The Best Ways for Students to Maximize Their Use of Model Research Papers

Model Research Paper - Usage Ideas

Now that you have your brand new, 100% original, custom-written model research paper in your hands, just what are you going to do with it? After all, you can't turn it in as your own - that would be plagiarism, and all institutions of higher education bring down the wrath of the world upon the heads of those who do it. But simply reading the thing isn't going to help you write your own paper, any more than reading the many articles you found when you first tried to write your own paper helped you back then. This short article will give you some tips for ways to best use your model research paper.

First, do read the paper. While this is not all you will need to do, it is one of several things you should do. But it is important how you do so, not just that you do so. Pay attention to the ways that research articles and other sources are cited in the paper; specifically, note whether commas were used in the parentheses or not, whether or not page numbers were included, and all of the other tiny details included in citations. For the first few you read, go immediately to the Reference or Works Cited page to see how that particular reference is listed. When you do, go back to the citation and re-examine it. Do this a few times and you will start to see a pattern that makes sense in terms of how other sources of information are cited.

Second, check out the overall structure and organization of the paper. How did the writer introduce the topic? How were the various sections delineated and presented so as to build to an argument, make a case, or try to prove a thesis? How long is each section, and do you think that the relative lengths are in accordance with the particular information in each one? Can you see that an outline could be derived from the organization? If so, jot it down - actually make an outline from the different section headings so that you can practice organizing material from a top-down perspective.

Third, keep the paper in front of you as you write your own. Write yours in tandem - parallel to - the model paper, down to (if you like) keeping the same number of paragraphs in each section and mimicking what is in each paragraph. For example, if there are three paragraphs in the introduction, and you have noticed that the first paragraph tells an anecdote, the second paragraph relates the story to the broader topic, and the third one introduces the topic and lays out the paper for the reader, then do the same thing in your own paper! What you ordered is called a model for a reason; it is intended to help guide your own work, and sometimes the best use of a guide is a close use. If you do this through the entire paper, you should find yourself in possession of an excellently structured, very well organized paper of your own.

Finally, in terms of content, examine the model to see how the outside sources are integrated into the material. This is, quite frankly, the hardest part of the whole thing. One way to make it easier is to actually count the number of citations in each paragraph. Generally, there is at least one, and often up to three or four, in any given paragraph. Much depends upon the actual material being covered. And so, if your model is very heavy on citations, then you should let that be your guide and include lots of references to the materials you found for your own paper. If, on the other hand, the paper you are writing is such that it calls for a lot of your own original thoughts, then you will most likely want to go lighter on the citations (and your model paper will most likely reflect that as well).

Just remember, your model research paper is a template, a guide - it is meant to help you write your own paper - and if you break it down, study it, and use it in that way, it will serve you well.