How to Write a Research Paper on Social Media

• How to start a research paper on social media
• Example of an outline
• How to write an introduction
• How to write a thesis
• Example of a thesis statement for a research paper on social media
• Example of an introduction
• How to write body paragraphs for a research paper on social media
• Example of the 1st body paragraph
• Example of the 2nd body paragraph
• Example of the 3rd body paragraph
• How to finish a research paper on social media
• Example of a conclusion
• Research paper revision

How to start a research paper on social media

When writing a research paper, one should know that the very first thing to do is to choose a topic. The topic should be broad enough and up to date so that the content of the research paper will be elaborative. One good example of such a subject for a research paper is social media. This kind of topic has a lot of branches that can be explained in the research paper. There are also so many issues regarding this topic which you can reveal within the paper. When the topic is already chosen, the next step is to make an outline.

Example of an outline

An outline serves as the writer’s guide in writing the research paper. It contains the ideas about the chosen topic and it will help the writer in organizing the essay. In writing the outline, one should first list down all the related topics that can make good supporting arguments in the research paper. List everything down in a paper and then think of a good thesis statement. Once the essay writer is done deciding what will be the thesis statement, they can already arrange all the ideas. Arrange it from an introduction and body to a conclusion. Make sure that the first topic listed in the outline is the main topic and the supporting topic/s will follow.

• Background
• Thesis statement

BODY PARAGRAPHS

• Social Media as a Phenomenon:
  a) Definition of Social Media
  b) Different Kinds of Social Media Platform
• B. Effects:
  a) Social Media and Social Standards
  b)Effects of Social Media on a person’s behavior
• Psychology of Social Media:
  a) Should we be using it or not?
  b) Is it promoting good or bad?

CONCLUSION

How to write an introduction

The research paper’s introduction about social media should contain its meaning and use. It has to be included in the introduction to inform the readers who are not familiar with the topic. The writer has to remember that not every reader knows the meaning of social media. An effective introduction should persuade the readers to read the entire research paper. Below are some tips the writer can use to improve the paper.

• Keep your sentences short. It is important that the readers will understand every little detail in your writing. By keeping your sentences short, you will avoid making complex sentences that sometimes lead to misunderstood though. Keep it short, but not too short. Just enough to explain what the idea is all about.
• Explain why. The introduction of the research paper should explain why such topic is selected. The writer should also include the importance of the study. Presenting the study is not enough, it should be thoroughly explained why the study is needed.
• Mention a thesis statement. The thesis statement should be mentioned in the introduction so that the readers will be aware of where the writer stands on the topic. Also, remember that a thesis statement should not be mentioned twice.
• Do not give too much information. Remember this is only an introduction. The information allotted for the body paragraphs should not be stated in the introduction. When this happens, the content of the research paper will be redundant and the readers will be bored.
• Make sure all the details are correct. Even if the introduction is just a short part of the research paper, the writer must make sure that all the information stated in there are factual and has a proper basis.

How to write a thesis statement

In writing a thesis statement, the author should know what issue he or she wants to tackle in his or her chosen topic. In such a topic as Social Media, the thesis statement will be an issue regarding the topic on which the research paper will revolve. Although there are subtopics that can be included in the research paper, the thesis statement should be the heart of it and all arguments should support the thesis statement.

Example of a thesis statement for a research paper on social media

Do social media imply a positive or negative effect on the society?

Example of the introduction and thesis

Social media networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are a modern way which most people around the world use to connect to friends they cannot be in physical contact with, connect to trending topics or issues around the world. Browsing these sites makes you feel connected to a large community through chatting, sharing pictures or videos with people who are either near you or far away from you. However, with the extensive development in technology today, many applications have been developed and can be used to create fake images of people at various places, create fake news which are then posted on social media and therefore there is a great need for social media users to be able to differentiate authentic content from fake ones. With all these, do social media imply a positive or negative effect on the society?

How to write body paragraphs for a research paper on social media

A body of a research paper contains all the supporting topics which are connected with the thesis statement. Body paragraphs also provide arguments which make a thesis statement stronger or answer the question stated in the thesis statement. So, here are some tips on how to write effective body paragraphs.

