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What Is AP Research? Should You Take It?

Advanced Placement (AP)

AP Research is a class introduced by the College Board as a part of its new AP Capstone program. But what does it really involve? How can you do well?

In this article, I'll provide an overview of AP Research and give you some more information about whether you should take it and how you can be successful in the class.

What Is AP Research?

AP Research is the second course that students take in the AP Capstone program . It comes after AP Seminar.

If you take AP Seminar and AP Research, you will earn an AP Research and Seminar Certificate, and if you take both classes in addition to four other AP courses and exams, you will earn an AP Capstone Diploma. This program is very new (the College Board rolled out the full version in the fall of 2014), but you will most likely benefit from it in the college application process when schools see the types of advanced assignments you've completed in these research-focused classes.

In AP Research, students are encouraged to explore a topic or problem that interests them and design, plan, and conduct a year-long research project centered around it. The class represents the culmination of skills that students learn in AP Seminar, which include effectively analyzing sources, formulating coherent arguments backed up by evidence, and examining issues from differing points of view. Smaller research projects in AP Seminar will prepare you for the large-scale research project you will undertake in AP Research.

What Exactly Will You Do in AP Research?

AP Research consists entirely of a year-long research project. The end product is a 4000-5000 word academic paper and a 15-20 minute presentation with an oral defense. You will also be expected to compile the materials you used in your research into a portfolio. This piece of work is similar to a thesis project, so it’s good preparation for college academics. Topics for the research project are usually relatively open, but arguments for and against solutions to major problems in society tend to be the main focus. For example, you might investigate whether the government should invest more resources in finding and supporting sustainable energy sources.

In your academic paper, you will be expected to:

Introduce and contextualize your research question and your initial thoughts and hypotheses about it. In the case of my example, the research question might be "Should the government devote more resources to sustainable energy projects?" You would reflect on the question briefly here and share your initial uninformed opinions before diving into any research.

Review previous ideas and works on the subject and their arguments and perspectives. This is where you would address arguments for and against the adoption of policies to promote the use of sustainable energy. This section lays the groundwork for your arguments in later sections of the paper.

Explain your research method and why you approached the question this way. Here, you would discuss how you went about compiling sources for your research and how you collected the information. This lends credibility to your argument in the next section.

Present your findings and interpret their significance in connection to your research question. In this section, you would lay out your argument based on the evidence you discovered through your research. In the example, your argument might be that we should devote more resources to sustainable energy projects because the long term consequences of continuing to use non-renewable energy sources will be extremely dire. You could support this argument with research that you touched on in previous sections.

Discuss the implications and limitations of your findings and reflect on the process. This is where you would talk about any qualifiers related to your argument in the previous section. If you can't be absolutely sure of a conclusion that you drew or there is some speculation involved, you would go over those potential limitations. You would also talk about what your findings mean in a larger context.

Talk about potential next steps on the issue in view of these findings. Basically, this is the "so what?" section. This is where you would present your ideas for what practical steps the world might take based on your research. In the example, this could be something like providing better tax incentives for businesses that use renewable energy sources or rearranging money in the government's budget in a specific way so that more of it goes towards clean energy projects.

Provide a complete bibliography. This is pretty self-explanatory. You'll need to cite all your sources correctly and make sure that they're trustworthy.

After you turn in your paper, you will also deliver a 15-20 minute presentation to a panel of teachers in whatever format works best for your research. You'll be asked to give a defense of your findings after your presentation. Your AP Research teacher and two panel members chosen by your teacher will ask you three or four questions about your work, and you'll have to answer them based on your research. 

Should You Take AP Research?

First of all, you can only take AP Research if you take AP Seminar beforehand. Make sure you plan out your classes carefully if you want to end up in this class!

If you are looking to earn the AP Research and Seminar Certificate or the AP Capstone Diploma, you will need to take this class. Keep in mind that for the Capstone Diploma you’ll also need to take four more AP classes and exams.

Some colleges will offer you credit for taking these classes or will allow you to place out of introductory courses that are required for other students. This can make things a little easier on you during your freshman year.

You’ll also be better prepared for college academics if you take AP Research. You will already be familiar with the process of collecting research and using it to formulate an opinion on a topic. When you're assigned your first research paper, you’ll know exactly where to start.

Aside from those benefits, AP Research can be a fun way to explore a topic that genuinely interests you. You'll have a ton of freedom when it comes to choosing your topic, so you can explore almost any idea that you find compelling. AP Research is a good choice for students who are looking for a way to enrich their high school experience with independent research and enroll in competitive college programs.

