Have you ever wondered what could contribute to lower grades? It is all about some small mistakes during the writing process that contributes to bad grades. While errors in writing are inevitable, a student can apply some measures to ensure the final paper is clean and error-free before submission.

Therefore, if you have been trying to understand common errors in scientific writing and how to evade such errors for that dream grade, keep reading.

What are the ten most common errors made in research papers?

The following types of errors in writing are common, especially in academic and research papers. Be sure to note them and avoid them for better grades:

1. A weak thesis statement

Research and other academic papers require a student to include a solid thesis statement that will explain the central focus of the topic or subject matter. When you use a weak thesis statement, you might confuse the ideas and concepts and end up mixing points that will make your paper lose the desired meaning.

The best way to avoid this mistake is to take time, evaluate your question, then come up with a thesis statement. Be sure to revise the thesis statement until you are satisfied the claim is valid and related to the topic.

2. Long and confusing sentences

Academic papers need to have simple and precise sentences that a reader can interpret with ease. Including long sentences will force you to use many phrases and wordings that can be confusing and make the point irrelevant.

The best way to avoid such a mistake is the consistent practice of writing simple sentences on different topics.

Still, you can always read through your sentences, put yourself in the reader’s space and imagine if they will find the sentence hard or simple to interpret. Should you realize the complexity of the sentence, revise it as you remove irrelevant words and phrases.

3. Failure to proofread the work

Everyone believes in what they have written. However, there are common mistakes in writing you can’t evade, no matter how keen you are.

Therefore, for academic work, always go through the paper once more, reading aloud to identify any mistake in the paper and rectify it before submission.

4. Wrong word

We have some words that are almost similar but portray different meanings. A slight confusion will give your paper a whole new meaning and make it sound irrelevant. Therefore, make sure you understand the words and phrases you use while writing your academic paper.

5. Spelling mistakes

Although there are softwares to perform quick spell checks in a document, some misspellings will always happen, making your paper to have low-quality. Therefore, even if you use these softwares to check the spelling, always re-read through your work, or rather give someone to check the work, identifying such misspells.

6. Research mistakes

Academic papers require a student to perform in-depth research. Poor research may result in poorly formatted and referenced documents, biased findings, and unclear statements, among other issues. Therefore, avoid common research mistakes by evaluating the materials and resources you use before you start the writing process.

7. Punctuation mistakes

A simple comma, quotation mark, or any other punctuation mark can create a totally different meaning of the context you want to express. Therefore, always revise to ensure all punctuations are in place.

8. Lack of solid evidence to back up your claims

Every point you present in your research paper must have solid evidence. Therefore, make sure you present points or a thesis that has enough evidence to back up the claims.

9. Lack of originality

There is no doubt that during research, you can use someone’s work, either by quoting or paraphrasing. However, make sure you describe the ideas in your own understanding to make the reader understand in relation to the topic.

10. Formatting and referencing mistakes

Again, academic papers usually come with specific formatting and referencing requirements and guidelines. Whether it is MLA, APA, or Chicago, make sure you understand the basic formatting requirements first.

How to check document for writing errors in word

Once you have your paper, you need to review the document in word to eliminate common errors in writing.

Simply click on the review tab, then select the spelling and grammar option to fix the highlighted errors.

Still, you can install grammar, spell checker, and plagiarism software in your word to ease the process.

Conclusion

Making mistakes while writing academic papers is unavoidable. However, this doesn’t imply submitting a sub-standard paper. Try applying the above techniques when writing or after writing your paper for great results.

In the process of choosing a topic, many elements are involved. As a student, you must be creative and weigh the different options you have to ensure you settle on a topic that is researchable and interesting to write about. Failure to factor in these elements might have you stuck along the way during the writing process.

What is the best topic for research paper? Qualities of a good one

So, how do you know your research paper topic is perfect? When deciding on your topic, consider the following:

• Avoid abbreviation(s) in a research topic – the reader might not get the real meaning of the abbreviations in your topic, hence, misinterpreting the topic.
• Use sentence case to write your topic – unless stated otherwise, try not to present your topic in capital letters or capitalize each word.
• Keep it simple – get a simple topic that the reader will read, understand, and interpret immediately.
• Get a meaningful topic – while choosing an interesting topic should be your number one priority, make sure the topic brings sense and meaning to the reader, or rather the topic should address issues affecting the society at large.

