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How to Write a Research Paper: the LEAP approach (+cheat sheet)

In this article I will show you how to write a research paper using the four LEAP writing steps. The LEAP academic writing approach is a step-by-step method for turning research results into a published paper .

The LEAP writing approach has been the cornerstone of the 70 + research papers that I have authored and the 3700+ citations these paper have accumulated within 9 years since the completion of my PhD. I hope the LEAP approach will help you just as much as it has helped me to make an real, tangible impact with my research.

What is the LEAP research paper writing approach?

I designed the LEAP writing approach not only for merely writing the papers. My goal with the writing system was to show young scientists how to first think about research results and then how to efficiently write each section of the research paper.

In other words, you will see how to write a research paper by first analyzing the results and then building a logical, persuasive arguments. In this way, instead of being afraid of writing research paper, you will be able to rely on the paper writing process to help you with what is the most demanding task in getting published – thinking.

The four research paper writing steps according to the LEAP approach:

I will show each of these steps in detail. And you will be able to download the LEAP cheat sheet for using with every paper you write.

But before I tell you how to efficiently write a research paper, I want to show you what is the problem with the way scientists typically write a research paper and why the LEAP approach is more efficient.

How scientists typically write a research paper (and why it isn’t efficient)

Writing a research paper can be tough, especially for a young scientist. Your reasoning needs to be persuasive and thorough enough to convince readers of your arguments. The description has to be derived from research evidence, from prior art, and from your own judgment. This is a tough feat to accomplish.

The figure below shows the sequence of the different parts of a typical research paper. Depending on the scientific journal, some sections might be merged or nonexistent, but the general outline of a research paper will remain very similar.

Here is the problem: Most people make the mistake of writing in this same sequence.

While the structure of scientific articles is designed to help the reader follow the research, it does little to help the scientist write the paper. This is because the layout of research articles starts with the broad (introduction) and narrows down to the specifics (results). See in the figure below how the research paper is structured in terms of the breath of information that each section entails.

How to write a research paper according to the LEAP approach

For a scientist, it is much easier to start writing a research paper with laying out the facts in the narrow sections (i.e. results), step back to describe them (i.e. write the discussion), and step back again to explain the broader picture in the introduction.

For example, it might feel intimidating to start writing a research paper by explaining your research’s global significance in the introduction, while it is easy to plot the figures in the results. When plotting the results, there is not much room for wiggle: the results are what they are.

Starting to write a research papers from the results is also more fun because you finally get to see and understand the complete picture of the research that you have worked on.

Most importantly, following the LEAP approach will help you first make sense of the results yourself and then clearly communicate them to the readers. That is because the sequence of writing allows you to slowly understand the meaning of the results and then develop arguments for presenting to your readers.

I have personally been able to write and submit a research article in three short days using this method.

Step 1: Lay Out the Facts

You have worked long hours on a research project that has produced results and are no doubt curious to determine what they exactly mean. There is no better way to do this than by preparing figures, graphics and tables. This is what the first LEAP step is focused on – diving into the results.

How to p repare charts and tables for a research paper

Your first task is to try out different ways of visually demonstrating the research results. In many fields, the central items of a journal paper will be charts that are based on the data generated during research. In other fields, these might be conceptual diagrams, microscopy images, schematics and a number of other types of scientific graphics which should visually communicate the research study and its results to the readers. If you have reasonably small number of data points, data tables might be useful as well.

Tips for preparing charts and tables

• Try multiple chart types but in the finished paper only use the one that best conveys the message you want to present to the readers
• Follow the eight chart design progressions for selecting and refining a data chart for your paper: https://peerrecognized.com/chart-progressions
• Prepare scientific graphics and visualizations for your paper using the scientific graphic design cheat sheet: https://peerrecognized.com/tools-for-creating-scientific-illustrations/

How to describe the results of your research

Now that you have your data charts, graphics and tables laid out in front of you – describe what you see in them. Seek to answer the question: What have I found?  Your statements should progress in a logical sequence and be backed by the visual information. Since, at this point, you are simply explaining what everyone should be able to see for themselves, you can use a declarative tone: The figure X demonstrates that…

Tips for describing the research results :

• Answer the question: “ What have I found? “
• Use declarative tone since you are simply describing observations

Step 2: Explain the results

The core aspect of your research paper is not actually the results; it is the explanation of their meaning. In the second LEAP step, you will do some heavy lifting by guiding the readers through the results using logic backed by previous scientific research.

How to define the Message of a research paper

To define the central message of your research paper, imagine how you would explain your research to a colleague in 20 seconds . If you succeed in effectively communicating your paper’s message, a reader should be able to recount your findings in a similarly concise way even a year after reading it. This clarity will increase the chances that someone uses the knowledge you generated, which in turn raises the likelihood of citations to your research paper. 

Tips for defining the paper’s central message :

• Write the paper’s core message in a single sentence or two bullet points
• Write the core message in the header of the research paper manuscript

How to write the Discussion section of a research paper

In the discussion section you have to demonstrate why your research paper is worthy of publishing. In other words, you must now answer the all-important So what? question . How well you do so will ultimately define the success of your research paper.

Here are three steps to get started with writing the discussion section:

• Write bullet points of the things that convey the central message of the research article (these may evolve into subheadings later on).
• Make a list with the arguments or observations that support each idea.
• Finally, expand on each point to make full sentences and paragraphs.

Tips for writing the discussion section:

• What is the meaning of the results?
• Was the hypothesis confirmed?
• Write bullet points that support the core message
• List logical arguments for each bullet point, group them into sections
• Instead of repeating research timeline, use a presentation sequence that best supports your logic
• Convert arguments to full paragraphs; be confident but do not overhype
• Refer to both supportive and contradicting research papers for maximum credibility

How to write the Conclusions of a research paper

Since some readers might just skim through your research paper and turn directly to the conclusions, it is a good idea to make conclusion a standalone piece. In the first few sentences of the conclusions, briefly summarize the methodology and try to avoid using abbreviations (if you do, explain what they mean).

After this introduction, summarize the findings from the discussion section. Either paragraph style or bullet-point style conclusions can be used. I prefer the bullet-point style because it clearly separates the different conclusions and provides an easy-to-digest overview for the casual browser. It also forces me to be more succinct.

Tips for writing the conclusion section :

• Summarize the key findings, starting with the most important one
• Make conclusions standalone (short summary, avoid abbreviations)
• Add an optional take-home message and suggest future research in the last paragraph

How to refine the Objective of a research paper

The objective is a short, clear statement defining the paper’s research goals. It can be included either in the final paragraph of the introduction, or as a separate subsection after the introduction. Avoid writing long paragraphs with in-depth reasoning, references, and explanation of methodology since these belong in other sections. The paper’s objective can often be written in a single crisp sentence.

Tips for writing the objective section :

• The objective should ask the question that is answered by the central message of the research paper
• The research objective should be clear long before writing a paper. At this point, you are simply refining it to make sure it is addressed in the body of the paper.

How to write the Methodology section of your research paper

When writing the methodology section, aim for a depth of explanation that will allow readers to reproduce the study . This means that if you are using a novel method, you will have to describe it thoroughly. If, on the other hand, you applied a standardized method, or used an approach from another paper, it will be enough to briefly describe it with reference to the detailed original source.

Remember to also detail the research population, mention how you ensured representative sampling, and elaborate on what statistical methods you used to analyze the results.

Tips for writing the methodology section :

• Include enough detail to allow reproducing the research
• Provide references if the methods are known
• Create a methodology flow chart to add clarity
• Describe the research population, sampling methodology, statistical methods for result analysis
• Describe what methodology, test methods, materials, and sample groups were used in the research.

Step 3: Advertize the research

Step 3 of the LEAP writing approach is designed to entice the casual browser into reading your research paper. This advertising can be done with an informative title, an intriguing abstract, as well as a thorough explanation of the underlying need for doing the research within the introduction.

How to write the Introduction of a research paper

The introduction section should leave no doubt in the mind of the reader that what you are doing is important and that this work could push scientific knowledge forward. To do this convincingly, you will need to have a good knowledge of what is state-of-the-art in your field. You also need be able to see the bigger picture in order to demonstrate the potential impacts of your research work.

Think of the introduction as a funnel, going from wide to narrow, as shown in the figure below:

• Start with a brief context to explain what do we already know,
• Follow with the motivation for the research study and explain why should we care about it,
• Explain the research gap you are going to bridge within this research paper,
• Describe the approach you will take to solve the problem.

Tips for writing the introduction section :

• Follow the Context – Motivation – Research gap – Approach funnel for writing the introduction
• Explain how others tried and how you plan to solve the research problem
• Do a thorough literature review before writing the introduction
• Start writing the introduction by using your own words, then add references from the literature

How to prepare the Abstract of a research paper

The abstract acts as your paper’s elevator pitch and is therefore best written only after the main text is finished. In this one short paragraph you must convince someone to take on the time-consuming task of reading your whole research article. So, make the paper easy to read, intriguing, and self-explanatory; avoid jargon and abbreviations.

How to structure the abstract of a research paper:

• The abstract is a single paragraph that follows this structure:
• Problem: why did we research this
• Methodology: typically starts with the words “Here we…” that signal the start of own contribution.
• Results: what we found from the research.
• Conclusions: show why are the findings important

How to compose a research paper Title

The title is the ultimate summary of a research paper. It must therefore entice someone looking for information to click on a link to it and continue reading the article. A title is also used for indexing purposes in scientific databases, so a representative and optimized title will play large role in determining if your research paper appears in search results at all.

Tips for coming up with a research paper title:

• Capture curiosity of potential readers using a clear and descriptive title
• Include broad terms that are often searched
• Add details that uniquely identify the researched subject of your research paper
• Avoid jargon and abbreviations
• Use keywords as title extension (instead of duplicating the words) to increase the chance of appearing in search results

How to prepare Highlights and Graphical Abstract

Highlights are three to five short bullet-point style statements that convey the core findings of the research paper. Notice that the focus is on the findings, not on the process of getting there.

A graphical abstract placed next to the textual abstract visually summarizes the entire research paper in a single, easy-to-follow figure. I show how to create a graphical abstract in my book Research Data Visualization and Scientific Graphics.

Tips for preparing highlights and graphical abstract:

• In highlights show core findings of the research paper (instead of what you did in the study).
• In graphical abstract show take-home message or methodology of the research paper. Learn more about creating a graphical abstract in this article.

Step 4: Prepare for submission

Sometimes it seems that nuclear fusion will stop on the star closest to us (read: the sun will stop to shine) before a submitted manuscript is published in a scientific journal. The publication process routinely takes a long time, and after submitting the manuscript you have very little control over what happens. To increase the chances of a quick publication, you must do your homework before submitting the manuscript. In the fourth LEAP step, you make sure that your research paper is published in the most appropriate journal as quickly and painlessly as possible.