How Can You Do Well in AP Research?

In AP Research, the most important rule for doing well is to avoid falling behind! ;Since your entire grade rests on one long-term project, you will need to make sure that you are diligent about staying on task throughout the year. It’s tempting to procrastinate when it seems like you have such a long time to complete the project, but you won’t get the most out of your research if you don’t spread out your work. You want to avoid turning in a sub-par project that you don’t believe in because you ran out of time.

I would also suggest that you finish doing all of your research before you start writing any part of your paper. It's hard to write a cohesive argument when you're adding to it piece by piece as you go along. It's best to compile all the information you need first, figure out your argument based on the evidence, and then start structuring your paper around it. This might seem obvious, but sometimes with these types of projects it's tempting to start working on the part that you actually have to turn in before you've fully explored all the background information.

In a related point, you should be flexible and accept that you may need to reframe your research question. You never know what dead ends you might hit or how you might need to change your project as you learn more about your topic. The best way to plan for these scenarios is to start your research early. The highest-quality projects will be those that adapt to new findings over time. You will have to defend your work, so you should be sure that you believe in the point of view that you’re selling and that it's backed up by solid evidence.

Finally, you should choose a research question that fascinates you. Working on a research project for a whole year can get tedious, and you don't want to be completely sick of your topic after a couple of months. Talk to your teacher about your interests so that you can work together to find a viable research question that will hold your focus.

AP Research is the second class in the AP Capstone program after AP Seminar. It's similar to an independent study class and consists entirely of one year-long research project on a topic of your choice. You will write a research paper summarizing your findings and then give an oral presentation followed by a defense of your argument.

AP Research can be a useful class for students who want to be well-prepared for college-level assignments. It's a great way to hone your skills in effectively conducting research and formulating arguments based on evidence. It also might be a nice break from your other classes because of the level of freedom it provides to students. It's an opportunity to learn more about nearly any topic or question that intrigues you!

What's Next?

Not sure if you can take AP Research at your school? Consult this article for a list of all the high schools that offer the AP Capstone program.

You should also take at this article for a detailed guide to which AP classes you should take in general.

If you're on the fence about AP classes in general, check out this article for more information on how AP classes and exams might benefit you.

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Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Her goal is to help students adopt a less stressful view of standardized testing and other academic challenges through her articles. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. In high school, she earned a 2400 on the SAT, 5's on all seven of her AP tests, and was named a National Merit Scholar.

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Writing a Research Paper Conclusion | Step-by-Step Guide

Published on October 30, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on April 13, 2023.

• Restate the problem statement addressed in the paper
• Summarize your overall arguments or findings
• Suggest the key takeaways from your paper

The content of the conclusion varies depending on whether your paper presents the results of original empirical research or constructs an argument through engagement with sources .

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Table of contents

Step 1: restate the problem, step 2: sum up the paper, step 3: discuss the implications, research paper conclusion examples, frequently asked questions about research paper conclusions.

The first task of your conclusion is to remind the reader of your research problem . You will have discussed this problem in depth throughout the body, but now the point is to zoom back out from the details to the bigger picture.

While you are restating a problem you’ve already introduced, you should avoid phrasing it identically to how it appeared in the introduction . Ideally, you’ll find a novel way to circle back to the problem from the more detailed ideas discussed in the body.

For example, an argumentative paper advocating new measures to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture might restate its problem as follows:

Meanwhile, an empirical paper studying the relationship of Instagram use with body image issues might present its problem like this:

“In conclusion …”

Avoid starting your conclusion with phrases like “In conclusion” or “To conclude,” as this can come across as too obvious and make your writing seem unsophisticated. The content and placement of your conclusion should make its function clear without the need for additional signposting.

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Having zoomed back in on the problem, it’s time to summarize how the body of the paper went about addressing it, and what conclusions this approach led to.

Depending on the nature of your research paper, this might mean restating your thesis and arguments, or summarizing your overall findings.

Argumentative paper: Restate your thesis and arguments

In an argumentative paper, you will have presented a thesis statement in your introduction, expressing the overall claim your paper argues for. In the conclusion, you should restate the thesis and show how it has been developed through the body of the paper.

Briefly summarize the key arguments made in the body, showing how each of them contributes to proving your thesis. You may also mention any counterarguments you addressed, emphasizing why your thesis holds up against them, particularly if your argument is a controversial one.

