Writing a research paper is a major task. You need to do in-depth research. You need to organize your thoughts and ideas. And you need to write a substantial amount of text. It’s not surprising that many students feel overwhelmed by this prospect. Surely, some of them dream about a mage who could be asked: “There is one thing you can do for me. Write a research paper.”
However, if you approach the project organized and efficiently, you can finish a research paper quickly.
Top Tips on How to Write a Paper Fast
Follow these tips to write a research paper fast and impress your professor:
1. Divide the project into steps
Often, students start a research paper without understanding what they’re expected to do. They dig into sources. They generate topics. They accumulate notes. But they don’t know how to use those notes to build a coherent paper.
Think of the writing process as a series of steps. Research is just one of those steps. Revising and editing are others. Unfortunately, many students fail to distinguish between these stages of the writing process.
Better yet, try to break down large projects into smaller tasks. For a research paper, a good goal might be to write several introductory paragraphs over the course of several sessions. A good practice for sentence structure helps you to build effective sentences and write quickly.
2. Set measurable goals
When you start a large project, such as a major research paper, it’s easy to get lost in the details. You want to do a good job. But it can be difficult to know exactly what a good job means or how to accomplish that level of work.
It’s easier to meet (and even exceed) expectations when you have clear objectives. Think about what your professor expects of you. Are you required to produce a certain number of pages? A specific word count? Or might your professor expect you to include specific sources?
Even if your professor doesn’t provide specific guidelines, you can set your own goals based on your past experience with large projects. If you’ve never completed a large project before, ask a friend or professor for advice on meeting realistic goals. It’s tough to race ahead if you don’t know where the finish line is, but you can still move forward quickly if you understand the goal.
3. Gather all materials needed to write the paper
In order to start writing, you’ll need all of the materials needed to complete the assignment. This includes the template for the format of your paper, any citations and references needed, and any notes from lectures or readings. If you have all of these items ready, it will be easier to get started writing.
A good place to start is by looking for general resources, such as overviews or primary sources. These can help you get your research started in the right direction. After that, you can filter down to more specific sources, such as studies or reports.
Choose a source based not just on its information, but also on its format. Are you able to copy and paste material easily? Or will you have to write out the information manually? Sometimes it’s easier — and faster — to copy and paste.
4. Choose the first source that fits your needs
There’s a tendency to dig deep when you’re writing a research paper. You want to find that perfect source — the one that supports your argument perfectly. But curbing this urge makes it faster to do a quick search and move on to the next task on your list.
Of course, if you have the time and energy for intensive research, go for it! But most students don’t have unlimited time to dig deep. So, they need other strategies for finding sources.
5. Use library shortcuts
You probably already know that the library is a great place to do research. But did you know that you can use the library faster — even if you don’t have time to visit in person?
Thanks to online databases, you can search for articles and books from the comfort of your own home or coffee shop. And many libraries now offer free access to scholarly resources, so you don’t need to pay a fee.
But there are also other tips and tricks that can help you find sources faster. For example, many libraries now offer 24/7 access, so you can search databases even at midnight if you’re on a tight deadline.
Other tips include saving bookmarks of your most used sources or adding those links to your browser’s favorites. This will help you cut down on the click-click madness that often slows down research projects.
6. Prepare for fast writing
Before you begin writing, it is important to prepare for the project. Talk to your professor about the assignment specification. He or she can provide key information about the requirements. You also need to read the instructions provided by your teacher.
Create a schedule
To complete a major project like a research paper, you need to include a schedule. This will help you keep pace with the work needed to complete the assignment. You should also include any days off to help you recharge. A good schedule will help you stay on top of the required work.
Write as much as you can each day
To complete a research paper quickly, you need to write as much as you can each day. Though a large project may seem overwhelming, putting in a little bit of time each day will help you reach your goals. If you block off several hours for writing each day, you’ll build endurance and stamina.
7. Don’t be a perfectionist
Yes, your paper needs to be perfect — but that doesn’t mean you need to spend hours on it now. Put in some time now but save the fine-tuning for later. Because truth be told, most students tend to be perfectionists when it comes to academic papers. But often, perfect is not perfect enough — or rather, perfectly timely. You don’t want to spend days polishing your paper before you have even started researching and writing.
8. Outline first
Many students spend a lot of time tweaking and editing as they write their papers. But if you have a large amount of information to include — or a challenging topic — it can help to first organize those ideas in an outline.
9. Write the first draft quickly
Composing the first draft quickly is one of the most difficult skills for students to learn. They want to do a perfect job. They want to edit as they write. But there’s no time to waste with edits and edits and edits.
Instead, write quickly. Use aggressive sentence structure. Make mistakes? So what? Leave them alone. Fix what you can and move on.
What happens if you skip this step and start editing before you’ve written a draft? You’ll spin your wheels for hours without making any progress.
How Long Should a Research Paper Be?
The length of a research paper depends on the subject and the academic institution that’s assigned the paper.
At most universities in the United States, the normal range is between 20 and 40 pages. One page equals approximately 500 words. So, a 20-page paper is 10,000 words long. A 40-page paper is 20,000 words.
Of course, if your professor or institution requires longer papers, you’ll need to accommodate that requirement.
- An essay paper typically requires four to five research papers. The length of each essay paper should be about 20-25 pages.
- A research paper is usually around 30-40 pages long. However, many students turn in research papers that are too long.
- A report is similar to an essay. However, a report research paper requires information to be presented in an orderly fashion. This format makes a report paper a little longer than an essay paper.
How long does it take to write a research paper?
While a basic 600-word essay may take an average student 2 hours to complete, a complex work of the same length may take 5 hours. Depending on the technicalities and skills of the writer, a 1200-word essay can take as little as 4 hours or as long as a day to complete. A two-page report may take a seasoned writer 4-6 hours to complete. However, a beginner may require 12-16 hours to finish the same piece.
How to avoid the stress of writing a research paper
Give yourself plenty of time for research and writing. Many students write their papers at the eleventh hour. They load up with classes during the semester and when all classes end, they have lots of free time. This seems like a good idea at the time, but it rarely works out. You can write a research paper in a day in some cases, but it is almost never a good idea to put off working on it until the very last minute.
If you end up having lots of time to write, great! You can polish your text and make it as good as it can be.
That was just a quick overview of how to write a paper quickly. If you’re short on time, you may feel stressed about completing a research paper but if you plan well, you can write research papers fast and with minimal stress.
