the advice. Question, how do one keep count of all the articles considered from starting point to narrowed down. Manually, or is there another way?

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  • What Is A Literature Review (In A Dissertation Or Thesis) - Grad Coach - […] first step of any literature review is to hunt down and read through the existing research that’s relevant to your research…

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

  • Print Friendly

Proactive Grad

How to find Research Papers: A Cheat Sheet for Graduate Students

Aruna Kumarasiri

  • July 23, 2022
  • PRODUCTIVITY

How to find research papers

“I will read this paper later.” I thought to myself before adding another paper to my overflowing internet browser.

Of course, I didn’t read it later.

Since my workflow was unorganized, I missed out on reading many important papers.

This was a crucial period in my undergraduate career. I had been working with a company for my final year project and knew success would require a solid intellectual foundation. For many hours, I read papers, determined to master the literature in my field.

“How to find research papers quickly?” has been a never-ending question for me.

How to find research papers_meme

However, I was unable to succeed despite my best intentions, largely due to inefficiency. In addition, I did not have a system in place for keeping track of new papers being published daily in my topic area or checking if I had missed key studies.

Nothing is worse than forgetting where you saved an important research paper. If I couldn’t find that specific paper, I couldn’t do anything else, and sometimes a day would pass before I found it.

As I was about to begin my PhD, I convinced myself that I should be more organized.

This is the first post of the four-part blog series:  The Bulletproof Literature Management System . Follow the links below to read the other posts in the series:

  • How to How to find Research Papers (You are here)
  • How to Manage Research Papers
  • How to Read Research Papers
  • How to Organize Research Papers

My workflow has evolved through many iterations, and I have finally found a system that suits my needs after lots of trial and error.

These tips will help you how to find research papers quickly and more efficiently.

Get recommendations from your supervisor

You may have already received a folder of information from your supervisor regarding your thesis topic. Your supervisor should have already been working on the proposal before you were hired for a funded project.

My supervisor, for example, has a folder named “Literature” for each project folder that contains all the important papers one might need to complete that project.

Therefore, asking your supervisor is one of the most straightforward ways to find research papers.

Even though your supervisor has not put up a folder like that, you can still ask them for recommendations, and they can point out a couple of pertinent articles. From there, you can find the references in the papers they recommended.

Use feed aggregators

Feed aggregators, such as Feedly , Inoreader , and NewsBlur , help me organize my feeds. In the morning, I dedicate five minutes to scanning my feed. For most papers, I just glance at the title and scroll past. Whenever I come across something interesting, I add it to my ‘Read Later’ folder.

Instead of storing papers in an unsecured location, my papers are more secure. As a result, it is much easier for me to look at that folder later on.

Use literature mapping tools

ResearchRabbit , Inciteful , Litmaps , and Connected Papers are literature-mapping tools you can use to dig deeper into a topic. It lets you see which papers are the most groundbreaking in a given field based on their citation networks.

This might not be very helpful if you’re doing research in a relatively new area. Finding relevant research papers in such cases may be more challenging.

This is why checking research databases would be a better option.

Use standard research databases

Scopus has strong searching capabilities and publishes metrics that can measure the relative importance of papers in their fields. However, it may take up to 2 years before an article is included in Scopus.

It has more features for sorting and filtering, so you might not feel overwhelmed when searching.

Therefore, if you are just starting your research, SCOPUS might be an excellent option for finding research papers.

ResearchGate

In addition to traditional searching for publications, ResearchGate offers the following features:

  • Follow researchers in your field, so you can keep up with their work.
  • Keep up-to-date with the research projects of other researchers by following their research projects, and
  • Comment on publications, ask questions, and send direct messages to interact with others.

As most of the comments on ResearchGate are coming from experts in their respective fields, the QnA section may be a great resource for finding the right paper for your research.

An RSS(Really Simple Syndication) feed, as the name implies, is a straightforward solution. By subscribing to RSS, users can access content from specific websites.

You can find RSS feeds for nearly every major journal and preprint server on their home pages – just look for the orange icon. As new articles are added to PubMed or Google Scholar, you can even subscribe to specific keywords.