Don’t go into the details of your evidence or present new ideas; focus on outlining in broad strokes the argument you have made.

Empirical paper: Summarize your findings

In an empirical paper, this is the time to summarize your key findings. Don’t go into great detail here (you will have presented your in-depth results and discussion already), but do clearly express the answers to the research questions you investigated.

Describe your main findings, even if they weren’t necessarily the ones you expected or hoped for, and explain the overall conclusion they led you to.

Having summed up your key arguments or findings, the conclusion ends by considering the broader implications of your research. This means expressing the key takeaways, practical or theoretical, from your paper—often in the form of a call for action or suggestions for future research.

Argumentative paper: Strong closing statement

An argumentative paper generally ends with a strong closing statement. In the case of a practical argument, make a call for action: What actions do you think should be taken by the people or organizations concerned in response to your argument?

If your topic is more theoretical and unsuitable for a call for action, your closing statement should express the significance of your argument—for example, in proposing a new understanding of a topic or laying the groundwork for future research.

Empirical paper: Future research directions

In a more empirical paper, you can close by either making recommendations for practice (for example, in clinical or policy papers), or suggesting directions for future research.

Whatever the scope of your own research, there will always be room for further investigation of related topics, and you’ll often discover new questions and problems during the research process .

Finish your paper on a forward-looking note by suggesting how you or other researchers might build on this topic in the future and address any limitations of the current paper.

Full examples of research paper conclusions are shown in the tabs below: one for an argumentative paper, the other for an empirical paper.

• Argumentative paper
• Empirical paper

While the role of cattle in climate change is by now common knowledge, countries like the Netherlands continually fail to confront this issue with the urgency it deserves. The evidence is clear: To create a truly futureproof agricultural sector, Dutch farmers must be incentivized to transition from livestock farming to sustainable vegetable farming. As well as dramatically lowering emissions, plant-based agriculture, if approached in the right way, can produce more food with less land, providing opportunities for nature regeneration areas that will themselves contribute to climate targets. Although this approach would have economic ramifications, from a long-term perspective, it would represent a significant step towards a more sustainable and resilient national economy. Transitioning to sustainable vegetable farming will make the Netherlands greener and healthier, setting an example for other European governments. Farmers, policymakers, and consumers must focus on the future, not just on their own short-term interests, and work to implement this transition now.

As social media becomes increasingly central to young people’s everyday lives, it is important to understand how different platforms affect their developing self-conception. By testing the effect of daily Instagram use among teenage girls, this study established that highly visual social media does indeed have a significant effect on body image concerns, with a strong correlation between the amount of time spent on the platform and participants’ self-reported dissatisfaction with their appearance. However, the strength of this effect was moderated by pre-test self-esteem ratings: Participants with higher self-esteem were less likely to experience an increase in body image concerns after using Instagram. This suggests that, while Instagram does impact body image, it is also important to consider the wider social and psychological context in which this usage occurs: Teenagers who are already predisposed to self-esteem issues may be at greater risk of experiencing negative effects. Future research into Instagram and other highly visual social media should focus on establishing a clearer picture of how self-esteem and related constructs influence young people’s experiences of these platforms. Furthermore, while this experiment measured Instagram usage in terms of time spent on the platform, observational studies are required to gain more insight into different patterns of usage—to investigate, for instance, whether active posting is associated with different effects than passive consumption of social media content.

If you’re unsure about the conclusion, it can be helpful to ask a friend or fellow student to read your conclusion and summarize the main takeaways.

• Do they understand from your conclusion what your research was about?
• Are they able to summarize the implications of your findings?
• Can they answer your research question based on your conclusion?

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The conclusion of a research paper has several key elements you should make sure to include:

• A restatement of the research problem
• A summary of your key arguments and/or findings
• A short discussion of the implications of your research

No, it’s not appropriate to present new arguments or evidence in the conclusion . While you might be tempted to save a striking argument for last, research papers follow a more formal structure than this.

All your findings and arguments should be presented in the body of the text (more specifically in the results and discussion sections if you are following a scientific structure). The conclusion is meant to summarize and reflect on the evidence and arguments you have already presented, not introduce new ones.

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AP Research

Learn all about the course and assessment. Already enrolled? Join your class in My AP.

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Go to AP Central for resources for teachers, administrators, and coordinators.

About the Course

In AP Research, you decide what to study. Curious about the impact of AI on society? You can make a project out of that. Are you passionate about social causes? Interested in climate change or mental health? You can research these, as well. In this course, you’ll learn about different research methods and will develop advanced research skills while researching a topic of your choice.