How to pick a topic for research paper

Use the following guide to ensure you settle for the best topic for your research paper

• Brainstorm topic ideas based on your field
• Select a topic that interests you
• Narrow down the topic- to get the specific topic to present
• Define your topic
• Create an outline and begin the research process

How to introduce your topic in a research paper

When you finally have your research topic, the next element is how to present the topic for the reader to understand your concept.

When introducing your topic, explain to the reader in a summary form what your topic concept is all about. Next, let the reader know why the topic is of great interest to you and why you decided to perform some research on the subject matter.

Once you have introduced your research paper topic in a compelling manner, include a solid hook as an opening sentence to capture the reader’s attention.

What are good topics for a research paper?

Finally, you have the whole concept of how you can start the process until you get that perfect topic for your research paper and how you can introduce the topic to the reader. Next, let’s highlight some of the topics to consider for your research paper.

Economics topics for research paper

1. Do you think happiness is more important than money?
2. The significance of education in relation to poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy
3. Effective money management mechanisms
4. Selecting a career based on passion and money
5. How to boost third-world economics
6. The evolution of world trade
7. Give a review of the Brazilian economy
8. Describe drug development in relation to economics
9. What is your understanding of fiscal policy?
10. Pros and cons of privatization
11. Describe the collection of revenue in public hospitals
12. How was the global economy affected by the 2007-2008 crisis?

Ethical research paper topics

13. Do you think spying on someone online is ethical?
14. Is it ethical to use animals for product testing?
15. Is it ethical to borrow money from a person you know he/she needs money too?
16. Should tortures be made legal?
17. Is it appropriate to use drones anywhere?
18. Using other people’s photos online: Is it ethical?
19. Using drugs in sports functions: Is it ethical?
20. Workplace ethics: how to make unbiased decisions
21. How to treat homeless people in relation to ethics
22. Describe the ethical practices in the nursing field
23. Managing psychiatric patient ethics
24. Should prostitution be legalized?

History research paper topics

25. Lessons to learn from Julius Caesar’s Memoirs
26. Describe the cause and effect of urbanization in Medieval Europe
27. What caused the Syrian conflict?
28. The impact of apartheid
29. Describe the aftershocks of the cold war
30. Analyze the mid-Tudor crisis
31. The Salem Witch Trials consequences
32. What role did Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès play in the French revolution?
33. What caused the Great Depression?
34. What role did women play in WWII?
35. Analyze slavery in the USA
36. The upshot of the industrial revolution on the environment

Literature research paper topics

37. Describe antiheroes and villains in the modern literature
38. Explain psychology in relation to literature
39. The role of animals in children’s literature
40. What is your Metamorphoses understanding in relation to literature?
41. What roles do females play in literature?
42. Describe challenges associated with studying literature
43. What is the link between sin and the soul?
44. The significance of life in modern poetry
45. Explain the significant contributions of Shakespeare’s work
46. Literature vs. religion
47. How literature promotes male chauvinism
48. Digital media vs. old literary forms

Science topics for a research paper

49. Describe viruses in the current world
50. Describe the DNA process
51. The supernova wonders
52. Water shortages in the current world
53. Safety measures during hurricanes
54. Explain the green energy development
55. Describe your understanding of alien life
56. Human role in climatic changes
57. Science and covid-19
58. The future of stem cell treatment
59. The major cause of Astroid Belt
60. Describe Dark Matter and its significance

Sociology research paper topics

61. Divorce’s impact on children
62. The role of social sanctions in the current world
63. How social networks affect the education process
64. Securing social networks
65. Blogging in relation to sociology
66. Photography culture in social media
67. The impact of teamwork on interpersonal skills
68. How does reading affect verbal communication?
69. Describe men vs. women professions
70. How gender studies impact self-esteem

What is a benefit of peer review

Writing a peer review help students in different ways. However, the one major benefit of writing a peer review is that it helps students learn to express their views on a given subject and clarify the information after the analysis. In the process, writers enrich their writing skills, which are crucial when writing other academic papers.

How to write peer review: a step-by-step guide

When tasked with a peer review task and wondering how to peer review a paper, follow the steps below for effectiveness:

1. Read the whole manuscript

Before you start reviewing the research, you need to read and understand its context to give you a clear route to start assessing the paper. Reading the manuscript for the first time will give you a first impression of the write-up giving you a basis of where the strengths and weaknesses of the research are.

2. Read again while taking notes

Read the manuscript for the second time to get into details. While reading for the second time, highlight some relevant questions related to the topic as you highlight some short notes.

