How to write a research paper: 10 steps from topic to final draft

To write a research paper, work in this order: understand the assignment, choose and narrow a topic, turn it into a research question, do background reading, write a working thesis, find and evaluate sources, take notes, outline, draft, and then revise, cite and proofread. Each step makes the next one easier. Skipping ahead, such as drafting before you have a question, is the most common reason a paper stalls.

The ten steps below each come with a worked example, following one paper from a vague topic to a finished draft.

A sample timeline

Most research papers are set weeks before they are due. Spread the work out; research and revision always take longer than expected.

For a shorter deadline, keep the same order and shrink each block.

Step 1: Understand the assignment

Read the assignment instructions twice and write down:

• The task: report a study, argue a position, analyze a text or review the research?
• The length, the due date and any interim deadlines.
• The number and type of sources required (for example, "at least six peer-reviewed sources").
• The citation style: APA, MLA, Chicago or another.
• How it will be graded, if a rubric is provided.

If anything is unclear, ask your instructor now. A five-minute question in week one can save a rewrite in week four.

Step 2: Choose and narrow a topic

Pick something you are curious about, that has published research, and that fits the length. Most first topics are too broad. Narrow them by adding a population, a place, a time or a specific aspect.

Worked example:

• Broad: social media
• Narrower: social media and teenagers
• Narrower still: short-video apps and teenagers' sleep
• Focused: how night-time use of short-video apps relates to sleep duration in 13–17-year-olds

The focused version is something you could actually cover in 3,000 words.

Step 3: Turn the topic into a research question

A research question gives the paper a job. A good one is:

• Open: it can't be answered with yes or no, or a single fact.
• Focused: you can answer it within your word count.
• Researchable: sources exist that can help answer it.
• Worth asking: the answer isn't obvious, and reasonable people could expect different results.

If you're stuck here, it helps to talk the question through with someone, whether a classmate, a librarian or a tool. In ScribeSprout, the AI research partner has a "Clarify my research question" starting point that offers three directions to choose from; you decide which, if any, shapes your question.

Step 4: Do background reading

Before hunting for sources to cite, read broadly enough to understand the topic: an encyclopedia entry, a textbook chapter, or a recent review article. You are looking for:

• Key terms and the words researchers use (useful as search terms later).
• The main debates and the names that come up repeatedly.
• What is settled and what is still argued over.

You usually won't cite general sources like encyclopedias in the final paper, but if you use a specific fact or idea from anything you read, cite it, or find the original source and cite that. Background reading also stops you from asking a question that was answered decades ago.

Step 5: Write a working thesis

The thesis is your current best answer to the research question, in one sentence. It will probably change once you read more; that's normal.

Worked example:

• Research question: How does night-time short-video use relate to how long teenagers sleep?
• Working thesis: Night-time short-video use is linked to shorter sleep in teenagers mainly through later bedtimes, which suggests that when teenagers use these apps matters more than how much.

A working thesis gives you a reason to read some sources closely and skip others.

Step 6: Find and evaluate sources

Search your library's databases and Google Scholar with the terms from your background reading. Combine them: "short-form video" AND sleep AND adolescents.

For every source, ask:

1. Who wrote it? Are they qualified, and are they named?
2. Where was it published? Peer-reviewed journals and academic books carry the most weight for academic papers.
3. When? For fast-moving topics like apps, recent work matters most.
4. What is the evidence? A study with data is stronger than an opinion piece.
5. Why was it written? Watch for sources selling a product or pushing an agenda.

Keep a record of every source's full details as you go: authors, year, title, journal or publisher, volume, issue, pages and DOI or URL. You will need all of them for the reference list.

If your paper needs its own literature review section, our guide on what a literature review is shows how to group these sources by theme rather than summarizing them one by one.

Step 7: Take notes that you can use

Good notes save you from re-reading everything while drafting. For each source, record:

• The full citation.
• Its main argument or finding, in your own words.
• Specific evidence you might use, with page numbers.
• Exact quotations in quotation marks, with page numbers, so you never confuse them with your own words.
• Your reaction: does it support, complicate or contradict your thesis?