Skills You'll Learn

Conducting independent research

Analyzing sources and evidence

Applying context and perspective

Writing a college-level academic paper

Presenting research findings to an audience

Equivalency and Prerequisites

College course equivalent.

AP Research is an interdisciplinary course that encourages students to demonstrate critical thinking and academic research skills on a topic of the student’s choosing. To accommodate the wide range of student topics, typical college course equivalents include introductory research or general elective courses.

Recommended Prerequisites

Students must have successfully completed the AP Seminar course.

Assessment Date

Wed, Apr 30, 2025

11:59 PM ET

AP Research Performance Task Due Date

Submit your AP Research performance task as final in the AP Digital Portfolio by this date.

Course Content

Big idea 1: question and explore.

You’ll learn about the first step of doing research: inquiry and investigation.

You’ll practice:

• Identifying a problem or issue and developing a question about it
• Finding and organizing the information you need to answer the question
• Evaluating the sources of information you use
• Looking at the problem or issue from different perspectives

Big Idea 2: Understand and Analyze

You’ll learn to read, comprehend, and explain a perspective or argument.

• Reading critically for a purpose
• Explaining and analyzing the line of reasoning of an argument
• Evaluating the evidence an author uses to support their argument
• Assessing potential resolutions, conclusions, or solutions raised by an argument

Big Idea 3: Evaluate Multiple Perspectives

You’ll learn to compare and contrast different perspectives on an issue, idea, or problem so you can understand its complexity.

• Identifying, comparing, and interpreting different perspectives on, or arguments about, an issue
• Evaluating objections, implications, and limitations of different perspectives or arguments

Big Idea 4: Synthesize Ideas

You’ll learn to take information you’ve gathered, analyzed, and evaluated and use it to form your own conclusions and build your own argument.

• Formulating a well-reasoned argument
• Using data and information from various sources to develop and support an argument
• Linking evidence to claims
• Offering resolutions, conclusions, or solutions based on evidence

Big Idea 5: Team, Transform, and Transmit

You’ll learn peer review practices and how to communicate your ideas to an audience.

• Planning, producing, and presenting an argument while considering audience, context, and purpose
• Communicating information through appropriate media
• Using effective techniques to engage an audience

Credit and Placement

Search AP Credit Policies

Find colleges that grant credit and/or placement for AP Exam scores in this and other AP courses.

Course Resources

Ap research course and exam description.

This is the core document for the course. It clearly lays out the course content and describes the assessment and the AP Program in general.

AP Daily Videos

Once you join your AP class section online, you’ll be able to access AP Daily videos in AP Classroom. AP Daily videos cover every proficiency and skill outlined in the AP Research Course and Exam Description. Sign in to access them.

What Are Project Based AP Courses?

Learn how project based AP courses take you beyond the textbook and into a world of learning through hands-on exploration.

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More About Your Course

Participate in the ap capstone diploma program.

Learn more about the AP Capstone Diploma Program, and how you can participate. Taking AP Seminar and AP Research lets you study topics you love, learn key academic skills, and stand out to colleges.

AP Capstone Diploma Program Policies

Understand policies on plagiarism, participation, extended absence, and more for AP Seminar and AP Research students.

See Where AP Can Take You

AP Research can lead to a wide range of careers and college majors

Additional Information

The Assessment

AP Research

Guidance for artificial intelligence tools and other services, assessment overview.

In AP Research, students are assessed on the academic paper and presentation and oral defense of research. The academic paper is 4,000–5,000 words, and the presentation and defense take approximately 15–20 minutes.

Encourage your students to visit the  AP Research student page  for assessment information and practice.

Participate in the AP Capstone Diploma Program

To offer AP Research, schools must sign up to participate in AP Capstone , and teachers need to attend mandatory summer training. Visit the AP Capstone Diploma program page for more information.

Assessment Dates

Wed, Apr 30, 2025

11:59 PM ET

Deadline for Students to Submit AP Research Performance Tasks

Assessment format.

The AP Research assessment has consistent weighting and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect.

Guidance for Hosting Student Presentations

See the rules and guidelines  for hosting your students’ presentations whether your school is teaching remotely, in person, or in a hybrid setting.

Samples and Scoring Guidelines

Ap research past exam questions.

View sample responses and scoring guidelines for the through-course performance tasks from past years.

Score Reporting

Ap score reports for educators.

Access your score reports.