To begin the process of developing a research paper, you need to decide on a topic. If your teacher gives you the choice of picking your own topic, pick one that captures your interest. Narrow the topic down to a more specific area of your subject. For example, if you want to write a paper on England, focus on an aspect of England, such as English food or English folklore.
The next phase of your research writing involves actually performing the research. Locate as many sources as determined by your teacher, focusing on sources like encyclopedias, newspapers and books on the subject. Once you have found your sources, you need to compile a bibliography; or a list of sources you have chosen to study.
After you have organized your sources, start taking notes on index cards, organizing them into subtopics. For instance, when researching an author, subtopics can include "Birth," "Family," Achievements" and so on. Make sure you keep track of which sources gave you which pieces of information.
Use the subtopics you developed in your note cards to build an outline. Create the basic structure of the outline -- the introduction, the body and the conclusion -- and fit the subtopics under those main sections. Add statistics, dates and other important pieces of information under the subtopics.
Use the notes you have taken and the outline to develop the main point of your research. For instance, if you have researched the impact of war on a certain country, write a succinct sentence stating what that impact has been. Once you have your thesis, you can start writing your rough draft.
Use the outline you created to writing your rough draft. The introduction to your paper needs to provide an overview of what your research paper includes, as well as your thesis statement. Your body paragraphs provide key facts to support your thesis. Your conclusion restates your thesis and drives home the point of your research. Once you have finished your first draft, read it over and edit it. Ensure that you have met your teacher's guidelines (such as page length and format) before you hand in your final paper along with your bibliography.