So, you want to know how to write a great college research paper? Presumably you are looking to get better grades in your classes and/or learn an invaluable life skill. Hopefully you’re also interested in the educational aspects of learning to properly research and write a topic that interests you. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

Over the next couple of weeks How To Write will feature a series of short tutorials designed to teach you the fundamentals of writing a well researched and put together research paper. Today we will give you a brief outline of the overall process - in future tutorials we will go into depth into each step of that process.

The 8 Steps to Writing a Great Research Paper

1. Pick a good, well-focused topic that you are interested in
2. Determine the goal and/or purpose of your paper
3. Gather together the best resources available on your topic
4. Study and take notes of your resources
5. Turn your notes into a well-organized outline
6. Write a rough draft
7. Revise (over and over again) your rough draft
8. Get feedback from friends, colleagues and experts (then rewrite again)

Learning how to successfully implement each of these steps will provide you with the skills you need to consistently produce high-quality, engaging research papers - both in college and beyond.

All Tutorials in This Series

1. How to Write a Great College Research Paper
2. How to Choose a Topic for a Research Paper
3. How to Narrow the Focus of Your Paper Topic
4. How to Determine the Purpose of Your Paper
5. How to Research a Topic
6. How to Take Notes for Your Research Paper
7. How to Write an Outline
8. How to Write a Rough Draft
9. How to Revise a Rough Draft
10. Getting Feedback on Your College Paper
11. Make the Effort to Write a Great Paper