Research papers are a common type of paper for students to write, especially when they are attending college. These papers require students to perform research, such as utilizing primary and secondary sources to draw new conclusions. For students who have not written this type of paper before, it may seem daunting. There are many free sample research papers online for those who want to see how to
. structure their paper and other details.Diane Hacker, an author who writes manuals for students writing papers, offers several free samples online. These are located at http://www.dianahacker.com/student.html. Hacker provides a sample research paper in the MLA style and another in the APA style. These are the two most common formatting styles for research papers and most professors require one of the styles. Students have to follow certain margin guidelines, header and footer rules and type a correctly formatted bibliography for these styles.Jefferson Community College, located online at http://www.sunyjefferson.edu/library/mla_sample.html, has a sample research paper that earned top marks in its class. This sample has information about why the paper earned such a high grade, including having a clear focus and organization. The paper is also formatted according to the MLA guidelines, so it is helpful for people to study who need to use that formatting style.Cornell University, online at http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill1.htm, offers information on the steps to researching a paper. This is a great site to read to understand what type of sources to use, how to develop the research topic and how to structure the paper. It includes links to other websites with more information and sample papers.All of the free sample research papers are for reference only. Writers that take the material from the paper and do not alter it are committing plagiarism, which can lead to a failing grade on their own paper. More reference links: http://www.dianahacker.com/student.html http://www.sunyjefferson.edu/library/mla_sample.html