How to select a scientific Journal for your research paper

The best way to find a journal for your research paper is it to review which journals you used while preparing your manuscript. This source listing should provide some assurance that your own research paper, once published, will be among similar articles and, thus, among your field’s trusted sources.

After this initial selection of hand-full of scientific journals, consider the following six parameters for selecting the most appropriate journal for your research paper (read this article to review each step in detail):

• Scope and publishing history
• Ranking and Recognition
• Publishing time
• Acceptance rate
• Content requirements
• Access and Fees

How to select a journal for your research paper:

• Use the six parameters to select the most appropriate scientific journal for your research paper
• Use the following tools for journal selection: https://peerrecognized.com/journals
• Follow the journal’s “Authors guide” formatting requirements

How to Edit you manuscript

No one can write a finished research paper on their first attempt. Before submitting, make sure to take a break from your work for a couple of days, or even weeks. Try not to think about the manuscript during this time. Once it has faded from your memory, it is time to return and edit. The pause will allow you to read the manuscript from a fresh perspective and make edits as necessary.

I have summarized the most useful research paper editing tools in this article.

Tips for editing a research paper:

• Take time away from the research paper to forget about it; then returning to edit,
• Start by editing the content: structure, headings, paragraphs, logic, figures
• Continue by editing the grammar and language; perform a thorough language check using academic writing tools
• Read the entire paper out loud and correct what sounds weird

How to write a compelling Cover Letter for your paper

Begin the cover letter by stating the paper’s title and the type of paper you are submitting (review paper, research paper, short communication). Next, concisely explain why your study was performed, what was done, and what the key findings are. State why the results are important and what impact they might have in the field. Make sure you mention how your approach and findings relate to the scope of the journal in order to show why the article would be of interest to the journal’s readers.

I wrote a separate article that explains what to include in a cover letter here. You can also download a cover letter template from the article.

Tips for writing a cover letter:

• Explain how the findings of your research relate to journal’s scope
• Tell what impact the research results will have
• Show why the research paper will interest the journal’s audience
• Add any legal statements as required in journal’s guide for authors

How to Answer the Reviewers

Reviewers will often ask for new experiments, extended discussion, additional details on the experimental setup, and so forth. In principle, your primary winning tactic will be to agree with the reviewers and follow their suggestions whenever possible. After all, you must earn their blessing in order to get your paper published.

Be sure to answer each review query and stick to the point. In the response to the reviewers document write exactly where in the paper you have made any changes. In the paper itself, highlight the changes using a different color. This way the reviewers are less likely to re-read the entire article and suggest new edits.

In cases when you don’t agree with the reviewers, it makes sense to answer more thoroughly. Reviewers are scientifically minded people and so, with enough logical and supported argument, they will eventually be willing to see things your way.

Tips for answering the reviewers:

• Agree with most review comments, but if you don’t, thoroughly explain why
• Highlight changes in the manuscript
• Do not take the comments personally and cool down before answering

The LEAP research paper writing cheat sheet

Imagine that you are back in grad school and preparing to take an exam on the topic: “How to write a research paper”. As an exemplary student, you would, most naturally, create a cheat sheet summarizing the subject… Well, I did it for you.

This one-page summary of the LEAP research paper writing technique will remind you of the key research paper writing steps. Print it out and stick it to a wall in your office so that you can review it whenever you are writing a new research paper.

Now that we have gone through the four LEAP research paper writing steps, I hope you have a good idea of how to write a research paper. It can be an enjoyable process and once you get the hang of it, the four LEAP writing steps should even help you think about and interpret the research results. This process should enable you to write a well-structured, concise, and compelling research paper.

Have fund with writing your next research paper. I hope it will turn out great!

Learn writing papers that get cited

The LEAP writing approach is a blueprint for writing research papers. But to be efficient and write papers that get cited, you need more than that.

My name is Martins Zaumanis and in my interactive course Research Paper Writing Masterclass I will show you how to  visualize  your research results,  frame a message  that convinces your readers, and write  each section  of the paper. Step-by-step.

And of course – you will learn to respond the infamous  Reviewer No.2.

Hey! My name is Martins Zaumanis and I am a materials scientist in Switzerland ( Google Scholar ). As the first person in my family with a PhD, I have first-hand experience of the challenges starting scientists face in academia. With this blog, I want to help young researchers succeed in academia. I call the blog “Peer Recognized”, because peer recognition is what lifts academic careers and pushes science forward.

Besides this blog, I have written the Peer Recognized book series and created the Peer Recognized Academy offering interactive online courses.

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Research Writing and Analysis

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Locating Information for Supporting Your Research

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Research Flowchart

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Flowcharts used to be the most popular method to represent computer algorithms before computer terminals and third-generation programming languages started to take over in the late 1970s. According to the New World Encyclopedia, these programming languages express computer algorithms in a more concise and readable way. Despite technological advances, though, many still use flowcharts for various projects, such as clinical research project plans , etc.

What Is Research Flowchart?

A flowchart, in general, is a sequential graphical representation of the processes involved in solving a problem. This diagram contains connecting lines or arrows and boxes that represent a process workflow. Through this diagram, you can quickly analyze, design, and document a process or program, which makes it an essential part of research projects in various fields such as qualitative researches and case studies. This chart also helps your audience to effectively understand research proposals, data collection, research design, literature review, abstract, research questionnaires, and other sections of a research paper, since it can provide an overview of each part more quickly.

Different Types of Flowcharts

As a researcher, there are many types of flowchart that you can create to organize your research project . Provided below are the most common diagrams you can use.

Basic Flowchart

This type of flowchart represents a systematic step-by-step process that leads to certain conclusions. It contains different shapes and arrows which show the sequence and direction of a process. Moreover, you can use it to execute a more effective study analyzation, design, documentation , and process management.

Swimlane Flowchart

Unlike the basic flowchart, the swimlane flowchart shows the connection of different objects in the chart. An excellent example of this flowchart is an organizational chart. This type of chart usually highlights the positions and responsibilities of every individual who belongs to an organization. Aside from that, it shows how these people will work hand-in-hand to accomplish the ultimate  corporate goal .

Workflow Flowchart

The workflow diagram plays a vital role in the business process. This visualization tool allows you to represent the necessary tasks to obtain a specific goal. You may also indicate in the chart the people you assigned to execute the tasks. In research, you can use it to show the functionalities of particular objects.

Data Flowchart

Through a data flowchart, you can illustrate the connection of the information from the system and external sources. A data flowchart is also an essential tool in representing the flow of information or data into and out of a system.

18+ Research Flowchart Examples

Now that you know the most common types of research flowcharts, download the following samples to get more knowledge on how you can effectively use these diagrams.

1. Quantitative Research Flowchart Template

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2. Sample Research Flowchart Template

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6. Editable Research Flowchart Template

7. Research Design Flowchart Template

8. Research Project Flowchart Template

9. Flowchart  for Writing Research Papers Examples

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10. Research Application Process Flowchart Example

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11. Statutory Research Flow Chart Example

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12. Research Proposal Evaluation and Process Flowchart Example

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13. External Research Proposal Flow Chart Example

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14. Clinical Study Research Flowchart Example

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15. Flow Chart of Research Strategies Example

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16. Conservation Area Research Flowchart Example

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17. Sample Flow Chart For Research Paper Example

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18. Research Commissioning Flowchart Example

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19. Research Governance Flowchart Example

How to Create a Process Flowchart?

As mentioned earlier, you can use flowcharts, such as a process flowchart , in various research sections. With that said, you need to follow an organized guide in creating a great flowchart, whether you are creating it for medical research or other scientific studies. Follow the steps provided below for you to come up with a functional research flowchart.

1. Do Your Research

Before doing anything else, you have to understand the environment of your research project. Determine if you need to learn specific research skills to carry out the investigation or research method accordingly.

2. Evaluate

In this step, you will determine if the existing researches have used flowcharts. You will also find out if there is a need to use a flowchart for your research project. You will then decide the best diagram that you can apply.

3. Create the Flowchart

There are many online tools that you can use to create a diagram for your project. You can use either the free or the paid versions. These paid versions may come with additional features. However, it is essential to know that usually, free versions will get the job done. You don’t want to pay for something that you don’t really need, right?

4. Modify and Enhance

To make your flowchart functional, include essential information such as the details or explanation of each content that you incorporate in your chart. However, keep in mind that in the real world, processes can be complex, so fitting all the materials on one page can be a challenge. Be creative. Summarize the process details, but do not omit the essential parts.

A flowchart is indeed vital in creating more strategic research in many aspects. Improving the flow of the project both in reader’s and the researcher’s end is just an example of what it can do. With that said, it can be helpful if you know how to incorporate this type of visualization to the research methodology that you are using.

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Research process flowchart

The research process flowchart outlines the steps involved in conducting a research study. The first step is to define the research problem and develop  research questions  that are clear, concise, and relevant to the field of study.

After developing the research questions, the next step is to conduct a  literature review  to identify any gaps in knowledge and provide a foundation for the study. The next step is to formulate  research hypotheses  that predict the relationship between the independent and dependent variables in the study.

Once the research hypotheses have been developed, the next step is to select an appropriate research design that can test the hypotheses and provide a clear answer to the research questions. The  research design  should be based on the research question and should be able to provide a rigorous and effective study.

The next steps in the  research process flowchart  are to collect and analyze data using appropriate  statistical methods , interpret the results, and draw conclusions. The results should be interpreted in light of the  research question  and hypotheses, and any limitations and implications of the study should be discussed.

Finally, the findings should be communicated to the appropriate audience in a clear and concise manner. By following this research process flowchart, researchers can conduct a rigorous and effective research study that contributes to the field of study and advances knowledge in their area of interest.

Advantages of creating this flowchart

First, it helps to ensure that all necessary steps are taken and that the research study is conducted in a consistent and standardized manner . By outlining the steps involved in the research process, researchers can ensure that the study is conducted in a rigorous and effective manner, and that all necessary steps are taken. This can help to improve the quality of the study and increase the chances of achieving successful outcomes.

Second, creating a  research process flowchart  can help to improve efficiency and reduce the time and cost involved in conducting a research study. By following a structured and standardized approach, researchers can streamline the process and reduce the time and effort required to conduct a research study. This can help to reduce costs for research teams and increase the overall effectiveness of the study.

Overall, creating a research process flowchart is an important step for ensuring that research studies are conducted in a consistent, efficient, and effective manner . By following the flowchart, researchers can conduct a rigorous and effective research study, improve efficiency, and achieve successful outcomes.

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How to Write a Research Paper | A Beginner's Guide

A research paper is a piece of academic writing that provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on in-depth independent research.

