How many paragraphs should a Research paper have?
When you are in your master’s degree you need to write a research paper. It is the final project to submit for completion of your degree. A research paper takes time and deep knowledge of the subject. When you are writing a research paper you may have to follow some guidelines which may include the style, format, and length of it. A research paper is an essay in which you summarize the findings after a thorough study of your subject. So let us know further about, “How many paragraphs should a Research paper have?”.
Quick Takeaways
- A research paper is an essay in which you summarize the findings after a thorough study of your subject.
- There is no fixed number of paragraphs that you need to write in a research paper.
- Although on average there are 20 paragraphs in it.
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of how many paragraphs should a research paper have.
What is a research paper?
A research paper is an essay in which you summarize the findings after a thorough study of your subject. You incorporate data from sources including books, journals, interviews, and blogs into your research work. There are a lot of research papers available on Academia.edu from which you can take help from. They are typically lengthier and more in-depth tasks than writing a normal essay.
They intended to evaluate both your writing and scholarly research abilities. It refers to an academic publication that presents the findings of either a novel study or an assessment of previous research. Your essay should concentrate on a key topic that inspires you.
How many paragraphs should a Research paper have?
The explanation of this question depends upon what is the length of your research paper. This means that if the length of your paper is long there will be more paragraphs. Also if the length of your paper is short then there will be fewer paragraphs.
Also, your institution may have regulations for submitting the research paper. The number of paragraphs may also vary according to them. For example, they may ask you to conclude in one or 2 paragraphs. Also, it may vary with the research papers that you have considered for writing it. Although, on average the number of paragraphs involved in the research paper is more than 20. You must also take care of a number of paragraphs when you are writing the comic research paper.
Factors to determine the number of paragraphs in the Research paper
The following aspects are the main factor in determining the number of paragraphs in the research paper –
1. Rules and Regulation
As mentioned above every institution and professor has its own rules and regulations. Some professors give you a benchmark of including a specific number of paragraphs, a number of words, or the length of the research paper. On the other hand, you may not get any particular guidelines.
2. Length
Again the number of paragraphs included in it revolves around the length of the research paper. If the article is longer, it will automatically increase the number of paragraphs in it. If you are writing a mini literature review then you may need to write a short literature review.
3. Own Preferences
Your preference also affects the number of paragraphs included in the paper. When there are no specific guidelines given by your professor to complete it, it’s up to you how to write.
4. Graphics
While writing a research paper you may need to present data in some graphic form. As graphics also take up space in your research paper, it gives a longer look to your paper. So if the paper constitutes more images then the number of paragraphs will decrease and vice versa.
How to know the correct length of the paragraph in the research paper?
Ideally, there should be a minimum of 6-7 sentences in a single paragraph. If any of your lines are longer then you may have fewer lines in your paragraphs and vice versa. This concludes that each para should have at most 100 words in it. There are different factors to knowing the correct length of the paragraphs which are mentioned below-
1. Type of the paragraph
Depending on the sort of paragraph you are writing like a definition paragraph or argumentative paragraph each one has a different goal. Introduction paragraphs are typically short whereas the illustrative paragraphs may be large. Additionally, if a topic has two distinct components, you may need to discuss each separately in a separate paragraph.
Let’s say that the main point of your writing is to provide a thorough analysis of the disease. Now there are factors that you need to mention. You’ll use different paragraphs for the same subject, explaining different factors. It may also depend upon the type of essay included in it like compare and contrast essay.
2. The section of the paper
There are various sections in a research paper like the introduction, literature review, etc. Every section has its own needs. The length of various paragraphs in the literature review section may be longer. On the contrary, the length of the paragraphs in other sections may be smaller.
3. Proofreading
This is the final result after completing your writing. You must proofread your research paper as it will help you to know if any paragraph needs to change or not. If you find that there are some long paragraphs, break them down and vice versa.
Conclusion
When we are writing a research paper different aspects determine the number of paragraphs included in the paper. Ideally, there are more than 20 paragraphs but it depends upon other aspects. Your rules and regulations, length, and your preferences will determine the number of paragraphs in the essay.
