Thursday, April 2, 2020
What Is A Topic Statement For A Research Paper?
What Is A Topic Statement For A Research Paper?A topic statement for a research paper is often not given enough consideration by those planning the content of the paper. They assume that they know what a topic is supposed to be about and that it should be brief, coherent and meaningful.Of course this is a very short sighted view of the subject and an idea that has been developed over many years of writing. A topic is a starting point, a thought exercise that looks at a particular problem or series of problems and defines what one wants to achieve in relation to that. It can be many different things such as a paragraph or a few lines but for the purposes of this article we will stick with paragraphs.The point of a topic statement is to provide a solid outline of the task ahead and then enable the writer to use it as a guideline when they start to work. The writer will know what that general topic is and can thus have a greater amount of control over the content.It is useful to think o f a topic as an orientation for the writing of the paper. The problem that needs to be solved is the orientation. That is, we want to solve a problem.A topic could actually be very simple and need no further analysis, but this will often not produce the best output. So it is a good idea to develop a statement that is simple and easy to remember so that you can get on with the job. Many people tend to underestimate the power of a brief but precise definition of the problem.We usually say that the topic is like a question mark. The question is what problems does the person who is planning to write about have and the topic is how they define those problems. You will also need to put the problem into the context of what your audience will be looking for when they read your paper.Do not think that what you are doing is necessarily academic because some people write about their hobbies or entertainment and of course there is a huge amount of overlap between these two groups. You can write about a piece of music, a novel or a new movie and it is all about what you are interested in and writing about something you are passionate about is one of the most enjoyable ways to write.Your topic for a research paper will define you and your writing but it is a word that is sometimes left out in the planning process. It is not a restrictive phrase but it is useful as a guiding principle in what will appear in the paper.
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