Research papers are similar to academic essays , but they are usually longer and more detailed assignments, designed to assess not only your writing skills but also your skills in scholarly research. Writing a research paper requires you to demonstrate a strong knowledge of your topic, engage with a variety of sources, and make an original contribution to the debate.

This step-by-step guide takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding your assignment to proofreading your final draft.

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Table of contents

Understand the assignment, choose a research paper topic, conduct preliminary research, develop a thesis statement, create a research paper outline, write a first draft of the research paper, write the introduction, write a compelling body of text, write the conclusion, the second draft, the revision process, research paper checklist, free lecture slides.

Completing a research paper successfully means accomplishing the specific tasks set out for you. Before you start, make sure you thoroughly understanding the assignment task sheet:

• Read it carefully, looking for anything confusing you might need to clarify with your professor.
• Identify the assignment goal, deadline, length specifications, formatting, and submission method.
• Make a bulleted list of the key points, then go back and cross completed items off as you’re writing.

Carefully consider your timeframe and word limit: be realistic, and plan enough time to research, write, and edit.

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There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, from brainstorming with pen and paper to talking it through with a fellow student or professor.

You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting.

You can also gain inspiration from other research. The discussion or recommendations sections of research papers often include ideas for other specific topics that require further examination.

Once you have a broad subject area, narrow it down to choose a topic that interests you, m eets the criteria of your assignment, and i s possible to research. Aim for ideas that are both original and specific:

• A paper following the chronology of World War II would not be original or specific enough.
• A paper on the experience of Danish citizens living close to the German border during World War II would be specific and could be original enough.

Note any discussions that seem important to the topic, and try to find an issue that you can focus your paper around. Use a variety of sources , including journals, books, and reliable websites, to ensure you do not miss anything glaring.

Do not only verify the ideas you have in mind, but look for sources that contradict your point of view.

• Is there anything people seem to overlook in the sources you research?
• Are there any heated debates you can address?
• Do you have a unique take on your topic?
• Have there been some recent developments that build on the extant research?

In this stage, you might find it helpful to formulate some research questions to help guide you. To write research questions, try to finish the following sentence: “I want to know how/what/why…”

A thesis statement is a statement of your central argument — it establishes the purpose and position of your paper. If you started with a research question, the thesis statement should answer it. It should also show what evidence and reasoning you’ll use to support that answer.

The thesis statement should be concise, contentious, and coherent. That means it should briefly summarize your argument in a sentence or two, make a claim that requires further evidence or analysis, and make a coherent point that relates to every part of the paper.

You will probably revise and refine the thesis statement as you do more research, but it can serve as a guide throughout the writing process. Every paragraph should aim to support and develop this central claim.

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A research paper outline is essentially a list of the key topics, arguments, and evidence you want to include, divided into sections with headings so that you know roughly what the paper will look like before you start writing.

A structure outline can help make the writing process much more efficient, so it’s worth dedicating some time to create one.

Your first draft won’t be perfect — you can polish later on. Your priorities at this stage are as follows:

• Maintaining forward momentum — write now, perfect later.
• Paying attention to clear organization and logical ordering of paragraphs and sentences, which will help when you come to the second draft.
• Expressing your ideas as clearly as possible, so you know what you were trying to say when you come back to the text.

You do not need to start by writing the introduction. Begin where it feels most natural for you — some prefer to finish the most difficult sections first, while others choose to start with the easiest part. If you created an outline, use it as a map while you work.

Do not delete large sections of text. If you begin to dislike something you have written or find it doesn’t quite fit, move it to a different document, but don’t lose it completely — you never know if it might come in useful later.

Paragraph structure

Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of research papers. Each one should focus on a single claim or idea that helps to establish the overall argument or purpose of the paper.

Example paragraph

George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language” has had an enduring impact on thought about the relationship between politics and language. This impact is particularly obvious in light of the various critical review articles that have recently referenced the essay. For example, consider Mark Falcoff’s 2009 article in The National Review Online, “The Perversion of Language; or, Orwell Revisited,” in which he analyzes several common words (“activist,” “civil-rights leader,” “diversity,” and more). Falcoff’s close analysis of the ambiguity built into political language intentionally mirrors Orwell’s own point-by-point analysis of the political language of his day. Even 63 years after its publication, Orwell’s essay is emulated by contemporary thinkers.

Citing sources

It’s also important to keep track of citations at this stage to avoid accidental plagiarism . Each time you use a source, make sure to take note of where the information came from.

You can use our free citation generators to automatically create citations and save your reference list as you go.

APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator

The research paper introduction should address three questions: What, why, and how? After finishing the introduction, the reader should know what the paper is about, why it is worth reading, and how you’ll build your arguments.

What? Be specific about the topic of the paper, introduce the background, and define key terms or concepts.

Why? This is the most important, but also the most difficult, part of the introduction. Try to provide brief answers to the following questions: What new material or insight are you offering? What important issues does your essay help define or answer?

How? To let the reader know what to expect from the rest of the paper, the introduction should include a “map” of what will be discussed, briefly presenting the key elements of the paper in chronological order.

The major struggle faced by most writers is how to organize the information presented in the paper, which is one reason an outline is so useful. However, remember that the outline is only a guide and, when writing, you can be flexible with the order in which the information and arguments are presented.

One way to stay on track is to use your thesis statement and topic sentences . Check:

• topic sentences against the thesis statement;
• topic sentences against each other, for similarities and logical ordering;
• and each sentence against the topic sentence of that paragraph.

Be aware of paragraphs that seem to cover the same things. If two paragraphs discuss something similar, they must approach that topic in different ways. Aim to create smooth transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections.

The research paper conclusion is designed to help your reader out of the paper’s argument, giving them a sense of finality.

Trace the course of the paper, emphasizing how it all comes together to prove your thesis statement. Give the paper a sense of finality by making sure the reader understands how you’ve settled the issues raised in the introduction.

You might also discuss the more general consequences of the argument, outline what the paper offers to future students of the topic, and suggest any questions the paper’s argument raises but cannot or does not try to answer.

You should not :

• Offer new arguments or essential information
• Take up any more space than necessary
• Begin with stock phrases that signal you are ending the paper (e.g. “In conclusion”)

There are four main considerations when it comes to the second draft.

• Check how your vision of the paper lines up with the first draft and, more importantly, that your paper still answers the assignment.
• Identify any assumptions that might require (more substantial) justification, keeping your reader’s perspective foremost in mind. Remove these points if you cannot substantiate them further.
• Be open to rearranging your ideas. Check whether any sections feel out of place and whether your ideas could be better organized.
• If you find that old ideas do not fit as well as you anticipated, you should cut them out or condense them. You might also find that new and well-suited ideas occurred to you during the writing of the first draft — now is the time to make them part of the paper.

The goal during the revision and proofreading process is to ensure you have completed all the necessary tasks and that the paper is as well-articulated as possible. You can speed up the proofreading process by using the AI proofreader .

Global concerns

• Confirm that your paper completes every task specified in your assignment sheet.
• Check for logical organization and flow of paragraphs.
• Check paragraphs against the introduction and thesis statement.

Fine-grained details

Check the content of each paragraph, making sure that:

• each sentence helps support the topic sentence.
• no unnecessary or irrelevant information is present.
• all technical terms your audience might not know are identified.

Next, think about sentence structure , grammatical errors, and formatting . Check that you have correctly used transition words and phrases to show the connections between your ideas. Look for typos, cut unnecessary words, and check for consistency in aspects such as heading formatting and spellings .

Finally, you need to make sure your paper is correctly formatted according to the rules of the citation style you are using. For example, you might need to include an MLA heading  or create an APA title page .

Scribbr’s professional editors can help with the revision process with our award-winning proofreading services.

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Checklist: Research paper

I have followed all instructions in the assignment sheet.

My introduction presents my topic in an engaging way and provides necessary background information.

My introduction presents a clear, focused research problem and/or thesis statement .

My paper is logically organized using paragraphs and (if relevant) section headings .

Each paragraph is clearly focused on one central idea, expressed in a clear topic sentence .

Each paragraph is relevant to my research problem or thesis statement.

I have used appropriate transitions  to clarify the connections between sections, paragraphs, and sentences.

My conclusion provides a concise answer to the research question or emphasizes how the thesis has been supported.

My conclusion shows how my research has contributed to knowledge or understanding of my topic.

My conclusion does not present any new points or information essential to my argument.

I have provided an in-text citation every time I refer to ideas or information from a source.

I have included a reference list at the end of my paper, consistently formatted according to a specific citation style .

I have thoroughly revised my paper and addressed any feedback from my professor or supervisor.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (page numbers, headers, spacing, etc.).

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Research Process

• Getting Started
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• Research Process Tutorial This tutorial explains finding and refining a topic, finding and evaluating information, and preparing your argument.

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Research Process – Steps, Examples and Tips

Table of Contents

Research Process

Definition:

Research Process is a systematic and structured approach that involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data or information to answer a specific research question or solve a particular problem.

Research Process Steps

Research Process Steps are as follows:

Identify the Research Question or Problem

This is the first step in the research process. It involves identifying a problem or question that needs to be addressed. The research question should be specific, relevant, and focused on a particular area of interest.

Conduct a Literature Review

Once the research question has been identified, the next step is to conduct a literature review. This involves reviewing existing research and literature on the topic to identify any gaps in knowledge or areas where further research is needed. A literature review helps to provide a theoretical framework for the research and also ensures that the research is not duplicating previous work.

Formulate a Hypothesis or Research Objectives

Based on the research question and literature review, the researcher can formulate a hypothesis or research objectives. A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested to determine its validity, while research objectives are specific goals that the researcher aims to achieve through the research.

Design a Research Plan and Methodology

This step involves designing a research plan and methodology that will enable the researcher to collect and analyze data to test the hypothesis or achieve the research objectives. The research plan should include details on the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques that will be used.

Collect and Analyze Data

This step involves collecting and analyzing data according to the research plan and methodology. Data can be collected through various methods, including surveys, interviews, observations, or experiments. The data analysis process involves cleaning and organizing the data, applying statistical and analytical techniques to the data, and interpreting the results.

Interpret the Findings and Draw Conclusions

After analyzing the data, the researcher must interpret the findings and draw conclusions. This involves assessing the validity and reliability of the results and determining whether the hypothesis was supported or not. The researcher must also consider any limitations of the research and discuss the implications of the findings.

Communicate the Results

Finally, the researcher must communicate the results of the research through a research report, presentation, or publication. The research report should provide a detailed account of the research process, including the research question, literature review, research methodology, data analysis, findings, and conclusions. The report should also include recommendations for further research in the area.

Review and Revise

The research process is an iterative one, and it is important to review and revise the research plan and methodology as necessary. Researchers should assess the quality of their data and methods, reflect on their findings, and consider areas for improvement.

