How to Start a Science Research Paper: Preparing a Draft
Often when faced with a science research paper, you’ll feel your brain begin to swarm with ideas, because there are literally so many topics you can address in this vast topic today.
Find a Narrow Topic
The first thing you need to do is find a very narrow topic and a very narrow thesis for your paper. Most research papers in the sciences are informative papers which pick a complex issue in science, a theory in science that you want to learn more about, or something that really fascinates you in the world of science.
Evidence Paragraphs that Prove Your Thesis
Next you’ll want to give evidence of your thesis through researching academic databases at your school library. You can have a librarian help you with this or if you know how to find the science databases remotely, you can access them from your home.
Remember this—you want too much rather than too little research. It also gives you more content, it gives you more of a skeletal support system that holds your essay together and gives you someone to dialogue with that gives you evidence from scholars that gives your thesis weight and solid support that you are right. You wouldn’t want to be all alone in an essay discussing black holes and warped space time without the theories of Stephen Hawkins, the world specialist on these theories, for examples.
An Interesting Close that Brings Your Essay into the Present Moment
Closing paragraphs are a great place to bring your essay into this present moment—for example, I would address something very recent happening with your topic as a way to move into a great closing sentence.
Great Topics in the Sciences for Research Papers
- Discuss current new theories on the topic of evolution.
- Discuss the new assertion by some scientists that dog’s brains are closer to the human brain than primates.
- Eugenics and disease-current theories
- Is the Paleo diet really the way cavemen ate and is it good for humans now.
- How important is space exploration today? Is it a waste of time?
- Discuss dark energy and what it tells us about our universe.
- What is this fascinating new field called Behavioral Epigenetics?
- How long can the Earth exist if we do not change humans’ behaviors?
- What about life on Mars—how much of a reality is this?
- What are new discoveries in organ research?