FreeToDoList
Sign up

Research Paper Workflow

Research Paper Workflow

A step-by-step pipeline from topic to submission — designed so you never hit the night before with nothing written.

School & Studying

Template Items (15)

  • Re-read the assignment prompt — circle every requirement

    +1 day after start

    #1

  • Brainstorm 3–5 possible topics

    +2 days after start

    #2

  • Pick a topic and write a one-sentence thesis

    +3 days after start

    #3

  • Find 5–8 credible sources (library DB, Google Scholar)

    +5 days after start

    #4

  • Skim sources and save useful quotes with citations

    +7 days after start

    #5

  • Sketch an outline with section headings

    +9 days after start

    #6

  • Write the intro and thesis — don't polish it yet

    +11 days after start

    #7

  • Write each body section as a rough draft

    +16 days after start

    #8

  • Write the conclusion

    +17 days after start

    #9

  • Format every citation in the required style

    +18 days after start

    #10

  • Read the paper out loud — fix awkward sentences

    +20 days after start

    #11

  • Run it through spelling/grammar check

    +21 days after start

    #12

  • Ask a friend or writing center for a quick read

    +22 days after start

    #13

  • Final pass: requirements checklist, page count, format

    +23 days after start

    #14

  • Submit and save a copy for your records

    +24 days after start

    #15

Using this template will create a new list with all the items shown above. You can rename the list, and optionally add due dates counted from a start date you choose.

Who this is for

15 tasks taking a paper from topic selection to submission. It exists to solve one specific failure: arriving at the night before with a pile of reading and nothing written.

Write while you read, not after

The reason papers get written in a panic is that reading feels like preparation and never quite finishes — there's always another source. Breaking the sequence means writing something from the start: notes in your own words, a paragraph summarising each source, a rough argument that changes as you learn.

Prose written early is bad and revisable. A blank document the night before is neither.

Narrow the question further than feels right

Almost every first-draft topic is too broad, and broad topics produce papers that summarise rather than argue. A question you can answer in the word count with evidence beats one you can only gesture at. Your supervisor or tutor will narrow it for you if you ask early — that conversation is worth more than a week of reading.

Set up the reference manager on day one

Zotero, Mendeley, whatever your institution supports. Retrofitting citations onto a finished draft is hours of tedious work with a real risk of errors, and it always happens at the point when time is shortest.

Leave time between drafting and editing

A day away from the draft is what lets you see it as a reader. Editing immediately after writing catches typos and misses structure, and structure is what marks turn on.

Timing

Turn on due dates and set the start so the final task falls a few days before the real deadline. That buffer is the plan's insurance policy.

Related templates

Browse all todo list templates