research paper 7 pages

How To Write A Research Paper

Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + FREE Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | March 2024

For many students, crafting a strong research paper from scratch can feel like a daunting task – and rightly so! In this post, we’ll unpack what a research paper is, what it needs to do , and how to write one – in three easy steps. 🙂 

Overview: Writing A Research Paper

What (exactly) is a research paper.

• How to write a research paper
• Stage 1 : Topic & literature search
• Stage 2 : Structure & outline
• Stage 3 : Iterative writing
• Key takeaways

Let’s start by asking the most important question, “ What is a research paper? ”.

Simply put, a research paper is a scholarly written work where the writer (that’s you!) answers a specific question (this is called a research question ) through evidence-based arguments . Evidence-based is the keyword here. In other words, a research paper is different from an essay or other writing assignments that draw from the writer’s personal opinions or experiences. With a research paper, it’s all about building your arguments based on evidence (we’ll talk more about that evidence a little later).

Now, it’s worth noting that there are many different types of research papers , including analytical papers (the type I just described), argumentative papers, and interpretative papers. Here, we’ll focus on analytical papers , as these are some of the most common – but if you’re keen to learn about other types of research papers, be sure to check out the rest of the blog .

With that basic foundation laid, let’s get down to business and look at how to write a research paper .

Overview: The 3-Stage Process

While there are, of course, many potential approaches you can take to write a research paper, there are typically three stages to the writing process. So, in this tutorial, we’ll present a straightforward three-step process that we use when working with students at Grad Coach.

These three steps are:

• Finding a research topic and reviewing the existing literature
• Developing a provisional structure and outline for your paper, and
• Writing up your initial draft and then refining it iteratively

Let’s dig into each of these.

Need a helping hand?

Step 1: Find a topic and review the literature

As we mentioned earlier, in a research paper, you, as the researcher, will try to answer a question . More specifically, that’s called a research question , and it sets the direction of your entire paper. What’s important to understand though is that you’ll need to answer that research question with the help of high-quality sources – for example, journal articles, government reports, case studies, and so on. We’ll circle back to this in a minute.

The first stage of the research process is deciding on what your research question will be and then reviewing the existing literature (in other words, past studies and papers) to see what they say about that specific research question. In some cases, your professor may provide you with a predetermined research question (or set of questions). However, in many cases, you’ll need to find your own research question within a certain topic area.

Finding a strong research question hinges on identifying a meaningful research gap – in other words, an area that’s lacking in existing research. There’s a lot to unpack here, so if you wanna learn more, check out the plain-language explainer video below.

Once you’ve figured out which question (or questions) you’ll attempt to answer in your research paper, you’ll need to do a deep dive into the existing literature – this is called a “ literature search ”. Again, there are many ways to go about this, but your most likely starting point will be Google Scholar .

If you’re new to Google Scholar, think of it as Google for the academic world. You can start by simply entering a few different keywords that are relevant to your research question and it will then present a host of articles for you to review. What you want to pay close attention to here is the number of citations for each paper – the more citations a paper has, the more credible it is (generally speaking – there are some exceptions, of course).

Ideally, what you’re looking for are well-cited papers that are highly relevant to your topic. That said, keep in mind that citations are a cumulative metric , so older papers will often have more citations than newer papers – just because they’ve been around for longer. So, don’t fixate on this metric in isolation – relevance and recency are also very important.

Beyond Google Scholar, you’ll also definitely want to check out academic databases and aggregators such as Science Direct, PubMed, JStor and so on. These will often overlap with the results that you find in Google Scholar, but they can also reveal some hidden gems – so, be sure to check them out.

Once you’ve worked your way through all the literature, you’ll want to catalogue all this information in some sort of spreadsheet so that you can easily recall who said what, when and within what context. If you’d like, we’ve got a free literature spreadsheet that helps you do exactly that.

Step 2: Develop a structure and outline

With your research question pinned down and your literature digested and catalogued, it’s time to move on to planning your actual research paper .

It might sound obvious, but it’s really important to have some sort of rough outline in place before you start writing your paper. So often, we see students eagerly rushing into the writing phase, only to land up with a disjointed research paper that rambles on in multiple

Now, the secret here is to not get caught up in the fine details . Realistically, all you need at this stage is a bullet-point list that describes (in broad strokes) what you’ll discuss and in what order. It’s also useful to remember that you’re not glued to this outline – in all likelihood, you’ll chop and change some sections once you start writing, and that’s perfectly okay. What’s important is that you have some sort of roadmap in place from the start.

At this stage you might be wondering, “ But how should I structure my research paper? ”. Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here, but in general, a research paper will consist of a few relatively standardised components:

• Introduction
• Literature review
• Methodology

Let’s take a look at each of these.

First up is the introduction section . As the name suggests, the purpose of the introduction is to set the scene for your research paper. There are usually (at least) four ingredients that go into this section – these are the background to the topic, the research problem and resultant research question , and the justification or rationale. If you’re interested, the video below unpacks the introduction section in more detail. 

The next section of your research paper will typically be your literature review . Remember all that literature you worked through earlier? Well, this is where you’ll present your interpretation of all that content . You’ll do this by writing about recent trends, developments, and arguments within the literature – but more specifically, those that are relevant to your research question . The literature review can oftentimes seem a little daunting, even to seasoned researchers, so be sure to check out our extensive collection of literature review content here .

With the introduction and lit review out of the way, the next section of your paper is the research methodology . In a nutshell, the methodology section should describe to your reader what you did (beyond just reviewing the existing literature) to answer your research question. For example, what data did you collect, how did you collect that data, how did you analyse that data and so on? For each choice, you’ll also need to justify why you chose to do it that way, and what the strengths and weaknesses of your approach were.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that for some research papers, this aspect of the project may be a lot simpler . For example, you may only need to draw on secondary sources (in other words, existing data sets). In some cases, you may just be asked to draw your conclusions from the literature search itself (in other words, there may be no data analysis at all). But, if you are required to collect and analyse data, you’ll need to pay a lot of attention to the methodology section. The video below provides an example of what the methodology section might look like.

By this stage of your paper, you will have explained what your research question is, what the existing literature has to say about that question, and how you analysed additional data to try to answer your question. So, the natural next step is to present your analysis of that data . This section is usually called the “results” or “analysis” section and this is where you’ll showcase your findings.

Depending on your school’s requirements, you may need to present and interpret the data in one section – or you might split the presentation and the interpretation into two sections. In the latter case, your “results” section will just describe the data, and the “discussion” is where you’ll interpret that data and explicitly link your analysis back to your research question. If you’re not sure which approach to take, check in with your professor or take a look at past papers to see what the norms are for your programme.

Alright – once you’ve presented and discussed your results, it’s time to wrap it up . This usually takes the form of the “ conclusion ” section. In the conclusion, you’ll need to highlight the key takeaways from your study and close the loop by explicitly answering your research question. Again, the exact requirements here will vary depending on your programme (and you may not even need a conclusion section at all) – so be sure to check with your professor if you’re unsure.

Step 3: Write and refine

Finally, it’s time to get writing. All too often though, students hit a brick wall right about here… So, how do you avoid this happening to you?

Well, there’s a lot to be said when it comes to writing a research paper (or any sort of academic piece), but we’ll share three practical tips to help you get started.

First and foremost , it’s essential to approach your writing as an iterative process. In other words, you need to start with a really messy first draft and then polish it over multiple rounds of editing. Don’t waste your time trying to write a perfect research paper in one go. Instead, take the pressure off yourself by adopting an iterative approach.

Secondly , it’s important to always lean towards critical writing , rather than descriptive writing. What does this mean? Well, at the simplest level, descriptive writing focuses on the “ what ”, while critical writing digs into the “ so what ” – in other words, the implications . If you’re not familiar with these two types of writing, don’t worry! You can find a plain-language explanation here.

Last but not least, you’ll need to get your referencing right. Specifically, you’ll need to provide credible, correctly formatted citations for the statements you make. We see students making referencing mistakes all the time and it costs them dearly. The good news is that you can easily avoid this by using a simple reference manager . If you don’t have one, check out our video about Mendeley, an easy (and free) reference management tool that you can start using today.

Recap: Key Takeaways

We’ve covered a lot of ground here. To recap, the three steps to writing a high-quality research paper are:

• To choose a research question and review the literature
• To plan your paper structure and draft an outline
• To take an iterative approach to writing, focusing on critical writing and strong referencing

Remember, this is just a b ig-picture overview of the research paper development process and there’s a lot more nuance to unpack. So, be sure to grab a copy of our free research paper template to learn more about how to write a research paper.

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Home » Research Paper – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Research Paper – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Table of Contents

Research Paper

Definition:

Research Paper is a written document that presents the author’s original research, analysis, and interpretation of a specific topic or issue.

It is typically based on Empirical Evidence, and may involve qualitative or quantitative research methods, or a combination of both. The purpose of a research paper is to contribute new knowledge or insights to a particular field of study, and to demonstrate the author’s understanding of the existing literature and theories related to the topic.

Structure of Research Paper

The structure of a research paper typically follows a standard format, consisting of several sections that convey specific information about the research study. The following is a detailed explanation of the structure of a research paper:

The title page contains the title of the paper, the name(s) of the author(s), and the affiliation(s) of the author(s). It also includes the date of submission and possibly, the name of the journal or conference where the paper is to be published.

The abstract is a brief summary of the research paper, typically ranging from 100 to 250 words. It should include the research question, the methods used, the key findings, and the implications of the results. The abstract should be written in a concise and clear manner to allow readers to quickly grasp the essence of the research.

Introduction

The introduction section of a research paper provides background information about the research problem, the research question, and the research objectives. It also outlines the significance of the research, the research gap that it aims to fill, and the approach taken to address the research question. Finally, the introduction section ends with a clear statement of the research hypothesis or research question.

Literature Review

The literature review section of a research paper provides an overview of the existing literature on the topic of study. It includes a critical analysis and synthesis of the literature, highlighting the key concepts, themes, and debates. The literature review should also demonstrate the research gap and how the current study seeks to address it.

The methods section of a research paper describes the research design, the sample selection, the data collection and analysis procedures, and the statistical methods used to analyze the data. This section should provide sufficient detail for other researchers to replicate the study.

The results section presents the findings of the research, using tables, graphs, and figures to illustrate the data. The findings should be presented in a clear and concise manner, with reference to the research question and hypothesis.

The discussion section of a research paper interprets the findings and discusses their implications for the research question, the literature review, and the field of study. It should also address the limitations of the study and suggest future research directions.

The conclusion section summarizes the main findings of the study, restates the research question and hypothesis, and provides a final reflection on the significance of the research.

The references section provides a list of all the sources cited in the paper, following a specific citation style such as APA, MLA or Chicago.

