Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S Faculty member, Department of CSE RV Institute of Technology and Management INDIA Research is to see, what everybody has seen, and to think what nobody else thought! – Albert Szent
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s What is research? Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India Research is a creative and systematic work that assures to rise the stock of knowledge. It includes the collection of data, organization and analysis of the evidence discovered to increase the understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness. It involves inductive methods (analyze an observed event )and deductive methods (verify the observed event). 2 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 3 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 4 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 5 Research is something more than the scientific principles and discoveries you are making—it is about sharing these discoveries with fellow researchers and with the public. Researchers must publish their work in journals. Strong writing is key to making your research more accessible and powerful, and therefore this presentation is not about the rigors of research, but the demands of research writing. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 6 Overview of Research Paper Structure 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 7 Overview of Research Paper Structure What a research paper should do? Sharing the knowledge gained about specific area of study Showcasing how the study fits the current science Disclosing to the public about the important scientific activity Explaining clearly the context of the study 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 8 Overview of Research Paper Structure What are the key factors to consider when drafting a research paper? Coherence to be maintained while writing Grammatically and logically correct sentences No repetition of information 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 9 Overview of Research Paper Structure What are the key factors to consider when drafting a research paper? Organization of paper plays a major role! C onform to the formatting guidelines and other style conventions of the journal to which you are submitting. Check the “GUIDE FOR AUTHORS” section of the journal or conference 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 10 Research Paper Structure 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 11 Research Paper Structure 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 12 The general structure of scientific research papers is IMR&D (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). Research Paper Structure The information moves from broad to specific to broad again as seen in this diagram, the Introduction and Discussion taking up the most room in your paper and the Methods and Results usually being the shortest ad most focused sections. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 13 Introduction Section Research Paper Structure *Discusses the problem to be solved (purpose statement) *Describes where your research fits into the current science (background and context) *Uses primary literature with citations and summarizes the current understanding of the problem (“literature review”) When do you write it? *Write it last—after the conclusion and before the title and abstract 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 14 Methods Section Research Paper Structure What does it do? *Tells how you did the study—what materials and methods of research and analysis were used. When do you write it? *First section you write—after preparing your figures and tables 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 15 Results Section Research Paper Structure What does it do? *Explains the important findings of your study that help to answer your research question or hypothesis and address your purpose statement. When do you write it? *After the Methods and before the Discussion/Conclusion 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 16 Discussion/Conclusion Section Research Paper Structure What does it do? *Explains what your findings mean and what the implications and importance are both to your specific area of research and in a broader context (i.e., to the wider field or to society ). *Includes limitations to your study and discusses possible future research that is needed to answer your research question more clearly and address closely related questions. When do you write it? *After the Results Section and before the Introduction 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 17 Composing the Research Paper Sections 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 18 Composing the Research Paper Sections Always go back through your paper after one section is finished and correct or change another part, but by composing in this order you will be sure to include all of the important information. Note that the Methods and Results sections are written first. The reason for this is because you will not be changing or adding to these sections after you have evaluated your research—they represent the core data of your study. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 19 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 1: Prepare the figures and tables The research paper will use some figures, tables, or other graphics—they are core data because they are usually numbers representing the findings and methods employed For a detailed explanation of preparing and formatting figures, check out these sites (every journal will have their own formatting guidelines): Springer Online Research Resources 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 20 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 2: Write the Methods section The Methods section should: Describe how an experiment was done Give a rationale for why specific experimental procedures were chosen Describe what was done to answer the research question and how it was done. Explain how the results were analyzed 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 21 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 2: Write the Methods section - Organization Write the Methods section in this order to ensure proper organization and make it easier for readers to understand how the study was carried out: Description of materials used, including site and sample Explanation of how materials were prepared Explanation of how measurements were made and calculations performed Explanation of statistical methods to analyze data 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 22 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 3: Write the Results The direct results of your research should be presented here, not any results from other studies. This is essentially an analysis of the data explained in sentence form so that it is easier to read and put into context. