How to Write an Economics Paper

Economics is a discipline that students of different majors take, as a basic understanding of how it works is necessary for an educated person. Therefore, it is important to know how to write an economics paper.

This discipline has its peculiarities, as being related to mathematics and calculations, it stays in the realm of humanitarian discipline aimed at conceptualizing global processes in the dynamics of wealth. Thus, in your work, you will need to be a little of a historian, philosopher, mathematician, and sociologist at the same time. Whether it is an essay on a narrow topic or complex research, you will need to take the following steps to complete an excellent paper in economics. By the way, you can actually just ask for help with economics homework from our professional writers.

How to write an abstract for an economics paper

Every comprehensive academic work should have an abstract or if it is an essay, an introduction, which is a self-explanatory word for what you should write in it. Nonetheless, writing an abstract or an introduction is a 101 on how to write an economics research paper. An abstract is the very first section of your work, in which you have to present the topic. However, just naming the topic is not enough. It must be presented in the context you view it and in relation to the current reality, which will make your work relevant and up-to-date. At the end of the abstract or the introduction, there must be a thesis statement—the central idea of your work that you are to prove throughout the whole paper.

It is controversial whether to write the abstract before the whole work or at the very end because you do not know for sure what the research will prove. In any case, the abstract must summarize your work for those who do not want to read all of it. Thus, make sure it includes a definition of the topic, the reason why it is relevant, the idea you want to prove, and the research methodology you are to use in it.

Why you need an outline

An outline is a kind of work that will not be included in your final submission but completing it is an activity that will simplify the whole thing for you. If you take your time and work on an outline, you will have a definite path in your research, reasoning, and writing. It will bring value to the quality of your paper, helping you to avoid gibberish and inconsistency in the macrostructure of your paper. If you are not required to write an elaborate and detailed outline, you can simply create one for yourself.

Write the main idea of the introduction (thesis statement) and the topic sentences of each body paragraph with the sources that you will use in them, and the conclusion you aim to arrive at. When you have an outline, you can see whether anything is missing or excessive, as well as if each argument has enough support so you do not have to conduct additional research. When your outline is done, you can start writing the paper itself, and it will be much easier, as you already have a plan.

Literature review

As economics is a theoretical discipline, you need to include not only mathematical calculations but also the materials you base your ideas on. All of them must be in your literature review, which may be the most time-consuming part of the work. In the literature review, you collect relevant information on your topic and opinions of reputable figures. Additionally, you will need to include the initial economic theory you choose to base your research on. Nonetheless, make sure the literature on your topic is extensive, and there is still the relevance of your research as a contribution to what is already known.

Your literature review must not only refer to others’ works but signify the points of their scope that apply in your assignment. Additionally, make sure you choose sources that enlighten your topic from different facets, which will help you avoid biases.

Doing the research

This is the part where you demonstrate the calculations and develop your argument. However, depending on the particular topic you study, it may be part of no particular aim to describe something in digits. However, in this part, you have to mention every step you take in your research. Another important aspect of this section is that you do not need to interpret the results of what you have found. You only need to present the factual data you are using and will eventually obtain.

Be as detailed and unambiguous in this section as possible. If you need to find information, omit judgment or evaluation and focus on analysis, as you have the subsequent sections for them. This part is not supposed to have a direct connection with the thesis statement; however, it is a crucial step towards the connections you will establish further. Thus, the demonstration of your research must be as precise and objective as possible.

Discussing the findings

This is the part where you translate the data from the research part into human language. Take all the findings you have from the research section, give them an evaluation, and explain what they mean from the perspective of the purpose of your study. You may point out whether there is any statistical regularity in the findings of the research or if the results have any differences from the initial expectations of the research.

In the discussion section, you also need to explain what every step of the calculation part was taken for and how it translates to the context of the problem in your topic. Nonetheless, you also have to maintain objectivity and explain every finding.

Conclusion

This is the final part of your research paper. The main purpose of the conclusion is to say whether you were right in the introduction and why. Additionally, it is a simplified version of the interpretation and analysis of the results that answers your initial question from the research proposal. Another important part of the introduction is the summary of the work you did and how the theoretical part helped you with it. If you write it in an essay form, recall all the key arguments and explain whether they work.

Finally, a crucial part of the conclusion that students happen to forget is the speculation on further research. It is not probable that your assigned work covered the topic completely, but it is a study that contributes to its understanding. Thus, note the area of the topic that remains unstudied or understudied to complete your argument.

Format and bibliography

All the information in your research paper must be organized and systematized in accordance with a certain academic style. Depending on the requirements of your professor or institution, it can be the Chicago, Harvard, APA, or MLA format. You need to format your title page, page numbers, and bibliography accordingly. Do not forget that the in-text citation style and charts are also formatted differently in various styles. Additionally, make sure that all the sources you used are listed in alphabetical order.

This part of the assignment has little to do with the actual research. However, it matters for your submission, so you need to take some time and make sure that everything is in the right place.

Writing a complex paper that combines conceptual theory and applied mathematics is a natural part of the education of any undergraduate economist. Depending on the importance of the discipline in your major, the share of calculating in the course can be different. Nonetheless, if you break the assignment down into doable checkpoints, it will not be as challenging as it might look.