Ethical Considerations

Throughout the research process, ethical considerations must be taken into account. This includes ensuring that the research design protects the welfare of research participants, obtaining informed consent, maintaining confidentiality and privacy, and avoiding any potential harm to participants or their communities.

Dissemination and Application

The final step in the research process is to disseminate the findings and apply the research to real-world settings. Researchers can share their findings through academic publications, presentations at conferences, or media coverage. The research can be used to inform policy decisions, develop interventions, or improve practice in the relevant field.

Research Process Example

Following is a Research Process Example:

Research Question : What are the effects of a plant-based diet on athletic performance in high school athletes?

Step 1: Background Research Conduct a literature review to gain a better understanding of the existing research on the topic. Read academic articles and research studies related to plant-based diets, athletic performance, and high school athletes.

Step 2: Develop a Hypothesis Based on the literature review, develop a hypothesis that a plant-based diet positively affects athletic performance in high school athletes.

Step 3: Design the Study Design a study to test the hypothesis. Decide on the study population, sample size, and research methods. For this study, you could use a survey to collect data on dietary habits and athletic performance from a sample of high school athletes who follow a plant-based diet and a sample of high school athletes who do not follow a plant-based diet.

Step 4: Collect Data Distribute the survey to the selected sample and collect data on dietary habits and athletic performance.

Step 5: Analyze Data Use statistical analysis to compare the data from the two samples and determine if there is a significant difference in athletic performance between those who follow a plant-based diet and those who do not.

Step 6 : Interpret Results Interpret the results of the analysis in the context of the research question and hypothesis. Discuss any limitations or potential biases in the study design.

Step 7: Draw Conclusions Based on the results, draw conclusions about whether a plant-based diet has a significant effect on athletic performance in high school athletes. If the hypothesis is supported by the data, discuss potential implications and future research directions.

Step 8: Communicate Findings Communicate the findings of the study in a clear and concise manner. Use appropriate language, visuals, and formats to ensure that the findings are understood and valued.

Applications of Research Process

The research process has numerous applications across a wide range of fields and industries. Some examples of applications of the research process include:

• Scientific research: The research process is widely used in scientific research to investigate phenomena in the natural world and develop new theories or technologies. This includes fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science.
• Social sciences : The research process is commonly used in social sciences to study human behavior, social structures, and institutions. This includes fields such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, and economics.
• Education: The research process is used in education to study learning processes, curriculum design, and teaching methodologies. This includes research on student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and educational policy.
• Healthcare: The research process is used in healthcare to investigate medical conditions, develop new treatments, and evaluate healthcare interventions. This includes fields such as medicine, nursing, and public health.
• Business and industry : The research process is used in business and industry to study consumer behavior, market trends, and develop new products or services. This includes market research, product development, and customer satisfaction research.
• Government and policy : The research process is used in government and policy to evaluate the effectiveness of policies and programs, and to inform policy decisions. This includes research on social welfare, crime prevention, and environmental policy.

Purpose of Research Process

The purpose of the research process is to systematically and scientifically investigate a problem or question in order to generate new knowledge or solve a problem. The research process enables researchers to:

• Identify gaps in existing knowledge: By conducting a thorough literature review, researchers can identify gaps in existing knowledge and develop research questions that address these gaps.
• Collect and analyze data : The research process provides a structured approach to collecting and analyzing data. Researchers can use a variety of research methods, including surveys, experiments, and interviews, to collect data that is valid and reliable.
• Test hypotheses : The research process allows researchers to test hypotheses and make evidence-based conclusions. Through the systematic analysis of data, researchers can draw conclusions about the relationships between variables and develop new theories or models.
• Solve problems: The research process can be used to solve practical problems and improve real-world outcomes. For example, researchers can develop interventions to address health or social problems, evaluate the effectiveness of policies or programs, and improve organizational processes.
• Generate new knowledge : The research process is a key way to generate new knowledge and advance understanding in a given field. By conducting rigorous and well-designed research, researchers can make significant contributions to their field and help to shape future research.

Tips for Research Process

Here are some tips for the research process:

• Start with a clear research question : A well-defined research question is the foundation of a successful research project. It should be specific, relevant, and achievable within the given time frame and resources.
• Conduct a thorough literature review: A comprehensive literature review will help you to identify gaps in existing knowledge, build on previous research, and avoid duplication. It will also provide a theoretical framework for your research.
• Choose appropriate research methods: Select research methods that are appropriate for your research question, objectives, and sample size. Ensure that your methods are valid, reliable, and ethical.
• Be organized and systematic: Keep detailed notes throughout the research process, including your research plan, methodology, data collection, and analysis. This will help you to stay organized and ensure that you don’t miss any important details.
• Analyze data rigorously: Use appropriate statistical and analytical techniques to analyze your data. Ensure that your analysis is valid, reliable, and transparent.
• I nterpret results carefully : Interpret your results in the context of your research question and objectives. Consider any limitations or potential biases in your research design, and be cautious in drawing conclusions.
• Communicate effectively: Communicate your research findings clearly and effectively to your target audience. Use appropriate language, visuals, and formats to ensure that your findings are understood and valued.
• Collaborate and seek feedback : Collaborate with other researchers, experts, or stakeholders in your field. Seek feedback on your research design, methods, and findings to ensure that they are relevant, meaningful, and impactful.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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The Process of Writing a Research Paper

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Planning the Research Paper

The goal of a research paper is to bring together different views, evidence, and facts about a topic from books, articles, and interviews, then interpret the information into your writing. It’s about a relationship between you, other writers, and your teacher/audience.

A research paper will show two things: what you know or learned about a certain topic, and what other people know about the same topic. Often you make a judgment, or just explain complex ideas to the reader. The length of the research paper depends on your teacher’s guidelines. It’s always a good idea to keep your teacher in mind while writing your paper because the teacher is your audience.

The Process There are three stages for doing a research paper. These stages are:

While most people start with prewriting, the three stages of the writing process overlap. Writing is not the kind of process where you have to finish step one before moving on to step two, and so on. Your job is to make your ideas as clear as possible for the reader, and that means you might have to go back and forth between the prewriting, writing and revising stages several times before submitting the paper.

» Prewriting Thinking about a topic

The first thing you should do when starting your research paper is to think of a topic. Try to pick a topic that interests you and your teacher — interesting topics are easier to write about than boring topics! Make sure that your topic is not too hard to research, and that there is enough material on the topic. Talk to as many people as possible about your topic, especially your teacher. You’ll be surprised at the ideas you’ll get from talking about your topic. Be sure to always discuss potential topics with your teacher.

Places you can find a topic: newspapers, magazines, television news, the World Wide Web, and even in the index of a textbook!

Narrowing down your topic

As you think about your topic and start reading, you should begin thinking about a possible thesis statement (a sentence or two explaining your opinion about the topic). One technique is to ask yourself one important question about your topic, and as you find your answer, the thesis can develop from that. Some other techniques you may use to narrow your topic are: jot lists; preliminary outlines; listing possible thesis statements; listing questions; and/or making a concept map. It also may be helpful to have a friend ask you questions about your topic.

For help on developing your thesis statement, see the English Center Guide to Developing a Thesis Statement .

Discovery/Reading about your topic

You need to find information that helps you support your thesis. There are different places you can find this information: books, articles, people (interviews), and the internet.

As you gather the information or ideas you need, you need to make sure that you take notes and write down where and who you got the information from. This is called “citing your sources.” If you write your paper using information from other writers and do not cite the sources, you are committing plagiarism . If you plagiarize, you can get an “F” on your paper, fail the course, or even get kicked out of school.

CITING SOURCES

There are three major different formats for citing sources. They are: the Modern Language Association (MLA) , the American Psychology Association (APA) , and the Chicago Turabian style . Always ask your teacher which format to use. For more information on these styles, see our other handouts!

ORGANIZING INFORMATION

After you’ve thought, read, and taken notes on your topic, you may want to revise your thesis because a good thesis will help you develop a plan for writing your paper. One way you can do this is to brainstorm — think about everything you know about your topic, and put it down on paper. Once you have it all written down, you can look it over and decide if you should change your thesis statement or not.

If you already developed a preliminary map or outline, now is the time to go back and revise it. If you haven’t developed a map or outline yet, now is the time to do it. The outline or concept map should help you organize how you want to present information to your readers. The clearer your outline or map, the easier it will be for you to write the paper. Be sure that each part of your outline supports your thesis. If it does not, you may want to change/revise your thesis statement again.

» Writing a research paper follows a standard compositional (essay) format. It has a title, introduction, body and conclusion. Some people like to start their research papers with a title and introduction, while others wait until they’ve already started the body of the paper before developing a title and introduction. See this link for more information about writing introductions and conclusions .

Some techniques that may help you with writing your paper are:

• start by writing your thesis statement
• use a free writing technique (What I mean is…)
• follow your outline or map
• pretend you are writing a letter to a friend, and tell them what you know about your topic
• follow your topic notecards

If you’re having difficulties thinking of what to write about next, you can look back at your notes that you have from when you were brainstorming for your topic.

» Revising The last (but not least) step is revising. When you are revising, look over your paper and make changes in weak areas. The different areas to look for mistakes include: content– too much detail, or too little detail; organization/structure (which is the order in which you write information about your topic); grammar; punctuation; capitalization; word choice; and citations.

It probably is best if you focus on the “big picture” first. The “big picture” means the organization (paragraph order), and content (ideas and points) of the paper. It also might help to go through your paper paragraph by paragraph and see if the main idea of each paragraph relates to the thesis. Be sure to keep an eye out for any repeated information (one of the most common mistakes made by students is having two or more paragraphs with the same information). Often good writers combine several paragraphs into one so they do not repeat information.

Revision Guidelines

• The audience understands your paper.
• The sentences are clear and complete.
• All paragraphs relate to the thesis.
• Each paragraph explains its purpose clearly.
• You do not repeat large blocks of information in two or more different paragraphs.
• The information in your paper is accurate.
• A friend or classmate has read through your paper and offered suggestions.

After you are satisfied with the content and structure of the paper, you then can focus on common errors like grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, typos, and word choice.

Proofreading Guidelines

• Subjects and verbs agree.
• Verb tenses are consistent.
• Pronouns agree with the subjects they substitute.
• Word choices are clear.
• Capitalization is correct.
• Spelling is correct.
• Punctuation is correct.
• References are cited properly.

For more information on proofreading, see the English Center Punctuation and Grammar Review .

After writing the paper, it might help if you put it aside and do not look at it for a day or two. When you look at your paper again, you will see it with new eyes and notice mistakes you didn’t before. It’s a really good idea to ask someone else to read your paper before you submit it to your teacher. Good writers often get feedback and revise their paper several times before submitting it to the teacher.