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 23 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 3: Write the Results The Results section should include: Findings presented in the same order as in the Methods section Data presented in tables, charts, graphs, and other figures (placed among research text or on a separate page) Reports on data collection, recruitment, and/or participants Data that corresponds to the central research question(s) Secondary findings (secondary outcomes, subgroup analyses, etc.) 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 24 Composing the Research Paper Sections Grammar Guidelines for Results When referencing figures, use the present tense; when discussing events of the experiment/study, use past tense Passive or active voice are generally acceptable—but consistency is most important. (Read articles from target journal). Cite the figure or table every time you reference it, just as you would another text. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 25 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 4: Write the Discussion/Conclusion This section responds to the question “ What do the results mean? ” This section is easy to write, but difficult to write well . It requires more than a simply analysis—you have to interpret and “sell” your data to the journal and researchers, explaining just how important your findings are. In fact, many manuscripts are rejected because the Discussion section is weak . 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 26 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 4: Write the Discussion/Conclusion In the Discussion Section you should: Critique your study —be honest about the effectiveness of your design; suggest modifications and improvement. Answer this question: “ Did your study contribute to knowledge in the field or not ?” Discuss the impact of this research on related research within the domain 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 27 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 4: Write the Discussion/Conclusion Pre-writing Questions to Answer for the Discussion: How do these results relate to the original question or objectives outlined in the Introduction section? Do the data support your hypothesis? Are your results consistent with what other investigators have reported? Discuss weaknesses and discrepancies. If the results were unexpected, try to explain why Is there another way to interpret your results? What further research would be necessary to answer the questions raised by your results? 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 28 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 4: Organization of the Discussion Section The Discussion section is more open than the Results and Methods section, but should always focus first on what is MOST important and then move to what is less important of the research problem The first paragraph/part should summarize the process , the results, and the overall purpose of this study. The second paragraph/part should answer questions about the limitations and potential flaws or shortcomings of this study (e.g., the “failure to reveal clear relationships between samples or groups”). Assesses which of the results are most useful in answering the research question. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 29 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 4: Organization of the Discussion Section The third paragraph should focus on the successes of the study and highlight which method or approach yielded the best results or those most closely hypothesized. Compare the results of different methods and assess which was more fruitful and why. In subsequent paragraphs, discuss the implications of this research and compare it to the results of other studies . This is the other section (in addition to the Introduction) where you can cite related studies to show how your study compares. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 30 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 4: Conclusion The Conclusion paragraph offers you a chance to briefly show how your work advances the field from the present state of knowledge . It adds a sort of exclamation point at the end of your paper and makes it more memorable as well. Add a justification for your work here as well as indicate extensions and wider implications , as well as suggest future studies/experiments and point out any work that is currently ongoing. Do not simply repeat the Introduction or abstract here—extend the claims or questions raised in these sections. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 31 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 4: Dos and Don’ts for Discussion/Conclusion Don’t be TOO broad about the impact of this research—set some limitations. Don’t include new terms or ideas in this section —they should be presented in the Introduction. Use specific expressions : instead of “higher temperature” write “41ºC”; instead of “at a lower rate” write “0.7% less”; instead of “highly significant” write “p<0.001.” 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 32 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 5: Write the Introduction The Introduction section might be the most important section of the body of your paper —it comes first and introduces what you will be doing, telling readers why the work is important . 