The research work of students is becoming more and more relevant and turns into one of the main components of the professional training of bachelors. It is one of the most basic forms of the educational process, allowing learners to fully realize the knowledge gained during theoretical courses, show individuality and creativity, and a readiness for personal self-realization. Educational and scientific laboratories, circles and student scientific societies, meetings of discussion clubs and conferences, where the necessary atmosphere is created, contribute to the fact that students can start full-fledged scientific work, find like-minded people with whom they can consult, and share their problems.
There are two main types of student research work:
– educational research work of students, provided for by the current curricula, which include the writing and preparation of essays, reports, messages, term papers, and final qualifying works. It is also envisaged to carry out industrial research work in specialized scientific laboratories.
– extracurricular research work of students above those requirements that are imposed by curricula, when a student, at the expense of his or her free time, is ready to engage in the additional study of the discipline, to show interest in the field of its latest achievements, to participate in various circles and student scientific societies, meetings of discussion clubs and conferences. Experts note that this form of scientific creativity is most effective for the development of research and scientific abilities in students. Spending his or her time, the learner develops such essential qualities for the future researcher as creative thinking, responsibility, and the ability to defend his point of view.
It isn’t easy to imagine a modern school without constant search, experiment, and innovative technologies. The research activity of students becomes a mandatory attribute of both classes and extracurricular activities, being a process of joint work of a student and a teacher, and often of parents. In this regard, one of the urgent problems of a teacher when working with gifted and creative young people is ignorance of properly organizing research activities and the inability to formalize the work results correctly. The main problems of students when writing a research paper are the lack of time, the necessary skills, and knowledge to prepare and write such a work. It is for this reason that many students today prefer to buy a custom research paper. But if you decide to master the art of writing such a work, let’s look at the typical mistakes students make when preparing it.
Research Paper Structure, Design, and Common Mistakes
- Formatting the front page and content.
Common mistake: title page and content should not be numbered. Page numbering begins with an introduction.
- Introduction (not more than three pages). The narration in the research can be conducted in the first person (“I”) or the second person (“we” – student + supervisor). In scientific texts, the impersonal narrative is usually found.
Common mistakes:
– introductory sentences should not overload the introduction; moreover, in their meaning, they should be related to the topic of the work;
– inconsistency of the purpose of the work with the topic;
– inconsistency of the points of the plan with the tasks and objectives of the study;
– an overly detailed description of the studied literature.
- The main part (the volume of chapters should be approximately the same, or the difference should not be more than 2-4 pages).
Common mistakes:
– the content looks like an abstract: a copy of texts from scientific works, without their analysis and often without appropriate footnotes;
– the chapter resembles a dictionary of terms and concepts or a classification without a logical beginning and completion. Or the chapter resembles a school essay on a given topic and not a study;
– paragraphs and chapters should not live their own lives; they should all be logically united;
– when questioning, it is necessary to formulate questions correctly.
- References to literature and applications.
Common mistake: Pay attention to spaces, periods, and commas!
- The conclusion (1-2 pages) should not be significant in volume, at least not exceed the volume of chapters.
Common mistakes:
– formal phrases or formal conclusions that have nothing to do with the main part of the work;
– a brief listing of the findings without appropriate explanations.
- List of sources and literature.
Common mistake:
– indication of only the website (e.g., Wikipedia)
– an indication of the article without the date of its viewing.
- Appendix (unlimited volume)
Common mistakes:
– mixing tables, figures, photographs, etc., in one appendix.
– placement of copies of documents without an appropriate description.