How to Write Research Paper

You can write Research Paper by the following guide:

• Choose a Topic: The first step is to select a topic that interests you and is relevant to your field of study. Brainstorm ideas and narrow down to a research question that is specific and researchable.
• Conduct a Literature Review: The literature review helps you identify the gap in the existing research and provides a basis for your research question. It also helps you to develop a theoretical framework and research hypothesis.
• Develop a Thesis Statement : The thesis statement is the main argument of your research paper. It should be clear, concise and specific to your research question.
• Plan your Research: Develop a research plan that outlines the methods, data sources, and data analysis procedures. This will help you to collect and analyze data effectively.
• Collect and Analyze Data: Collect data using various methods such as surveys, interviews, observations, or experiments. Analyze data using statistical tools or other qualitative methods.
• Organize your Paper : Organize your paper into sections such as Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Ensure that each section is coherent and follows a logical flow.
• Write your Paper : Start by writing the introduction, followed by the literature review, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. Ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and follows the required formatting and citation styles.
• Edit and Proofread your Paper: Review your paper for grammar and spelling errors, and ensure that it is well-structured and easy to read. Ask someone else to review your paper to get feedback and suggestions for improvement.
• Cite your Sources: Ensure that you properly cite all sources used in your research paper. This is essential for giving credit to the original authors and avoiding plagiarism.

Research Paper Example

Note : The below example research paper is for illustrative purposes only and is not an actual research paper. Actual research papers may have different structures, contents, and formats depending on the field of study, research question, data collection and analysis methods, and other factors. Students should always consult with their professors or supervisors for specific guidelines and expectations for their research papers.

Research Paper Example sample for Students:

Title: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health among Young Adults

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the impact of social media use on the mental health of young adults. A literature review was conducted to examine the existing research on the topic. A survey was then administered to 200 university students to collect data on their social media use, mental health status, and perceived impact of social media on their mental health. The results showed that social media use is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The study also found that social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) are significant predictors of mental health problems among young adults.

Introduction: Social media has become an integral part of modern life, particularly among young adults. While social media has many benefits, including increased communication and social connectivity, it has also been associated with negative outcomes, such as addiction, cyberbullying, and mental health problems. This study aims to investigate the impact of social media use on the mental health of young adults.

Literature Review: The literature review highlights the existing research on the impact of social media use on mental health. The review shows that social media use is associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health problems. The review also identifies the factors that contribute to the negative impact of social media, including social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO.

Methods : A survey was administered to 200 university students to collect data on their social media use, mental health status, and perceived impact of social media on their mental health. The survey included questions on social media use, mental health status (measured using the DASS-21), and perceived impact of social media on their mental health. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.

Results : The results showed that social media use is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The study also found that social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO are significant predictors of mental health problems among young adults.

Discussion : The study’s findings suggest that social media use has a negative impact on the mental health of young adults. The study highlights the need for interventions that address the factors contributing to the negative impact of social media, such as social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO.

Conclusion : In conclusion, social media use has a significant impact on the mental health of young adults. The study’s findings underscore the need for interventions that promote healthy social media use and address the negative outcomes associated with social media use. Future research can explore the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the negative impact of social media on mental health. Additionally, longitudinal studies can investigate the long-term effects of social media use on mental health.

Limitations : The study has some limitations, including the use of self-report measures and a cross-sectional design. The use of self-report measures may result in biased responses, and a cross-sectional design limits the ability to establish causality.

Implications: The study’s findings have implications for mental health professionals, educators, and policymakers. Mental health professionals can use the findings to develop interventions that address the negative impact of social media use on mental health. Educators can incorporate social media literacy into their curriculum to promote healthy social media use among young adults. Policymakers can use the findings to develop policies that protect young adults from the negative outcomes associated with social media use.

References :

• Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Preventive medicine reports, 15, 100918.
• Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, C. G., Barrett, E. L., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., … & James, A. E. (2017). Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among US young adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 1-9.
• Van der Meer, T. G., & Verhoeven, J. W. (2017). Social media and its impact on academic performance of students. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 16, 383-398.

Appendix : The survey used in this study is provided below.

Social Media and Mental Health Survey

• How often do you use social media per day?
• Less than 30 minutes
• 30 minutes to 1 hour
• 1 to 2 hours
• 2 to 4 hours
• More than 4 hours
• Which social media platforms do you use?
• Others (Please specify)
• How often do you experience the following on social media?
• Social comparison (comparing yourself to others)
• Cyberbullying
• Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
• Have you ever experienced any of the following mental health problems in the past month?
• Do you think social media use has a positive or negative impact on your mental health?
• Very positive
• Somewhat positive
• Somewhat negative
• Very negative
• In your opinion, which factors contribute to the negative impact of social media on mental health?
• Social comparison
• In your opinion, what interventions could be effective in reducing the negative impact of social media on mental health?
• Education on healthy social media use
• Counseling for mental health problems caused by social media
• Social media detox programs
• Regulation of social media use

Thank you for your participation!

Applications of Research Paper

Research papers have several applications in various fields, including:

• Advancing knowledge: Research papers contribute to the advancement of knowledge by generating new insights, theories, and findings that can inform future research and practice. They help to answer important questions, clarify existing knowledge, and identify areas that require further investigation.
• Informing policy: Research papers can inform policy decisions by providing evidence-based recommendations for policymakers. They can help to identify gaps in current policies, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, and inform the development of new policies and regulations.
• Improving practice: Research papers can improve practice by providing evidence-based guidance for professionals in various fields, including medicine, education, business, and psychology. They can inform the development of best practices, guidelines, and standards of care that can improve outcomes for individuals and organizations.
• Educating students : Research papers are often used as teaching tools in universities and colleges to educate students about research methods, data analysis, and academic writing. They help students to develop critical thinking skills, research skills, and communication skills that are essential for success in many careers.
• Fostering collaboration: Research papers can foster collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers by providing a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas. They can facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships that can lead to innovative solutions to complex problems.

When to Write Research Paper

Research papers are typically written when a person has completed a research project or when they have conducted a study and have obtained data or findings that they want to share with the academic or professional community. Research papers are usually written in academic settings, such as universities, but they can also be written in professional settings, such as research organizations, government agencies, or private companies.

Here are some common situations where a person might need to write a research paper:

• For academic purposes: Students in universities and colleges are often required to write research papers as part of their coursework, particularly in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Writing research papers helps students to develop research skills, critical thinking skills, and academic writing skills.
• For publication: Researchers often write research papers to publish their findings in academic journals or to present their work at academic conferences. Publishing research papers is an important way to disseminate research findings to the academic community and to establish oneself as an expert in a particular field.
• To inform policy or practice : Researchers may write research papers to inform policy decisions or to improve practice in various fields. Research findings can be used to inform the development of policies, guidelines, and best practices that can improve outcomes for individuals and organizations.
• To share new insights or ideas: Researchers may write research papers to share new insights or ideas with the academic or professional community. They may present new theories, propose new research methods, or challenge existing paradigms in their field.

Purpose of Research Paper

The purpose of a research paper is to present the results of a study or investigation in a clear, concise, and structured manner. Research papers are written to communicate new knowledge, ideas, or findings to a specific audience, such as researchers, scholars, practitioners, or policymakers. The primary purposes of a research paper are:

• To contribute to the body of knowledge : Research papers aim to add new knowledge or insights to a particular field or discipline. They do this by reporting the results of empirical studies, reviewing and synthesizing existing literature, proposing new theories, or providing new perspectives on a topic.
• To inform or persuade: Research papers are written to inform or persuade the reader about a particular issue, topic, or phenomenon. They present evidence and arguments to support their claims and seek to persuade the reader of the validity of their findings or recommendations.
• To advance the field: Research papers seek to advance the field or discipline by identifying gaps in knowledge, proposing new research questions or approaches, or challenging existing assumptions or paradigms. They aim to contribute to ongoing debates and discussions within a field and to stimulate further research and inquiry.
• To demonstrate research skills: Research papers demonstrate the author’s research skills, including their ability to design and conduct a study, collect and analyze data, and interpret and communicate findings. They also demonstrate the author’s ability to critically evaluate existing literature, synthesize information from multiple sources, and write in a clear and structured manner.

Characteristics of Research Paper

Research papers have several characteristics that distinguish them from other forms of academic or professional writing. Here are some common characteristics of research papers:

• Evidence-based: Research papers are based on empirical evidence, which is collected through rigorous research methods such as experiments, surveys, observations, or interviews. They rely on objective data and facts to support their claims and conclusions.
• Structured and organized: Research papers have a clear and logical structure, with sections such as introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. They are organized in a way that helps the reader to follow the argument and understand the findings.
• Formal and objective: Research papers are written in a formal and objective tone, with an emphasis on clarity, precision, and accuracy. They avoid subjective language or personal opinions and instead rely on objective data and analysis to support their arguments.
• Citations and references: Research papers include citations and references to acknowledge the sources of information and ideas used in the paper. They use a specific citation style, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, to ensure consistency and accuracy.
• Peer-reviewed: Research papers are often peer-reviewed, which means they are evaluated by other experts in the field before they are published. Peer-review ensures that the research is of high quality, meets ethical standards, and contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the field.
• Objective and unbiased: Research papers strive to be objective and unbiased in their presentation of the findings. They avoid personal biases or preconceptions and instead rely on the data and analysis to draw conclusions.

Advantages of Research Paper

Research papers have many advantages, both for the individual researcher and for the broader academic and professional community. Here are some advantages of research papers:

• Contribution to knowledge: Research papers contribute to the body of knowledge in a particular field or discipline. They add new information, insights, and perspectives to existing literature and help advance the understanding of a particular phenomenon or issue.
• Opportunity for intellectual growth: Research papers provide an opportunity for intellectual growth for the researcher. They require critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, which can help develop the researcher’s skills and knowledge.
• Career advancement: Research papers can help advance the researcher’s career by demonstrating their expertise and contributions to the field. They can also lead to new research opportunities, collaborations, and funding.
• Academic recognition: Research papers can lead to academic recognition in the form of awards, grants, or invitations to speak at conferences or events. They can also contribute to the researcher’s reputation and standing in the field.
• Impact on policy and practice: Research papers can have a significant impact on policy and practice. They can inform policy decisions, guide practice, and lead to changes in laws, regulations, or procedures.
• Advancement of society: Research papers can contribute to the advancement of society by addressing important issues, identifying solutions to problems, and promoting social justice and equality.

