Academic Research_and_Writing by Dr. Sam Ang Sam

ARIL: Academic Research
and
Academic Writing
Sam-Ang Sam, PhD

Contents
1 Academic Research & Writing
2 Basic Steps in Creating a
Research Paper
3 Basic Parts of a Research Paper
4 Choosing a Research Topic
5 Creating a Problem Statement

1 Academic Research & Writing
A research paper is an essay that
has been enhanced to include
information from researched sources
and to include citations for those
sources.
This is a simple answer and explains
the basic idea of a research
paper.
However, there are many other
factors that must be considered in
order to write a good research
paper.

Academic Research & Writing
 The most important factor in a good
research paper is that you must include
yourself in the writing.
 That is, your paper must reflect your own
thinking or analysis about your topic and
the information that you find.
 Information might come from the Internet
or books or journals or newspapers or
magazines or surveys, or even
your grandfather.
 Finding this information is called research.

There are basically two types of
research: primary research and
secondary research.
Primary Research is original, new
data that the researcher personally
gathers by conducting
surveys, experiments, interviews,
fieldwork or direct observation.

Secondary Research uses data that
have already been published.
That is, the researcher looks for
information on the Internet, or in
books, or in journals, magazines,
newspapers, reports or any other
type of source where data can be
found.

 Papers are often written using a
combination of primary and secondary
research.
 For this course, you will be asked to write
a paper based on secondary research.
 Think of a research paper as basically an
essay: Introduction, body, and
conclusion.
 Your essay will include what you already
know or think about a subject.
 To this essay, you will add research.

Specifically, you will add
statements by experts or data
that agree with your ideas and
help you explain why you have
reached your conclusions.
Remember, a good research
paper is not just your ideas and
opinions, and it is not just a
collection of quotations and
paraphrases that you put together.

 A good research paper is your ideas and
analysis supported by the best evidence
you can find.
 As an example: Suppose you have been
assigned to write a paper about the
number one cause of traffic problems in
Phnom Penh.
 First, you must read as many sources as
you can find on this topic.
 A quick search of the Internet will turn up
many sources that discuss traffic
problems.

You might find studies conducted by
the Ministry of Public Works and
Transport.
You might find articles in newspapers,
such as the Cambodia Daily or
Phnom Penh Post or Rasmei
Kampuchea.
In addition, you could try non-
electronic sources such as looking in
a library for traffic manuals or other
traffic related materials.

You could even invite the municipal
traffic police chief to grant
you a brief personal interview.
Write notes when you find some
interesting facts in what you are
reading.
If someone has written or said or
said something clever or makes an
important statement, write it down,
word for word, as a quote.
Now, look at all your notes.

You should have many good ideas
about different causes of traffic
problems.
Choose the one that you think is the
most important reason for traffic
problems in Phnom Penh.
This choice is your opinion based on
information that you have researched.
This choice is the purpose of your
paper, what you want to prove to
your readers.

 The point you want to prove to your readers
is called a thesis.
 In other words, your paper will try to
convince your readers to agree with you
that your thesis, that is, your beliefs, opinions
and arguments, are valid.
 Organize your ideas.
 Decide what you want to make the main
points of your argument.
 Decide which data and quotes from your
research you want to use to support your
main points.
 Start writing your paper.

 Remember that your paper is organized as an
essay: Introduction, body, and conclusion.
 When you include an idea, work or words that
come from someone else (your research), you
must also attach a citation.
 You can even offer some ideas on how you think
this problem could be solved.
 Conclude your paper.
 Proofread and edit your paper.
 Attach a reference list after the last page
that lists all the sources you used to write your
paper.
 Congratulate yourself.
 You are a hero.

This is the kind of research paper
you will be asked to write most of
the time.
Here is a summary of the basic
steps described above.

2 Basic Steps
in Creating a Research Paper
1. Choose a general topic.
2. Read as much as you can about your topic
and take notes.
3. Narrow your topic to a specific focus—your
thesis.
4. Organize your notes and make a tentative
outline.
5. Write the first draft of your paper. Include
citations and a reference list.
6. Correct and edit your draft.
7. Write the final draft.

3 Basic Parts of a Research
Paper
As mentioned above, a research
paper is a kind of essay similar to
the essays you have already
learned to write.
Here is a summary of the basic
parts of a research paper.