Use academic textbooks the right way

If you are new to a particular research area, it would be best to start by reading textbooks to understand the topic better.

Despite the lack of depth and detail in a textbook, it can provide you with the basic concepts you need to read further. Furthermore, textbooks often include extensive lists of references as well as this information to get you started . Download the relevant articles from these references.

You might feel overwhelmed if you try to read an academic textbook from beginning to end. For this reason, read only the sections which contain the information you need for your project.

Review papers are game changers

A review paper on your topic is a great starting point for finding good references and getting a broad overview of your research topic.

After reading the review paper, you can read the references cited therein.

You are reading a much more comprehensive summary of the topic than you would have found reading ten individual research papers on the same topic if you found a highly relevant review paper for your research.

Look for technical reports and theses

Make sure you don’t limit yourself to research papers when looking for references. A technical report or code document on your topic may contain important citations (as well as practical information).

There is nothing that compares to a PhD thesis when it comes to the depth and extent of analytical work. See which references students have cited in their theses on your topic.

If you find a relevant thesis for your literature review, you will have extensive information about the research topic in one place, saving you a ton of time.

Google Scholar

The best for the last!

Due to its versatility and efficiency in finding academic papers, I decided to include Google Scholar separately from the database section.

I enjoy using Google Scholar among all the fancy databases available. One drawback to Google Scholar is that it lacks the ability to search for keywords and filter results.

Therefore, if you are just starting your research and aren’t sure what “keywords” to search for, Google Scholar might not be your first choice.

The advantage of Google Scholar is that if you are already familiar with your field of study and already know what you are doing, you will be able to find relevant research papers more quickly.

Use Google Scholar’s search function to locate relevant articles. Furthermore, you can subscribe to updates from colleagues in your field to access the latest references. The publisher of a journal paper may also report an article faster to Google Scholar than another database, which can take up to two years to include an article.

Images courtesy: Internet marketing vector created by jcomp – www.freepik.com

Aruna Kumarasiri

Aruna Kumarasiri

Founder at Proactive Grad, Materials Engineer, Researcher, and turned author. In 2019, he started his professional carrier as a materials engineer with the continuation of his research studies. His exposure to both academic and industrial worlds has provided many opportunities for him to give back to young professionals.

Did You Enjoy This?

Then consider getting the ProactiveGrad newsletter. It's a collection of useful ideas, fresh links, and high-spirited shenanigans delivered to your inbox every two weeks.

I accept the Privacy Policy

Hand-picked related articles

how to stick to a schedule

How to stick to a schedule as a graduate student?

  • October 10, 2023

best note-taking apps for graduate students obsidian app

The best note-taking apps for graduate students: How to choose the right note-taking app

  • September 20, 2022

email writing to potential supervisors

A bulletproof system for organizing your email writing to potential supervisors

  • September 4, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name  *

Email  *

Add Comment  *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Post Comment

Eight Ways (and More) To Find and Access Research Papers

This blog is part of our Research Smarter series. You’ll discover the various search engines, databases and data repositories to help you along the way. Click on any of the following links for in an in-depth look at how to find relevant research papers, journals , and authors for your next project using the Web of Science™. You can  also check out our ultimate guides here , which include tips to speed up the writing process.

If you’re in the early stages of your research career, you’re likely struggling to learn all you can about your chosen field and evaluate your options. You also need an easy and convenient way to find the right research papers upon which to build your own work and keep you on the proper path toward your goals.

Fortunately, most institutions have access to thousands of journals, so your first step should be to be to check with library staff  and find out what is available via your institutional subscriptions.

For those who may be unfamiliar with other means of access, this blog post – the first in a series devoted to helping you “research smarter” – will provide a sampling of established data sources for scientific research. These include search engines, databases, and data repositories.

Search Engines and Databases

You may have already discovered that the process of searching for research papers offers many choices and scenarios. Some search engines, for example, can be accessed free of charge. Others require a subscription. The latter group generally includes services that index the contents of thousands of published journals, allowing for detailed searches on data fields such as author name, institution, title or keyword, and even funding sources. Because many journals operate on a subscription model too, the process of obtaining full-text versions of papers can be complicated.

