A statistics research paper is an academic document presenting original findings or analyses derived from the data’s collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation. It addresses research questions or hypotheses within the field of statistics.
As a rule, college students get such papers assigned during a semester to assess their knowledge of statistics. However, any statistician specialist can also write research papers and publish them in academic journals, thus developing and promoting this field.
Want to master the art of statistics research paper writing?
We’ve got expert tips from a professional research paper writing service on crafting such studies. In this article, you’ll find a step-by-step guide on writing a statistics research paper that your educators, colleagues, or clients will approve.
How to write a statistics research paper: Steps
Table of Contents
- State the problem
- Collect the data
- Write an introductory paragraph
- Craft an abstract
- Describe your methodology
- Present your findings: evaluate and illustrate
- Revise and proofread
State the problem
Research papers aren’t about describing the existing knowledge on the topic. You should state your intellectual concern with it, indicating why it’s worth studying. When choosing the problem you’ll research in the paper, emphasize its ongoing nature:
What have other researchers already studied about it? Cite at least one previous publication related to your research and provide your statistical motivation to continue researching the topic. (You’ll refer to those researches in footnotes or within the text of your paper.)
Collect the data
Once you have the topic (problem) to research in your paper, it’s time to collect sources you’ll use as evidence and references. For statistics papers, consider the following:
- Published research from experts in Statistics (academic journals, newspapers, books, online publications, etc.)
- Statistical data from reliable sources (Google’s Public Data and Scholar, FedStats, and others)
- Your personal hypothesis, experiments, and info-gathering activities
The last one is a must-have! Your statistics research paper requires new information gathered by you as a researcher and not previously published anywhere. The massive block of your research paper will be about the data collection methods you used to investigate the problem and come to the conclusions you’ll provide.
Write an introductory paragraph
Some underestimate the introductory paragraphs of research papers, but they are wrong. The introduction is the first thing a reader sees to understand if your research is worth their attention and time. With that in mind, ensure your introductory paragraph is intriguing yet informative enough for the audience to continue reading.
Start with a writing hook, a sentence grabbing a reader’s attention. Also, an intro needs background information: your topic and the scientific motivation for the new research methods. (What’s wrong with existing ones? Or, what do they miss?) Finally, move on to your thesis statement: 1-2 sentences summarizing the primary idea behind your research paper.
Craft an abstract
It’s an overview of your statistics research paper where you establish notation and outline the methods and the results. Abstracts are integral for all academic studies and research, giving readers enough details to decide whether your paper is relevant to them.
What do you include in an abstract?
Introduce your topic and explain why it’s significant in your field. State the gap present in the research at the moment and reveal the aim of your paper. Then, briefly describe your research methods and approach, summarize your findings, and explain their contribution to the field.
Describe your methodology
The methods section is the most extensive one in your research paper. Here, you provide sufficient information about how you collected data for your research, what methodologies you used, and how you evaluated the results.
Be specific; describe everything so the audience can repeat your research (experiments) and reconstruct your results. It’s the value your paper brings to the academic community.
Present your findings: evaluate and illustrate
Further paragraphs of your research paper present your findings. Try to stick to one idea per paragraph to make it clear and easy for readers to consume.
Prepare and add supporting materials that will help you illustrate findings: graphs, diagrams, charts, tables, etc. You can use them in a paper’s body or add them as an appendix; these elements will support your points and serve as extra proof for your findings.
Last but not least:
Write a concluding paragraph for your statistics research paper. Repeat your thesis, summarize your findings, and conclude whether they have proved or contradicted your initial theory (hypothesis). Also, you can make suggestions for further research in the same area.
Revise and proofread
Re-read your paper several times before publishing or submitting it for review. Ensure all the information is logical and coherent, all the terms are correct, and all the elements are present and accurately placed.
Also, proofread your final draft: Spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes are a no-no here! Re-check the list of references again; ensure you follow the required citation style and use the proper format.
Takeaways
So, now you know seven easy steps for writing a statistical research paper. Whether you’re a college student or a statistician willing to make a scientific contribution to a niche, follow them to craft a professionally structured academic document:
State a problem, choose methods of analyzing it, evaluate your findings, and illustrate them to engage the audience in discussion.
If you still need clarification or have questions about writing a statistics paper, don’t hesitate to ask for assistance. Professional writers with experience in statistics are ready to help you improve your writing skills.