Limitations of Research Paper

Research papers also have some limitations that should be considered when interpreting their findings or implications. Here are some common limitations of research papers:

• Limited generalizability: Research findings may not be generalizable to other populations, settings, or contexts. Studies often use specific samples or conditions that may not reflect the broader population or real-world situations.
• Potential for bias : Research papers may be biased due to factors such as sample selection, measurement errors, or researcher biases. It is important to evaluate the quality of the research design and methods used to ensure that the findings are valid and reliable.
• Ethical concerns: Research papers may raise ethical concerns, such as the use of vulnerable populations or invasive procedures. Researchers must adhere to ethical guidelines and obtain informed consent from participants to ensure that the research is conducted in a responsible and respectful manner.
• Limitations of methodology: Research papers may be limited by the methodology used to collect and analyze data. For example, certain research methods may not capture the complexity or nuance of a particular phenomenon, or may not be appropriate for certain research questions.
• Publication bias: Research papers may be subject to publication bias, where positive or significant findings are more likely to be published than negative or non-significant findings. This can skew the overall findings of a particular area of research.
• Time and resource constraints: Research papers may be limited by time and resource constraints, which can affect the quality and scope of the research. Researchers may not have access to certain data or resources, or may be unable to conduct long-term studies due to practical limitations.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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13.1 Formatting a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

• Identify the major components of a research paper written using American Psychological Association (APA) style.
• Apply general APA style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style , the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style , from the Modern Language Association. There are a few major formatting styles used in academic texts, including AMA, Chicago, and Turabian:

• AMA (American Medical Association) for medicine, health, and biological sciences
• APA (American Psychological Association) for education, psychology, and the social sciences
• Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books
• MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities
• Turabian—another common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.

If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.

Following these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Furthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind:

• Work ahead whenever you can. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on.
• Get it right the first time. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later.
• Use the resources available to you. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.

General Formatting Guidelines

This chapter provides detailed guidelines for using the citation and formatting conventions developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. Writers in disciplines as diverse as astrophysics, biology, psychology, and education follow APA style. The major components of a paper written in APA style are listed in the following box.

These are the major components of an APA-style paper:

Body, which includes the following:

• Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content
• In-text citations of research sources
• References page

All these components must be saved in one document, not as separate documents.

The title page of your paper includes the following information:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated
• Header at the top of the page with the paper title (in capital letters) and the page number (If the title is lengthy, you may use a shortened form of it in the header.)

List the first three elements in the order given in the previous list, centered about one third of the way down from the top of the page. Use the headers and footers tool of your word-processing program to add the header, with the title text at the left and the page number in the upper-right corner. Your title page should look like the following example.

The next page of your paper provides an abstract , or brief summary of your findings. An abstract does not need to be provided in every paper, but an abstract should be used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise—about one hundred fifty to two hundred fifty words—and is written in an objective, impersonal style. Your writing voice will not be as apparent here as in the body of your paper. When writing the abstract, take a just-the-facts approach, and summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences.

In Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” , you read a paper written by a student named Jorge, who researched the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets. Read Jorge’s abstract. Note how it sums up the major ideas in his paper without going into excessive detail.

Write an abstract summarizing your paper. Briefly introduce the topic, state your findings, and sum up what conclusions you can draw from your research. Use the word count feature of your word-processing program to make sure your abstract does not exceed one hundred fifty words.

Depending on your field of study, you may sometimes write research papers that present extensive primary research, such as your own experiment or survey. In your abstract, summarize your research question and your findings, and briefly indicate how your study relates to prior research in the field.

Margins, Pagination, and Headings

APA style requirements also address specific formatting concerns, such as margins, pagination, and heading styles, within the body of the paper. Review the following APA guidelines.

Use these general guidelines to format the paper:

• Set the top, bottom, and side margins of your paper at 1 inch.
• Use double-spaced text throughout your paper.
• Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, in a legible size (10- to 12-point).
• Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header.
• Section headings and subsection headings within the body of your paper use different types of formatting depending on the level of information you are presenting. Additional details from Jorge’s paper are provided.

Begin formatting the final draft of your paper according to APA guidelines. You may work with an existing document or set up a new document if you choose. Include the following:

• Your title page
• The abstract you created in Note 13.8 “Exercise 1”
• Correct headers and page numbers for your title page and abstract

APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:

• Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
• Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
• The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
• The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are boldfaced and italicized.
• The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are italicized and not boldfaced.

Visually, the hierarchy of information is organized as indicated in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” .

Table 13.1 Section Headings

A college research paper may not use all the heading levels shown in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” , but you are likely to encounter them in academic journal articles that use APA style. For a brief paper, you may find that level 1 headings suffice. Longer or more complex papers may need level 2 headings or other lower-level headings to organize information clearly. Use your outline to craft your major section headings and determine whether any subtopics are substantial enough to require additional levels of headings.

Working with the document you developed in Note 13.11 “Exercise 2” , begin setting up the heading structure of the final draft of your research paper according to APA guidelines. Include your title and at least two to three major section headings, and follow the formatting guidelines provided above. If your major sections should be broken into subsections, add those headings as well. Use your outline to help you.

Because Jorge used only level 1 headings, his Exercise 3 would look like the following:

Citation Guidelines

In-text citations.

Throughout the body of your paper, include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from your research sources. As you learned in Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , the purpose of citations is twofold: to give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. Your in-text citations provide basic information about your source; each source you cite will have a longer entry in the references section that provides more detailed information.

In-text citations must provide the name of the author or authors and the year the source was published. (When a given source does not list an individual author, you may provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material instead.) When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

This information may be included within the sentence or in a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, as in these examples.

Epstein (2010) points out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Here, the writer names the source author when introducing the quote and provides the publication date in parentheses after the author’s name. The page number appears in parentheses after the closing quotation marks and before the period that ends the sentence.

Addiction researchers caution that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (Epstein, 2010, p. 137).

Here, the writer provides a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the author’s name, the year of publication, and the page number separated by commas. Again, the parenthetical citation is placed after the closing quotation marks and before the period at the end of the sentence.

As noted in the book Junk Food, Junk Science (Epstein, 2010, p. 137), “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive.”

Here, the writer chose to mention the source title in the sentence (an optional piece of information to include) and followed the title with a parenthetical citation. Note that the parenthetical citation is placed before the comma that signals the end of the introductory phrase.

David Epstein’s book Junk Food, Junk Science (2010) pointed out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Another variation is to introduce the author and the source title in your sentence and include the publication date and page number in parentheses within the sentence or at the end of the sentence. As long as you have included the essential information, you can choose the option that works best for that particular sentence and source.

Citing a book with a single author is usually a straightforward task. Of course, your research may require that you cite many other types of sources, such as books or articles with more than one author or sources with no individual author listed. You may also need to cite sources available in both print and online and nonprint sources, such as websites and personal interviews. Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.2 “Citing and Referencing Techniques” and Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provide extensive guidelines for citing a variety of source types.

Writing at Work

APA is just one of several different styles with its own guidelines for documentation, formatting, and language usage. Depending on your field of interest, you may be exposed to additional styles, such as the following:

• MLA style. Determined by the Modern Languages Association and used for papers in literature, languages, and other disciplines in the humanities.
• Chicago style. Outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style and sometimes used for papers in the humanities and the sciences; many professional organizations use this style for publications as well.
• Associated Press (AP) style. Used by professional journalists.

References List

The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information. Again, this information allows your reader to follow up on the sources you cited and do additional reading about the topic if desired.

The specific format of entries in the list of references varies slightly for different source types, but the entries generally include the following information:

• The name(s) of the author(s) or institution that wrote the source
• The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
• The full title of the source
• For books, the city of publication
• For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
• For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
• For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces. Review the following example. ( Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provides extensive guidelines for formatting reference entries for different types of sources.)

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case, not title case. Sentence case means that only the first word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

Key Takeaways

• Following proper citation and formatting guidelines helps writers ensure that their work will be taken seriously, give proper credit to other authors for their work, and provide valuable information to readers.
• Working ahead and taking care to cite sources correctly the first time are ways writers can save time during the editing stage of writing a research paper.
• APA papers usually include an abstract that concisely summarizes the paper.
• APA papers use a specific headings structure to provide a clear hierarchy of information.
• In APA papers, in-text citations usually include the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.
• In-text citations correspond to entries in the references section, which provide detailed bibliographical information about a source.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

7 Page Essay: Examples, Topics, & Word Count

What does a seven page essay look like? If you’re searching for an answer to this question, you’re in the right place! Such a paper is a standard high school and college assignment. That’s why it might be written on almost any topic. Religion, abortion, the Holocaust, and World War II are just some examples.

A 7 page essay word count is usually 1700 to 1750 words (12 pt., double-spaced). The length of a typical academic paragraph is 100 to 150 words. So, there are 11 to 17 paragraphs in a seven page essay.

If you need 7 page essay examples, take a look at the list below. We’ve collected A+ samples for you to get inspired. Good luck with your essay!

7-page Essay Examples: 6111 Samples

State and local public policies.

• Subjects: Government Politics & Government
• Words: 2302

Black Boy By Richard Wright [Text Analysis]

• Subjects: American Literature Literature
• Words: 1997

Strategic Planning and Management

• Subjects: Business Management
• Words: 2111

Tullow Oil PLC Fundamental Analysis

• Subjects: Business Case Study
• Words: 2077

Advantages & Disadvatages of Biography or Memoir as a Source

• Subjects: History World History
• Words: 2588

Ethical Dilemma in Accepting or Rejecting of Offers

• Subjects: Business Business Ethics
• Words: 1911

Approaching Green Supply Chain Management

• Subjects: Business Logistics
• Words: 1972

Is Taiwan Urbanization Rate Growing? Urban & Rural Areas

• Subjects: Environment Environmental Studies
• Words: 1889

Market Research of Thomas Sabo

• Subjects: Business Company Structure
• Words: 1948

The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David Shipler Book

• Words: 1365

Afghanistan: The Way to Go

• Subjects: International Relations Politics & Government
• Words: 2031

“The Miller’s Tale.” Critical Analysis of Jealousy Theme

• Subjects: British Literature Literature
• Words: 1937

The History of U.S. Banking Crises: Cause and Effect

• Subjects: Economics Finance
• Words: 2235

Racial Relations and Color Blindness

• Subjects: Racism Sociology
• Words: 1914

Movie Analysis of Pearl Harbor Using Principles of Interpersonal Communication

• Subjects: Communications Sociology
• Words: 2166

The Effects of the US Army Corp Engineers Lock and Dam System on Recreation

• Words: 2003

Jacques Louis David’s Art with Respect to Question of Gender

• Subjects: Art Paintings
• Words: 1952

Music Therapy: Where Words Cease

• Subjects: Applications of Psychology Psychology
• Words: 2143

Marketing Management for the Manor House Country Club Hotel

• Subjects: Hotels Tourism
• Words: 2001

Role of Prejudice in Wars in Iraq

• Subjects: Modern Warfare Warfare
• Words: 1924

Genetics’ Role in Healthcare of Patents

• Subjects: Genetics Sciences
• Words: 1912

Formal Planning’s Strengths and Weakness

• Subjects: Business Strategic Management
• Words: 1920

Increased Emissions of Greenhouse Gases and Possible Problem Solutions

• Subjects: Ecology Environment
• Words: 1866

Juvenile Delinquency

• Subjects: Juvenile Justice Law
• Words: 2139

Fatigue in workplace

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Public Health
• Words: 1930

Tesco History Corporate Strategies, Corporate Social Responsibilities and Advertising

Malevolence of cancer: pathogenesis and treatment options.