On the other hand, a growing number of publishers follow the practice of Open Access (OA) , making their journal content freely available. Similarly, some authors publish their results in the form of preprints, posting them to preprint servers for immediate and free access. These repositories, like indexing services, differ in that some concentrate in a given discipline or broad subject area, while others cover the full range of research.

Search Engines

Following is a brief selection of reputable search engines by which to locate articles relevant to your research.

Google Scholar is a free search engine that provides access to research in multiple disciplines. The sources include academic publishers, universities, online repositories, books, and even judicial opinions from court cases. Based on its indexing, Google Scholar provides citation counts to allow authors and others to track the impact of their work.  

The Directory of Open Access Journals ( DOAJ ) allows users to search and retrieve the article contents of nearly 10,000 OA journals in science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and humanities. All journals must adhere to quality-control standards, including peer review.

PubMed , maintained by the US National Library of Medicine, is a free search engine covering the biomedical and life sciences. Its coverage derives primarily from the MEDLINE database, covering materials as far back as 1951.

JSTOR affords access to more than 12 million journal articles in upwards of 75 disciplines, providing full-text searches of more than 2,000 journals, and access to more than 5,000 OA books.

Selected Databases

The following selection samples a range of resources, including databases which, as discussed above, index the contents of journals either in a given specialty area or the full spectrum of research. Others listed below offer consolidated coverage of multiple databases. Your institution is likely subscribed to a range of research databases, speak to your librarian to see which databases you have access to, and how to go about your search.

Web of Science includes The Web of Science Core Collection, which covers more than 20,000 carefully selected journals, along with books, conference proceedings, and other sources. The indexing also captures citation data, permitting users to follow the thread of an idea or development over time, as well as to track a wide range of research-performance metrics. The Web of Science also features EndNote™ Click , a free browser plugin that offers one-click access to the best available legal and legitimate full-text versions of papers. See here for our ultimate guide to finding relevant research papers on the Web of Science .

Science.gov covers the vast territory of United States federal science, including more than 60 databases and 2,200-plus websites. The many allied agencies whose research is reflected include NASA, the US Department of Agriculture, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

CiteSeerx is devoted primarily to information and computer science. The database includes a feature called Autonomous Citation Indexing, designed to extract citations and create a citation index for literature searching and evaluation.

Preprint and Data Repositories

An early form of OA literature involved authors, as noted above,  making electronic, preprint versions of their papers freely available. This practice has expanded widely today. You can find archives devoted to a single main specialty area, as well as general repositories connected with universities and other institutions.

The specialty archive is perhaps best exemplified by arXiv (conveniently pronounced “archive,” and one of the earliest examples of a preprint repository). Begun in 1991 as a physics repository, ArXiv has expanded to embrace mathematics, astronomy, statistics, economics, and other disciplines. The success of ArXiv spurred the development of, for example, bioArXiv devoted to an array of topics within biology, and for chemistry, ChemRxiv .

Meanwhile, thousands of institutional repositories hold a variety of useful materials. In addition to research papers, these archives store raw datasets, graphics, notes, and other by-products of investigation. Currently, the Registry of Open Access Repositories lists more than 4,700 entries.

Reach Out Yourself?

If the resources above don’t happen to result in a free and full-text copy of the research you seek, you can also try reaching out to the authors yourself.

To find who authored a paper, you can search indexing platforms like the Web of Science , or research profiling systems like Publons™ , or ResearchGate , then look to reach out to the authors directly.

So, although the sheer volume of research can pose a challenge to identifying and securing needed papers, plenty of options are available.

