Say something worth reading. If you work with original data, think about the findings thoroughly, so you are able to explain their significance to others. Likewise, sources should be fully understood rather than scanned for citable material, so you can interpret and synthesize the ideas and information instead of just reporting them.
Research extensively. With original research, you'll need to provide an understanding of the context into which the work fits; a thorough review of the literature in your area will be useful. Research based on the work of others must be equally thorough, indicating a complete understanding of the different points of view and their supporting ideas and evidence. Read a variety of sources--books, journals, popular periodicals, newspapers, trade literature, brochures, pamphlets, etc.--and be inventive about other sources. For example, interviews--by telephone, fax, e-mail, letter, or direct discussion—may yield inspiration as well as information; prepare your questions carefully and always ask for other sources. Consider audio-visual resources including radio and television programs and transcripts. Conduct your own research as needed: on-site inspections, discussions with local residents, questionnaires, surveys, photographs, lab results, etcetera: all can help to make your work thorough and convincing.
Evaluate your sources. Question your assumptions as well as those of your sources so you understand which assumptions are substantiated. Be skeptical of your sources and their evidence; evaluate as you read to enable you to judge which ideas are most plausible, most pertinent, and most credible. Research should help you expand your understanding: look up any words that you don't really know; think about the ideas and how they support or contradict your point of view.
Keep track of what you read. You'll need accurate notes on the contents, quotations that precisely reflect the author's meaning, and complete citation information.
Focus your own ideas. Research papers include selected material from other sources within an original context. You need to write the paper based on your own thinking; the research is done to help you become well informed and convincing. After initially reading everything you can find on your subject, decide on a particular angle, formulate a thesis, and select the material and ideas that are required for a discussion of that specific topic. Then investigate further with that focus in mind.
Devise a strategy to fit your readers, your material, and your purpose. Consider what an opposition may require in order to be convinced, what sorts of evidence you need, where the gaps are in your understanding, etc.
Write to communicate, not to impress. Use a style that is clear, direct, and readable. Wording should be precise and efficient; sentence structure should be appropriate to the ideas contained. Evidence from sources should be carefully selected for understanding as well as effect.
Support your claims with sufficient evidence, reasoning, and explanation. Above all, make sure that the claims are your own, so you are not guilty of plagiarism; your task is not simply to synthesize other people's ideas, but to present your own in a way that shows a thorough understanding of the subject. All ideas and words taken from your sources should be cited and/or quoted; then they should be discussed or explained so the paper is clearly yours, rather than theirs. Assess the audience’s skepticism, understanding, and opinion as a means of deciding how much and what type of supporting evidence and reasoning you need for your claims.
Distinguish facts from opinions. Make sure that the reader understands the difference between knowledge and conjecture, and between your original ideas and those taken from others.
Organize the text with the reader and your purpose in mind. The text should contain sufficient orientation and coherence strategies--forecasting, heads, transitions, etc.--to allow the reader to read through from start to finish with ease and understanding.
Consider how material can best be presented for the readers' comprehension and acceptance: visual aids, page design techniques, etc. Use abbreviations for the readers' convenience rather than the writer's. Introduce figures in a way that makes them understandable and easy to use; make sure that the emphasis they receive is appropriate to their importance.
Integrate everything that you include; delete any irrelevant information and ideas, no matter how interesting they are. The reader should never have to wonder why a piece of information is included.
Revise repeatedly. Check for different aspects at different times: coherence, clarity, correctness, conciseness, etc.