Research paper writing is not an easy task even for expert writers. It needs a lot of time, actual research and ability to comprehend the results and gather information to support your thesis. Even if you are not an expert at writing research papers, by taking a little more care you can avoid some of the most common errors that are obvious for first time research paper developers. Here are 7 of the most common, but fatal mistakes which can actually ruin your scores and the aim of the research.

1. Thesis statement – Thesis statement has to act as a summary of a research paper. If you get this wrong, the entire research paper, even if developed with a lot of effort and efficiency is not going to get the attention it deserves. Thesis statement should mention why the research has been done and what is its aim. If you can make the thesis statement as interesting as possible, you can ensure the reader’s attention on the rest of the work. One of the most important thing to be considered while developing a thesis paper is to identify and declare what is in it for the reader. Most of the times thesis statements are too general or narrow and the message is not conveyed.

2. Research paper flow – Not defining the flow of the research paper is another deadly mistake. The flow of a research paper is what makes different parts of a research tied together. It should be a careful plan, rather than trying to integrate while writing the research paper. A student must know what main points he would need to support the main idea or the thesis statement. The research paper would progress around these two or three core ideas. Most students fall for the idea of collecting as much supporting information as possible to prove his or her thesis statement which would mostly confuse the reader rather than convincing. There should be connecting sentences between points and between paragraphs for the reader better understand your arguments. This is one another important points to consider well before you start writing your draft.

3. Present evidence – Most students fail to present enough supporting evidence for the argument he presents through his thesis statement. If there is not enough supporting evidence, qualitative and quantitative, the validity of the argument loses. The supporting data and evidence should not either be qualitative or quantitative alone. If you need to prove your points it is always better to suggest some examples for the proof you present. This would help the reader understand things better.

4. Quotes and citation – This is where another deadly mistake arises in case of most research paper writing processes. Students choose quotes from different sources and are more often forgets or doesn’t bother to get the exact source; its publishing dates or author information correct and the quote becomes proof for a plagiarized research paper. Citation is what mostly students miss rather than the proof and end up being marked down for plagiarizing the research paper. Plagiarism is considered to be a crime in most institutions across the world. Though it is completely acceptable to quote and use other’s work, but it is compulsory to have them credited for their work. When you cite a source, you should use the source ie, a book, a journal or internet, the name of the author and the publishing date.

5. Irrelevant information – Some students, may be due to their poor time management skills, just write everything that they find on the way searching for information. These research papers often have a lot of information but nothing that supports or relates the thesis statement. Due to lack of time or ignorance, information collected can even result in plagiarism along with irrelevancy. Readers will not be able to find a relation between the thesis statement and the supporting information. It is equally important to have the relevant information and opting out the irrelevant information.

6. Obvious grammar errors – Some students make a lot of grammar mistakes in their research papers. This practice proves them to be careless people which always create an impression of lack of interest. Some of the obvious grammar errors are verb- tense agreement and over usage of articles. Spelling errors are also quite common among students who prepare their first research paper.

7. Proofread – No proofreading is a deadly mistake that you can do to your research paper. It is obvious that you would find few errors every time you read it again. So the proofreading exercise should be done at least twice before you submit your paper. You will also be able to add or delete additional points which you may feel necessary in the second or third proofreading. This practice helps you submit a perfect research paper.
If you can make sure avoid these mistakes, you can ensure a good grade even if you are writing it for the first time.