Related posts

2024 journal citation reports: changes in journal impact factor category rankings to enhance transparency and inclusivity.

get a research paper done quickly

New Web of Science Grants Index helps researchers develop more targeted grant proposals

get a research paper done quickly

Three ways research offices can lead researchers to more funding

get a research paper done quickly

  • Skip to Guides Search
  • Skip to breadcrumb
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Skip to chat link
  • Report accessibility issues and get help
  • Go to Penn Libraries Home
  • Go to Franklin catalog

Critical Writing Program: Decision Making - Spring 2024: Researching the White Paper

  • Getting started
  • News and Opinion Sites
  • Academic Sources
  • Grey Literature
  • Substantive News Sources
  • What to Do When You Are Stuck
  • Understanding a citation
  • Examples of Quotation
  • Examples of Paraphrase
  • Chicago Manual of Style: Citing Images
  • Researching the Op-Ed
  • Researching Prospective Employers
  • Resume Resources
  • Cover Letter Resources

Research the White Paper

Researching the White Paper:

The process of researching and composing a white paper shares some similarities with the kind of research and writing one does for a high school or college research paper. What’s important for writers of white papers to grasp, however, is how much this genre differs from a research paper.  First, the author of a white paper already recognizes that there is a problem to be solved, a decision to be made, and the job of the author is to provide readers with substantive information to help them make some kind of decision--which may include a decision to do more research because major gaps remain. 

Thus, a white paper author would not “brainstorm” a topic. Instead, the white paper author would get busy figuring out how the problem is defined by those who are experiencing it as a problem. Typically that research begins in popular culture--social media, surveys, interviews, newspapers. Once the author has a handle on how the problem is being defined and experienced, its history and its impact, what people in the trenches believe might be the best or worst ways of addressing it, the author then will turn to academic scholarship as well as “grey” literature (more about that later).  Unlike a school research paper, the author does not set out to argue for or against a particular position, and then devote the majority of effort to finding sources to support the selected position.  Instead, the author sets out in good faith to do as much fact-finding as possible, and thus research is likely to present multiple, conflicting, and overlapping perspectives. When people research out of a genuine desire to understand and solve a problem, they listen to every source that may offer helpful information. They will thus have to do much more analysis, synthesis, and sorting of that information, which will often not fall neatly into a “pro” or “con” camp:  Solution A may, for example, solve one part of the problem but exacerbate another part of the problem. Solution C may sound like what everyone wants, but what if it’s built on a set of data that have been criticized by another reliable source?  And so it goes. 

For example, if you are trying to write a white paper on the opioid crisis, you may focus on the value of  providing free, sterilized needles--which do indeed reduce disease, and also provide an opportunity for the health care provider distributing them to offer addiction treatment to the user. However, the free needles are sometimes discarded on the ground, posing a danger to others; or they may be shared; or they may encourage more drug usage. All of those things can be true at once; a reader will want to know about all of these considerations in order to make an informed decision. That is the challenging job of the white paper author.     
 The research you do for your white paper will require that you identify a specific problem, seek popular culture sources to help define the problem, its history, its significance and impact for people affected by it.  You will then delve into academic and grey literature to learn about the way scholars and others with professional expertise answer these same questions. In this way, you will create creating a layered, complex portrait that provides readers with a substantive exploration useful for deliberating and decision-making. You will also likely need to find or create images, including tables, figures, illustrations or photographs, and you will document all of your sources. 

Business & Research Support Services Librarian

Profile Photo

Connect to a Librarian Live Chat or "Ask a Question"

  • Librarians staff live chat from 9-5 Monday through Friday . You can also text to chat: 215-543-7674
  • You can submit a question 24 hours a day and we aim to respond within 24 hours 
  • You can click the "Schedule Appointment" button above in librarian's profile box (to the left), to schedule a consultation with her in person or by video conference.  
  • You can also make an appointment with a  Librarian by subject specialization . 
  • Connect by email with a subject librarian

Find more easy contacts at our Quick Start Guide

  • Next: Getting started >>
  • Last Updated: Feb 15, 2024 12:28 PM
  • URL: https://guides.library.upenn.edu/spring2024/decision-making

How to fast travel in Nightingale and make Portals

Here's how to fast travel in Nightingale and construct portals

Want to know how to fast travel in Nightingale? Much of Nightingale centres around the free exploration within the different Fae Realms. With so many combinations of Realm Cards available, it's easy to get lost and separated from your home realm, or 'Respite Realm' as it's otherwise called.