• Cite properly. The writer should know how to cite the information he or she uses in the body paragraphs. Citation depends on the format of a research paper. It is important to avoid plagiarism. Not citing the authors of the books the one used for a research paper will bypass the authors who originally produced that information.
• Do not cite to much. It is important to cite, but too much citation for just a single sentence is not a good practice. Know how to dissect the information gathered and how to use it in every part of the research paper.
• c. Plagiarism is an act of theft and any author who uses other author’s work and claims the credits for it is called a thief. One can borrow information but give the proper citation and never forget to write the name of the book and the author in the references. The research paper should be full of substance, but the substance should come from the author’s own brain.
• Do not stray away from the topic. Some authors tend to be so elaborative that the main topic ends up ignored. Always keep in mind the thesis statement and explain it in a way that it will still fall on the main idea.
• Take time. A research paper can’t be done overnight. For the whole research paper to be effective, it should be given a lot of time and effort. Proper research is also important to make sure that all the information are strong and credible.

Example of the 1st body paragraph

Social media are sites used by many people to pass time when they are not busy as these platforms contain a lot of information ranging from news and photos to trending topics and funny videos. Therefore, it provides a unique form of entertainment to people and therefore prevents boredom. Social media users spend their leisure time scrolling up and down their news feeds to find interesting things that they can either use in their daily lives or just to give make them laugh. People also tend to depend their everyday living on social media. Likes and shares of their followers or friends have become their way of satisfying their self and proving their worth. The problem with here is that people become so emotionally attached to the social media that even their social standards change.

Example of the 2nd body paragraph

In this modern technological age, people have become dependent on social media and because of this fact, people’s activities, behavior, decisions, and directions have become influenced by what they see or hear from it. The power of social media in exposing people to reality arises from the extensive sharing of images and videos by different people from different parts of the world (Ramos, 2017). These pictures and videos of different events happening around the world bring out various emotions from people such as anger and compassion. Through the online world, therefore, people are able to get connected to the reality of situations or events happening in different parts of the world.

Example of the 3rd body paragraph

Social media sets a social standard for what is beautiful and perfect, especially in women’s perspective. Women who use social media a lot tend to adopt the social media standards of beauty. May it be a usage of makeup, trying different diets just to be skinny, or using different beauty products to achieve lighter skin? All those are promoted by social media to set a particular standard in beauty. Women follow what they see because they want to fit with the social standard to be called pretty. Dove conducted a research in 2014 and the results have shown that there are over five million tweets of women about themselves and their beauty standards. Some tweets also stated that women are largely affected by what social media and that standard changes over time, making women change their attitude towards beauty too.

How to finish a research paper on social Media

It serves as the summary of the research paper. It explains the final say of the author about the thesis statement. Recommendations are also usually given in this part. To write an effective conclusion, here are some tips.

• Label it. For the readers to know that the paragraph is your conclusion, you can use phrases like, ‘in conclusion to this,’ ‘to wrap things up,’ ‘to sum up everything’ etc. Those keywords will let the readers know that the research paper has come to an end.
• Just enough. The length of the conclusion should just be enough to sum up the contents of the research paper. It should not be too long or too short. The writer should not be pressured to write a super-long conclusion that has no thought in it. Five to ten sentences will do for a conclusion as long as the whole idea has been explained thoroughly.
• Be honest. The writer has the chance to put his/her opinion as a way of concluding the writing. It can be a personal touch in the conclusion an opinion, saying or quotation. The important thing is to be honest with the input and the readers will surely feel that the writer is transparent.
• Do not repeat. Some writers tend to repeat the actual sentences used in the body paragraph in the conclusion, which is wrong. The conclusion is the summary of thought, not the exact content of the body of the research paper. Make sure that the body and the conclusion is not the same.
• Never use pictures. Pictures can be added to the body paragraph to give the readers interpretation of what the words mean. But never add a photograph in the conclusion. Adding a picture implies that there are still more ideas that need elaboration, so in order to avoid that implication, a picture must not be included.

Example of a conclusion

In conclusion to this, everything in this world has its advantages and disadvantages. We just have to learn how to use both in a way that will benefit us without affecting other people. Do social media imply a positive or negative effect on the society? The answer is, it has a balance of negative and positive. It does not totally bring more deceit nor bring reality, it serves both and that way people become more observant and knowledgeable.

Research paper revision

• Be observant. While making the research paper, the writer should already observe if there are errors. Start with technical errors like spelling and after you finish working on your research paper, read it all over again and observe the technicality, especially in grammar. It is important that the writer knows how to notice his or her own error.
• Consult a professional. If the writer is having a hard time in finding errors, then a professional help is needed. Anyone who has a background in doing research papers can be a critic and can help one to figure out how to make the research paper better.
• Listen to other people’s input. While making the research paper, the writer can consult his or her friends, classmates or parents to identify the errors in the paper. That way, the revision will be easier.