Source: “Process of Writing a Research Paper,” by Ellen Beck and Rachel Mingo with contributions from Jules Nelson Hill and Vivion Smith, is based on the previous version by Dawn Taylor, Sharon Quintero, Robert Rich, Robert McDonald, and Katherine Eckhart.

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Step by Step: Details of the Research Process

• Select Topic
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• Gather Information
• Evaluating Information
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Social Sciences Librarian

Introduction

This flowchart should give you a good idea of the order in which to conduct library research. For more information on any step refer to the tabs above, or ask a Librarian.  Happy ReSearching.

Library Research Flowchart

Text version of research flowchart.

• Do Background Reading
• Narrow/Broaden Search
• Create Thesis Statement
• Create list of keywords
• List questions to be answered
• Write a draft outline
• Gather Materials
• Evaluate Resources
• Reliabitliy
• Point of View
• Read, Write, Edit: Organize Your Thoughts
• Think about what you've read
• Synthesize the information
• Write Your Paper
• Revise/Rewrite if necessary
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• Last Updated: Jun 12, 2024 4:57 PM
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10 Essential Steps To Writing A Research Paper

Research papers are a cornerstone of academic growth, serving as a critical tool for students to delve deep into subject matters, enhance their analytical skills, and contribute to academic discourse. See also What Is The Writing Process? Let’s try to demystify the process of writing a research paper by providing a clear, step-by-step approach that…

Research papers are a cornerstone of academic growth, serving as a critical tool for students to delve deep into subject matters, enhance their analytical skills, and contribute to academic discourse.

See also What Is The Writing Process?

Let’s try to demystify the process of writing a research paper by providing a clear, step-by-step approach that can be adapted to any academic level or subject. Planning and organization can make writing a research paper less daunting. Students are encouraged to confidently approach this intellectual journey, using this guide as a roadmap to navigate the complexities of research writing.

The first step in any academic writing project, particularly a research paper, is to understand the assignment thoroughly. Misunderstanding the prompt can lead to significant missteps down the line. It’s important to read the assignment prompt carefully and use it to plan your paper. Students should consider consulting a paper writing service to guide interpreting complex instructions or academic expectations. Essential questions to ask include: What is the purpose of the paper? Who is the audience? What is the required scope and format?

• Understanding the Assignment

Selecting a topic is more than just picking an area of interest; it involves balancing personal curiosity with academic value and resource availability. A good topic should allow you to explore questions or issues you care about while meeting the assignment’s requirements. Strategies for topic selection include brainstorming, preliminary reading, and discussing ideas with peers or instructors.

• Conducting Preliminary Research

Begin with general sources to gain an overview of your topic’s broader context. This can include textbooks, encyclopedias, or reliable online resources. Identify key themes, concepts, and terminology relevant to your subject during this phase.

As you gather more information, start focusing your research on a specific aspect of the topic. This will help you develop a focused research question or a strong thesis statement that will guide the rest of your research and writing process.

See also Writing

• Developing a Research Plan

Determine what types of sources are most appropriate for your topic. This might include books, peer-reviewed journal articles, interviews, or primary documents. Plan a realistic timeline for your research and writing, setting key milestones to ensure steady progress.

Use digital tools such as citation management software, note-taking apps, and organizational platforms to organize your research. These tools can help manage sources, keep track of important quotes, and structure your paper’s outline.

• Conducting In-Depth Research

Distinguish between scholarly and non-scholarly sources. Utilize academic databases and libraries to access credible and relevant material. Internet sources should be cautiously approached and evaluated for credibility and relevance.

Learn to assess the reliability, bias, and usefulness of each source. Critical reading and analytical note-taking are essential at this stage to ensure that you gather strong evidence to support your thesis.

• Crafting a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a concise summary of your paper’s main point or claim. It is typically one sentence long and states your position clearly. The thesis is crucial as it guides the structure and argumentation of your research paper.

As your research progresses, revisit and possibly refine your thesis statement to reflect deeper insights and stronger evidence. This may involve tightening its focus, adjusting its angle, or strengthening its argumentative power. Examples of effective thesis statements will illustrate how specificity and clarity contribute to a compelling argument.

• Creating an Outline

An outline is a blueprint for your paper; it organizes your thoughts and lays out the structure of your argument coherently. This helps prevent structural issues later in the writing process and ensures that each part of your argument flows logically into the next.

Start by outlining the main points of your introduction, body, and conclusion. Under each main point, list subpoints and supporting evidence, which can be detailed from your research that backs up your thesis. Consulting an online paper writing service can provide additional structure and guidance for students feeling overwhelmed by this stage.

• Writing the First Draft

Begin writing with the body of your paper, as it contains the bulk of information and analysis. Don’t worry about getting everything perfect on the first try. The goal is to put your research and ideas into a coherent structure.

Keep your writing clear and focused. Employ a mix of summarization, direct analysis, and critical thinking. Ensure that each paragraph opens with a clear topic sentence and closes with a transition to the next idea, ensuring smooth, logical flow.

• Revising and Editing

Once your first draft is complete, take time to revise it thoroughly. Look for ways to strengthen your argument, clarify your points, and improve the overall flow of the paper. Ensure that each section contributes directly to supporting your thesis. Don’t hesitate to rewrite sections for better clarity and impact if necessary.

After revising the content, focus on grammar, punctuation, and style. Look for mistakes like misplaced commas, incorrect verb tenses, or inconsistent formatting. Using tools from the best paper writing service can help ensure your paper meets academic standards.

• Formatting and Citations

Please familiarize yourself with the required citation style for your paper, whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago, or another format. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism and to give proper credit to the sources of your research.

Ensure your paper is formatted correctly according to your assignment requirements. This includes setting the correct margins, using the appropriate font size, and including all necessary sections like a title page, headings, and a bibliography. Many students find this step meticulous; however, a paper writer skilled in formatting can assist in polishing the final document.

• Final Proofreading and Submission

Carefully proofread your paper to catch any lingering errors and ensure it reads smoothly. Techniques such as reading aloud or having a peer review of your work can be invaluable. Check for consistency in your arguments, accuracy in your information, and completeness in your research.

Create a checklist for all elements needed for submission, including additional materials like appendices or abstracts. Ensure everything is in order before you submit your paper, whether online or in person. Double-check that all guidelines are followed to avoid last-minute surprises.

Writing a research paper is a demanding but rewarding process. By following these steps, students can produce well-organized, insightful, and high-quality research papers that meet academic standards and enhance their understanding and expertise in the chosen subject area.

Remember, using resources such as a paper writing service should complement your efforts and provide support as you develop your skills as a researcher and writer. Dedication and attention to detail make the journey from a blank page to a completed research paper a significant academic achievement.

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Steps in Writing a Research Paper

• Critical Reading and Writing
• Punctuation
• Writing Exercises
• ELL/ESL Resources

A series of steps, starting with developing a research question and working thesis, will lead you through writing a research paper. As you move through these steps and actually create the research paper, you may find that you can't move through all of them in chronological order, and that's o.k. In fact, you may change the order of the steps depending on the subject, your knowledge of the subject, and your sources. For example, sometimes you need to do just a bit of background research and reading before you can develop a research question. Sometimes you need to go back and find additional sources to corroborate your viewpoint. The research writing steps that we offer represent a general, ideal, movement through the research writing process. In reality, writers often repeat or circle back as needed.

Hey, wait a minute . . . why did we say "ideal?" In our opinion, these steps represent the best way to move through the writing process because they ask you to think and develop a research question before you actually do a lot of research. The one big mess that you can get into, as a student, comes from doing too much unfocused research before identifying your own viewpoint, the one that you will eventually need to support. If you do too much unfocused research first, then the tendency is to try to include all of it in the paper. The result is a hodgepodge of information that's not focused, developed fully, or indicative of your own thoughts. It's also not efficient to do too much research before you really know what you're looking for. Try it our way--develop that research question first--to cut out a lot of research paper mess.

These steps will lead you through writing a research paper:

• One Big Mess...
• Developing a Research Question
• Thesis Characteristics
• Finding Sources
• Evaluating Sources
• Taking Notes
• Working with Quotations
• Writing Summaries & Paraphrases
• Building the Essay Draft
• Documentation Formats
• Revising and Proofreading the Draft

Need Assistance?

If you would like assistance with any type of writing assignment, learning coaches are available to assist you. Please contact Academic Support by emailing [email protected].

Questions or feedback about SUNY Empire's Writing Support?

Contact us at [email protected] .

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• All About Thesis Methodology Flowcharts

Methodology flowchart thesis illustrations show how you plan to do your research. They help you understand your research goals and guide you in choosing the right questions, selecting samples, collecting data, and analyzing it.

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When writing a thesis, dissertation, or academic article, you need to present information in a structured way. To do this, researchers use different methods and approaches to gather and analyze data. The methodology section of a thesis is important because it explains what you did and how you conducted your research. This helps readers evaluate the accuracy and trustworthiness of your work.

Most researchers employ methodology flowchart thesis presentations to strategize, structure, portray, and conceptualize their research methodologies. This article demonstrates the importance of thesis methodology flowcharts through real-life thesis flow chart examples and a practical way to construct them.

In this article

• Importance of Thesis Research Methodology Flowcharts
• EdrawMax- A One-Stop Solution to Thesis Methodology Flowchart Designing Needs!
• How to Craft a Detailed Thesis Methodology Flowchart Using EdrawMax?

Part I: Importance of Thesis Research Methodology Flowcharts

The research thesis methodology flowcharts show how you will tackle your research questions, making your research more successful. Creating a thesis flowchart involves studying the theories and ideas that guide the procedures in your field and organizing your activities in a step-by-step order.

Research methodology flowcharts are very important because they provide a clear plan that helps researchers stay focused and makes the process efficient and manageable. It ensures that your conclusions are based on scientific principles and gives your research credibility.

Part II: EdrawMax- A One-Stop Solution to Thesis Methodology Flowchart Designing Needs!

Creating a structure for your dissertation takes a lot of time. You need to organize your ideas and have strong supporting details. If you don't arrange things in order, your ideas can become confused and unclear. To avoid this, you need a modern diagramming tool that can help you save time and focus on writing your dissertation.

EdrawMax helps you bring your ideas to life when designing thesis flowcharts. It has many useful features like a wide range of symbols, the ability to create multiple pages, helpful alignment tools, easy customization options, and various ways to export your work. Whether you're a student, researcher, teacher, or anyone in education, EdrawMax is a complete solution for all your drawing needs.