Basic Parts of a Research Paper
1. Cover Page
2. Title Page
3. Abstract (Optional)
4. Introduction, including a thesis
statement
5. Body Paragraphs
6. Conclusion
7. References List

1. Cover Page
The cover page should
be simple and
undecorated.
It presents the topic,
author, and course
information.

2. Title Page
The title page should be
simple and undecorated.
It presents the topic,
author, and course
information.

3. Abstract
 Abstract is optional.
 An abstract is an important part of long research
papers like theses and dissertations, the kind of
paper you would write for a high degree like MA or
PhD.
 You will not need to include an abstract for the
kind of research papers required in this class.
 An abstract is a kind of introduction to how you
have put your research paper together.
 In an abstract, you explain the thesis of your paper
clearly.
 You mention the goals you had for your paper and
what kind of research you conducted, how it was
conducted, and what results were obtained.

4. Introduction
The introduction gives background
information to explain why your
topic is important.
The introduction is where you state
your thesis which is the point or
argument your paper is going to
prove.

5. Body Paragraphs
 The body paragraphs are the heart of your paper.
 Here is where you make statements to prove your
thesis.
 You back up these statements with evidence or
expert testimony.
 That is, here is where you use elements of your
research to support your statements.
 You lay out the facts you have discovered and
quote experts to support your arguments.
 In the body paragraphs, you use in-text citation
each time you use words or ideas that came from
somewhere else, for your research.

6. Conclusion
In the conclusion, you summarize
the overall contents and how you
have proven your thesis.
You can explain what you have
learned from the process and
make observations on what has
been accomplished.

7. References List
 The references list is a detailed list of all
the sources you used to write your paper.
 Each entry in this list includes author
information, title information, and the
exact place where the information was
found.
 It includes sources from where you
specifically used information, ideas, or
words.
 It includes sources which added to your
background knowledge even if you did
not specifically quote or use the
information directly in your paper.

4 Choosing a Research Topic
 Now that you know what a research paper
is, it is time to get started.
 Getting started is often the hardest part.
 First, you will need to choose a topic.
 To begin, make sure to carefully review the
instructions your teacher has given you.
 Sometimes your teacher will give you a list of
topics to choose from and other times, you
will have the freedom to choose your own.
 If your teacher has given you specific
instructions for the type of topic you must
write about, be careful to follow the
directions carefully.

Choosing a Research Topic
 If you have not been assigned a specific
topic, you will have the freedom to
choose your own.
 While it is nice to have a choice,
sometimes choosing your own topic can
be difficult.
 It is important to choose a good topic,
because it will make the researching and
writing process much easier.
 Below are some things you might want to
consider to help you choose a good
topic.

Choose a topic that interests you.
You will be spending a lot of time
and energy researching and writing
your paper.
It will be a much more pleasant
experience if you are interested in
the topic you chose.
Is there something related to your
major or field of study that interests
you?

 Maybe you’re interested in a social issue,
something related to your hobbies,
something you studied in another class,
an article you read, or a movie you
watched?
 Or maybe there is something you want to
know more about.
 Choosing something that you want to
learn about is a great way to stay
interested in your project.
 The more you are interested in your topic,
the easier it will be to spend time and
energy working on your research paper.

Choose a topic with enough available
research to write your paper.
If the topic you choose is too specific,
very recent, or too obscure, you
might have trouble finding
information for your paper.
For example, if you choose to write a
paper on “The use of Facebook by
PUC students,” you will have a very
difficult time finding information.

 This might be a good topic if you were
doing primary research (gathering data),
but for the purposes of writing a
secondary research paper, you need to
choose a topic that is somewhat well-
known and well-researched so that you
will be able to find enough information.
 If you are having trouble finding
information about your topic, you will
have to change your topic.
 This will waste a lot of valuable time and
energy, and you may not be able to
meet your deadline.

Choose a topic that is creative and interesting
to your readers.
 Some topics have been researched over
and over again.
 You should choose a topic that is creative
and original.
 You don’t want your readers to be bored
when they read your paper.
 If you do choose a research topic that has
been written about many times before, can
you find an interesting way to approach it?
 It is important to choose a topic that is
relevant and discusses something that others
might be interested in reading about.

o After thinking of a topic, it is important to
begin developing your topic.
o For example, maybe you want to choose
the topic of “global warming.”
o This is a very big and broad topic.
o You need to begin narrowing it down.
o For the purposes of this course, you are
not simply providing information or writing
a report.
o You are choosing a topic to make an
argument about.

o You will have to gather information and then take
a position on or make an argument about the
information.
o You will use research to support your argument.
o If your topic is too big or broad, this will be very
difficult to do.
o The size of your topic needs to match the size of
your paper.
o If you are only supposed to write 3-5 pages, you
cannot possibly cover every aspect of global
warming.
o So when you are developing your topic, make sure
you keep the size of the assignment in mind.

