How to write a short research paper?

I have found that it is very helpful to provide students with a very general overview of what is expected of them when writing a short research paper. This is primarily meant for students aged 16 and above, but can also be used for higher education or whole-life learning. The presentation provides a detailed idea of how to prepare an abstract and advises on what structure and methodology a student could use to write their paper. The structure of the paper proposed primarily conforms to the APA guidelines.

The lesson includes three activities that are designed to help the student understand best practices in formulating their key hypothesis, performing a literature review and performing simple data analysis. The presentation generally goes through the following topics:

1. Deciding upon a topic;
2. Writing your thesis;
3. Performing a literature review;
4. Finding data that supports your hypothesis;
5. Tips on writing a theoretical discussion;
6. Data analysis;
7. Understanding the impact of the results.