writing assignment

Prompt 1

From the two chapters, I have learnt that to write a good research paper either historical or legal, one must indulge in research. In other words, research is the starting point to writing a research paper. One must be able to clearly define their research question and research objective, then use the adopted definition to carry out the research using the most appropriate research design and research method. This process must constitute an original investigation into the subject matter and contribute to new knowledge and understanding. The part of contributing to knowledge is really exciting. However, one must realize that truly contributing to knowledge may also be daunting.

Depending on the level of study that one is in, the research activity and the report writing procedure may be different. For instance, a PhD research paper cannot be similar with a research paper given to college students as a graded assignment. Writing a research paper begins with topic selection, identifying reliable and credible sources for use in developing the paper and then carrying out the preliminary research from those sources. It is important that one makes an outline of the paper, write a rough draft, a second draft and then the final draft.

A research paper should have various components: a title page where the writer puts their names, title of paper and date; an abstract or an executive summary which is a summary of the main points within the research paper; introduction where the paper introduces the topic, its importance and a thesis statement; the literature review section where the writer provides details about the previous research works on the similar topic that are helpful in answering the identified research questions.

After writing the literature review, one should provide the methodology used in the research by describing the method, sampling and findings. The findings should then be analyzed and presented in various formats either in tabular or graphical formats. The researcher then draws conclusion from the findings and provides some recommendation. The final step is proving a reference page or bibliography for the paper. This section contains references to all the sources that were used to develop the research paper.

To develop an effective research paper, one must strictly follow the guidelines of a given writing style e.g. APA. The text chapters have helped me to learn how to write research papers using the APA style. This is important since I will not use other people’s works and fail to recognize them as the owners. In other words, following the guidelines provided in the book, it is least likely that I will engage in plagiarism. I have learnt the importance of citing original authors of journal articles, books, articles in periodicals etc. and this is very important as a way of avoiding plagiarism which is a scholarly offence.

From the two chapters, I can now effectively write a historical and legal research paper, following the structural and conceptual guide. I now understand the research prerequisites and the academic perspective of any research paper. I have learnt to distinguish a historical research paper and a legal research paper based on the techniques used to develop the papers and the procedure of sourcing for materials when writing either a historical or a legal research paper.

Reference

Andrew, D. P., Pedersen, P. M., & McEvoy, C. D. (2020). Research methods and design in sport management. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.