o So how do you narrow down your topic
and begin developing your ideas?
o There are a few different ways to do this.
o First, it is helpful to do some brainstorming.
o You can brainstorm in a lot of different
ways.
o Think about different issues and keywords
related to your topic.
o Sometimes simple searches on the
Internet can help you do this.
o You might also want to talk about the
topic with a friend.

o Often, the best way to narrow down
your topic is to start reading some
research about it.
o Go to the library, check out books
about it, or look the general topic up
on the Internet.
o Coming up with a good research
topic is a process.
o It doesn’t happen all at once. It will
take time and lots of reading before
you come up with your final research
topic.

o As you begin to brainstorm and
come up with ideas for your topic, it’s
helpful to write down some notes.
o One way to do this is to make a list of
all of the things you think of.
o Write down everything you have
read about and any ideas that you
have related to the topic.
o After doing this, you will have a lot of
keywords and ideas to chose from.
o Identify the issues or related ideas
that are most interesting to you.

o In the example below, the student made a
long list of ideas related to the general topic
“global warming” and then selected the
ideas that were most interesting to her:
causes related to human activity,
international action, and countries
cooperating.
o Your brainstorming might look different. That
is okay.
o There is not one specific way that you are
required to do it.
o The point of brainstorming is just to get some
ideas down on paper and start narrowing
down your topic.

Choosing a Research Topic:
Example 1

o Once you have a basic idea for
the topic you want to explore,
continue to narrow down your
topic by adding context.
o There are many ways to do this,
but one way is to ask yourself some
questions about your basic topic.
o The questions below might be
helpful: Why, what, where, who,
when?

WHY?
 Why is your topic interesting or important?
 What do you think about it?
 Do you have an opinion?
 Why do you want to research it?
WHAT?
 Do people have different opinions about the
topic?
 What are the major issues or controversies
related to the topic?
 What are the different parts of your topic?
 What is the problem?

WHERE (Geographical Context)?
 Where is your topic located?
 Is it in a specific country, city, or
neighborhood?
 Is there a specific location that is most
important to you concerning your topic?
WHO?
 Who is involved in this topic or issue?
 Does it affect people?
 If so, who?
 Do you know anyone or any organization
involved with this topic?

WHEN (Historical Context)?
Is it happening now or did it
happen in the past?
Will it happen in the future? When
was the topic most important?
Should you focus on one time
period or do you want to talk
about how the issue has changed
over time?

Try to answer some of these
questions about your topic.
Then decide which parts are most
important and interesting to you.
After you ask yourself questions,
you will come up with a much
more specific topic by choosing
some of the ideas you wrote
down.

 After you’ve narrowed down your topic,
it’s helpful to turn your topic into a
research question.
 What do you want to find out about your
topic?
 This question may change as you begin
your research.
 That’s okay, but it’s important to
formulate a question so that you know
what kind of information you are looking
for when you go to the library or begin
searching for resources online.

Example 2

 Once you have a research question, you are
ready to start conducting your research so that
you can answer the question in your paper.
 The direction of the paper may change as you find
information.
 That is okay.
 Your research question is just meant to serve as a
guide and help you know what direction to go
when you are looking for information and writing
your paper.
 The answer to your research question will be your
thesis, the argument in your paper, as discussed in
the previous chapter.
 You can’t come up with your thesis or answer until
you’ve done some research.

In the next chapter, you will begin
learning how to locate information to
answer your research question.
However, before you start doing your
research, it is helpful to come up with
some keywords related to your topic
that you can use to search for books,
articles, and other publications.
Below is an example of keywords the
student might use to search for
information related to her research
question.

Example 3
Keywords
Global warming
Human activity
Climate change
Green-house gases
International cooperation
International initiatives
Climate talks
International law

5 Creating a Problem Statement
 Choosing a topic is different from
creating a problem statement.
 After you have chosen a topic, it does
not mean that you have a problem
statement.
 Topic: Culture in the Making

Creating a Problem Statement
 Problem Statement: This study will
examine how culture is changed or
evolved as human culture and society
change and evolve themselves.
 It shall, in particular, focus on the various
aspects of culture in the making.
 The words that make up your problem
statement explicitly reveal your purpose.

 You may choose your topic and
problem statement in order to:
1. Understand a restricted set of
phenomena.
2. Describe interrelations between
variables that are named in the
statement, e.g., human, culture,
society, time, space, need,
adaptation, etc.

3. Offer potential solutions to a problem.
4. Limit the range of a problem to a
single issue or question.
 Your problem statement provides a
framework for your entire writing.
 Your conclusion must match/address
your problem statement in the same
way and manner that an answer must
satisfy the question.

Document File Location
File: L3_academic_research_and_writing.ppt
Date: 23/12/14
Running Time: 1:30

Academic Research_and_Writing by Dr. Sam Ang Sam

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