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🎓 Research Paper Writing Tip #1

Starting Early—Don’t Wait Till Deadline

Many students make the mistake of starting late. Start as early as possible so you can:

✅ Gather quality materials

✅ Organize your ideas properly

✅ Have enough time to edit and get feedback

✅ Avoid last-minute pressure and errors

📌 Early preparation = Better results and less stress!

Research Questions
As the name implies, a research question should be stated in question form. A research question is a question that the research project sets out to answer. Often times, there are a set of between 1-7 related questions that the researcher want to answer.

A research question should be clear and focused, as well as synthesize multiple sources to present the researchers unique argument. A good research question guides and centers ones research. These questions are important since they are the focus of the research.

Answering ones research questions is the main aim of the study and “everything else follows from them”. Thus, the research questions should be accurately and clearly defined.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This is simply the reason why the researcher chose to carryout the research. The statement should show that a problem exists in the study. In other words, what problem have the researcher observed in the society that is worth spending time and money researching?

Categorically state the observed problem(s) and it's implications. It could be a personal observation, or another researchers observation. However, one is expected to cite author(s) especially when he/she makes a categorical or authoritative statement.

For example: "It has been observed that teachers fail to use instructional materials in teaching and learning due to inadequate training..." OR "Malaria is responsible for the death of over 20,000 children in..."

So, in the two examples above, one is expected to back up his/her claims by citing an authority. When the researcher is done stating the problem, he/she can finally conclude thus: it's against this background that this study seeks (sought)to ascertain...(state your project topic).

More coming soon...