Below, we'll take you through how to fast travel in Nightingale as well as provide information on how to uncover Realm maps, place custom waypoints and craft your own Portals. See below for full details.

In this guide:

How fast travel in Nightingale

Other ways to travel quickly around nightingale, how to make a portal in nightingale.

Cover image for YouTube video

Standing next to a glowing Estate Cairn in Nightingale.

One of the most important tools for fast travel in Nightingale is the Estate Cairn . An Estate Cairn is a craftable structure that can be built at any of your settlements with 20 Rocks and 5 Stone Blocks . Once built, interact with your Estate Cairn to set it as a ' Respite ' - this will lock the Cairn in as your respawn point upon death and the location of your main settlement. You can only have one Respite per game across all the realms you visit, and this can be fast-travelled to from the main map.

Although you can build bases in whichever realm you like, the Abeyance Realm is the best option for beginners as it provides a somewhat safer starting zone and also contains Sites of Power structures, needed for plot progression.

If you decide to set a different Estate Cairn as your Respite, ensure you have a Portal with access to your old one so you don't loose access to that realm. More on contrusting Portals below.

A player flying over swamplands in Nightingale

Within each realm there will be a Fae tower that you'll need to climb to the top of and defeat waves of enemies to unlock. Once completed, it will highlight all the points of interest on your map to explore. As such it's usually a good rule of thumb to complete these first, to enable easier exploration across the different realms.

Another important way of getting around in Nightingale are the World Beacons . These are essentially custom waypoints that you can put on your map by right-clicking and selecting from a drop-down menu. These will make it a little easier to navigate the various Fae Realms if you haven't unlocked the Fae Tower and revealed the other points of interest on the map first. You can also use Stamps within the same dropdown menu to mark resources on your map that you wish to come back to.

To make running about in Nightingale a bit easier, another key method of traversal is the Umbrella . This can be crafted or looted and assigned to one of your hotkeys via the inventory menu. As well as providing shelter against heat in the Desert, the toughest starting biome in Nightingale , these Mary Poppins-inspired tools can be used to gently glide from heights. Just make sure you keep an eye on your stamina meter , as you will plummet quickly if it runs out before you've safely landed on the ground (though if you are running out of stamina, you can always put it away and open it up again just before hitting the ground to ensure a smooth and safe landing).

You can also use the right-click feature to dodge , which uses up a small portion of your stamina. This swift movement is useful if you find yourself swarmed by enemies and need to get some distance from them quickly.

A description of Portals in Nightingale.

The main ingredient for making a Portal in Nightingale is the Synchronous Lotus . You can find these in Chests at the top level of Fae Towers . As such, it's a good idea to prioritise these to craft more Portals in your Respite Realm.

To craft an initial Crude Portal, you'll also need the following ingredients:

  • Synchronous Lotus x1: Found within chests at the top of Fae Towers
  • Lumber x10: Made at a Saw Table with Wood Bundles
  • Ingot x7: Made at a Smelter from Ore
  • Wire x3: Made at a Brazier from 2 Ingots

Be sure to also focus on completing Sites of Power in the Abeyance Realm. These contain waves of enemies and Fae puzzles that, once completed, will unlock new Major Realm cards . Each Major card will set the destination of the Realm. You can then set the theme by inputting one of three Biome cards: Forest, Swamp or Desert. You can also add a Minor Card, which will apply certain environmental changes to the biome you picked.

Once you unlock new Realm Cards at Sites of Power, you can then create them at an Enchanter's Focus . Once created, put them into a Realm Card Machine next to a Portal.

Don't forget you can also rename Portals by pressing the 'E' key when interacting with them. It's a good idea to name your Portals so you can easily remember which Portal goes to which Realm and save yourself some time checking the machine interface each time.

That rounds off our guide to everything you need to know about fast travel and other traversal methods in Nightingale. For more Nightingale coverage, check out our guide on how to play multiplayer in Nightingale or see our magic wood adventures where the RPS team had a chance to sample Nightingale during a pre-launch playtest. Expect hijinks and chaos ahead.