Worked example of a note (the study is invented for this guide):

Reyes & Tan (2023), survey of 1,200 teenagers. Main finding: those who used short-video apps after 11 p.m. slept about 40 minutes less on school nights. p. 14: they say total daily use mattered less than timing. Supports my thesis, especially the "when, not how much" part. Limitation: self-reported sleep.

Notes written this way, with the source and page attached, also make honest paraphrasing much easier when you draft.

Step 8: Outline the paper

Arrange your points into sections before drafting. An empirical paper usually follows introduction, methods, results and discussion; a paper built from sources usually follows introduction, body sections organized by claim, counterargument and conclusion.

Place each note under the section where you will use it. Sections with no notes show you where more research is needed. Our research paper outline guide explains each section and includes a full sample outline.

Step 9: Write the first draft

Aim for complete, not perfect. Some tips:

• Start where it's easiest. Many writers draft the body first and the introduction last, once they know what they are introducing.
• One point per paragraph. Open with a topic sentence, give evidence, explain it, link back to your thesis.
• Cite as you write. Put in-text citations in immediately, even roughly. Adding them later is how sources get lost.
• Leave notes to yourself in square brackets, like [check figure] or [need second source], rather than stopping.

Worked example of a body paragraph (citations invented for this guide):

The timing of short-video use appears to matter more than the total amount. In a survey of 1,200 teenagers, those who used these apps after 11 p.m. slept about 40 minutes less on school nights, even when their total daily use was similar to their peers' (Reyes & Tan, 2023). One explanation is that these apps' endless feeds give no natural point to stop, so use that starts near bedtime tends to push bedtime later (Moreau, 2022). If timing is the key factor, advice that focuses only on cutting daily screen time may miss the habit that costs teenagers the most sleep.

Notice the pattern: claim, evidence, a second source explaining why, then what it means for the thesis.

Step 10: Revise, cite, format and proofread

Do these as separate passes; trying to fix everything in one read means you fix little.

Revise the big picture

• Does the introduction end with your thesis, and does the paper prove it?
• Does each paragraph support the thesis? Cut or move any that don't.
• Did your thesis change as you wrote? Update the introduction and conclusion to match.

Strengthen paragraphs

Look for paragraphs that report a source without explaining what it means for your argument. Add your analysis. If a paragraph feels thin, ask what a skeptical reader would want to know next.

If your course allows AI help and you draft in ScribeSprout, Develop paragraph shows three ways to develop a paragraph you've written, with the added words marked, and you can preview one, apply it or keep your original. Read each option critically, keep only what you can support with your sources, and say how you used AI if your course asks you to.

Check citations and the reference list

Every in-text citation needs a matching entry in the reference list, and every entry needs at least one citation in the text. Check the details against your style guide: author names, year, title capitalization, italics, and DOIs.

Format and proofread

Apply your style's formatting (see the FAQ below), then proofread slowly. Reading aloud catches missing words and clumsy sentences that silent reading misses.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start a research paper?

Start before the writing: read the assignment closely, choose a topic and narrow it, and turn it into a research question. When you begin drafting, start with the section you understand best, often the body, and write the introduction last.

How do I write an introduction for a research paper?

Move from broad to specific in a few sentences: introduce the topic and why it matters, summarize what is already known, point to the gap or problem, and end with your research question or thesis. Keep it short; the evidence belongs in the body.

How do I write a thesis statement for a research paper?

Answer your research question in one specific, arguable sentence, and include the main reason or finding if you can. Treat it as a working thesis while you research, and refine the wording once the draft shows what you can actually support.

How do I format a research paper?

Follow the style your course requires. For an APA 7 student paper, use a title page, double spacing, 1-inch margins, page numbers in the top right, a consistent readable font such as 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Calibri, and a References list. For MLA 9, put your name, instructor, course and date at the top left of the first page, your last name and page number in the top right header, center the title, use 1-inch margins, double-space throughout, and end with a Works Cited list.