Visual Illustration of a Thesis Methodology Flowchart

Consider this practical methodology flowchart thesis example to gain insights into how a well-structured thesis methodology flowchart seems:

When you conduct research, it's important to follow a step-by-step process to ensure accurate and reliable results. This process involves discovering, collecting, evaluating, and presenting ideas in a specific order. By following this standardized procedure, your thesis will be reliable and won't have any incorrect findings. Here is the methodized step-by-step process to help you formulate your thesis research methodology:

Preliminary Strategizing

Before starting your research, it's important to plan ahead. This involves choosing the location, field, and community where you will conduct your research. It's also important to get permission from the community to conduct your research, as it's an ethical concern.

Next, you need to set a clear objective for your thesis and come up with a logical research question. You can do this by observing, studying, or analyzing a situation. Observations can be intentional, where you purposely observe a specific behavior in a community. Sometimes, research questions arise from analyzing current situations, like the coronavirus, pollution, or poverty in a certain town.

Data Collection

Collecting data is an important step in research. It involves observing or measuring things in a systematic way. Before you start collecting data, you need to clearly define your goals. You can do this by explaining the problem you want to address. For example, you might collect data on bomb blast victims or people with aggressive behaviors.

There are two types of data: primary and secondary data. Primary data is information that you collect directly from original sources. Secondary data, on the other hand, is information that has already been gathered or processed by someone else.

Data Processing

After collecting data, the next step is to decide how to process and analyze it. Data processing is when you take the collected data and turn it into useful information that can be used by others. This information can help support or disprove theories, make decisions, or bring about positive changes in a community.

To choose the right data processing method, consider the nature and type of your research and think about your thesis research question. It's important not to get too specific at this stage and avoid discussing any results. Focus on finding a suitable technique that will help you process and analyze your data effectively.

Data Analysis

Researchers use data analysis to make sense of their research findings by organizing, combining, summarizing, and categorizing the data. This helps them identify patterns and themes in the information they have collected.

In the thesis methodology flowchart example mentioned above, the data analysis techniques used are lean and Six Sigma concepts . These methods follow a series of steps, including defining, measuring, analyzing, categorizing, and improving the data to make it more meaningful and valuable.

Evaluation Phase

Data evaluation is a way to check if data is trustworthy, thorough, and consistent. It involves comparing data with specific goals, finding any missing information, and discovering trends, patterns, and connections. Another name for data evaluation is data mining because it uses statistical analysis to uncover valuable insights and generate better information.

Report Writing

Once you have finished your research, it's time to organize and present the information you have gathered. Report writing involves putting all the information together, drawing conclusions based on your findings, and providing recommendations based on the results. It's important to consider who will be reading your report, as the audience plays a significant role in how you present your information.

Part III: How to Craft a Detailed Thesis Methodology Flowchart Using EdrawMax?

EdrawMax is a user-friendly and affordable tool that helps people create detailed diagrams quickly. It's accessible to both small and medium-sized users, making it easy for everyone to make complex diagrams in just a few minutes. Let's see how you can use EdrawMax to create a fantastic flowchart for organizing your thesis.

Download and launch "EdrawMax" on your device for thesis methodology flowchart creation.

Click the "New" tab in the left pane, hover over the "Basic Flowchart" tab, and click the "Create New" button.

Sketch the skeleton of your thesis methodology flowchart by drawing all the required shapes on the canvas at accurate locations.

Embed relevant information in each box to portray your details in exact sequence; you can also rescale the shapes to accommodate larger texts.

Join all the shapes to develop a flow in your thesis methodology flowchart; for this, navigate to the "Connector" tab in the "Home" menu.

You can also personalize the outlook of your thesis research methodology flowchart for enhanced understanding; to do so, navigate to the "Design" tab and apply your desired changes.

To customize an individual item or multiple items simultaneously, select those items and perform your preferred modification.

Click the "Export" option at the top and choose your desired format to save your research thesis methodology flowchart.

Benefits of Using EdrawMax for Thesis Methodology Flowchart Designing

Before using a diagramming application , it's important to consider its features, price, compatibility, and other important factors. Doing thorough research on these aspects will help you make an informed decision and avoid the inconvenience of switching between multiple tools because they don't have the right features for your needs.

EdrawMax is an excellent platform for designing methodology flow chart thesis projects because it offers a wide range of tools that suit everyone's needs. We have listed several reasons why EdrawMax is the best choice for creating your academic diagrams.

• EdrawMax has a Templates Community where you can find ready-made templates to save you the trouble of starting from scratch. It also has a variety of symbol libraries to create different types of flowcharts, making it more fun and expressive.
• With EdrawMax, you can add multiple pages to your thesis flowchart project, keeping your ideas organized and avoiding complexity. You can also enhance your flowcharts by adding pictures, hyperlinks, charts, tables, icons, and other elements to make them insightful and expressive.
• The user interface of EdrawMax is easy to use, with a quick toolbar that allows you to customize shapes and text with just one click. Even the free version of EdrawMax offers customization options like fill and border color, border style, width, rescaling, background type, connector type, and font customization.
• EdrawMax also supports real-time collaboration, which is helpful when you need to discuss and refine your methodology flowchart with your research supervisor. Additionally, you can export your methodology flowchart thesis file in various formats such as PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, and Visio.
• Overall, EdrawMax provides a user-friendly and versatile platform for creating and customizing methodology flowcharts for your thesis.

Writing a thesis requires careful attention to analyzing and presenting research findings. The methodology you choose for your dissertation plays a crucial role in how you collect data, analyze it, and present your results. Whether you're conducting qualitative or quantitative research, the methodology you use has a significant impact on your entire dissertation.

To make your research more organized, you can create a thesis methodology flowchart . This flowchart helps you outline and visualize the step-by-step process of your research, from selecting techniques and approaches to analyzing data and presenting results. This article offers a detailed guide on how to create a practical and visually appealing thesis methodology flowchart to enhance your research process.

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Research Methodology Flowchart [classic]

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How to Make a Flowchart: Beginner’s Guide (& Free Templates)

Written by: Mahnoor Sheikh

Knowing how to make a flowchart is a valuable skill, regardless of your field or industry. If you’re intimidated by the thought of creating a flowchart from scratch, we’re here to help you out.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basic steps of designing a flowchart that helps you achieve your goals in the best possible way.

If you want to skip the tutorial and start creating your own flowchart, use our drag-and-drop flowchart maker to get started right away.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit  flowchart templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

How to Make a Flowchart in 7 Simple Steps

Step #1: know the purpose of your flowchart., step #2: start with a template., step #3: add shapes and symbols., step #4: connect your shapes with lines and arrows., step #5: split paths or add decisions., step #6: customize your flowchart’s appearance., step #7: download or share your flowchart., bonus: make your flowchart interactive., flowchart best practices, 10 flowchart templates to help you get started.

• A flowchart is a visual representation of the steps, decisions and relations involved in a process.
• The best way to create a flowchart is to start by clarifying its purpose, choosing a suitable template, adding relevant shapes and symbols and connecting them using lines and arrows.
• Then, include decision points or branching paths, customize the appearance of the flowchart, and finally, download or share the completed flowchart.
• Visme's flowchart templates come with a wide variety of shapes and symbols that can be used to represent different parts of your process. You can also customize the colors, style and size of the shapes as well as their alignment within the flowchart.
• Sign-up for Visme's free online flowchart maker and create professional-looking flowcharts in just a few clicks.

What is a Flowchart?

A flowchart is a visual representation of a process, system or workflow. It uses a combination of symbols, shapes and arrows to illustrate the sequence of steps and decisions involved in accomplishing a task. Think of a flowchart as a roadmap that guides you from start to finish, showcasing the logical flow of actions and providing a clear overview of a process.

Much like bubble charts , scatter plots and graphs, flowcharts have versatile applications across various industries and disciplines. They are widely used for process analysis, project management and designing systems, providing a visual framework that enhances understanding.

What are the 4 Types of Flowcharts?

Flowcharts come in various types, each with its unique purpose and structure. Let's dive into the four main types of flowcharts you need to know. Additionally, we will provide an example flowchart template for each type to enhance your understanding.

1. Process Flowcharts

This is one of the most commonly used flowcharts compared to the others. Process flowcharts or process flow diagrams depict step-by-step sequences of activities within a process, making it easy to understand the workflow. They are ideal for analyzing and optimizing processes, identifying bottlenecks and improving efficiency.

2. Swimlane Flowcharts

Swimlane flowcharts take process flowcharts to the next level by introducing swimlanes representing different departments, individuals or responsibilities. They provide a clear visual representation of handoffs and interactions, helping identify accountability, collaboration and areas of improvement.

3. Data Flowcharts

Focused on the movement of data within a system or process, these flowcharts illustrate how data is processed, stored or transformed. They are widely used in software development, system analysis and data management to understand and optimize data flow.

4. Workflow Diagrams

Also known as deployment flowcharts, these diagrams showcase interactions between different entities in a system or process. They visualize the flow of tasks, decisions and events among individuals, departments or systems. Workflow diagrams help understand and improve coordination and communication between various components.

Read this article to learn more about the 15 most popular types of flowcharts and discover how each one can enhance your understanding of processes, optimize workflow, and improve decision-making.

The best flowcharts are simple and clear, and effectively communicate each step of the process.

By following some basic structure, diagramming and design concepts, you can create visually appealing and easy-to-understand flowcharts.

Our flowchart tutorial below is broken down into 7 simple steps

Follow these simple steps to create a flowchart that checks all the right boxes.

Before knowing how to design a flowchart, it is mandatory to find out why you’re creating one in the first place.

Your flowchart can have various goals, such as:

• Making a complex process easier to understand
• Improving an existing business process by identifying bottlenecks
• Explaining or communicating a process to someone else
• Standardizing a process for consistency and efficiency

When you know the purpose of your flowchart, it’s easier to choose the type of flowchart to create, pick the most relevant template, and know whether to focus more on design or function when making one.

Creating a flowchart from scratch can be intimidating. Luckily, you don’t have to.

There are plenty of flowchart templates available online that you can customize and adapt for your own use. Try to select a template that’s created specifically for your field or industry so it takes you less time and effort to finalize.

If you’re looking for professionally designed flowchart templates, browse through Visme’s flowchart template library with dozens of options for various fields. When you find something you like, hover on it and click on Edit to start customizing it.

You can also choose to start with a blank canvas and use pre-made flowchart content blocks to put your diagram together.

The easiest way to create a flowchart is by utilizing a dedicated flowchart maker, such as Visme. However, you can also create a basic flowchart using software like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. This can be difficult for a beginner but might be a good option if you’re already confident about your diagramming skills and aren’t interested in using pre-made templates.

Samantha, a satisfied small business owner, shares why Visme is the ultimate destination for finding the perfect flowchart template.

“I was looking for flow-chart style templates with other brands in the trial phase, and I couldn't find anything- I tried Visme and instantly found at least 100 different flow-chart template options.”

