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Five Steps to Writing a Research Paper

Check out these valuable sources for identifying research that can help you write a research paper.

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Five Steps to Writing a Research Paper

For new writers, the idea of a research paper can seem daunting. But, if you break the task into steps and focus on one step at a time, research papers are manageable—and even fun!

Step 1: Find a Topic

Unless the instructor assigned specific topics, the first step to writing a research paper is finding something to write about. Choose something you find interesting. Good sources for topics are massage textbooks and massage magazine articles. ABMP’s Massage & Bodywork magazine has an extensive list of archived articles available online at www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com. Avoid choosing a topic that is too broad (e.g., massage and pathology), because such a topic will be too big to cover in one paper. Instead, narrow it down to keep it manageable (e.g., massage and psoriasis). Before you start writing, identify at least six sources of good information. You don’t want to choose a topic and then find there is little information available.

Step 2: Research the Topic

When you research something, study it thoroughly in order to present it in a detailed, accurate manner. To begin your research, gather six or more resources (probably books and magazine articles). Start with the resource that has the most information and begin reading. Read the entire section on your topic completely, stopping to take breaks as needed. When you have read it through once, read it again and take notes on it. For help with note taking, read “Writing Great Notes” from your Student Life resources. Read and take notes from every one of your resources. If you have enough resources, you will hit "critical mass." Critical mass is when you don't find out anything new from a new resource. You have read so much about the topic that every new resource you read says the same things as previous resources. If you don't hit critical mass, you may need more resources, or your topic may be too broad.

At this point, you should have a strong understanding of the topic, and this may bring up some questions. Perhaps a claim was made in one book that massage reduces pain by 50 percent in 35 percent of the people who tried it. This is an interesting statistic, but is it true? The next step in your research is to find clinical studies that back up the facts. Look at the links in the Picked Fresh section of this newsletter to access websites that contain brief summaries of research conducted on the benefits and effects of massage. Search for keyword combinations like "massage and pain," "massage and cancer," "massage and dermatitis," or other terms related to your research interest. You may stumble on a new fact, unmentioned in your other resources, which will take your research paper to the next level. If you have read all of your resources, hit critical mass, and have looked up relevant research studies, you are ready to write your research paper.

Step 3: Understand the Sections of a Research Paper

A research paper usually includes these sections, in this order:

  1. Title Page/Table of Contents: These can usually be included on the same page and might be printed on colored card stock, providing an attractive cover.
  2. Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your paper. It includes a brief snapshot of what your paper will discuss and hints at interesting findings.
  3. Discussion: This section discusses your topic and your research findings in a logical manner. It is usually divided into subheadings to help organize the data (see the sample outline below).
  4. Conclusions: This section briefly summarizes the entire topic and highlights the main findings.
  5. References: This section will include your references (all of your information sources).

Step 4: Plan the Research Paper

It’s important to carefully plan the sections of your paper to organize your thoughts and ensure that nothing is left out. Outline your paper and make notes in each section to guide you in the writing process. For example, the subject “massage and psoriasis” may have an outline like the following:

a. Title Page/Table of Contents
Notes: Print on blue card stock, have picture of psoriasis on front page, find quote about skin for the title page.

b. Introduction
Notes: Use story of mom's battle with psoriasis as part of the introduction.

c. Basic structure and function of the skin
Notes: Provide a brief explanation of the structure and function of the skin. Refer back to this section when discussing why and how psoriasis occurs.

d. Definition of psoriasis (What is it?)

e. Etiology (How does it occur? Why does it occur?)

f. Signs and symptoms (How do you know a client has it?)

g. Treatment (How is it treated?)

h. Considerations when performing massage
Notes: Remember to discuss the use of essential oils and which ones are helpful for psoriasis and which ones are too strong.

i. Conclusion
Notes: Wrap it up by describing Mom's reaction to massage and how the right oils and essential oils helped. Note that she responded badly to the product that contained synthetic fragrances and dyes.

As you can see from the outline, the student writing this research paper has a mother with psoriasis. This student will be able to use her mother’s story to highlight her own point of view. An important aspect of writing a research paper is infusing your own point of view and your own experience into the paper. If you are writing about a specific massage system like orthopedic massage, you might go and get a session from a massage therapist who specializes in this type of work. You will be able to include your experience as part of the information in the paper. If you are writing about a particular pathology, you might identify a person with the pathology, interview him or her and, if appropriate, offer the person a massage. You will be able to include information about your experience of providing a massage to a person with this particular pathology.

Step 5: Write the Paper

When you write your paper, it works well to begin by writing each section of the discussion, and write the introduction and conclusion last. Start with the first section. Don't worry about sentence structure or the way the information flows; just get it out on paper. Don't revise or rewrite until you have a complete rough draft. Once you have something on paper, it is easier to go back and fix sentence problems or reorder your thoughts.

Now, rewrite the paper and clean up any grammatical problems or poorly worded sentences. Add detail where appropriate and flesh out areas that are thin and not well described. Read over the paper and refine your writing. Then, read over the paper and refine your writing again. Now, ask someone else to read this first draft (really about seven drafts) and have him or her comment. Incorporate their comments into a final finished draft.

Celebrate!

Turn in your finished paper and celebrate—you deserve it! A research paper is a huge accomplishment.