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Oncology
• Words: 1975

Deep Ecology as Discourse on Identity

• Subjects: Ecological Identity Environment
• Words: 1845

Men’s Fashion and Shopping Habits

• Subjects: Design Fashion
• Words: 2198

Definition of Consciousness, Its Aspects and Affect

• Subjects: Cognition and Perception Psychology

Principles of Management / Film Review

• Subjects: Art Film Studies
• Words: 2172

Law in Business – The case of Johnson v Unisys Ltd

• Subjects: Business & Corporate Law Law
• Words: 2180

The Power of Time and the Magnificence of Music: From Ludford to Vecchi

• Subjects: Art Musicians
• Words: 1308

Evaluating the debate between proponents of qualitative and quantitative inquiries

• Subjects: Sociological Issues Sociology
• Words: 2285

Thinking Critically and making Judgments

• Subjects: Religion Theology
• Words: 2036

Definition of Advertising and Its Elements

• Subjects: Business Company Missions
• Words: 1928

Establishing Documentation Standards for an Organization: Purchasing Documentation

• Words: 1905

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD / ADHD)

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Psychiatry
• Words: 2399

Google’s view on the future of business

• Words: 2426

Macroeconomic Policies in Australia

• Subjects: Economics Macroeconomics
• Words: 1943

Gay Marriage Legalization

• Subjects: Family, Life & Experiences Relationships
• Words: 1935

How Hitler Compares to Stalin

• Subjects: Historical Figures History
• Words: 1940

Thien Hau Temple, a Temple That Is Dedicated to Mazu

• Subjects: Religion Religious Writings
• Words: 1939

Impressionism in Music and Art

• Subjects: Art Art Movement
• Words: 2018

Annie Hall by Woody Allen

• Words: 2108

Rwanda’s Economic Development

• Subjects: Economic Systems & Principles Economics

Social Facilitation Experiment with Examples from the Study

• Subjects: Psychological Issues Psychology
• Words: 1890

The History Of The Republican George Herbert Walker Bush

• Subjects: American Ex-Presidents History
• Words: 2066

American Women and the American Revolution

• Subjects: History Women Studies

Women in Engineering

• Subjects: Gender Studies Sociology

Attitude to Racism in Literature

• Subjects: Comparative Literature Literature
• Words: 1961

Charlotte’s Web and Lincoln: A Photobiography

• Subjects: Literature World Literature
• Words: 1741

Fashion Goes Round in Circles

• Words: 1927

The Healthcare Law: Universal Medical Services to All U.S. Citizens

• Subjects: Health Law Law
• Words: 1965

Luxury Fashion Market and Ethics

• Words: 1977

Aladdin’s Philosophical Concept

• Subjects: Cartoons Entertainment & Media
• Words: 2165

Inside Apple Inc.: Company Analysis

• Words: 1989

Human Population and the Environment

• Words: 1879

Cadbury and Kraft Merger

• Words: 1896

Critical Thinking Application Paper

Pablo picasso and michelangelo buonarroti.

• Subjects: Art Artists
• Words: 1913

How Does Society View Single Parents?

• Subjects: Family, Life & Experiences Parenting
• Words: 1925

Lack of Reliable Online Services in Saudi Arabia

• Subjects: Business E-Commerce

The Canadian War Brides

• Subjects: Warfare World War II

Designing the Curriculum for Early Childhood Education

• Subjects: Education Study Courses and Education Programs
• Words: 1956

Multinational Management at the Walt Disney Company

• Words: 2047

Internet Addiction in Modern Society

• Subjects: Psychology Psychology of Abuse
• Words: 1951

Language Accommodation

• Subjects: Language Development Linguistics
• Words: 1946

Culture Clash as a Great Conflict

• Words: 2046

Principles & Concept of Total Quality Management Essay

• Words: 1945

Sara Lee Corporation

• Words: 2248

Should States Raise Speed Limits

• Subjects: Law Transportation Law

Spa Operations Management

• Words: 1998

Gilgamesh Compared to Modern Day Hero: Similarities and Differences

• Subjects: Literature Poems
• Words: 2087

African American Literary Analysis Review

• Subjects: American Novels Influences Literature
• Words: 1959

The core competencies used by organizations

• Subjects: Business Organizational Management
• Words: 1931

The Stylistic Features of Historical Dress and Their Contemporary Adaptations

• Words: 1336

A World Without Ice: Effects of Global Warming on Polar Regions

• Subjects: Environment Global Warming
• Words: 2829

Framework of PPP Application in Public Housing Project in China

• Subjects: Infrastructure Politics & Government
• Words: 1983

ClothesHome E-Commerce Business Plan

Hip-hop and the japanese culture.

• Subjects: Art Music
• Words: 2063

Was the Response by Chinese Government to Ningbo Protest Justified?

• Words: 2002

Wendy Wong Interview Research

• Subjects: Business Industry
• Words: 2010

Introducing Cybersecurity Policies: Challenges and Solutions

• Words: 1953

Concept of Life-Course Perspective in Society

• Subjects: Society's Imperfections Sociology
• Words: 1999

Korean Immigrants and Refugees in New York

• Subjects: Socialization Sociology
• Words: 1674

Doctors Should Not Tell Lies to Their Patients

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Medical Ethics
• Words: 1910

The Psychology of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Born red: a chronicle of the cultural revolution.

• Subjects: Asia History
• Words: 1929

STEP Products Export on Middle Eastern Region: Research

• Subjects: Economics Political Economy Processes
• Words: 1892

“Religion in society: A sociology of religion” – The most important chapter

• Subjects: Religion Sociology of Religion

Managing Bipolar Disorder

• Words: 2114

Computer Fraud and Contracting

• Subjects: Cyber Security Tech & Engineering
• Words: 1836

Cognitive Behavior Group Therapy and Yalom’s Therapy Model

• Words: 2150

The Policies and Documentation: IPv4 vs. IPv6

• Subjects: Internet Tech & Engineering
• Words: 1880

The Name of the Rose: Heresy, Inquisition, and Interrogation Representation

• Words: 1992

The African American Civil Rights Movement

• Subjects: African American Studies History
• Words: 1442

AIDS in Lesotho, Africa: The Highest Prevalence Rate of HIV Infections in the World

• Subjects: Epidemiology Health & Medicine
• Words: 1919

The Peculiarities of Transition Planning

• Subjects: Education Educational Resources
• Words: 1918

Decriminalization of Marijuana

• Words: 2445

John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice

• Subjects: Philosophical Theories Philosophy

Nozick’s Entitlement Theory

• Words: 1969

Are Women Important in Gulf Politics? What are the Main Barriers to Gender Equality?

• Words: 2058

Why Poverty Rates are Higher Among Single Black Mothers

• Subjects: Poverty Sociology
• Words: 2032

Companies That Use Expectancy Theory: SAS Motivation

Compare and contrast “to his coy mistress” & “to the virgins”.

• Words: 2413

Overpopulation Benefits

• Subjects: Overpopulation Sociology
• Words: 2043

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) Off-Campus Housing

• Subjects: Education Pedagogy
• Words: 2061

Government Regulation of the Too Big to Fail Institutions

• Words: 1941

Deconstruction of a Web Page Advertisement

• Subjects: Advertising Entertainment & Media
• Words: 1955

Best Practice Manual for Supervisors

• Words: 2368

“Frankenstein” vs. “Great Expectations”: Compare and Contrast

• Words: 2213

“Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82” by Elizabeth A. Fenn

Importance of studying organizational behaviour.

• Words: 1916

Management Problems in Social Media

• Words: 2160

Influence of Race in My Community

• Words: 1697

Portrayal of the Characters in the Original Text

• Words: 2088

Deep Sea Volcanoes and their Effects

• Subjects: Geology Sciences
• Words: 2128

Labor migration and remittances in the middle east

• Subjects: Immigration Sociology
• Words: 2068

Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Hacks How to Write a 10 and 20 page Paper in One Night

Updated: July 15, 2022

Published: April 19, 2020

It’s the night before a big paper is due. For whatever reason, you find yourself needing to write an entire research paper in a very short amount of time. While procrastination isn’t ideal, extenuating circumstances may have caused your timeline to get pushed back. So, here you are, looking for how to write a 10-page paper or how to write a 20-page paper in one night.

It goes without saying the best way to write a paper is to give yourself enough time to outline, draft, and edit. Yet, it’s still possible to write in less time. Take heed of these best tips and tricks to organize your thoughts and get your thesis on paper as fast as possible.

Photo by  Adolfo Félix  on  Unsplash

How to prepare before you write, 1. create a schedule to maximize your time.

You’ve likely already spent time panicking. Once you calm yourself of the anxiety of having to finish a 10- or 20-page paper in one night, organize your plan of attack. First, you should designate an area free of distractions so that you can focus. Aside from a few breaks and snacks, it’s best to set up a comfortable place to write. Give yourself some time to outline and find/cite research . Once you know how you’re going to approach the subject, then you can start drafting.

2. Determine your Main Topic

If you’ve been given a prompt, then your topic is clear. However, sometimes you have the freedom to choose what your research will be about. In this case, it’s smartest to choose a topic that you are already knowledgeable about. That way, you will save yourself key time that would have otherwise been spent on research. If you don’t feel strongly about any particular topic, then at least try to pick one that has a lot of information available.

3. Perform Research

Start looking up sources to cite that support your thesis, or main argument. As you research, be sure to take notes. One of the best ways to do this is to use a word processor like Google Docs or Microsoft Word to copy and paste URLs. For each source, it would be best to copy/paste one main sentence that covers its point.

Then, you can write brief notes in your own words that summarize what you have read from that source. While you are performing research, you can start to put together an outline, or the flow of how you will present your ideas broken down by topic and argument.

4. Outline 3-5 subtopics

Once you’ve chosen your topic, then try to pull 3-5 subtopics from it. Each sub-topic should be juicy enough to be able to write a lot about it. The subtopics are your supporting paragraphs which fill the body of the research paper. They should basically be mini essays within themselves.

Writing in One Night

Writing a long research paper in one night isn’t ideal, but it is doable. Some of the best ways to get it done is to follow these 5 tips:

1. Plan and Outline

Take those few extra moments to plan and outline your paper. While it may feel like a waste of valuable time, it is going to help you stay on track. When you have an outline and you get to the middle of your paper, you won’t feel lost as to how to continue. An outline will be useful to you like a map is on a journey.

