Basics of Writing a Research Paper on a Disease

Writing a research paper on a disease can look like an overwhelming task at the outset, but when you have a general topic it makes it a little easier to start out. There are so many different kinds of diseases and it’s such a well-researched topic that it should be a relatively simple set of tasks compared to other kinds of research papers.

Find a Topic

You already have the first struggle done: finding your umbrella topic, which in this case is diseases. Now you just have to narrow it down. There are several ways to do this.

• Consider your experience. Have you ever known anyone with a particular kind of disease? Has there been something in the news recently about an outbreak or epidemic? Do you yourself have any kind of disease?
• Chances are you are connected to someone with a disease in some way. Draw from your own experience to zero in on a topic.
• Ask a medical professional what diseases he or she most frequently comes across. This may be your best bet as far as finding information if it is widely known.

Researching

A simple internet search will get you far, but there are other ways to find information too.

• Take advantage of whatever resources are available in your school’s library. Most times, a school or university’s library will have access to journals and information databases that contain vast quantities of academic and research publications. Ask your librarian what sort of resources are available to you in this thread.
• It might be old school, but look through paper versions of publications too. Oftentimes there is information present in physical books that never get scanned and entered into an online database or published online. Look in your school’s library for this too, as well as looking at your local discount book store.
• Again, if you know people in the medical field, ask them for references as to how to find information. Most of them have to renew their license or do tests once every few years, so it is likely they would know where to find study information, text books, or information on new research. These people are valuable resources to you.

Once you’ve selected a topic and researched it thoroughly, treat your research paper on disease like any other paper. Do a thorough outline to organize your paper, write your paper with references and a reference page, and conclude strong. Once you’ve written it, read it aloud and have a friend read it, too, so you know what to revise.