The combination of words “research” and “paper” in one phrase with a geography task is something that makes students feel anxious. This article by Coolessay.net experts is called to help you pass through that denial stage, accept your fate, and write a geography research paper excellently.
The first recommendation: even though there are commonly accepted research paper standards, instructions on writing them might be different from one college or university to another. Moreover, there can even be changes depending on your teacher. So, you better find out details about guidelines personally, and of course, visit the school's lab to get more writing resources.
Geography Research Paper: Concentrate on the Process
In this article, we are going to pay more attention to organizational moments and writing itself, but it is also critical to discuss the preliminary process as well. Here is why you should do some research beforehand:
- It is the way to know the subject better
- You can generate and process geography paper topics and ideas correctly
- Thesis statement development
- Authority to speak about the chosen topic.
Get your sources collected and investigate them during this stage. Here are some data reference resources:
- Websites containing academic data, online databases, almanacs, and geography encyclopedias.
- Periodical academic publications and books
- Newspapers, magazines
- Guides, reports, and other writings by state officials and researching institutions.
Make notes while reading and checking the explored data. To be able to build the bibliography later, track materials and cite them properly.
Note: consult your professor to find out the appropriate citation style wanted. That’s vital to keep up with the citing guidelines, as well.
Come Up with the Organization Plan
Okay, so the research process gave you many different ideas. That’s perfect! From now on, you can think about how to organize your research paper. Yes, it is better to do that before you start the writing process itself.
Try not to avoid this step, whatever kind of paper you need to write. The organization is the key to get good grades and succeed. Without that, the text will most likely not have the proper concentration on the topic. In addition, you’ll need to spend much time to revise mixed thoughts and accidental errors caused by disorganization and rush.
The Geography Research Paper Thesis Statement
As you probably know, every research paper has its thesis statement. It is a sentence summarizing the central thought of the work and previewing your backup arguments. This statement is critical due to guiding the reader. It shows the main idea to them from the very beginning and lets them see the planned route beforehand as well.
Mostly, the discussed type of academic documents has its start when the thesis statement is claimed as the ending phrase of the intro part. Although there is no such demand, shaping your thesis statement at the very beginning of the research organization would be a great choice. That’ll help, as you can be sure to pick right supporting arguments for the principal thought of your academic showcase.
Usually, most of the research papers (including geography ones) can be divided into three main subtypes:
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- Argumentative – arguing the viewpoint, persuading people;
- Expository – focusing on the explanation;
- Analytical – based on data analysis.
Obviously, a thesis statement should correlate with the type of paper you plan to create.
It would be an excellent decision to devote some time and figure out the central point of the text, as it would become solid ground. The absence of an ideally considered thesis statement will probably lead you to confusion, as you won’t have a clear vision of your purpose.
The Geography Research Paper Outline
Decently made outlines are the guiding lights that will lead you through the darkness of a geography paper writing. After the thesis statement is shaped, figure out your backup points able to support it. Those will be your subheadings. You can organize the explored reference data and your thoughts around them.
The info not fitting the planned outline framework shouldn’t be in your text. And it does not matter how exciting it seems to be. Narrow the focus down, do not try to cover a broader area than you need.
Geography Research Paper: Writing Process
Good news first: if you kept up with the tips above, then you most probably approached the current stage while getting charged with enthusiasm and energy from your creative ideas and newly explored knowledge. Moreover, you know where to go and how to organize the process.
So, let’s roll!
Step 1: Intro
That is the part to show the context and the backup links (aka background) for the entire paper. Engage readers with the solid opening phrase. The fact that it is an academic writing task doesn’t mean it is time to go in for a dull and dry text. Some creativity would be fine.
Mention the primary goal of the writing and your plans to present the theme. Then, finalize the intro part with the perfectly shaped thesis statement.
Step 2: The Geography Paper Body
That’s the point where you will be happy to have an outline prepared. Stick to the plan, but don’t think you’re tight to it with thick ropes. It’s only a map for your mind. It’s okay to stay flexible as the paper may evolve. Still, focus matters in any case. Sources are not points organizing your writing, your thesis statement and arguments are.
Step 3: Summary
At this stage, it is time to conclude things. The biggest part of geography research papers can be summed up with a thesis statement mentioned once again. Still, don’t forget to paraphrase it. Besides, conclude on the backup points shortly and explain why exactly they support your summary.
Geography Research Paper Topics to Consider
The topics we listed below refer to human geography. It was a conscious choice because such themes change rapidly and have a lot of raw data available on them. In addition, they are more or less connected to everyone’s regular life and troubles: health, politics, economics, culture, etc. That is why geography research paper topics of this type will always remain relevant.
- Island States: Geography of Their Market.
- Big Cities: Urbanization Levels and Expansion Problems.
- The Influence of the Population Growth in India on the Environment.
- Global Business Markets: Current State and Future Perspectives.
- Israel-Arab Conflict: Political Geography Problems.
- Sea-Level Rising: Most Threated Regions.
- History of US Military Geography.
- The African States and the Inequality of Their Economies.
- Infrastructure Aging Issue: Historical Cases.
- Geography of Russia: Natural Resources and Economic Potential
Cultural Geography Research Paper: Topics to Consider
Here is the list of cultural elements fitting to build an exciting geography research paper topic:
- Religion
- Gender Roles
- Language
- Architecture
- Recreational activities/sports
- Food
- Clothing
- Principles and values
- Education
Tips on Draft Revision
Try to have enough time till the deadline in order to complete the draft revision properly. This stage is not only about correcting typos and checking commas. We prepared a set of questions to help you check the paper while editing.
Editing Questions
- Is the thesis statement concise and clear?
- Does the paper smoothly and logically flow from intro to conclusion?
- Are you satisfied with the structure?
- Are thoughts and ideas logically positioned within each chapter and paragraph?
- Are your facts precise enough?
- Does every argument back up the thesis statement?
- Didn’t you repeat something unnecessary twice?
- Are citations properly written?
- Isn’t there any plagiarism by accident?
- Is the language precise and clear?
- Aren’t there filer words and phrases?
- Did you perform punctuation, spelling, and grammar check properly?
So, as you can see, the main components of an excellent geography research paper are:
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- careful and decent research;
- planned organization;
- adequate presentation;
- attention to detail;
- ruthless editing.
Keep up with the guideline above and get your best grades!