2. Use Specialized Search

Take advantage of search tools that are designed for scholars. For example, a few of these include: Google Scholar and Elsevier .

3. Leverage Tools

There are citation management tools that will help you find sources for your topic. Mendeley is just one of them. You can type parts of your paper into the tool and find quotes of value. Be sure to cite everything you use to avoid plagiarism .

4. Proofread and Edit

Once you complete writing 10 to 20 pages, you may feel like throwing in the towel and going to sleep for a few hours. However, it is crucial to power through and proofread your paper. If you have anyone available who can read your paper over, that would be best because it’s hard to catch mistakes when you’ve been looking at the same thing for so long. But, if no one is available, try to read your paper back to yourself out loud. This way, you may be able to catch typos better.

5. Check Formatting

Every research paper needs to adhere to a particular format guideline. Whether it’s APA, MLA, or another standard formatting practice, be sure to double check that your layout adheres to the guidelines.

Photo by  Christin Hume  on  Unsplash

When to start writing.

If you have yet to find yourself trying to write a paper at the last minute and all the notes above are scaring you out of procrastination, then that’s a good start! Perhaps you were recently assigned a research paper. In this case, the best way to tackle the project is to do the following:

Start Early

Get started right away. Even if it means just performing early research or writing an outline, starting early is going to save you from having to write a paper in one night down the line. When you start early, you benefit greatly because you can: leverage peers for ideas, take the necessary time to edit and rewrite, and you lower your risk of picking a topic with too little information and having to change topics at the last minute.

Writing in Stages

Starting early also affords you the opportunity to write in stages. You can think of writing as a cycle when you write in stages. First, you can create your outline. Then, you can write the introduction, edit it, and rewrite anything you may need to before moving on to the next piece (or the first body paragraph, in this case).

Use a Timeline

Create a timeline for your writing in stages. If you start four weeks in advance, for example, you have time to do all of the following:

• Fully understand the assignment and ask any questions
• Start to read and document sources
• Create notecards and cite books for sources
• Write a summary of what you’ve discovered so far that will be used in some of your paper
• Create 3-5 subtopics and outline points you want to explore
• Look for more sources on your subtopics
• Start writing summaries on each subtopic
• Write some analysis of your findings
• Start to piece together the research paper based on your notes and outline (almost like completing a puzzle)
• Edit and proofread / ask for feedback

The Writing Process

The actual writing process is a little different for everyone, but this is a general overview for how to write a 20-page paper, or one that is shorter.

• Start with a Thesis: Your thesis is one sentence that clearly and concisely explains what you are going to prove with research.
• Include a Menu Sentence: At the end of your introduction, you will briefly outline your subtopics in what is often referred to as a “menu sentence.” This allows the reader to understand what they can expect to learn about as they continue to read your paper.
• Create a Detailed Introduction: Your introduction should be detailed enough so that someone with little to no knowledge about your subject matter can understand what the paper is about.
• Keep References: Be sure to write your references as you go along so that you basically can create your bibliography in the process of writing. Again, this is where a tool like Mendeley may be useful.
• Write First: Write first and edit later. You want to get all your ideas down on the page before you start judging or editing the writing.
• Save Often: Create the draft on a cloud platform that is automatically saved (i.e. Google Docs in case your computer crashes) or email the work to yourself as you go.

The Breakdown of a 10-Page Paper

Sources to Consider Using

When writing your research paper and finding sources, it’s best to use a mix of sources. This may include:

• Internet: The Internet is filled with limitless possibilities. When you use the Internet, it’s best to find credible and trustworthy sources to avoid using fake news as a source. That’s why tools like Google Scholar can be so helpful.
• Textbooks: It’s more likely than not that you’ll be able to use your class textbook as a source for the research you are conducting.
• Books: Additionally, other books outside of those you read within your class will prove useful in any research paper.

Final Steps: Editing and Formatting

Once you’ve written all your ideas on the page, it’s time to edit. It cannot be stressed enough that editing is pivotal before submission. This is especially true if you’ve been writing under immense pressure.

Writing a 10- or 20-page research paper in one night is not easy, so there are bound to be mistakes and typos. The best way to catch these mistakes is to follow these tips:

• Take a break before you edit so you can come back to the page with somewhat fresh eyes and a clearer head
• Read it out loud to edit and catch mistakes because sometimes your brain will override typos or missing words to make sense of what it is reading
• If possible, ask someone else to look it over
• Consider using footnotes or block quotes
• Format according to how your university asks – MLA or APA, etc.

The Bottom Line

Life throws curveballs your way without warning. Whether you are holding yourself accountable for procrastinating or something out of your control came up, you may find yourself needing to write a big research paper in one night. It’s not the best-case scenario, but with the right tools and tricks up your sleeve, you can surely get it done!

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NeurIPS 2024

Conference Dates: (In person) 9 December - 15 December, 2024

Homepage: https://neurips.cc/Conferences/2024/

Call For Papers 

Abstract submission deadline: May 15, 2024

Full paper submission deadline, including technical appendices and supplemental material (all authors must have an OpenReview profile when submitting): May 22, 2024

Author notification: Sep 25, 2024

Camera-ready, poster, and video submission: Oct 30, 2024 AOE

Submit at: https://openreview.net/group?id=NeurIPS.cc/2024/Conference  

The site will start accepting submissions on Apr 22, 2024 

Subscribe to these and other dates on the 2024 dates page .

The Thirty-Eighth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2024) is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers in machine learning, neuroscience, statistics, optimization, computer vision, natural language processing, life sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, and other adjacent fields. We invite submissions presenting new and original research on topics including but not limited to the following:

• Applications (e.g., vision, language, speech and audio, Creative AI)
• Deep learning (e.g., architectures, generative models, optimization for deep networks, foundation models, LLMs)
• Evaluation (e.g., methodology, meta studies, replicability and validity, human-in-the-loop)
• General machine learning (supervised, unsupervised, online, active, etc.)
• Infrastructure (e.g., libraries, improved implementation and scalability, distributed solutions)
• Machine learning for sciences (e.g. climate, health, life sciences, physics, social sciences)
• Neuroscience and cognitive science (e.g., neural coding, brain-computer interfaces)
• Optimization (e.g., convex and non-convex, stochastic, robust)
• Probabilistic methods (e.g., variational inference, causal inference, Gaussian processes)
• Reinforcement learning (e.g., decision and control, planning, hierarchical RL, robotics)
• Social and economic aspects of machine learning (e.g., fairness, interpretability, human-AI interaction, privacy, safety, strategic behavior)
• Theory (e.g., control theory, learning theory, algorithmic game theory)

Machine learning is a rapidly evolving field, and so we welcome interdisciplinary submissions that do not fit neatly into existing categories.

Authors are asked to confirm that their submissions accord with the NeurIPS code of conduct .

Formatting instructions:   All submissions must be in PDF format, and in a single PDF file include, in this order:

• The submitted paper
• Technical appendices that support the paper with additional proofs, derivations, or results 
• The NeurIPS paper checklist  

Other supplementary materials such as data and code can be uploaded as a ZIP file

The main text of a submitted paper is limited to nine content pages , including all figures and tables. Additional pages containing references don’t count as content pages. If your submission is accepted, you will be allowed an additional content page for the camera-ready version.

The main text and references may be followed by technical appendices, for which there is no page limit.

The maximum file size for a full submission, which includes technical appendices, is 50MB.

Authors are encouraged to submit a separate ZIP file that contains further supplementary material like data or source code, when applicable.

You must format your submission using the NeurIPS 2024 LaTeX style file which includes a “preprint” option for non-anonymous preprints posted online. Submissions that violate the NeurIPS style (e.g., by decreasing margins or font sizes) or page limits may be rejected without further review. Papers may be rejected without consideration of their merits if they fail to meet the submission requirements, as described in this document. 

Paper checklist: In order to improve the rigor and transparency of research submitted to and published at NeurIPS, authors are required to complete a paper checklist . The paper checklist is intended to help authors reflect on a wide variety of issues relating to responsible machine learning research, including reproducibility, transparency, research ethics, and societal impact. The checklist forms part of the paper submission, but does not count towards the page limit.

Please join the NeurIPS 2024 Checklist Assistant Study that will provide you with free verification of your checklist performed by an LLM here . Please see details in our  blog

Supplementary material: While all technical appendices should be included as part of the main paper submission PDF, authors may submit up to 100MB of supplementary material, such as data, or source code in a ZIP format. Supplementary material should be material created by the authors that directly supports the submission content. Like submissions, supplementary material must be anonymized. Looking at supplementary material is at the discretion of the reviewers.

We encourage authors to upload their code and data as part of their supplementary material in order to help reviewers assess the quality of the work. Check the policy as well as code submission guidelines and templates for further details.

Use of Large Language Models (LLMs): We welcome authors to use any tool that is suitable for preparing high-quality papers and research. However, we ask authors to keep in mind two important criteria. First, we expect papers to fully describe their methodology, and any tool that is important to that methodology, including the use of LLMs, should be described also. For example, authors should mention tools (including LLMs) that were used for data processing or filtering, visualization, facilitating or running experiments, and proving theorems. It may also be advisable to describe the use of LLMs in implementing the method (if this corresponds to an important, original, or non-standard component of the approach). Second, authors are responsible for the entire content of the paper, including all text and figures, so while authors are welcome to use any tool they wish for writing the paper, they must ensure that all text is correct and original.

Double-blind reviewing:   All submissions must be anonymized and may not contain any identifying information that may violate the double-blind reviewing policy.  This policy applies to any supplementary or linked material as well, including code.  If you are including links to any external material, it is your responsibility to guarantee anonymous browsing.  Please do not include acknowledgements at submission time. If you need to cite one of your own papers, you should do so with adequate anonymization to preserve double-blind reviewing.  For instance, write “In the previous work of Smith et al. [1]…” rather than “In our previous work [1]...”). If you need to cite one of your own papers that is in submission to NeurIPS and not available as a non-anonymous preprint, then include a copy of the cited anonymized submission in the supplementary material and write “Anonymous et al. [1] concurrently show...”). Any papers found to be violating this policy will be rejected.

