Categories
A research paper conveys the technical results of specific research to the broader scientific community. It is, in fact, a key driver of movement in a scientific field. A well-written research paper not only strengthens your academic career but also lets you make a difference in your community. A successful research paper consists of three components:
- The overall idea
- The execution of the research
- The presentation of the work
You may choose a poor idea or conduct a poorly designed investigation. But, the presentation of your work should be perfect. About 90% of your overall grades in the research paper is based on how you present the work. The inaccurate presentation of work can bring down the quality of your research paper despite an excellent idea or a thorough investigation. Now a days you can buy research paper online, if you have no time to writing the paper.
With further ado, let’s take a look at the steps required for the perfect presentation of your research paper.
- Title page
Students often procrastinate when it comes to adding title pages since this chapter is the easiest part of your research paper. Include the title page no matter what.
- Write the title of the manuscript.
- It should be short and straightforward.
- Include the author’s name along with author affiliations.
- Indicate the journal to which you want to submit the manuscript.
- Provide complete contact details for the author.
Example of title in a research paper:
Image source: https://www3.nd.edu/~pkamat/pdf/researchpaper.pdf
- Abstract
Consider the abstract as an independent document that doesn’t rely on any other material in the paper. Also, the rest of the research paper doesn’t rely on the abstract. It consists of typically a single paragraph and not more than that.
- State the objective of your experiment in the first sentence.
- Your experiment is most likely to be based on a hypothesis. State the hypothesis and describe its evaluation as well.
- Describe how you carried out the investigation in the subsequent sentences.
- Describe the results of your experiment without being verbose.
Example of abstract in a research paper:
Image source: https://www3.nd.edu/~pkamat/pdf/researchpaper.pdf
- Introduction
The introduction is like a descriptive funnel. It starts with broad topics and eventually focuses on the work at hand. It is the opening chapter of your research proposal. Hence, make it as interesting as possible.
- Include a short literature review related to the research topic.
- Write this section in three to four paragraphs.
- Start by introducing the topic to your readers.
- Describe how an aspect of your topic can be improved in the subsequent paragraphs.
- State the experimental question that you intend to solve through your research.
- State the hypothesis.
- Describe the approach you took to test the hypothesis.
- Finally, add a summary sentence to show how your research contributes to the overall field of study.
Example of introduction in the research paper:
Image source: https://libguides.astate.edu/papers/introparagraph
- Methods
Describe the methods in a straightforward fashion in this section. Describe each method in a separate section. Remember, this is where your professors assess the credibility of your research.
- Start with a statement of all the materials and equipment used in the study.
- If possible, include the vendor contact information as well for each material and equipment.
- Describe each critical procedure and technique you have used to conduct the study in separate sections.
- Keep all explanations concise and brief.
- If you have used a specific experimental design, describe the design in the second section of the ‘Methods.’
- If you have used a modelling component, incorporate it in the initial portion of the Methods.
- Describe the statistical analyses that you have used to analyse the results in the final section of this chapter.
Example of methods in a research paper:
Image source: https://psych.hanover.edu/classes/psy220/intromethod.html
- Results
As the name suggests, this section is where you show the results of your experiment or research. Present the experimental data to the readers without going into too many details.
Try to present the data in tables and figures.
Introduce each table and figure in a separate paragraph.
Note down all the trends and data points relevant to your topic in this paragraph.
State the critical statistics like the number of samples, the index of central tendency, etc.
Be succinct as possible while writing this section.
Example of results in a research paper:
Image source: https://www.monash.edu/rlo/graduate-research-writing/
- Discussion
This is often the most challenging section to write in a research paper. But you can write it easily if you follow the previous steps in the order mentioned above. Remember, if your research has identified three objectives, use the results to address each one of them. Similarly, if the work has stated a hypothesis, use the results to build an argument that supports or rejects your hypothesis.
- Start this section with a brief paragraph that provides an overview of your entire work.
- Summarise the most significant findings here.
- Identify the most remarkable findings from the Results section.
- Contrast these findings in light of other studies in the relevant literature.
- If possible, include a discussion of the potential weaknesses in the interpretation of the results section.
Example of discussion in a research paper:
Image source: https://plos.org/resource/how-to-write-conclusions/
- Conclusions
This is where you provide closure to your readers regarding the topic. Start by introducing the work to your readers again. Then state the major results briefly. Mention the major points of discussion here. End the section with a statement that describes how your work contributes to the overall field of study.
- Include only the major findings here.
- Mention the possibility of application of the present work to other related disciplines.
- Avoid rewriting the abstract.
- Relate directly to the aims of your research, as you must have stated in the introduction.
- Summarise the outcomes, key findings and information.
- Highlight the importance of your work.
Example of conclusion in a research paper:
Image source: https://www.monash.edu/rlo/assignment-samples/engineering/
- Acknowledgements
Finally, provide a brief statement where you acknowledge your participants’ efforts who aren’t included as authors of your research paper. Mention all the funding sources for your research. Just make sure you abide by the guidelines of the funding institution while writing this section.
- References
Make sure you include all the references that you have cited in the research paper. It should contain all the key sources along with the previous studies that you referred to while writing the paper. You don’t have to include extraneous references just to cite specific authors or journals.
Wrapping Up,
A research paper is one of the most crucial documents for students, especially the ones pursuing PhDs. The process is undoubtedly troublesome. You may need assignment help perth to beat the obstacles, but the tips mentioned above will help you write the paper seamlessly. Proofread the paper thoroughly before the final submission. Also, verify the credibility of the information you use in the paper.
