Choose a topic for your paper. Be specific and narrow. For example, instead of "Geography" write about the "Geography of Ohio." When the title is too broad, it can be hard to know what to write. By narrowing it down, you know exactly what type of information to look for.
Research the topic from your chosen angle. For example, if you are writing about island volcanoes, do not look up Mount Everest or other land-locked volcanoes. Look for information specific to the topic, such as how underground volcanoes differ to those on land.
Assemble an argument. As you do more research and learn more about the topic, your argument, or what will become your "thesis statement," will become clearer. For example, if you write about "Effects of Human Interference on the Amazon Rainforest," you may find yourself coming to feel strongly about the subject. Use this feeling to try to convince others that your opinion is the correct one. Assembling an argument is basically brainstorming. You can write a number of lists, such as "what I used to think," "how I think now," "why I think that way," "what I have learned." Keep your lists specific to your topic and be opinionated. If you do not have an argument, your research paper will simply be a regurgitation of vaguely connected facts. Instead, use facts to make your argument more convincing.
Outline your essay. An essay typically has three main sections: the introduction, in which you explain your argument (thesis) and how you arrived at it, the body, which attempts to convince the reader of your argument, and the closing statement, which sums up all of the previously raised points. Focus on the body by formulating three main arguments, such as "global warming," "overfishing" and "conservation" for a topic on sea life. You can break these topics down further if you need to: "how global warming happens," "what it does" and "who it affects." Basically, you are asking yourself questions that need to be answered in the essay. For the introduction, outline what your conclusion is and why others should agree. The conclusion should focus on the arguments necessary to reinforce what you have already exposed in the article's body.
Write out your essay. At the very least, the essay should contain a one paragraph intro, three paragraphs of body and one paragraph of closing arguments. Each body paragraph should contain about five sentences, with the first introducing an idea, the next three explaining it, and the last sentence summing it up. Each paragraph should be on topic, but from a different angle. For example, if your research paper is titled "Reefs Are Dying and How We Can Protect Them," you can include a section on the effects of overfishing on reefs, another on the effects of global warming and the last on realistic ways people can help save reefs. Introduce the paper by explaining what it is about, what your conclusions are and how you have arrived at them. Avoid giving information you will repeat in the body of the paper.
Revise the rough draft that you have written. Read through it to check for punctuation and spelling. Make sure your ideas are clearly expressed and understandable. Ensure that you have not plagiarized (copied another's words without permission). Rewrite or print out the polished essay.