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 33 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 5: Write the Introduction A good introduction should: Establish the context of the work State the purpose of the work in the form of a hypothesis, question, or problem investigated Give aims and rationale for your approach 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 34 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 5: Write the Introduction Pre-writing questions to answer for the Introduction What is the problem to be solved? (background and problem) What do we know about this problem? (literature) Are there any existing solutions? (literature) What are the limitations or gaps in knowledge of existing solutions? What do you hope to achieve with this study? (hypothesis/statement of purpose) 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 35 Composing the Research Paper Sections Step 5: Write the Introduction Organization of the Introduction Background information Motivations Key primary literature Hypothesis/research problem investigated Approaches and rationale 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 36 Composing the Research Paper Sections Improving Quality of Writing In order to write an effective research paper, authors need to know what areas of their writing to improve, and this includes avoiding grammar and style errors . Misuses of Article and Determiner: This category includes articles (a, an, the) and determiner words such as this, that, every, each, which, and that . The most common issue concerns knowing which determiner to use or omit and when to do so. 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 37 Composing the Research Paper Sections Improving Quality of Writing Nominalization and Wordiness: Delete the prepositions and articles and reduce the phrases to one word. He must make a decision about what to do. [9 words] 3/31/2023 He must decide about what to do. [7 words]
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 38 Composing the Research Paper Sections Improving Quality of Writing Usage of Past and Present Tense: The three basic verb tenses used in research papers: presen t (simple present), simple past , and present perfect . 3/31/2023 Always use the present when discussing general scientific facts . Example : “Insulin and glucagon regulates blood glucose levels.” The simple past is generally used to discuss events that have been completed in the past at some distinct time and/or place. Example : “Scientists in Wales discovered a new enzyme in the liver.”
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 39 Composing the Research Paper Sections Improving Quality of Writing 3/31/2023 The present perfect tense (or simply “perfect tense”) is used in research papers to refer to events or actions that have taken place at some unidentified time in the past or have started but are still ongoing or only recently completed. Note that it is the least frequently used tense in most research papers and should not be over-employed–focus more on detailed actions by using the simple past. Example : “Until recently, researchers have analyzed this kind of data using Chi-Square Statistics.”
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 40 Dos and Don’ts of Research Ethics 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 41 Dos and Don’ts of Research Ethics Do’s 3/31/2023 Maintaining a good record of all your research activities and report your data as carefully and objectively as possible. Respect intellectual property, privacy, and confidentiality and give proper credit for any contributions from other researchers.
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 42 Dos and Don’ts of Research Ethics Don’ts 3/31/2023 Fabrication, manipulation or misrepresentation of data. Use any external research data (published or unpublished) without permission. Support irresponsible publication practices. Your main goal should be to advance science and share your knowledge within the community.
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 43 Dos and Don’ts of Research Paper 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 44 Dos and Don’ts of Research Paper Don’ts 3/31/2023 Do not make use of words like “in my opinion ” or “I believe” or “I think”. Instead, use words like, “It is recommended”. Don’t use first person pronouns ("I", "we", "me", "us", "my", and "our"). Do not start sentences with “Well,…just don’t” Do not make up stories and add unnecessary details just to increase the length of the paper or to justify any point.
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 45 Dos and Don’ts of Research Paper Don’ts 3/31/2023 Do not make general statements. Present you findings without giving too many overview from different papers and sources. Do not exceed the mentioned word limit. Follow the guidelines specified. Do not cite Wikipedia as a reference. Do not forget to mention the references of the source for supporting material.
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 46 Dos and Don’ts of Research Paper Do’s 3/31/2023 Use language such that the ideas are presented clearly without any ambiguity. Do not write stories. Present your ideas and methods used in the research. Use to the point observations to justify your research. Make sure the data, figures, formula etc you are using is correct. Check the sources from where you might have taken the data.
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 47 Dos and Don’ts of Research Paper Do’s 3/31/2023 Try to write in a sequence so that the readers can understand the flow of the research carried out. Ensure you have carried out your tests with sufficient number of test cases. Maintain all the sources and carefully, mention all of them. Cite the references properly. Check for nay spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 48 Tips for Writing a Good Research Paper 3/31/2023
Research writing – Do’s and Dont’s Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 49 3/31/2023
THANK YOU Dr Roopashree S, RVITM, India 50 3/31/2023 Create new knowledge through RESEARCH WRITING