Shapes and symbols play a vital role in any flowchart. They define the components of your flowchart, and each symbol represents something unique.

Read our brief guide to flowchart symbols above to familiarize yourself with the most common shapes and symbols before continuing with this step.

After you’ve identified the purpose of your flowchart, it’s time to draw your diagram. The first thing you need to do here is add the symbols that represent all the components in your flowchart.

If you’re making your flowchart in Visme, you can add flowchart symbols by clicking on the Data tab on your left, and then selecting Diagrams .

You can also add blocks of pre-made flows with 3-4 shapes by navigating over to the Basics tab and selecting Diagrams from there.

Once you’ve added some basic shapes, you can now connect them with lines and arrows. This leads us to the next step.

Once you’ve added all the different shapes you need, it’s time to connect each one with lines and arrows.

We recommend using arrows if you want to show a specific direction of your flow of information. For example, the flowchart example below visualizes how information is flowing in different directions with the help of arrows.

In Visme, there are various line and arrow designs to choose from if you want to add them manually. All of the lines and arrows are fully customizable, drag-and-drop, and easy to rearrange and move around.

Another way to quickly create your flowchart in Visme is to integrate the two steps of adding shapes and connecting them.

You can simply add one shape, click on it, select any of the small arrows that appear on the sides of the shape, and click on a pre-made flow to extend your diagram.

If you want to change the new shape that appears, just click on it, tap on Edit at the top, and change the shape or symbol to one that suits your needs.

Keep doing this until your flowchart is ready!

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In some cases, you may want to split paths and add decisions to your flowchart, such as adding two different paths based on Yes/No decisions.

This is useful for visualizing complex processes that require people to take different actions based on varying inputs and outputs.

For example, you may want your employees to shut down a system in case of a power outage. At the same time, you’d want them to keep the system turned on if there’s only minor electricity fluctuation.

In Visme, adding decisions and split paths is easy.

When you click on a shape to extend it, you can choose one of the pre-made split path blocks to extend your flowchart in two different directions.

If you want, you can add text next to each path, such as “Yes” or “No”. Just drag and drop the Text block from the Data → Diagrams tab in the left-hand panel, and edit it.

Suppose you want to educate your audience on diagnosing and resolving slow server issues. To do this, you must include checking both swap and CPU percentages, along with appropriate actions to take based on high and low values.

Here is a flowchart template that visualizes the process:

The next step is to customize your flowchart’s appearance. Your flowchart’s design will depend on how you plan to use your diagram, where you’ll use it and who the audience is.

Visme’s “Shortcuts” feature makes it super easy for you to find everything you need to customize your flowchart template. By typing the forward slash "/" on your keyboard, a popup appears, providing quick access to a wide range of customization options.

From animations, shapes, and icons to special effects and data visualizations, you'll find almost everything Visme offers right at your fingertips.

With this time-saving feature, you can focus more on your content and ideas, knowing that the design aspect is simplified and optimized for maximum visual impact.

There are several ways to customize your flowchart’s appearance in Visme.

Customize your shapes and lines.

First, you may want to change the size, color, border, roundness and other characteristics of your shapes, symbols and lines.

You can do all of this in Visme by selecting the element in question, and clicking on Edit at the top to reveal the customization toolbar.

You can also change the font, font size, font color and font style of any text in your flowchart, such as the text inside shapes or next to the lines.

Resizing your shapes and lines is easy to do as well. Simply click on a shape and drag it using the controls on each side and corner.

Add relevant icons.

Flowcharts don’t always need to be all text and shapes and no graphics. Sprinkle some visual fun into your flowchart by adding icons where possible.

For example, instead of using text that says “Yes” or “No”, you can add icons of green check marks and red X/cross marks.

You can also add icons in place of the actual shapes and symbols to visualize components. This is especially useful in system diagram flowcharts, where you can add icons of computers, cloud, firewalls, switches, routers and more.

Visme comes built-in with thousands of free vector icons — all fully customizable.

Just click on the Graphics tab, select Icons and sift through the categories manually, or type in your keyword at the top to find relevant options.

You can change the colors of the icons, resize them, replace them with one click and even upload your own icons to enhance your flowchart’s design.

Add a header.

Make your flowchart design stand out by adding an eye-catching header at the top. Headers are not only useful for making your flowchart look good, they’re great tools for communicating the title and purpose of your flowchart.

Create an effective flowchart header by using large and bold text, and even add a graphic like an image or illustration to emphasize on your topic.

In Visme, you can add a header to your flowchart by clicking on the Basics tab and selecting Header & Text . Browse through the options and drag what you like onto your flowchart.

You can also choose from pre-designed font pairs or customize the header that came with your Visme flowchart template.

If you want to add an image to your header, select the Photos tab, and browse through millions of free stock photos. You can also upload your own images from your computer.

Another way to decorate your flowchart header in Visme is to find a relevant illustration or icon in the Graphics tab and resizing it so it’s big enough to fit in the header. Play around with the design and take advantage of visuals to communicate your flowchart topic more effectively.

Change the background.

Add a background to your flowchart to make it stand out. You can add a solid color background or take things up a notch and add an image.

Whatever background you choose to go with, make sure it doesn’t distract readers from the actual flowchart. Your shapes, symbols and lines should be clearly visible at all times.

One way to do that is to add a color overlay to your background image to make the objects and text on top stand out in contrast. You can easily add color overlays to any images in Visme.

Take it a step further and utilize Visme's AI Image generator to effortlessly create various types of backgrounds. This powerful tool enables you to generate unique and eye-catching visuals, such as gradients, abstract patterns or even custom images.

By leveraging the AI Image generator, you can easily customize your flowchart's background to make it truly stand out and leave a lasting impression on your audience. Just type what you want and it will give you exactly what you are looking for.

Once your flowchart is ready, it’s time to download it or share it with your target audience.

In Visme, you have a range of download options for your flowchart, including high-quality PNG and JPG image formats for printing and sharing.

You can also save it as a PDF document for a consistent layout in reports and presentations. Visme offers interactive HTML5 files for embedding in websites, as well as SCORM and xAPI formats for integration with e-learning platforms. Additionally, you can download your flowchart as a PPTX file to use as a presentation slide.

Apart from downloads, Visme lets you publish your flowchart online with a unique URL or generate an embed code for seamless integration into web pages or projects. These features provide flexibility in sharing and distributing your flowcharts.

Breathe life into your flowcharts through an array of interactive features. With the intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, you can effortlessly add clickable buttons, links and hotspots to engage viewers and provide additional information.

Imagine you're creating a flow chart to explain a step-by-step process for using a software application. You can add clickable buttons to each step of the flowchart, allowing users to navigate directly to relevant sections of the application or access related resources.

For instance, you can create a button labeled "Settings" that, when clicked, takes the user to the settings page of the application.

Enhance the user experience by incorporating hover effects and animated transitions, ensuring a seamless journey through your flowchart.

For example, when moving from one phase to another in a flowchart depicting a project management workflow, you can utilize animated transitions to create a visually appealing and engaging transition effect.

Additionally, you can embed multimedia elements like videos, audio and interactive charts to convey complex concepts with clarity and impact.

Visme's collaboration features enable team members to work simultaneously on the same flowchart. Use it to brainstorm ideas, make edits, and provide feedback. Everyone involved can see changes happening in real time, fostering a cohesive and efficient workflow.

Additionally, Visme keeps a detailed revision history, allowing you to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed.

Invite your team members via email or a shareable link and collaborate seamlessly on creating captivating flowcharts.

Also, Visme's workflow management tool streamlines your design process by letting you assign tasks, set deadlines, and oversee progress. Easily manage your team's work in one place to deliver quality content on time.

Making a flowchart is an art, and if you know the basic rules you will do wonders. Below are some best practices to help you make any flowchart more effective and efficient.

• Establish the flow direction. The format of your flowchart must be from left to right or top to bottom. This sort of formatting will help the user of your flowchart understand the process more easily.
• Run your return lines under your flowchart. Make sure that the return lines of your flowchart do not overlap because this can create complications for the users of your flowchart.
• Keep consistent spacing between symbols. A neat and clean flowchart will help you achieve your goals faster. So, make your flowchart clearer and easier to understand by adding consistent spacing between the symbols.
• Use the correct symbol for each step. Every symbol has a specific role in your flowchart, so make sure you use the right one to visualize each step to avoid any potential confusion or miscommunication.
• Use all caps. Using all caps in your flowchart text makes it look more professional and easier to read. It also highlights each step and gives it equal importance.

Looking for some flowchart templates to give you a head start?

In this section, we’ve put together a bunch of flowchart templates that are professionally designed and ready to use.

You can use these flowchart examples to accelerate your flowchart creation process. This is especially useful if you’re a beginner and you don’t want to deal with making a flowchart from scratch.

Click on the button below the template to start customizing using Visme’s flowchart generator .

Template #1: Server Network Diagram

Make an eye-catching server flowchart for your business with this basic network diagram template. You can also use it for other specific purposes, such as for visualizing a firewall system or an office network.

This ready-to-go flowchart template can be customized in Visme’s drag-and-drop editor. Change shapes, lines, text, colors, background and more.

Template #2: Customer Service Flowchart

This yes/no flowchart is a great way to train your customer service employees, such as sales reps, on how to respond to various customer queries and problems.

You can modify this ready-made flowchart with your own text, rearrange the shapes, and customize the design with your own brand colors and fonts.

If you need assistance writing your flowchart's text and description, use Visme’s AI Writer . This tool can generate, proofread, edit and even rephrase your flowchart text. All you need to do is provide the tool with the necessary information about your requirements, and it will do the work for you in seconds.

Template #3: Project Team Flowchart

This project team flowchart is essentially an organizational chart that you can use to visualize your team structure.

You can customize this flowchart for any business, department or team, and it’s very helpful for understanding roles, responsibilities and who to report to. Replace the existing text, colors, shapes and more in the template with your own and you’re good to go.

If you want to maintain consistent branding, it's crucial to create a flowchart design that aligns with your organization's brand personality .

With Visme's brand wizard tool , you can easily achieve this level of consistency. Save your brand colors , brand fonts , and logo within the brand wizard, and apply them to your flowchart design in just a few clicks.

This ensures that your flowchart seamlessly reflects your brand's visual identity , reinforcing your brand image and professionalism.

Watch the tutorial video below to learn about saving your brand assets under the My Brand aread in Visme.

Template #4: Hiring Process Flowchart

This hiring process flowchart is an asset for your human resources team and makes it easier to understand the entire recruiting process.

Feel free to customize this template according to your unique needs. For example, you may want to use it to visualize a production process or another HR process. Also, you can seamlessly create a process map to represent and improve any procedure visually.

Template #5: Website Rebranding Flowchart

This website rebranding flowchart can help you make decisions faster by mapping out the various factors that go into making a particular decision.