3. Write honest reviews

For a peer review, there must be comments. Therefore, start your reviews with a summary of your honest impression of the whole research.

The feedback should include both positive and negative aspects of the research paper. In your review, highlight what the author should do to make the paper better. In all the flaws you present, make sure you include a solution. Finally, finish the review by offering suggestions or remarks.

4. Make a recommendation

Finally, this is the last step of writing a sample peer review of research paper. Make the final recommendation of either you agreeing, rejecting, revising, or transferring. Your final recommendation should align with your review.

Tips for peer review

Now that you have an understanding of a peer review paper and how to write a peer review examples, the following tips will help you write an incredible peer review:

• Evaluate a peer review example

One of the proven tips that you will never go wrong with when writing a peer review is checking a similar assignment. Of course, many other people have written similar assignments and produced high-quality papers. The examples will help you understand the dimensions your paper should take.

• Use a detailed outline

Before you start your peer review paper, make sure you create a roadmap of the details you intend to include in your paper. The outline should include possible questions you anticipate answering after reading through the research, especially after the second reading.

• Keep the focus on the paper’s context

While reviewing the research, avoid including ideas that are out of context in relation to the topic/ subject you are reviewing. The ideas you share should align with what the writer has included in the research.

• Take time before you give reviews and recommendations

You will need and weigh different options before you review and give your final recommendations. Do not simply judge the research by reading it once. Take time, do an inner analysis, and create honest opinions on the subject.

Conclusion

Writing a peer review is among the interesting assignments that give students an opportunity to explore and learn more about writing. Should you get such a task, simply use the above tips for admirable results.

What to include in methods section of the research paper

Before describing the writing process of the methods section APA 7th edition, you might be wondering what details you need to include in this section.

Well, the APA method section is where you highlight in detail a report on how you conducted the research process until when you finished the project.

Papers that often follow the APA style include natural sciences and social-related topics. Therefore, you need not only to highlight your research process in this section but to give the reader satisfying details that will enhance a deeper understanding of your research process.

The information includes the procedures you used to find information, the measures you took to evaluate the information, and the samples you used to conclude your analysis.

A detailed guide on how to write method section of research paper

In every essay paper, there are detailed objectives the writer must meet. The same should apply when writing the methods section of the research paper to make the paper meaningful to the reader.

Therefore, make sure to describe the participants, the tool used for the experiment, and the steps you took to ensure the research was successful. Also, include the positive experiences that made the research successful and the challenges you encountered that could have made the research a bit hard.

Therefore, your method section of the research section should describe three major sections:

• The participants
• The tools/apparatus
• The procedure

You can arrange the details in any order. However, make sure you include headings based on what you are describing. Also, include context only relevant to the research paper.

The participant’s sub-section

Here, your focus should be mainly on the characteristics of participants who took part in your experiment process. Be sure to include the sample size and the sampling method.

When describing the characteristics, include demography details of the participants, relevant only to the experiment. Therefore, include details such as education level, religion, ethnicity/ race, gender, and age, among other crucial details that match your main topic. 

After describing the characteristics, highlight the sampling strategy. For instance, did you choose randomly, or did you use any given strategy? Also, include details of whether the participants volunteered or were persuaded and offered compensation to participate.

Finally, describe the sample size you used to attain the results and draw conclusions.

Apparatus/tools sub-section

Here, you simply explain the tools you used to perform your experiment. Include a detailed description of all devices and tools you used to gather your information. Remember to include the total tools with their names and significant details related to the tools.

Procedure sub-section

Under this sub-section, describe the conditions in which you collected your data. Highlight the guidelines you gave the participants and the approaches you used to analyze the data.

Best tips on how to format a methods section APA

Finally, you know what the method section of the research paper is and how to start a methods section whenever handling such an assignment. You can use the tips below to bring out the best section of your research paper.

1. Review a sample method section APA

Revising through an APA methods section example will give you a highlight of what you should include in your paper whenever you feel stuck. Be sure to get the best of these papers from credible online sources and school libraries.

2. Always review and follow the requirements

Depending on your field, you will always get detailed instructions and guidelines, especially on how to format a methods section APA. Never disregard these guidelines.

3. Remember to cite your sources

As part of avoiding excess word count, you can always cite your sources and avoid lengthy explanations. Besides, citing the sources used shows how knowledgeable you are in academic matters.

Conclusion

Are you almost writing your research paper? Well, make this write-up your reference to bring out the best method section of your paper.