Wordle hint and answer today #981 (February 25 2024)

Today's NYT Connections hint and answers (Sun, Feb 25)

Past Wordle answers

NYT Connections hint and answers (Sat, Feb 24)

Wordle hint and answer #980 (February 24 2024)

Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree release date

Shindo Life codes [February 2024]

Restaurant Tycoon 2 codes [February 2024]

IMAGES

  1. The Best Way to Write a Research Paper Fast in 7 Simple Steps

    get a research paper done quickly

  2. Steps in doing research paper. How to Write a Research Paper Step by

    get a research paper done quickly

  3. 8 Tips Write a Research Paper Quickly

    get a research paper done quickly

  4. Ultimate Free Guide: How to Write a Research Paper

    get a research paper done quickly

  5. Research papers Writing Steps And process of writing a paper

    get a research paper done quickly

  6. Every great research paper starts with a strong introduction. You want

    get a research paper done quickly

VIDEO

  1. How to Read Research Paper Quickly

  2. How to Publish Research Paper as an International High School Student

  3. Secret To Writing A Research Paper

  4. How to Write an Abstract for a Paper or Thesis?

  5. How to write a research paper -part 1

  6. DIY Bookmark 😱 Exam season is here. Hear my experience. @YouTubeIndia

COMMENTS

  1. How to Write Any College Paper at the Last Minute

    Abort. Pace yourself. First, chart out a decent amount of time in which you think you can write this paper. If you're a slow, hesitant writer, an hour per page is the maximum I would ever suggest. In all likelihood, you can probably write a fairly decent 10-to-12-page paper in about five hours.

  2. How to Write a Research Paper Fast

    1. Understand the Assignment: The first thing you have to make sure you do before you get to outlining and writing is to understand the assignment. You will need to organize different pieces of information, from books, essays, interviews, articles and more. 2. Choose a Topic:

  3. How to write a whole research paper in a week

    First, think about your audience and pick a suitable journal. This is an important step because the audience and journal determine the content & style of your paper. As a reference, pick two recent papers on a similar topic published in your target journal. Create a storyline for your paper.

  4. How to Write a Research Paper Fast in 9 Steps

    Step #9: Edit and Revise. This is the last step in how to write a research paper process. You have written the first draft and it's time to edit and revise it. You need to complete the first draft of your manuscript well before the submission date so you get time to edit and tweak it.

  5. How to Write a Research Paper

    The revision process Research paper checklist Free lecture slides Understand the assignment Completing a research paper successfully means accomplishing the specific tasks set out for you. Before you start, make sure you thoroughly understanding the assignment task sheet:

  6. How to Write a Research Paper Fast

    Use the computer-but print to proofread. If you type the first draft on a computer, you can easily submit it after making corrections. However, you should still print it out to proofread. This is easier and more effective than staring at it on a computer screen. Keep sources together.

  7. 20 Ways to Improve Your Research Paper

    1. Choose a specific and accurate title (and subtitles) This is a very important part of your manuscript and can affect readership. People often choose what to read based on first impressions. Make sure your title doesn't put people off. The title should give an overview of what your paper is about.

  8. A Beginner's Guide to Starting the Research Process

    Step 1: Choose your topic Step 2: Identify a problem Step 3: Formulate research questions Step 4: Create a research design Step 5: Write a research proposal Other interesting articles Step 1: Choose your topic First you have to come up with some ideas. Your thesis or dissertation topic can start out very broad.

  9. The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Research Paper

    1 Understand the assignment For some of you this goes without saying, but you might be surprised at how many students start a research paper without even reading the assignment guidelines. So your first step should be to review the assignment and carefully read the writing prompt.

  10. Writing a Research Paper Introduction

    Table of contents. Step 1: Introduce your topic. Step 2: Describe the background. Step 3: Establish your research problem. Step 4: Specify your objective (s) Step 5: Map out your paper. Research paper introduction examples. Frequently asked questions about the research paper introduction.