OpenReview: We are using OpenReview to manage submissions. The reviews and author responses will not be public initially (but may be made public later, see below). As in previous years, submissions under review will be visible only to their assigned program committee. We will not be soliciting comments from the general public during the reviewing process. Anyone who plans to submit a paper as an author or a co-author will need to create (or update) their OpenReview profile by the full paper submission deadline. Your OpenReview profile can be edited by logging in and clicking on your name in https://openreview.net/ . This takes you to a URL "https://openreview.net/profile?id=~[Firstname]_[Lastname][n]" where the last part is your profile name, e.g., ~Wei_Zhang1. The OpenReview profiles must be up to date, with all publications by the authors, and their current affiliations. The easiest way to import publications is through DBLP but it is not required, see FAQ . Submissions without updated OpenReview profiles will be desk rejected. The information entered in the profile is critical for ensuring that conflicts of interest and reviewer matching are handled properly. Because of the rapid growth of NeurIPS, we request that all authors help with reviewing papers, if asked to do so. We need everyone’s help in maintaining the high scientific quality of NeurIPS.  

Please be aware that OpenReview has a moderation policy for newly created profiles: New profiles created without an institutional email will go through a moderation process that can take up to two weeks. New profiles created with an institutional email will be activated automatically.

Venue home page: https://openreview.net/group?id=NeurIPS.cc/2024/Conference

If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQ: https://openreview.net/faq

Abstract Submission: There is a mandatory abstract submission deadline on May 15, 2024, six days before full paper submissions are due. While it will be possible to edit the title and abstract until the full paper submission deadline, submissions with “placeholder” abstracts that are rewritten for the full submission risk being removed without consideration. This includes titles and abstracts that either provide little or no semantic information (e.g., "We provide a new semi-supervised learning method.") or describe a substantively different claimed contribution.  The author list cannot be changed after the abstract deadline. After that, authors may be reordered, but any additions or removals must be justified in writing and approved on a case-by-case basis by the program chairs only in exceptional circumstances. 

Ethics review: Reviewers and ACs may flag submissions for ethics review . Flagged submissions will be sent to an ethics review committee for comments. Comments from ethics reviewers will be considered by the primary reviewers and AC as part of their deliberation. They will also be visible to authors, who will have an opportunity to respond.  Ethics reviewers do not have the authority to reject papers, but in extreme cases papers may be rejected by the program chairs on ethical grounds, regardless of scientific quality or contribution.  

Preprints: The existence of non-anonymous preprints (on arXiv or other online repositories, personal websites, social media) will not result in rejection. If you choose to use the NeurIPS style for the preprint version, you must use the “preprint” option rather than the “final” option. Reviewers will be instructed not to actively look for such preprints, but encountering them will not constitute a conflict of interest. Authors may submit anonymized work to NeurIPS that is already available as a preprint (e.g., on arXiv) without citing it. Note that public versions of the submission should not say "Under review at NeurIPS" or similar.

Dual submissions: Submissions that are substantially similar to papers that the authors have previously published or submitted in parallel to other peer-reviewed venues with proceedings or journals may not be submitted to NeurIPS. Papers previously presented at workshops are permitted, so long as they did not appear in a conference proceedings (e.g., CVPRW proceedings), a journal or a book.  NeurIPS coordinates with other conferences to identify dual submissions.  The NeurIPS policy on dual submissions applies for the entire duration of the reviewing process.  Slicing contributions too thinly is discouraged.  The reviewing process will treat any other submission by an overlapping set of authors as prior work. If publishing one would render the other too incremental, both may be rejected.

Anti-collusion: NeurIPS does not tolerate any collusion whereby authors secretly cooperate with reviewers, ACs or SACs to obtain favorable reviews. 

Author responses:   Authors will have one week to view and respond to initial reviews. Author responses may not contain any identifying information that may violate the double-blind reviewing policy. Authors may not submit revisions of their paper or supplemental material, but may post their responses as a discussion in OpenReview. This is to reduce the burden on authors to have to revise their paper in a rush during the short rebuttal period.

After the initial response period, authors will be able to respond to any further reviewer/AC questions and comments by posting on the submission’s forum page. The program chairs reserve the right to solicit additional reviews after the initial author response period.  These reviews will become visible to the authors as they are added to OpenReview, and authors will have a chance to respond to them.

After the notification deadline, accepted and opted-in rejected papers will be made public and open for non-anonymous public commenting. Their anonymous reviews, meta-reviews, author responses and reviewer responses will also be made public. Authors of rejected papers will have two weeks after the notification deadline to opt in to make their deanonymized rejected papers public in OpenReview.  These papers are not counted as NeurIPS publications and will be shown as rejected in OpenReview.

Publication of accepted submissions:   Reviews, meta-reviews, and any discussion with the authors will be made public for accepted papers (but reviewer, area chair, and senior area chair identities will remain anonymous). Camera-ready papers will be due in advance of the conference. All camera-ready papers must include a funding disclosure . We strongly encourage accompanying code and data to be submitted with accepted papers when appropriate, as per the code submission policy . Authors will be allowed to make minor changes for a short period of time after the conference.

Contemporaneous Work: For the purpose of the reviewing process, papers that appeared online within two months of a submission will generally be considered "contemporaneous" in the sense that the submission will not be rejected on the basis of the comparison to contemporaneous work. Authors are still expected to cite and discuss contemporaneous work and perform empirical comparisons to the degree feasible. Any paper that influenced the submission is considered prior work and must be cited and discussed as such. Submissions that are very similar to contemporaneous work will undergo additional scrutiny to prevent cases of plagiarism and missing credit to prior work.

Plagiarism is prohibited by the NeurIPS Code of Conduct .

Other Tracks: Similarly to earlier years, we will host multiple tracks, such as datasets, competitions, tutorials as well as workshops, in addition to the main track for which this call for papers is intended. See the conference homepage for updates and calls for participation in these tracks. 

Experiments: As in past years, the program chairs will be measuring the quality and effectiveness of the review process via randomized controlled experiments. All experiments are independently reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB).

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The massive surge in the number of people working from home may be the largest change to the U.S. economy since World War II, says Stanford scholar Nicholas Bloom .

And the shift to working from home, catalyzed by the pandemic, is here to stay, with further growth expected in the long run through improvements in technology.

Looking at data going back to 1965, when less than 1% of people worked from home, the number of people working from home had been rising continuously up to the pandemic, doubling roughly every 15 years, said Bloom, the William D. Eberle Professor in Economics in the School of Humanities and Sciences and professor, by courtesy, at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Before the pandemic, only around 5% of the typical U.S. workforce worked from home; at the pandemic’s onset, it skyrocketed to 61.5%. Currently, about 30% of employees work from home.

“In some ways, one of the biggest lasting legacies of the pandemic will be the shift to work from home,” said Bloom.

Bloom shared his research on working from home at the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute ’s “The Future of Work” Winter 2023 Colloquium, which focused on how the ways we work are changing.

DCI Director Richard Saller moderated the event , which featured scholars from Stanford and beyond discussing working arrangements and attitudes, challenges to office real estate, learned lessons about the power of proximity, and more.

Below are seven takeaways from Bloom’s discussion:

• The employees. About 58% of people in the U.S. can’t work from home at all, and they are typically frontline workers with lower pay. Those who work entirely from home are primarily professionals, managers, and in higher-paying fields such as IT support, payroll, and call centers. The highest paid group includes the 30% of people working from home in a hybrid capacity, and these include professionals and managers.
• The move. Almost 1 million people left city centers like New York and San Francisco during the pandemic. Those who used to go to the office five days a week are now willing to commute farther because they are only in the office a couple days a week, and they want larger homes to accommodate needs such as a home office. This has changed property markets substantially with rents and home values in the suburbs surging, Bloom said. Home values in city centers have risen but not by much.
• The commute. Public transit journeys have plummeted and are currently down by a third compared to pre-pandemic levels. This sharp reduction is threatening the survival of mass transit, Bloom said. These are systems that have relatively fixed costs because the hardware and labor, which is largely unionized, are relatively hard to adjust. A lot of the revenues come from ticket sales, and these agencies are losing a lot of money.
• The office. Offices are changing, with cubicles becoming less popular and meeting rooms more desirable. As some companies incorporate an organized hybrid schedule in which everyone comes in on certain days, they are redesigning spaces to support more meetings, presentations, trainings, lunches, and social time.
• The startups. Startup rates are surging, up by 20% from pre-pandemic numbers. The reasons: working from home provides a cheaper way to start a new company by saving a lot on initial capital and rent. Also, people can more easily work on a startup on the side when their regular job offers the option to work from home.
• The downtime. The number of people playing golf mid-week has more than doubled since 2019. People used to go before or after work, or on the weekends, but now the mid-day, mid-week golf game is becoming more common. The same is probably true for things like gyms, tennis courts, retail hairdressers, ski resorts, and anything else that consumers used to pack into the weekends.
• The organization. More and more, firms are outsourcing or offshoring their information technology, human resources, and finance to access talent, save costs, and free up space. There has been a big increase in part-time employees, independent contractors, and outsourcing. “After seeing how well it worked with remote work at the beginning of the pandemic, companies may not see a need to have employees in the country,” Bloom said.

Interested in hearing more about the future of work? Stanford Continuing Studies will feature Bloom as he discusses “The Future of and Impact of Working from Home” on May 1 as part of the Stanford Monday University web seminar series .

Bloom is also co-director of the Productivity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a fellow at the Centre for Economic Performance, and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research .

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2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey: Living and working with purpose in a transforming world

The 13th edition of Deloitte’s Gen Z and Millennial Survey connected with nearly 23,000 respondents across 44 countries to track their experiences and expectations at work and in the world more broadly.

Gen Zs and millennials are cautiously optimistic about the economy and their personal finances, but uncertainty remains

Just under a third of Gen Zs and millennials believe the economic situation in their countries will improve over the next year, reflecting the most optimism respondents have shown about the economy since our 2020 study fielded just before the COVID-19 pandemic. This optimism is also reflected in Gen Zs’ and millennials’ outlook for their personal financial situations, although financial insecurity continues to plague these generations.

Three in 10 say they do not feel financially secure. And roughly six in 10 live paycheck to paycheck. The cost of living remains their top concern by a wide margin compared to their other leading concerns, which include climate change, unemployment, mental health, and crime/personal safety.

There is some uncertainty about the social and political outlook, with only about a quarter of respondents believing it will improve in their country over the next year.

Gen Zs and millennials think the following will improve in their countries in the year ahead

Nearly all gen zs and millennials want purpose-driven work, and they are not afraid to turn down work that doesn’t align with their values.

Having a sense of purpose is key to workplace satisfaction and well-being. And increasingly, these generations are willing to turn down assignments and employers based on their personal ethics or beliefs. Reasons for rejecting an employer or an assignment include factors such as having a negative environmental impact, or contributing to inequality through non inclusive practices, and more personal factors such as a lack of support for employees’ mental well-being and work/life balance.

Those who...

Climate action, environmental sustainability is everyone’s responsibility.

Environmental sustainability continues to be among Gen Zs’ and millennials’ top priorities. It is a personal concern that consistently weighs heavily on them, with roughly six in 10 Gen Zs and millennials saying they have felt worried or anxious about climate change in the last month.

