Ecology has caused a massive concern since the technological revolution. Various governments work on plans to reduce emissions, the burning of fossil fuels, and other resources that damage our environment.

With numerous people willing to contribute to Earth, it is no wonder that their desire starts from enrolling in Ecology courses. Majoring in Ecology, though, isn’t effortless. Apart from a high number of classes, students should complete many home tasks. And while some assignments are pretty doable, others might be problematic. Take research papers. Not only are they large (a typical research paper has ten pages), but they are also demanding.

Considering that students often lack time to keep up with the curricula, let alone complete 10-page assignments with tight deadlines, it is no surprise that they prefer to buy cheap research papers. But you don’t necessarily need to purchase one. If you want to complete the task yourself, all you have to do is read this guide. It will shed some light on the significant steps to help you compose an outstanding research paper.

Doing research

If you want to build a comprehensive, coherent, and flawless piece, you should examine the topic and enrich your knowledge. The best way to do that is through research. Since a research paper relies on a specific topic and requires the writer to explain it, it is critical to understand the task and the actions you are required to take.

Research is the process of looking for specific information and learning about the topic before the writing stage. Research can be done in various ways. It can be qualitative or quantitative. The former focuses on non-numerical data and strives to answer a “why” rather than “what” question. You can conduct qualitative research by doing interviews, discussing a particular topic with focus groups, observing a notion, analyzing written documents, like letters, diaries, memos, etc., or investigating spoken texts. Qualitative methods are usually more subjective and less desired in Ecology.

In turn, quantitative research heavily relies on numerical data and aspires to find tendencies, causes and effects, and predictions. It can be performed by surveys and/or questionnaires, observations that involve numbers, financial reports, experiments, fieldwork, and more. Quantitative research is more objective and thus more preferred in ecology, so ensure making the major part of your research quantitative.

Research papers often require analyzing data from various sources, so check the number of sources allowed to use in your work in advance. Look over the requirements and instructions. If they don’t provide such information, aim at ten to fifteen academic sources per paper. Either way, it would be best to contact an educator and seek clarifications.

Working out the main idea/plot/purpose/point of the paper

Completing research isn’t enough to start writing the paper. Once you examine the sources, think of the most important conclusions to your piece. What are the most crucial findings? Are they insightful to the reader? What might have the most significant impact on your reader?

It may be hard to come up with the answer to the above questions right away. Try to focus on one source at a time and determine what’s unique about it. Using brainstorming techniques, such as mind mapping, listing, and freewriting, might come in handy.

Analyzing the audience

Aside from determining the primary purpose, your research paper should be valuable to the reader. Learning the audience is a crucial step toward successful essay writing. Therefore, you need to learn more about the readers’ expertise, interests, and what they might expect of you. Also, keep in mind that the readers might come from various countries, so consider using plain and simple language.

Following a structure

An impressive research paper is well-organized and structured. Besides the content, your piece must include a set of elements. Below are the typical components of every research paper:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • References

Bear in mind that if you are a student, an academic institution you affiliate with has the right to require following a unique structure and format. Therefore, it’s essential to get familiar with the instructions beforehand.

Outlining the work

It is challenging to remember all the thoughts when writing an essay, especially when it’s a 10-page research paper on ecology. Creating an outline can not only help you retain critical information, but it can also preserve unity and allow you to complete the entire work fast.

Unless you are requested to attach an outline along with the research paper, you can build it in any way. Just make sure it is clear to you.

Writing the introduction

Like in any other essay, an introduction is designed to catch the readers’ attention and convince them of the topic’s importance. It states the problem and provides the paper’s aims. A standard introduction comprises four paragraphs with a proper opening, background, importance of the topic, and the paper’s aim.

Building methods

Here, your job is to describe the strategies you have used to do research. Writing the methods is relatively simple in that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. For instance, if you surveyed people, you should provide information about focus groups, who were sampled, how they were selected, and why.

Compiling data into comprehensive pieces

Writing data might be elementary. But making it readable and understandable is not. To help the reader comprehend data and retain as much information as possible, make it visually appealing by including:

  • Figures
  • Tables
  • Charts
  • Graphs

Providing the readers with the results

The results section should always remain uninterpreted. When writing results, make sure you don’t explain them; leave them as they are.

Writing a correct discussion session

Contrary to the results, the discussion section requires you to step in and emphasize the importance of your findings, what difficulties you faced, and what the results mean. It would help if you also explained their broader implications.

Summarizing the paper

The conclusions are usually brief and accurate. They encapsulate key information, stating what you found. Additionally, the conclusion may call to action to motivate the reader to continue to discover the topic.

Working on manageable parts

Once you complete the mentioned parts, everything that’s left is to handle the most manageable sections. They are Acknowledgments, References, and an Abstract. Upon completing the first draft, make sure to revise your work and check its:

  • Structure
  • Format
  • Content
  • Citations
  • Mechanics

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