The Top 5 Tips for Writing a Social Science Research Paper

This type of paper is made up of a number of important sections that should be well structured if you are hoping to obtain high grades. Follow the points below and wait for your teacher to award you with more marks than you have ever had before!

1. Define the topic of your assignment

The first thing you need to do is decide what you are going to write about. This does not simply mean picking a topic from thin air, as you will first need to look at some broad ideas and then narrow down the one you think will work best. Do some initial research to confirm that you have chosen something that you can support and write about in a complete and engaging way – it is always obvious when students are bored or trying to ‘pad out’ a paper.

2. Create a schedule to stick to

As mentioned, writing a social science research paper comprises of creating various sections. This means that it is actually not too difficult to come up with a schedule that will give you time to concentrate on each part. Speak to your teacher or tutor if you are unsure how long each section should take. Although it is important that you stick to your timetable, give yourself some room for maneuver, as the most useful schedules are always the ones that allow for some flexibility.

3. Write the main body of work

Start placing the areas you have researched into the following sections:

• Abstract;
• Introduction;
• Methodology;
• Results;
• Discussion.

These are the five paragraphs you should be focusing on in the main body of text, so ensure that you cover each one fully with relevant information. Make sure that each part follows on smoothly from the last one, as this will mean that your teacher can easily read the whole document without having to refer back to your previous points.

4. Carefully consider your conclusion

The point of your conclusion is to make the reader realize why your subject area should really matter to them. As opposed to simply reiterating what you have said in the previous sections, you should include potential ideas for new areas of research, as this will demonstrate that your paper could actually make an impact and influence new findings in the field.

5. Spend sufficient time on the editing stage

Try to allow yourself a few days between writing the conclusion and editing your assignment, as this will give you the chance to see the document with fresh eyes and perhaps notice some of the smaller details that need adding or altering. Use a good spelling and grammar checker to make sure that you have not made any silly mistakes when tired or not concentrating. The last thing we recommend is to always ask a trusted friend or peer to look over the paper for you when possible; they will almost certainly spot different errors to you.