Every semester students are assigned a great deal of academic papers. Some of them are shorter and simpler. Whereas, others can turn into a real headache. But, among the piles of various papers, there is one that students struggle with most often and it is an essay.
If you lack the time or feel like you can’t cope with the assigned essay on your own, one thing you can do to ease the process is to order it at essaywriterservice.com and get a flawless paper from pro writers. But, if you want to overcome the challenge yourself, you might need to use some hacks.
While writing itself takes time, it is only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, more than half of the essay writing process consists of planning and research. Researching the right information isn’t easy. But, we can help you get on track! In this article, you will find some effective essay tips on how to do your research right.
How to Do Research for a Brilliant Essay: Top Tips
The value of high-quality research for coping with different academic works is just huge! It is during this stage of the task that you dig deeper into the topic and find enough resources to support your ideas. The more and better the resources are, the more coherent and integral the essay will turn out. Thus, this part of your work will also be evaluated.
Though it may seem simple, doing research is a responsible task. Thus, it can be rather challenging. Especially if you don’t have much experience yet. If that’s the case, or if you just want to speed up the process, here are a few tips to get you going and ensure success:
Create a Schedule
It is always easier to tackle large tasks in smaller chunks. Since research can be quite a time- and energy-consuming process, it will be a good idea to break it down. However, be sure to set specific time frames to stay motivated.
Let’s say, you are doing a regular 700-word essay. You can break down this process into several steps. For example, you can schedule a few hours for a preliminary study, a couple more hours for online study, and a few hours for looking for sources in a library. Depending on the scope of your task, you can alter your schedule to do everything at your own pace.
Set a Goal
Sometimes, students have certain requirements concerning how many resources they need to include in their papers. If that’s the case, it will be wise to add a specific goal to your schedule. Your goal should be clear and time-bound. For example, to find 5 valid resources by the end of the week.
In fact, even if a number of sources is not specified in your instructions, it is still a great tip for productivity.
Always Think Critically
The web is stocked up with information of all kinds and on all topics. But, tons of this information is mostly claptrap. If you want to check your awareness, just go on https://www.test-done.com. That is why the best tip for online research is to always stay skeptical about the obtained data and look for verification!
Start Early
To do your research right and with no rush, it is vital to allow yourself enough time for it. So, starting early is a good thing.
Many of us tend to procrastinate from time to time. It is a natural reaction to complex tasks. However, don’t let yourself fall into a trap of procrastination. It only takes one small effort to get started earlier to ensure a smooth and productive workflow.
The best tip is to start with a preliminary study at the stage of topic choice. Many students skip this and start looking for information already when they have a clearly-defined topic. If that sounds like you, keep in mind that this approach is quite risky. You can never know if the chosen topic gives you enough scope for research until you study it, at least, superficially.
Experiment With Search Keywords
When you look for information online, you need to use keywords and phrases relevant to the selected topic. By altering your search keywords, you can find more data. The trick is to experiment with the keywords you use.
Use Databases
Today, most students prefer to collect their sources online. It is understandable. However, it is vital to know that online resources often turn out to provide not at all valid information. So, the key to success is knowing how to distinguish a trusted source from an untrustworthy one.
How to choose only trustworthy websites? Of course, you can do this through critical assessment and comparison of data across multiple sites. But, there is a simpler and faster way! Make use of academic databases. Unlike regular sites, such databases include only scholarly articles and valid info. So, you can definitely rely on such databases.
Also, you can use a special academic search engine – Google Scholar. It is free of charge and works just like regular Google. The difference is that, unlike Google, Google Scholar helps you find scientific publications, articles, and papers on all subjects in just a few simple clicks.
Mix Two Types of Sources
As you look for information for your essay, you will come across two types of sources – primary and secondary. The primary sources are considered to be the most trustworthy and strong, whereas secondary fall behind a bit. From this, it can seem like you only need primary sources. But, in fact, it takes both to make the paper truly in-depth and engaging.
Never Skip Bibliographies
Doing your research, you may get stuck at some point, not knowing which direction to take next. If this happens, bibliographies of other works are your friends! The bibliographies of scientific papers, studies, or even simple Wikipedia articles often contain lots of great references to trustworthy sources. Thus, checking the bibliographies can help you feel a sense of direction and find additional information for your essay!