You can customize this template for any other use, such as for helping sales reps make better decisions, and even change the design so it’s more in line with your company’s branding.

Template #6: Should I Check Email Flowchart

This fun flowchart template is attractive and functional. You can use it to visualize decision-making for your business or personal use.

Modify this template for your own use by editing the colors, text, shapes, background and more. Download it in high-quality image or PDF format to use on its own or add to other projects, or share online using a link or embed code.

Take your flowchart to the next level with Visme's dynamic text animation features . With a selection of eight different animation styles, you can bring your flowchart to life and captivate your audience's attention.

By strategically applying text animations to key elements or labels within your flowchart, you can effectively highlight important information, guide the viewer's focus, and improve your flowchart's overall quality and impact.

Template #7: Technology Flowchart

Use this flowchart template to help your employees or customers solve technology problems, such as a slow server or an unresponsive application.

This is a great flowchart idea to place on your website's help page, and then if it doesn't solve the problem, users can get in touch for additional support.

The user-friendly editing tools in Visme are the best way to make a flowchart that aligns with your brand. You can shorten or extend it to fit your diagramming needs.

Template #8: Circuit Block Diagram

Explain the basics of circuits better with this block diagram template. You can also use it as a data flow diagram for any other purpose.

The best thing about this template is you can make changes in the text, colors and design easily. Download it once you’re done and add it to other projects like reports.

And if you're looking to create detailed reports, Visme can assist you with that. With Visme's AI report writer , you can streamline the report creation process. It helps you generate first drafts that you can further customize with your own colors, text and branding and ensure a professional look that suits your project's needs.

Template #9: Social Media Flowchart

This how-to flowchart can help you explain the process of completing a task quickly and easily based on Yes or No decisions.

This particular template focuses on setting up social media channels, but you can modify it for any other topic, field or industry.

Use Visme's powerful analytics feature to track the performance of your flowchart and gain valuable insights into how users engage with the content. You will get access to the number of views, average time spent, unique visits, date/time of view, visitor IP, visitor location and more.

Utilize this information to evaluate user interactions, pinpoint areas that need improvement, and make informed decisions to enhance the efficiency of your flowcharts.

Template #10: Product Launch Flowchart

This bright and engaging flowchart template is all about planning a successful product launch day or event. It’s a great tool for keeping all the team members on the same page so everyone knows what to do and when.

You can keep this small business flowchart as is or modify everything — from the topic to text to colors to shapes and more.

In addition to the flowcharts, you can use decision trees for easy and logical decision making. Explore this comprehensive guide to learn more and get free decision tree templates .

Create Your Own Flowchart for Free

If you’re all prepped to create your own flowchart and you know what the common flowchart symbols are, it’s time to make your own flowchart.

Making a flowchart is an easy process if you have the right tools at your disposal.

Visme’s flowchart maker is a great alternative to Word, especially for beginners who want to quickly create flowcharts with minimum effort. It is also an excellent Visio alternative due to its ease of use and functionality.

Another benefit of using Visme is that you get access to professionally designed flowchart templates that are a treat to the eyes.

So, what are you waiting for? Happy diagraming!

Easily create a beautiful flowcharts in minutes with Visme

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About the Author

Mahnoor Sheikh is the content marketing manager at Visme. She has years of experience in content strategy and execution, SEO copywriting and graphic design. She is also the founder of MASH Content and is passionate about tea, kittens and traveling with her husband. Get in touch with her on LinkedIn .

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Blog Graphs and Charts How to Create a Flowchart in Seven Easy Steps

How to Create a Flowchart in Seven Easy Steps

Written by: Danesh Ramuthi Nov 28, 2023

Learn how to create a flowchart in just 7 steps in this article. From defining your flowchart’s purpose to customizing its appearance, each step is designed to streamline the process. 

Discover the various types of flowcharts to enhance your skill set. 

Begin creating your own using Venngage’s flowchart maker and a wide range of flowchart templates .

How to create a flowchart in seven steps?

Step 1: find out the purpose of your flowchart, step 2: outline key steps with appropriate symbols, step 3: arrange the elements correctly, step 4: link elements with lines and arrows, step 5: create the flowchart, step 6: test and enhance the flowchart as needed.

Step 7: Opt for a pre-designed template for ease

Creating a flowchart can be a straightforward yet powerful tool for visualizing processes, from simple tasks to complex workflows. Whether you’re mapping business processes, computer programming algorithms or project management steps, a well-structured flowchart can transform complex processes into easy-to-understand diagrams. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you start creating effective flowcharts.

The first step in creating a flowchart is to determine its purpose. This is crucial as it influences the type of flowchart you’ll use and the level of detail required. There are various flowchart types, each suited for different needs:

• Process flowchart : Often used to map out the steps in a process, making it ideal for understanding and improving business processes.
• Workflow Diagrams : These focus on the movement of tasks or data through various stages, useful in optimizing workflows.
• Data flow diagrams (DFD) : Primarily used in software development, DFDs illustrate how data flows through a system.
• Swimlane diagram : This type is useful for showing how different departments or roles contribute to a process.

Understanding the main flowchart types helps in choosing the right format for your needs, whether it’s a basic flowchart for simple tasks or a complex flowchart for detailed processes.

Once you’ve identified the purpose of your flowchart, the next step is to outline the process steps. It involves identifying all the components of the process and representing them with common flowchart symbols . These symbols serve as the visual representation of the process steps and are key to making the flowchart easy to understand.

Common flowchart symbols include:

• Oval : Represents the start and end points.
• Rectangle : Used for a standard process step.
• Diamond Shape : Denotes a decision point.
• Parallelogram : Indicates input or output.
• Arrow : Shows the direction of the flow.

Different flowchart symbols serve various purposes and understanding what each symbol represents is crucial in accurately mapping out the process. In tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs or online flowchart makers, you can easily access these symbols from the shape menu. Additionally, flowchart templates can be a great starting point, offering a blank canvas with basic shapes to drag and drop as needed.

By correctly using these symbols, you can create flowcharts that are not only visually appealing but also provide a clear and concise visual representation of complex processes, ensuring that all stakeholders are on the same page.

Arranging the elements correctly is another important step in how to create a flowchart. At this stage, various flowchart symbols and shapes are placed in a logical order to reflect the actual process flow.

In this step, it’s important to ensure that all components of the process – from manual input to data flow and decision points – are represented using the correct flowchart symbols. Common shapes like rectangles, diamonds and arrows are used to denote different stages of the process.

For instance, a diamond shape is typically used as a decision symbol, indicating a point in the process where a decision must be made.

Next, link the elements with lines and arrows. Start by connecting the various shapes (which represent process steps) to depict the flow of the process. Arrows, in particular, are essential in a flowchart as they indicate the direction of the process flow.

Ensure that these lines and arrows point in the right direction and clearly demonstrate the sequence of steps in the process. Proper linking of elements helps in creating a flowchart that is easy to follow and understand, especially for complex processes.

Once you are done with linking the element, proceed with reviewing and finalizing the diagram. Here you need to ensure that every process step is correctly represented and linked, and the overall design is coherent and logical. It’s often helpful to share the draft flowchart with others for feedback, especially those who are unfamiliar with the process, to ensure that it’s easily understandable.

Once the flowchart is finalized, it can be saved and shared with the intended audience. Most flowchart software allows you to save the document in various formats, making it easy to share on different platforms. 

Testing and enhancing your flowchart is a critical step to ensure its effectiveness. This involves reviewing the flowchart to verify that it accurately represents the process and is easy to understand for the intended audience. Here’s how you can approach this:

• Review for clarity : Examine the flowchart to ensure that each step is clearly represented and easy to follow. This includes checking the flowchart symbols, the order of steps and the overall design.
• Feedback collection : Share the flowchart with colleagues or those familiar with the process. Their insights can reveal areas that might need more clarification or simplification.
• Iterative improvements : Based on the feedback, make necessary adjustments. This might involve rearranging steps, refining the use of flowchart symbols or simplifying complex parts of the diagram.
• Consistency check : Ensure that all parts of the flowchart are consistent in terms of symbols, terminology and layout. It is especially crucial for complex flowcharts or those depicting business processes or data flow diagrams.

Using pre-designed templates can significantly simplify the process of creating a flowchart, especially for those who are new to this or are dealing with complex processes. Here’s why and how to use them:

• Time-saving : Templates provide a ready-made structure, which can save time and effort, especially when dealing with standard processes or common business scenarios.
• Customizability : Many templates, such as those offered by Venngage, are customizable. This allows you to adjust the template to fit your specific needs while maintaining a professional look.
• Consistency and professionalism : Templates are designed to be visually appealing and consistent, which adds a level of professionalism to your flowcharts.
• Accessibility : Most online flowchart makers, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs, offer a range of flowchart templates. These can be easily accessed and used as a starting point for your flowchart.
• Versatility : Whether you’re creating a basic process map, a swimlane flowchart or a data flow diagram, there’s likely a template that suits your needs.

Related: How to Make a Flowchart in Microsoft Word in 2023

What are the types of flowchart?

Flowcharts are versatile tools, with each type designed to address specific aspects of processes and decision-making. The most common types include the Process Flowchart, ideal for outlining business or operational processes and the Decision Flowchart, which is focused on mapping out decision-making paths and their potential outcomes. 

For organizational tasks, the Workflow Flowchart is key, showing how tasks and data move through a system, while the Swimlane Flowchart is perfect for delineating responsibilities across different departments. Further specialized types include the Use Case Flowchart, often used in software development to depict interactions with a system and the EPC Flowchart, which models business processes by highlighting events, functions and connectors. 

The System or Program Flowchart is crucial in programming, detailing the control flow in systems or algorithms and the Data or Document Flowchart is used to illustrate how data is managed within a system.

For a more in-depth exploration of these flowchart types and to see practical examples, check out this detailed article on Venngage on types of flowchart. It’s a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about the different flowcharts and their applications.

Related: 7 Best Flowchart Software for 2023

Drawing things to a close

Perfectly outlining the fundamental steps, the article demonstrated how to create a flowchart, an indispensable tool for visualizing and simplifying both simple and complex processes

Starting with identifying the purpose of your flowchart, you have learned how to outline the key steps using appropriate symbols, arrange elements correctly, link them with lines and arrows, and finally, create the flowchart.

Moreover, I have briefly explained the different types of flowcharts, each serving specific purposes, from decision-making to data flow visualization. Understanding these types enables you to select the most suitable type for your specific needs, whether in project management, software development or business process modeling.

Flowcharts are powerful tools for breaking down and communicating complex information in a clear, concise manner

Ready to start creating your flowchart? Explore Venngage’s flowchart maker and a wide array of customizable flowchart templates to bring your ideas to life with ease.

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