Previous experience with research papers

Before this class, I have not really had an experience with English research papers per say.
However, I have written papers and speeches in other courses. I think, that's the most I have done in this domain.
One paper I wrote was for my Women Studies Course. I was particularly interested in my topic because it had to do with women scientists and inventors. The one struggle that I had , which I am also facing with my present paper is that of being carried away during the research process. This was particularly true when I encountered a source or documentation that particularly interested me. I will just drift away and read on. As we all know, a research paper writing has to be done in a definite ammount of time and it is vital to properly manage, time wise, all the stages involved. I wish with all my heart I will achieve this some day. Long story short, I finally finished the paper and my professor liked it.