A formal research paper is a structured academic document that presents a well-supported argument or analysis using credible sources and an objective tone. For more information on writing a research paper please check out our guide: Creating Your Research Paper
What's included in a research paper?
Select a specific and manageable research question.
Avoid broad subjects—narrow it down for deeper analysis.
Use credible sources like scholarly articles, books, and academic databases.
Take detailed notes and track citations for proper referencing.
Organize ideas into sections: Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Discussion, Conclusion.
Ensure logical flow between points.
Clearly define your main argument or research focus.
Your thesis should be specific, debatable, and backed by evidence.
Use academic tone—avoid overly casual language.
Structure paragraphs with topic sentences, supporting evidence, and analysis.
Check for clarity, coherence, and logical consistency.
Proofread for grammar, formatting, and citation accuracy.
Follow the required style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
Keep a bibliography/reference list to avoid plagiarism.
A comprehensive, multidisciplinary database offering full-text access to thousands of peer-reviewed journals, magazines, books, conference papers, and reports. It supports research across a wide range of subjects including science, technology, humanities, education, business, and health. Features include advanced search tools, citation assistance, subject indexing, and access to both current and archival content, making it a valuable resource for academic research at all levels.
An online archive of multidiscipline journal articles in the most significant professional journals.
An authoritative database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. ERIC provides access to over 1.9 million records of journal articles, research reports, conference papers, curriculum guides, dissertations, and policy documents in the field of education. It includes links to more than 590,000 full-text documents and features an education-specific thesaurus with over 11,800 terms.
The T&F Social Science & Humanities Library provides access to over 900 must-have online journals from Routledge, the pioneering social science and humanities publisher, and Psychology Press.
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.
Tip: Add the Walsh University Library to your Google Scholar's Library Links to search for resources within our collection.