Determine which topics to talk about!
A good place to start is typically the problem at-hand (e.g. in a project about toothpaste, include a section on cavities and other dental diseases)
As you begin to research that initial problem, you will find related topics that articles tend to mention alongside the problem; look into those
If your project may include materials most people are unfamiliar with, discuss those as well
Include at least one section on current research in the field; how are researchers currently tackling the problem?
Advice as you move forward: Pretend your readers are "aliens from another planet" who do not know anything about your topic -- you will want to explain every detail of your topics to the reader!
Next, start reading more papers on the topics that you chose
Here are some reliable sources to use for background research
Google Scholar
PubMed
JSTOR
Government entities (NASA, USDA, CDC, etc. )
Professional Standards Organizations (World Health Organization [WHO], American Psychological Association [APA] )
Scientific magazines (like Sigma Xi's American Scientist)
Your school may have memberships to databases!
Search up some keywords from your project
Look for recent articles in the field, typically within the past 10 years
Save any articles you will want to include in your paper
Read through the sources you have found and take notes on whatever information you deem important
Bullet points or flashcards are great ways to start
As you write, keep track of what information came from which source
Ensure you paraphrase everything as you go, so you do not accidentally plagiarize later on
If you cannot think of another way to convey an idea in the text, you can include a brief excerpt in quotation marks to avoid plagiarizing
This may feel tedious, but it will make writing the actual paper later on much easier!
Please note that this process is iterative! As you take notes on new topics, you may need to find more sources to support your claims.
Take the outline that you made with bullet points or flash cards, and turn your notes into sentences & paragraphs!
Unlike the outline, everything in the paper should flow together
Include transitions as you guide the reader through the different topics you discuss
Discuss similar topics in subsequent paragraphs, instead of jumping between fields
As with the outline, keep track of what information came from which source
You could include in-text citations or temporary place-holders to later add the citations
Another option is to link text that came from a source to that source (like this!)
Select the text, then insert "add link" or Ctrl+K
When writing the introduction section of the paper, following a structure can be helpful!
Start with a strong hook that grabs the attention of readers (Statistics - As of 2023, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused about 7 million deaths globally, and continues to be a serious public health issue today.)
Then, start to discuss the general problem that your research will be addressing
Continue to get more and more specific, detailing the importance of the variables that will be changed
As you talk about topics related to your solution, include their role in the problem but do not explicitly state that you "will be experimenting with" them
Finally, write your conclusion
Begin by restating your thesis (using different wording), then briefly touch upon all of the different topics you discussed
End with a thought-provoking statement about the topic or other way to segue into your hypothesis!