The majority of them take action to minimize their impact on the environment. They feel governments should play a bigger role in pushing business to address climate change. And that business, in turn, could and should do more to enable consumers to make more sustainable purchasing decisions.

Protecting the environment is the societal challenge where respondents feel businesses have the most opportunity to drive change. Gen Zs and millennials are pushing business to act through their career decisions and consumer behaviors.

Percentage of Gen Zs and millennials who...

Genai at work, positive perceptions of genai increase with more hands-on experience, but so do workplace concerns.

Among both generations, frequent users of GenAI are more likely to believe the technology will have positive effects on their work and improve their work/life balance.

But, conversely, the more a respondent uses GenAI, the more likely they are to have some concerns as well, such as believing that GenAI will cause the elimination of jobs, make it harder for younger generations to enter the workforce, or that they’ll have to find job opportunities that are less vulnerable to automation.

In response to these types of concerns, both generations are thinking about how to adapt, with a focus on reskilling and GenAI training.

Respondents who say that GenAI in the workplace will...

Future of work, gen zs’ and millennials’ career and workplace expectations are evolving.

Many Gen Zs and millennials are choosing career paths based on environmental concerns, or which they believe will be less vulnerable to automation. And, once they do choose an employer, they push for change, particularly when it comes to workload, the services offered to clients, learning and development, DEI, wellness, social impact, and environmental efforts.

Work remains key to Gen Zs’ and, even more so to millennials’, sense of identity, with their jobs coming second only to friends and family. However, they are very focused on maintaining a positive work/life balance. And their strong preference for flexible work is driving greater demand for part-time jobs, job-sharing options, and models such as four-day work weeks for full-time employees.

Meanwhile, roughly a third of Gen Zs and millennials say they work for organizations who have recently implemented a return-to-office policy. These policies have yielded mixed results.

• Six in 10 Gen Zs (61%) and millennials (58%) believe they have the power to drive change within their organizations.
• Consistent with last year’s findings, work/life balance is the top consideration when Gen Zs and millennials are choosing an employer.
• Two-thirds of Gen Zs (64%) and millennials (66%) say they work for organizations who have recently implemented a return-to-office policy.

Mental health

As workplace factors contribute to stress levels, employers must stay focused on providing better workplace mental health.

Only about half of Gen Zs (51%) and millennials (56%) rate their mental health as good or extremely good. And while stress levels have improved slightly since last year, they remain high, with 40% of Gen Zs and 35% of millennials saying they feel stressed all or most of the time.

About a third of respondents say that their job and their work/life balance contribute a lot to their stress levels.

Financial concerns, and family welfare are major stressors, alongside job related factors such as long working hours and lack of recognition.

Many respondents believe that their employers are taking mental health seriously. But despite some positive changes, there is room for improvement when it comes to enabling people to feel comfortable speaking openly about mental health at work. Managers and senior leaders need to play an important role to remove stigma.

Percentage of respondents who say...

To learn more about the mental health findings, read the Mental Health Deep Dive .

Gen Zs and millennials have played a significant role in pushing the boundaries of what is expected from employers over the last decade, and they will continue to do so. Employers who listen and adjust their strategies will likely have a more satisfied, productive, and agile workforce who are better prepared to adapt to a transforming world.

Additional links

• Gen Z and Millennial Survey press release
• 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey
• Deloitte Insights article

Get in touch

AI is showing ‘very positive’ signs of eventually boosting GDP and productivity

Goldman Sachs Research predicted last year that generative AI could boost GDP and raise labor productivity growth over the coming decade. Since publishing that outlook, investment in generative AI has boomed, but it will take time for the technology to filter into the overall economy.

“Until we've seen more significant uptake in the actual application of AI, in the regular work production process, I don't think that we're going to see as big of an impact on productivity,” says Joseph Briggs, who co-leads the Global Economics team in Goldman Sachs Research. Briggs wrote last year’s AI report with Goldman Sachs economist Devesh Kodnani.

“That being said, the early signals of future productivity gains look very, very positive,” he adds.  

While adoption of generative AI is lagging investment in the technology , Goldman Sachs Research sees potential for AI to automate many work tasks. It’s expected to start having a measurable impact on US GDP in 2027 and begin affecting growth in other economies around the world in the years that follow.

We spoke with Briggs about how the team’s forecast has held up over the past year, which businesses are adopting generative AI, and the technology’s impact on the labor market.

Based on what you’re seeing from the data, how are we tracking against your productivity prediction?

We haven't seen much of an impact on productivity growth so far. But the reason being is, even though we still see a lot of potential for AI to automate a lot of the things that workers do on a day-to-day basis, thereby saving a lot of time and generating large productivity gains, the adoption rates are just fairly limited right now. The key step, of course, in automating tasks is that people have to start using it. And so until we've seen more significant uptake in the actual application of AI, in the regular work production process, I don't think that we're going to see as big of an impact on productivity.

That being said, the early signals of future productivity gains look very, very positive. Some of the academic literature and economic studies that have looked at the increase in productivity that we've seen following AI adoption, in a few specific cases, supports our view that large productivity gains are possible. The average increase in productivity is about 25%. Case studies of companies that have adopted AI imply similarly large efficiency gains. And so, you know, there's a lot of reasons to be optimistic. It will just take a little bit more time to see these productivity gains realized.

Did you change your forecast for the coming decade based on the actual data?

No, it really hasn't changed because our forecasts don’t assume any AI boost at all before 2027. And the very small increases in adoption that we've seen in the one year since we wrote our initial report, I think, are consistent with our view that over the next three years AI is probably not going to be a main driver of labor productivity and potential GDP growth. Even though we do still think that it's going to be a significant driver of productivity and GDP growth over a much longer horizon.

What explains the divergence between the strong investment in generative AI that you’re seeing compared with the slow rates of adoption?

For AI to be deployed on a widespread basis, there's a lot of things that need to happen. First you need to have models that are powerful enough and trained appropriately so they can actually be useful in everyday work product. Then you need to have the capability to facilitate and answer all the queries that people are going to be posing to AI models, when they do use them every day multiple times a day when they're engaged in regular work. Having both these things requires a big increase in investment in semiconductors which in turn requires a big increase in investment in network capacity.

And ultimately, that’s going to require an increase in electricity and collective power investment to support the increase in demand that facilitating queries will require.

We are seeing clear signs that investment is increasing. Revenues of semiconductor manufacturers are up about 50% since early 2023. If you look at forecast revisions for AI hardware providers, they imply about a $250 billion increase since a year ago. And so there's a lot of signs that the investment laying the groundwork for future use of AI is occurring.

The adoption and usage will occur when these pieces are in place, and companies actually start using AI on an everyday basis. For the most part that hasn't happened yet. We see about 5% of companies reporting that they do use generative AI today in regular production, but this is a fairly small share relative to the overall number of companies that we think will ultimately benefit.

How is that 5% putting generative AI to use?

There are a few specific use cases that are emerging if you look across the industries that are using generative AI. First and foremost, we see adoption rates higher in areas like information services, finance and insurance. The motion picture and sound recording industry, for instance, is another area where adoption is far above the economy wide average.

If we're talking about the things that people say that they're using it for, marketing, automation, chatbot, speech text, and data analysis are all areas that stand out as ways that companies are applying AI right now. This is kind of the low hanging fruit where AI is most applicable, at least in its current form. Ultimately, we think that a broader set of tasks are going to be automated by generative AI. But that probably requires a build out of an application layer to support the broader automation we see possible.

What about the other 95%? What’s holding them back?

There are a number of factors that are slowing down the pace of AI adoption. A lot of executives can see the economic potential of generative AI, but even those that see benefits report a lack of knowledge about AI, concerns about privacy and security, and concerns about overinvesting in an early version of the technology as barriers. I think that a lot these reasons broadly reflect that companies want to make sure that they get generative AI right, and companies are therefore taking deliberate approach to AI adoption.

These views generally align with what we've seen in some of the business surveys, where CEOs are asked about their intention to use generative AI. Very few say that they expect it's going to significantly impact their business over the next one to three years. Most say that they expect to see a significant impact over the three-to-10-year horizon.  

What’s been the net impact on jobs? How do you expect that to change over time?

Given that we've seen very little adoption, it's not surprising that we haven't seen much of an impact on the labor market. If we look at things like the unemployment rate between occupations that are highly exposed to AI automation, and those that are less, they basically tracked each other one-for-one for the last year or two. There have been some layoff announcements attributed to generative AI, but for the most part it seems like a very, very small share – less than 20,000 of all layoffs generated in the economy, which comes down to less than 0.1% of total job separations. So AI hasn't resulted in any significant job loss yet.

In fact, if we look at the labor demand that is generated it’s probably driven a net increase in employment. There has been a notable pickup in job postings mentioning AI as a desirable skill. This is especially true in the information technology sector. And so, it's very well possible, and probably even likely, that the net impact on the labor market has been positive thus far. This is kind of in line with our expectations over the long run, where we do expect that generative AI won't lead to a large amount of job loss. We generally think that it's going to create opportunities either in AI adjacent sectors or occupations or in sectors where labor has a comparative advantage. 

This article is being provided for educational purposes only. The information contained in this article does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, investment, accounting, or tax advice through this article or to its recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this article and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect, or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed.

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The 5 best digital notepads in 2024 will free you from paper clutter forever

By Jason R. Rich

Edited By Leslie Gornstein

Updated on: April 2, 2024 / 7:38 PM EDT / Essentials

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms.

Forget about writing down your ideas on sticky notes, paper napkins or scraps of paper -- all of which create clutter and can easily get lost. Now you can create handwritten notes and drawings, organize them in customized virtual notebooks, back up your notes in the cloud and then share them with others -- all with a digital notepad. And you can use these devices to read, annotate and sign PDF files, too. 

The best digital notepads look like tablets, but they have an e-ink display that's easily readable in almost any lighting -- just like the best e-readers . Using a stylus, you handwrite or draw directly on the screen, within the pages of customizable virtual notebooks. Then, in most cases, you can automatically convert your handwritten notes into editable text, or store the notes as you created them. 

Digital notepads give you plenty of virtual paper style options and even let you to choose your simulated writing instruments, such as a ball-point pen, fountain pen, pencil or highlighter. While some of the latest digital notepads can also be used as e-readers or offer basic tablet functionality, their main purpose is to replace a traditional notepad.

Best digital notepad overall : reMarkable 2

Best digital notepad and e-reader combo : amazon kindle scribe.

• Best compact digital notepad : Moleskine Smart Writing Set

Best digital notepad with a color display : Boox Note Air3 C

Best digital notepad with tablet functions: boox ultra c pro.

