Source: https://www.intelligenthq.com/
A research essay is a work of academic nature related to research, scientific inquiry, and experiments for testing scientific hypotheses, expanding existing knowledge, obtaining new data, as well as establishing patterns, generalizations, and justifications.
For solving assigned tasks, the student has to demonstrate specific skills in planning the work on the essay and analyzing the results obtained. According to many reliable writing services, work on a scientific essay presupposes the presence of the main stages, which are characteristic for any research activity, such as:
- Formulation of the issue;
- Study of the theory associated with the chosen topic;
- Selection of research methods and practical mastery of them;
- Collection of results with their analysis and generalization;
- Personal conclusion.
In the process of writing a research essay, students often make various errors related to the structure, main study, and scientific style of this copy. Any professional essay writing service can confirm it.
1. Non-Compliance with Requirements for the Essay Structure
Quite often, the student does not have enough time for all structural elements, so an introduction, main part, conclusion, or list of used literature can be omitted. Also, the introduction may not include all the necessary components, such as the relevance of the study, description of the issue, object, subject, goals, objectives, hypothesis, and methods of the research.
The typical mistakes made concerning the essay structure are:
- Insufficient or exceeded volume;
- Absence of some structural elements;
- Omission of some structural components in the introduction;
- Break of the recommended proportions of the essay parts.
2. Misunderstanding of the Essay Logic
These kinds of errors are typical for anyone who writes a scientific paper for the first time. However, such mistakes are quite natural for most of the students. The logic of work on the essay should be constructed in the following order:
- Formation of the working hypothesis and determination of both subject purpose and goals of the research;
- Analysis of theoretical data pro and contra this hypothesis;
- Finalization based on the academic review of the working hypothesis and its split into empirical consequences. As a result, a list of particular assumptions is compiled, and their verification should lead to the proof or disproof of the hypothesis;
- Study for testing all empirical hypotheses;
- Conclusion based on testing empirical hypotheses with the full or partial justification or refutation of the original premise.
3. Lack of Attention to the Introduction
Professional online writing services advise paying more attention to the introduction of research essays. The introduction reflects the concept of research work. This part has to include the need for scientific study, the field of research, research tasks, etc. Even a cheap writing service considers these points.
The introduction should be written first, but it does not mean that it will remain unchanged then. The essential elements in the introduction are as follows:
- Object or the general scope of the study;
- Subject or what should be investigated;
- Hypothesis or a sound scientific assumption, which should be tested;
- Goal or an idea of the desired result of the study – this purpose must be achievable;
- Tasks or appropriate steps for achieving the goal.
4. Conducting Research Before Writing
The empirical material and conclusions may seem more interesting than writing to many students. Also, an illusion is created that the copy will be written faster in this way. Another misconception lies in the desire to customize the theory for research being undertaken. This error can lead to the most devastating consequences for the research work.
First, you need to remember that scientific work is moving along the path of testing hypotheses. Formulate a sufficient number of theoretical assumptions, and only then test them in practice.
Secondly, you can write the essay faster if this work is organized in a scientific and logical order. Researching before writing a theoretical part is a disorder.
Thirdly, a lot of new facts are usually found after writing the theoretical part. Also, some new empirical hypotheses can appear, and they require verification. The research carried out in advance may not match these hypothetical results. So, the student has to do it anew or make changes in the theory. Both options badly affect the quality of work.
The student’s fear of not confirming the theoretical foundations is associated with a lack of life and scientific experience.
5. Insufficient Work with the Literature Used
The effectiveness of working with literary sources depends on the knowledge of specific rules for its selection, appropriate methodology for its studying, and abilities to take notes. The typical mistakes in the design of the list of references are namely:
- Absence of links to the source of information;
- Superficial and incomplete study of publications on a given topic;
- The use of outdated literature;
- Incorrect drawing up of this list;
- Insufficient number of data sources.
Thus, students who write their research essays should pay attention not only to the essence of the work but also to its design. Regular consultations with the supervisor will help to avoid significant mistakes when writing this type of academic paper.
