How to Write a Scholarly Paper

Updated: June 12, 2023
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At the beginning of the scientific career, many students do not suspect how much time writing various scholarly papers takes. Researchers are constantly creating something new, revealing this or that issue in the study.

The world treasury of scientific research is constantly replenished with new articles and papers, significantly expanding the range of revealed features of different areas of our life. The latter provides a wide array of directions and topics in the development of which you are interested.

As mentioned above, it is crucial to understand that the process of writing an academic paper is long and complex, requiring a lot of effort and time. For this reason, you should be prepared to face possible difficulties that can turn into useful lessons that will significantly improve a range of skills.

Believe in yourself and don’t give up. It is the first and foremost of some important scholarly paper tips that you can check out below.

What is a Scholarly Paper?

First of all, it is necessary to deal with the definition and specifics of this type of academic paper. A scholarly article means writing full-fledged research aimed at revealing a narrow topic. Also, determining its role and contribution to the formation of a specific research sphere, accompanying the development of the selected methods and materials, play a significant role.

In addition, it is predominant to take an excursion into history and consider the scientific heritage of other researchers while explaining what place your work occupies among them.

Scholarly Paper Outline

The success of workflow bases on adhering to a well-defined plan. A very large number of students are afraid to take up work because they do not know where to start. The latter contributes to the constant postponement of the writing process and, as a result of the huge workload in the last few weeks before the delivery of the project.

For this reason, at the beginning of work, you need to work out the structure and adhere to it at every stage.

  • Creating a clear work plan and regularly completing the assigned tasks can turn paper writing into a fascinating scientific adventure that can help develop many essential skills and improve reputation in the scientific community.
  • Writing various academic papers not only helps in replenishing scientific developments but also strengthens the human character. In this context, it should be mentioned that each difficulty can be overcome, turning into an invaluable experience for the student.
  • Familiarize yourself with a set of guidelines that will help you understand how to write a scholarly research paper, allocating time and effort correctly.

How to start a scholarly paper

A guarantee of productivity is the mental attitude with which you start it. Setting up for work, creating a kind of ritual of entering this state (a state characterized by calm and a sense of prosperity) is an essential component of the work itself.

If the scheduled time at the table has come, and your inner voice protests against it, listen to him, but do not agree with him completely. Instead, offer him a compromise and take the time to get ready for work. It can be a walk or even a little sleep. It can be a shower or a cup of tea, listening to music, or standing at a table.

The main thing is not to forget that your goal is not to delay the beginning of work, but on the contrary — to “attract” it to yourself, to harmonize your intention to work with your desire. Experiment, find what works for you, and always sit at the table only when your desire to work matures.

How to end a scholarly paper

Your main task is to properly distribute any forces during the working on the disclosure of items in the work plan. In this case, you will always feel confident and strong to continue writing the academic paper and achieve the goals.

The final stage of the work should be a summing up of everything researched earlier. That is why, remember to carefully consider each step, creating a clear plan for the writing process.

References should be made both in the case of citation and in the case of a paraphrase. A fragment of the other authors’ works, transferred to the text (including its literal translation from another language), is taken in quotation marks.

In the case of paraphrase, a translation of the author’s opinion in his own words, quotation marks are not used but don’t forget about references. It is necessary to remember that in addition to the concept of plagiarism, there is also self-plagiarism.

How to Structure a Scholarly Paper

It’s necessary to repeat that careful structure work can make the paper writing process less complex. You need to think about a goal for each new piece of paper and then focus on that. The latter will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of each of the fragments.

So, among the items that should appear in your scholarly paper are:

  • Background of the selected topic;
  • Methodology;
  • Results;
  • Conclusion;
  • Bibliography.

Scholarly paper introduction

As stated earlier, the work begins with a background of the study, where you justify the importance of the chosen topic. The introduction begins with a free presentation of the work. This section describes what this work is about, emphasizing why it is significant. Relevance is associated with the current problems of our society. Therefore, it is tempting to formulate it accompanying several solutions to these problems, given in the work.

In addition, in this paragraph, the purpose of the work appears along with the tasks necessary to achieve this. It is the simplest and most obvious point in the introduction, which answers the question of what goal was set in the work and specifies it in more local, partial tasks that are necessary to achieve the overall goal.

The goal and any of the tasks are usually formulated in one sentence, and because they involve action, these sentences begin with verbs that denote mental operations.

Scholarly paper body

Talking about the method of humanitarian work, it is a reflection of its operations. It is better and more productive to do them after completing the fundamental of the study. There are many ways to describe methods, and this is also a field for creative thinking.

One of the most common methods is comparative. You can use the latter when it comes to comparing something with another one. For instance, you can compare two literary texts, as in comparative studies or two totalitarian regimes, as in political science. In the last case, we are talking about a comparative-typological method.

In this part, you have to conduct unique research based on the outlined tasks and the chosen approaches to the disclosure of the topic. The concept of self-plagiarism can be understood as a literal repetition of fragments of text in one work, for example, in a section and conclusions, or the use of the fragments of one’s text from previous papers. The question of the limits of self-plagiarism is the subject of discussion.

Scholarly paper conclusion

Writing the final part of the scholarly paper is the most intensive part of the workflow and tends to cause a range of difficulties for the student. Remember that the conclusion is a reflection of the research. It demonstrates everything that you came up with within the process of doing the work.

In this context, your task is to effectively present the obtained results. Remember that it has to be without adding any new information. It is necessary to summarize the material from the main body and indicate whether the beginning goal has been achieved.

In addition, it will also be good to highlight the weak and strong points of the work, indicating the possible options for the development of the begun scientific activity in the chosen direction.

At the same time, it is a necessary task to format the bibliography. The best option is not to forget about this section at every stage of the work, since the postponement contributes to the need to deal with a large amount of processed information, which takes a lot of time.

Check out the specifics of the list of used sources, and then you will know exactly how to write a scholarly paper in APA format.

Scholarly Paper Writing Help

If you need help writing a paper, and none of the many scholarly paper guidelines have been helpful, please contact our essay writing service. The best experts will quickly cope with the task, adhering to all the requirements and wishes of their beloved clients.

At the same time, you can always get a detailed answer to any question and clarify in advance all significant aspects of the workflow.

George Lynch
George Lynch
Literature, Psychology, Religion
Experience: 3+ years
I’ve been enjoying academic writing since day one in college. Today, having a full-time job, I’m still looking forward to writing essays and research papers online for others.
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