Select the word processing program that works for you. Microsoft Word is the preferred word processing program of most research paper writers, though Open Office and Google Docs provide two alternatives. Open Office's biggest advantage is that it is a free, downloadable program in which you can save Word-compatible documents. Google Docs immediately saves your work and stores it online so the chance of your losing your research is much smaller. In addition, with Google Docs, you can easily collaborate with other writers and reviewers to edit your document in real time.
Create folders to help you organize your research and paper parts. Create and save a document for each major component of your research paper. Choose a relevant file name that is easy to remember. Keep all pre-writing, links and research for each component in its designated folder. This will help you organize and keep track of your paper components.
Save and back up your files. Before you exit each word processing program, save your file. While many word processing programs now save automatically, choose the "save" or "save now" option before quitting to make sure your latest changes are saved. Next, back up your files using an external hard drive or online storage location, like an email inbox. Make sure you override documents in each location with the most recent one each time you make changes.
Print or publish your paper. Put finishing touches on your research paper, like the requirements of a citation and formatting style. Different word processors will allow you to choose from different templates for headers, footers and works cited pages. If you are printing, make sure you view your processor's print preview to look for spacing issues before hitting print.