If you have been struggling to come up with something for your paper, take a look at these options. 

Family research topics

1. Is it ethical for parents to read their teenagers’ emails and texts?
2. Why is there a rise in teenage pregnancy?
3. How can a person overcome betrayal by a friend?
4. What factors can ensure a lifelong friendship?
5. Challenges of living together with extended relatives
6. Are there any advantages to having a nanny for the kids?
7. Are old age homes the best place for grandparents?

Technology research topics

8. How safe is it to store personal data in the cloud?
9. Are antivirus companies the real source of viruses?
10. New gadget models every year: a boon or bane to consumers?
11. The current dangers of smart technology
12. How do young employees view the development of AI?
13. Is it better for high school students to use a tablet or a laptop?
14. What can be done to reduce crime on the internet?

Relationship research topics

15. How safe is it to date today?
16. Do young people still want to get married?
17. Courtship today: How different is it from 20 to 30 years ago?
18. Are couples today more prepared for marriage than before?
19. Is online dating really worth the effort?
20. Should condoms be sold in schools?
21. Is there an ideal age gap between spouses?

Social research topics

22. Are ex-convicts treated fairly when looking for a job?
23. Is atheism on the rise?
24. If traffic is such an issue, why do many people still take a car to work?
25. How safe are airports today?
26. Should face masks be the new norm for public transportation?
27. Do TV shows today have a liberal secret agenda?
28. How is terrorism affecting tourism?

Sports and Entertainment research topics

29. Who really decides what sports are shown on TV, fans or advertisers?
30. Why are people enamored by singing contests on TV?
31. Are horror movies contributing to the rise in violence?
32. How real is reality TV?
33. How is social media affecting sports today?
34. Should golf be considered a sport?
35. Will basketball ever overcome football/soccer as the most popular sport on the planet?

Summary

A great research paper often begins with the issue that you plan on studying. Though not all subjects were represented in our list, you may still be inspired to create a topic of your own after reading the options, or you can always tweak something available to fit what you need. Happy researching!

Dig into the Research Process

The research process is a vital first step in writing a research paper. It involves gathering and evaluating resource materials, such as:

• Books
• Online encyclopaedias
• Google Scholar
• Newspapers
• Government publications and reports

Make sure to take notes as you read and review the information you find. And keep a record of your references, as you will need to cite them when creating your bibliography.

Organize Before You Begin Writing

Your research will yield tons of ideas, which you should first arrange before starting to write. When you fail to organize your presentation first, your paper will lack focus. Not to mention, the editing process will take longer as you try to make sense of your confused ideas.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement summarizes the main point of your essay and gives a preview of your supporting arguments. Most authors place the thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph. And although not a requirement, consider writing your thesis statement in the organizing stage.

The thesis statement should also match the type of paper you’re writing. The main categories being analytical, expository, or argumentative. Moreover, your research paper will be less likely to end up jumbled and with an unclear purpose if you take time to write your thesis statement.

Outline

An outline helps you organize your thoughts before beginning the writing process. Once you have prepared an effective thesis statement, think about the main points that will help support that statement. These points will serve as your sub-headings, and under each is where you’ll organize your ideas and information.

Writing the Research Paper

Having created a thesis statement and organized your presentation with an outline, you’ll have a clear direction on how to proceed with the writing process. Do not write on any information that doesn’t fall within the structure of your outline or directly support your thesis statement. However, you may choose to get professional help at a writing service instead of writing a paper by yourself. In this case, be sure to check out reviews at RankMyService before choosing the assistants in order to avoid scammers.

Here are the best components of a research paper:

1. The introduction

The introduction section is where you’ll present the background and context for the rest of the research paper. Craft an engaging opening statement, then explain the purpose of your paper and how you plan to approach the topic. Then conclude the introductory paragraph with your thesis statement.

In a nutshell, the introduction answers the following questions:

• What is this?
• Why am I reading it?
• What do you want me to do?

To answer the above questions, set the context, state why the main idea is crucial, and state your thesis/claim.

2. The Body

The outline you previously prepared will come in handy when writing the body of your research paper. Remember to stay focused on your thesis statement and validating your points. Find supporting arguments for each point you make, starting with the least strong to the strongest.

3. Conclusion

Most research papers end with a reworded thesis statement. Briefly summarize the points you made in the body, explaining why you believe they support your case. If your research is inconclusive, take time to point out why you believe further research is needed.

Ensure to invest time in revising and editing your research paper’s first draft. A keen edit coupled with thorough research and thoughtful organization and presentation will result in a winning research paper.

The way you handle your research papers is also different from what you may be familiar with in high school. There are basic rules to follow in heading a college paper, and once you get those rules down, understanding how to head a paper becomes easy.

Of course, that is easier said than done. So, in this article, we provide you with simple and practical tips on how to properly head a paper.

What is the header for a paper?

A header is a line of text that appears at the top of a page. It usually consists of the author’s last name, the title, and the page number. Essay headers are often needed for different academic texts.

The page header appears at the top margin of every page of your research paper. It normally consists of the page number for student papers only. For professional papers, it consists of the page number and running head.

Headers for any page must be appropriately formatted. They should also be of similar fonts, sizes, and styles placed in the same position on every page. This is often at the top of the page, on the first line.

Why is research paper heading important?

Headers are crucial because they identify the information within the different sections of your paper. They should be as descriptive and concise as possible, with their main sections permitted to have very similar headers to describe each content accurately.