Keep in mind, with a specialty app (like Goodnotes 6 or Notability) and an Apple Pencil , any  Apple iPad tablet can be used as a feature-packed, full-color digital notepad, as can any tablet that has a stylus available for it.

Our top picks of the best digital notepads for 2024

Our in-house consumer tech experts have jotted down their research notes and compiled this roundup of the best digital notepads out there. Get ready to handwrite or draw directly on an e-ink display using a pen-shaped stylus. This nicely recreates the experience of handwriting on paper using a traditional pen or pencil. Organize and access all of your notes in one place. And because these devices rely on an e-ink display, battery life is typically up to several weeks, not mere hours, like a traditional tablet.

Display size : 10.3 inches | Display type : E-ink | Resolution : 1,872 x 1,404 pixels, 226 DPI |  Color or monochrome display : Monochrome | Internal   storage : 8GB | Expandable : No | Stylus included : Yes | Connectivity : USB Type-C, Wi-Fi | Operating system : Codex | Battery life : Up to 2 weeks

Unlike a traditional tablet that's built for a ton of tasks, or an Amazon Scribe that's for both note-taking and e-reading, the reMarkable 2 is first and foremost a digital notepad. It's designed to replicate writing on paper with a pen.

What we like most about this device is that it's extremely thin and lightweight. The monochrome, e-ink display is also quite readable, with minimal glare. And the rechargeable battery lasts up to two weeks.

As a digital notepad, you can create custom-named notebooks, and each can contain any number of individual pages filled with your handwritten notes. As you're writing, you can opt to leave the content as is, or convert it automatically into editable, typed text. This makes it great for note-taking, managing to-do lists or organizing important information.

Another task the reMarkable 2 handles exceptionally well is PDFs; you can view, annotate, highlight, sign, organize and store them. All content within the reMarkable 2 can be synced with your choice of cloud-based services, including Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive. 

Beyond PDF files, this note taking tool is compatible with Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint presentations. It also can serve as an e-reader that accepts ePub files, but that's not the intended purpose of this device. If you're looking for a versatile digital notepad that provides a writing experience that feels like you're using real paper and a pen, reMarkable 2 is a great option.

Display size : 10.2-inches |  Display type : Paperwhite |  Resolution : 300 ppi |  Color or monochrome display : Monochrome |  Internal   storage : 16GB, 32GB, 64GB |  Expandable : No |  Stylus included : Yes |  Connectivity : USB Type-C, Wi-Fi |  Operating system : Amazon FireOS |  Battery life : Up to 12 weeks

We're huge fans of the Amazon Kindle Scribe, mainly because it can serve as a digital notepad and full-featured e-reader compatible with any Kindle-friendly e-books. The 10.2-inch paperwhite display is very easy to read, and the device's battery lasts up to three months between charges.

For our coverage of the five best e-readers for 2024 , the Scribe was named best e-reader for note taking. Be sure to read our in-depth review of this powerful tool to discover all that it can do.

The Amazon Kindle Scribe also offers yet another cool feature that other Kindles don't. It's a digital notepad. You can handwrite or draw on the display using a stylus. Use the note-taking app to create custom digital notebooks and then fill them with pages containing thoughts or sketches. These notes are stored within the Scribe, but can easily be shared when the device is connected to the internet via Wi-Fi.

As you're reading, you can annotate the content of e-books with handwritten notes, or annotate PDF files. A basic stylus comes with the Scribe and a three-month trial subscription to the Kindle Unlimited service is included, as is a USB Type-C charging cable. 

Best compact digital notepad : Moleskine smart writing set

Stylus included : Yes |  Connectivity : Bluetooth |  Battery life : Up to 11 hours | Notebook compatibility : Moleskine Smart Notebooks ( small or large ) | App : Moleskine Notes app (iOS/Android)

Most digital notepads have all of their technology built into the tablet. That's not the case with the Moleskine smart writing set. In this case, there's a lot of tech bundled into a smart pen that works just like a ball-point. In fact, the smart pen also writes on paper.

The pen must be used with one of Moleskine's smart notebooks, which come in two sizes and in either a hardcover or softcover. As you're writing using the Moleskine pen within one of these notebooks, the pen actually records everything you write and draw. Transfer the work wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet and replicate it on the screen of a mobile device.

Using the Moleskine Notes app, your can view your handwritten notes, store them as PDFs, sync them in the cloud or share them with others. Content can be kept in your own handwriting or converted into text that can be edited. And all of your notes can be associated with keywords or tags that make them easier to locate quickly. 

Another useful feature: It can simultaneously record audio from a class or meeting and link those audio files with your handwritten content. This system is ideal for someone who wants to continue writing with a pen on paper, but store and share all of their notes or drawings digitally, too. 

Display size : 10.3-inches |  Display type : E-paper |  Resolution : 2,480 x 1,860 pixels, 300 ppi (monochrome); 1,240 x 930 pixels, 150 ppi (color) |  Color or monochrome display : Color |  Internal   storage : 16GB |  Expandable : Yes (microSD card) |  Stylus included : Yes |  Connectivity : USB Type-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |  Operating system : Android 12 |  Battery life : Up to 16 hours

Boox is one of the few companies that offers digital notepads and Android tablets with full-color, e-paper displays. The Boox Note Air3 C has a 10.3-inch color screen. It's primarily designed to be a digital notepad for writing or drawing using different colored virtual inks, or for annotating full-color PDF files. 

As an e-reader it accepts 17 e-book formats. The device itself is a mere 5.8mm thick and it's extremely lightweight. As a note taking tool, it offers a paper-like experience for handwriting ideas and sketches.

Because the device uses an e-ink display, it's battery lasts for many hours. But it lacks a traditional display, so don't expect to work with high-resolution photos or video with the sharpness of a traditional tablet. The colors appear more muted. Resolution improves dramatically when viewing content in monochrome. As you're handwriting, the Note Air3 C can convert your handwriting into editable text. You can also use this device to view, annotate, sign and share PDF files. The handwriting and drawing capabilities are extensive, while the e-reader features are also robust. 

Because this is an Android device, it can be used for basic tasks that a tablet can also handle, like checking email, but this is primarily a digital note-taking tool for notes. Overall, we're very impressed with the note-taking capabilities of the Note Air3 C and recommend it to someone who prefers to handwrite, store and share their notes digitally.

For slightly less money, the Note Air3 ($400) is available with a monochrome screen.  It can handle everything that the Note Air3 C can do, just without the color. If you're going to invest in a Boox digital notepad, however, we suggest going with the full-color version. The use of color gives you more options when handwriting notes, drawing or annotating PDF files. There's even a virtual highlighter that allows you to highlight text in PDF files using the colors of your choice. 

Display size : 10.3-inches |  Display type : Kaleido 3 |  Resolution : 2,480 x 1,860 pixels, 300 ppi (monochrome); 1,240 x 930, 150 ppi (color) |  Color or monochrome display : Color |  Internal   storage : 128GB |  Expandable : Yes (microSD card) |  Stylus included : Yes |  Connectivity : USB Type-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |  Operating system : Android 12 |  Battery life : Up to 21 hours | Keyboard : Optional

The Boox Ultra C Pro can do everything that the Boox Note Air3 C can do as a note taking tool, but it also serves as an Android tablet.

It comes with the same collection of preinstalled apps as other Android tablets and allows you to install additional apps from the Google Play Store. The Boox Ultra C Pro has a full-color, e-ink display. This means it can be viewed in any lighting situation with virtually zero glare. 

Be warned: Between the speed of the processor and the sluggishness of the display's refresh rate, the Boox Ultra C Pro is not suitable for video. And while it can display full-color, high-resolution photos, the colors will appear muted and the images will lack detail. But this digital notebook is great for basics like web surfing, email, word processing, spreadsheets or any tasks that don't rely on video or graphics. 

Also on the plus side, the Ultra C Pro comes with a stylus and runs Android 12. It also has a built-in camera, speakers and a microSD memory card slot. It supports 24 digital file formats. A variety of optional cases (that also serve as stands) and a detachable keyboard are sold separately. While not for everyone, the Boox Ultra C Pro is a great option for people who prefer hand-writing over typing, but who want the core features of a tablet in a single, lightweight device.

How to choose a digital notepad

A digital notepad should be as comfortable and intuitive to use as a traditional pad and pen. Here are five things to consider when choosing which digital notepad is best suited to meet your needs:

• Design : The best digital notepads are compact, thin and lightweight. They rely on an e-ink display that's easy to read in any lighting (including direct sunlight) and they come with a pen-shaped stylus that's as comfortable to use as a pen. You also want the ability to choose a paper style (blank, lined, graph, etc.) and create customize notebooks that can contain any number of individual pages. The operating system should allow you to store your handwritten notes locally, sync them with a cloud account and share them with others via email. 
• Display : An e-ink display should be glare-free and easy to read in any lighting. The higher the resolution, the better (especially when it comes to full-color e-ink displays). Most displays built into digital notepads have a resolution that's measured in horizontal and vertical pixels, or in pixels per inch.
• Functionality : Beyond handwriting or drawing on the display, you might want to automatically convert writing into editable text. Other useful functions include the ability to markup, annotate and sign PDF files. Some of the best digital notepads also serve as e-readers, audiobook players and more. Also, while some digital notebooks only sync files with the manufacturer's own cloud-based service, others are compatible with services like Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Dropbox and Evernote.
• Stylus : All of the digital notepads featured in this roundup come with a pen-shaped stylus. However, in some cases, you can upgrade to a premium stylus for an additional fee. To get the most out of a digital notepad, you want a stylus that feels like a pen in your hand and that replicates the experience of handwriting on paper. If you flip over the stylus, the opposite end should work as a digital eraser (just like a traditional pencil). When using one of the best digital notepads, you can choose your virtual writing instrument. Options typically include a ball point pen, pencil, felt tip market, highlighter and fountain pen. 
• Battery life : Because these devices rely on e-ink displays, their battery life tends to be much longer than a traditional tablet. In some cases, you can expect to use a digital notepad regularly for up to four weeks before needing to recharge it.

When it comes to keeping up with the latest  technologies , our team of consumer tech experts has you covered with comprehensive product roundups, in-depth product reviews and details about where and how to find the best deals. We cover everything from  laptops  and  action cameras , to the best  TVs ,  smart grills ,  tablets ,  smartwatches  and noise canceling  earbuds  and  headphones .

Jason R. Rich ( www.JasonRich.com ) is an internationally recognized consumer technology expert with more than 30 years' writing experience. He's also an accomplished author and photographer. One of his most recently published books, The Remote Worker's Handbook: How to Effectively Work From Anywhere ($24.99, Entrepreneur Books) is now available from Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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The White House is calling a deadly airstrike on Rafah "devastating" and "heartbreaking." The Israeli strike set fire to a camp housing displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people. CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe has more on the Biden administration's response.