Management Research Paper Writing Help

Often, the exact meaning of a research paper gets lost among the other phrases that float around in academia, such as essay, term paper, etc. It is quite easy to get confused. Simply put, a research paper can be assigned at any level within the education system—undergraduate, graduate, PhD—and can become a published piece of work that could appear within an academic or research journal.

The amount of time that a research paper takes also depends on the assignment, the level at which the research is being conducted, and the overall objectives of that research. For simple management research papers, it might just take a few days or a couple of weeks, but for a high-level program, this type of assignment could take months and even years, depending upon the complexity and parameters to the research; whether it is a simple management research paper for an undergraduate class on international business or it is a PhD project that is looking to disseminate how a management team can create strategies that will sustain an organization throughout all global business environments.

Pick the Problem

Success starts with the right topic and scope of the research that would be involved. In terms of a management research paper, there are a seemingly endless amount of problems and issues that span across every aspect of a business, organization, and industry, so it is important to narrow the subject matter and find your niche. 
It is important to pick a research topic that interests you and that has application for your field of study. Additionally, the research should be something that is relevant to today's business environment, such as something that relates to the issues of sustainability, ethics, corporate responsibility, the use of technology, or new management styles that can be successful in the global information society.

Review the Research

There are a number of steps to take in getting the research and then filtering through all of the information to find the data that substantiates the thesis that you have chosen or that has been assigned by a professor. Be sure to get the details on the format and referencing style that is required since everything presented in the paper must be attributed to the person that provided that research material.

The Internet has opened up the doors of opportunity for accessing a wealth of in-depth research material by providing a number of open-sourced academic databases that contain recent findings and studies. Some of the databases do require either a password that can be obtained from the university or a small payment to join. Emerald and Science Direct are particularly excellent sources of high-quality research material. Many other researchers have made their published papers available online, so be sure to search Google using specific keywords that relate to the research topic. Your university library should not be left out as an excellent place for source material!

Scope out the Order

Organization and a logical order to the presentation of the research is the other half of the battle involved in creating a successful management research paper. Preparing an outline is important to ensuring that the argumentation supports the main thesis statement. Be sure to construct the paper in a way that uses the "if this happens, then this is the result" formula and then tie the results back to the original premise of the research.

Do not assume that all the research you pulled for the paper has to be used. After further reading, you may discover that some of the material is not relevant or has a bias that would not make it a good reference to substantiate your argument.

Transform the Research

While a management research paper is heavily based on available research, the premise of the project is not to simply restate what has already been discovered. The primary goal of doing a management research paper is to transform the research and make it your own, illustrating to the professor or others that you have grasped the concepts and theories to the point of understanding how these might be applied to or solve a real-world critical business issue or problem.

To help you transform the research, it is a good idea to make a list of questions at the start and then refer back to these as you formulate your outline for the management research paper. Finding the answers to these questions will then serve as the foundation for the primary points that you will be making in the main body of the paper. Adding personal experiences with management or as a manager within an organization also helps transform the research into a compelling piece of work.

Solidify the Message

The best way to solidify the message in your management research paper is to re-read the draft and revise it numerous times to ensure a succinct, powerful, and well-stated argument for that particular research topic. This involves careful proofreading and a review of a checklist that, perhaps, the professor provided in terms of formatting. If this information is not provided, be sure to consult a writing guide that focuses on specific ways to format a research paper as well as explains the various standard referencing mechanisms, such as APA, Harvard, and MLA, that will detail how to construct the bibliography as well as internal references, footnotes, or endnotes.