Secondly, headers make your writing look polished and organized. Moreover, a professor examining several student essays would find it easier to sort if the essay pages get mixed up.

Lastly, when writing a proper heading for paper, you may need to divide the content of some sections into smaller subsections. Doing this gives your research content clarity and makes the whole reading process less demanding. However, it is important to follow specific journal formatting styles.

How to write a header for a paper?

In learning how to write heading for your papers, some guidelines will help you along the way. Some tips for writing a good header for your paper include:

1. Consider Paper Style

Often, the MLA style is utilised for most papers, including homework assignments. When using this format on your research paper, don’t skip lines between the initial heading. Your heading on each page should contain your last name and the page number in a right-justified format.

Your heading structure will differ from other paper formats you might use in college, such as American Psychological Association (APA) and Chicago Style.

2. Understand Your Margins

After format consideration, your heading will often be placed in the upper left-hand corner of the page. Margin size and spacing differ in formatting styles and understanding your margins will enable you to accurately place your headings for any style.

3. Use Standard Fonts

After considering your paper style and understanding your margins, use a 12-point font and a standard font style. The Times New Roman font is often used, but Arial, Modern, Lucina, and Palermo can also be used for headers because they are not script-style fonts.

4. Writing Names

It would be best to always place your first and last names on the first line, then double space each line of the heading. All lines in the heading are typically justified at the left margin.

Next, put your professor’s name on the nearest line and use their first and last name preceded by Professor. For example, “Professor Eric Thomas” goes on this line. Afterward, place the name of your course on the next line.

The date usually enters the final line, and your first paragraph begins after double spacing.

Conclusion

In learning how to head papers in college or even in high school, you should take note of the guidelines above. Remember the paper format you’re asked to write in, and you don’t have to type a header for each page of your essay. Writing tools like Microsoft Word make it easy to write a header that appears in the correct format at the top of each page.

College essays can be a new type of writing for new students. For that reason, several fresh students are usually confused about proper formatting and essay writing structures. Do you need a title? What kind of writing style is best suited for writing a paper for college? Do you double-space or single-space?

In this post, we’ll answer these questions and go over ten solid tips on how to format a college paper. But first, let’s get into exactly what formatting entails.

What is paper formatting?

The main purpose of academic writing is to communicate research and study ideas effectively. Proper formatting ensures clear communication, and it enables the reader to properly digest the contents of the written paper.

Paper formatting is simply the style in which research papers, articles, journals, essays, and any other form of academic writing is structured. The style or format of writing can differ with the location or nature of writing undertaken.

College writing format

If you often think, how do I write my college paper? Then this section is for you. In college paper writing, how you present your information is as significant as the ideas you are putting forth. Proper structuring, quoting, citing, and referencing of source material allows you to pass information in a language commonly used by others in your discipline.

You must follow the rules like every other student, and writing for any academic purpose carries with it certain formatting consistencies. Failure to properly understand why you cite your sources in a particular way can negatively affect your written projects and communications.

In learning how to write a paper in college, you will use the three major writing formats. The APA, MLA, and CMS formats.

• APA (American Psychological Association)
• Chicago – a common style used in magazines, newspapers, and books
• MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities

How to format a college research paper

College research papers come with different style expectations, so here are some tips on how to format your college research paper.

1. Note the style of formatting given for your paper

Before writing your paper, you must completely understand the style you’ve been instructed to use. For college papers, the APA and MLA are the most common. Each of them has its own unique writing format.

2. Follow citation and format guidelines

Following proper citation and formatting steps will help ensure that your work is acknowledged and taken seriously. Remember to credit other authors for their work and provide meaningful information to readers.

3. In APA style, format articles and books in sentence case

This is the first thing to remember when formatting your paper in APA style. Your titles for books and articles should not be formatted in title cases but sentence cases. Sentence case means that only the initial word is capitalized and any proper nouns.

4. Work ahead and take time to cite sources correctly

Working ahead and carefully citing each source can save you a lot of time as a writer. You don’t have to be wrapped up in things like the header for college paper or the abstract sections when starting. Focus on doing your research and citing all the required sources.

5. Take note of the slight difference in component formatting styles

Components of writing like the abstract, title, body, conclusion, and more are expressed in different structures depending on the formatting. Knowing these slight differences enables avoiding confusion when favoring one style over the other.

6. Your abstract can be a quick summary of your paper

Depending on your study field, you may write research papers that require extensive primary research, such as a survey. In your abstract, it would be best to summarize your research question and findings, indicating how your study relates to previous research in your field. This is predominant in the APA format of writing.

7. Read various research materials writing in different formatting styles

Reading other articles and research papers in the format you’re asked to write will help you develop a unique understanding of how you should structure your paper.

8. Understand what differentiates in-text citations from references

In-text citations give basic information such as the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if required. In comparison, the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information.

9. Use standard fonts like 12 pt Times New Roman or 11 pt Arial

When formatting your college paper, you will often use APA or MLA formats. The standard font sizes and types are acceptable in both formats. However, the MLA format used only the Times new Roman font.

10. Double line spacing is your friend

A double line space structure is necessary for the MLA, APA, and Chicago paper formats. So try to remember this common feature across most writing styles to help you understand their more distinctive features.

Conclusion

Depending on your discipline, there may be only one type of style that you need to master. However, the guidelines for properly citing resources and references may change over time, so you always have to understand your options.

When writing, as a college or postgraduate student, you will always want your work to stand out positively. So, you have to know all the tips that will help you properly style and format your papers.