The Q: Any advice on how to write a research paper?

The A: There are loads -- and oh man, do I mean loads -- of articles, tutorials and other references, both on the Web and in print, that can do a much better job of walking you through the basics of writing a research paper, so I'll defer to them rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. A Google search for "how to write a research paper" will turn up a few gems; here are a few sites I particularly liked:

• The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: The Beginning
  
  
• How to Write a Term Paper (from Thomson/Gale, an educational resource/publishing company)
  
  
• Writing a Research Paper (from Purdue U.)

These all, of course, can only provide general advice. How you actually write your own paper will depend on many factors, including its required length, the type of class you're writing it for (e.g., English vs. physics) and any specific rules that have been set by your professor. It's for this reason that any resources you're able to find on campus are worth using: your school's writing center, for instance, or your academic adviser, or the very professor who assigned the paper -- many profs are happy to look over early drafts and offer their advice, as long as you don't take advantage of their kindness by using them as a crutch.

Hope this helped a bit. Best of luck!

—Myles Helfand, General Advisor

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