  11. How to Get a Research Paper Done Fast

    Use Google Scholar and encyclopedias for initial research. Create an essay writing template. This helps in structuring your argument. Draft your paper.

  12. How to Write Essays and Research Papers More Quickly

    Check out Brilliant.org to start learning for free - and be among the first 200 people who sign up to get 20% off your subscription: https://brilliant.org/Th...

  13. How to Write a Killer Research Paper (Even If You Hate Writing)

    Once you've gotten the gist of your paper down, the real work begins: 6. Revise Your Draft. Okay, now that you've word-vomited everywhere in a semi-organized fashion, it's time to start building this thing into a cohesive paper. If you took the time to outline properly, then this part shouldn't be too difficult.

  14. How to get your paper done

    Here are the steps: 1. Get your results figured out. This is easily the most important part. I make publication-quality tables and figures that are easy to read and tell a clear story. You don't want to waste time writing up results before you know what they are. - This is the actual research process.

  15. How to read scientific papers quickly (and effectively organize them

    Maybe it will lead to a breakthrough in your own work or help explain a surprise result! 5. Summarize your thoughts and critiques. Re-read your notes so far to check for any missed questions. Go back and extract sentences or paragraphs of the paper that you want to challenge so you can quickly find them verbatim.

  16. How to speed up my research as a PhD student?

    Take a snapshot of what you know and make a plan from that. Keep checking your progress against the plan and modify the plan as necessary. And that links back right to point 2 - if you keep pushing out papers, you're making measurable progress. Plus, you build confidence that what you're doing is actually valuable.

  17. Want to Get Your Research Published Faster? Here's What Not to Do!

    Speed Over Quality? There are many reasons why speed of publication should NOT take priority over the quality of the research. This applies to both preprints and journals. Crucially, there must be enough time for a proper review. This is at the heart of scientific publication and is the best way to ensure "good science."

  18. Scribbr

    Whether we're proofreading and editing, checking for plagiarism or AI content, generating citations, or writing useful Knowledge Base articles, our aim is to support students on their journey to become better academic writers. We believe that every student should have the right tools for academic success.

  19. How to Write an Essay Fast: Tips and Examples

    How Can You Write an Essay as Fast as Possible We discussed a few tips to write an essay fast, but they may still not be enough for everyone to do their essay quickly.

  20. How To Read Journal Articles Quickly & Effectively

    To start, you just need to get a high-level understanding of the literature, which you can get by focusing on three key areas in each journal article. The three sections of each journal article to review are the abstract, the introduction and the conclusion. Once you've narrowed down your focus and have a core set of highly relevant, highly ...

  21. How to find Research Papers: A Cheat Sheet for Graduate Students

    Therefore, asking your supervisor is one of the most straightforward ways to find research papers. Even though your supervisor has not put up a folder like that, you can still ask them for recommendations, and they can point out a couple of pertinent articles. From there, you can find the references in the papers they recommended.

  22. Eight Ways (and More) To Find and Access Research Papers

    The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) allows users to search and retrieve the article contents of nearly 10,000 OA journals in science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and humanities. All journals must adhere to quality-control standards, including peer review. PubMed, maintained by the US National Library of Medicine, is a free ...

  23. How to Read Research Papers Quickly and Efficiently

    To understand how to read research papers efficiently, go to the basics. Determine the relevance of the article; start with the Abstract, then jump straight to the Conclusions. Reading articles can be time-consuming but if the aims and implications are clear, then you know if an article is worth the read. This tip works because some articles ...

  24. Researching the White Paper

    The research you do for your white paper will require that you identify a specific problem, seek popular culture sources to help define the problem, its history, its significance and impact for people affected by it. You will then delve into academic and grey literature to learn about the way scholars and others with professional expertise ...

  25. How to fast travel in Nightingale and make Portals

    Here's a look at Nightingale, the survival crafting game set amidst the Fae Realms. How fast travel in Nightingale Standing next to a glowing Estate Cairn - a beacon from afar that represents home. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Inflexion Games One of the most important tools for fast travel in Nightingale is the Estate Cairn.An Estate Cairn is a craftable structure that can be built at ...