Below you can find the recording of my Spring 2025 workshop, “FAQs About Research Papers.” When I use the term “research paper,” I mean any academic writing task that requires you to collect and analyze data of some sort, including theses and dissertations (which often involve empirical research) and literature review papers (the data for which is the academic literature on a particular topic). The content on this page overlaps with and complements the information on these pages:
- Introductions and problem statements
- Literature reviews
- Essentials of graduate writing
- So you’re writing a thesis (or dissertation)…
In my opinion, the workshop video below might be especially helpful for students in the Educational Leadership Doctorate program who are currently writing a qualifying paper (QP), in that it can help them think about the “big picture” of how the various parts of an academic project (intro, lit review, discussion) work together. But of course individual experiences will vary, and my advice is broad and generic–it’s not exactly tailored to any one discipline or program.
Workshop Video: Frequently-Asked Questions About Research Papers (~71 min)
You can view the video by clicking here or by clicking on the image below, both of which will open the video in a new tab (where you can view or download the video):
You can also download the following accompanying files:
PowerPoint Slides:
Handout:
The Graduate Writing Guy :: Writing Tips for Grad School 