Producing a health research paper requires the writer to identify a topic, conduct research and write the paper itself based on the findings. The writer should begin by knowing the requirements of the paper, which should be provided by the instructor and typically include a range of acceptable topic areas; expected length; and accepted formatting style. After the paper is written, a final step is to review for spelling, grammar or style mistakes and to improve readability.
Unlike a dissertation, the typical health research paper is not required to add to the body of knowledge and usually does not require original research. As a result, an acceptable paper often consists mainly of a thesis sentence, which states the main topic of the paper. Beyond that, it includes a summary of existing research and writing on that topic, and conclusions drawn from the research that support or refute the thesis.
Choosing a topic is a vital first step in writing a health research paper as it narrows the amount of work to be done and focuses efforts. A topic in health can range from medical research to the practice of medicine to public health issues to medical history and more. First consult with the instructor for the general category in health-related studies, choose a topic from that field and gain approval for the topic from the instructor.
Conduct initial, general research on the chosen topic by reviewing books available in local libraries and online. It is possible this step will require the writer to refine the topic to one that can be completed with available sources. After completing the initial research, the writer is ready to form a thesis sentence that is a statement about the topic that further research will confirm, modify or refute.
In-depth research is the next step in writing a health research paper. The writer carefully reviews available sources related to the thesis and makes notes of these, usually on note cards, citing the source and page in the source from which the information was taken. As mentioned above, an initial understanding of acceptable style for writing the paper is necessary in order to collect the correct sourcing data as research is conducted.
The in-depth research yields a volume of data the writer reviews and from which he or she draws conclusions about the thesis sentence. With research completed and conclusions drawn, the writer creates an outline of the health research paper and begins writing. Typically, a research paper begins with an introductory paragraph that states the thesis sentence, follows with a summary of existing research, includes the relevant details of the in-depth research, follows with conclusions based on all research and concludes with a summary paragraph. As a final step, the writer should review the entire paper to ensure it conforms to style, is correct and is readable.
