Writing References In A Research Paper: A Guide For College Students

What is a research paper?

When we hear the words “research paper” all what comes to our mind is a stack of books and articles and a lot of theories proposed by eminent writers and authors. In real it is much more than this. It is a collection of various sources, a summary of different information pieces and a literature review of the topic in that field.

A research paper is a form of an expanded article or essay, where one tries to use all what he personally knows, as well as the findings of the experts in that field. It is a paper where the best available knowledge is put together and all possible information pertaining to it is included.

Choosing the topic of a research paper is the most difficult task. After this the most difficult part of writing it is wiring the main body of it. The body of such a paper is the main text which attracts attention for the readers. It is that part which contains all the details related to the topic itself.

Where to find research paper samples?

Nowadays, many universities, schools and colleges are incorporating the submission of such papers in their system. They assign students the task of writing research papers on topics allotted to them, mostly covering current affairs and trending issues. For the simplicity of students, many sample papers are available online on websites as well as in libraries. They can have a thorough look and then write one for themselves. It is also always recommended to go through various papers before starting to write one as one gain more experience and learns to adopt the style in which he or she has to write.

How to write references?

Writing references in a research paper or any thesis or dissertation is of utmost importance. This section of references gives credit to all those authors from whose work bits and pieces have been taken and assimilated.

All the important information relating to the author, the publisher, title of work and date of the work should be put together in a particular format according to the specified style. Different kind of styles are available and any one of them can be followed or as mentioned by the professor.

While some mentors are not very choosy about the citation styles, others being very particular require only those styles which they specify.