Background: Confusion about elements of a research paper is common among students. The key to writing a good research paper is to know these common elements and their definitions. Maybe find that writing a research paper is not as easy as it seems. There are many parts and steps to the process, and it can be hard to figure out what needs to do and when. Objective: This article aims to teach these common aspects of a research paper to avoid common mistakes while drafting own. Conclusion: Each section of the research paper serves a distinct purpose and highlights a different aspect of the research. However, before starting drafting the manuscript, having a clear understanding of each section's purposes will help avoid mistakes.

1. Scientific Research Journal of Clinical and Medical Sciences
ISSN Print : 2788-8843 | ISSN Online : 2788-8851
Frequency : Bi-Monthly
Language : English
Origin : Kenya
Website : https://www.iarconsortium.org/journal-info/srjcms
1
Commonly Confused Aspects of Research Paper: Discussion Paper
Abstract: Background: Confusion about elements of a research paper is
common among students. The key to writing a good research paper is to know
these common elements and their definitions. Maybe find that writing a research
paper is not as easy as it seems. There are many parts and steps to the process, and
it can be hard to figure out what needs to do and when. Objective: This article
aims to teach these common aspects of a research paper to avoid common
mistakes while drafting own. Conclusion: Each section of the research paper
serves a distinct purpose and highlights a different aspect of the research.
However, before starting drafting the manuscript, having a clear understanding of
each section's purposes will help avoid mistakes.
Keywords: confused aspects, elements, research paper, writing a manuscript.
INTRODUCTION
The research paper is a common assignment for college-level classes.
It can be daunting to write one, especially if never had any experience
with academic writing. This article will go over what a research paper
entails and the key elements that should always be included. There are
three sections in a research paper: the introduction, the body, and the
conclusion. The introduction should introduce the topic and include a
thesis statement reflecting analysis of it, and a brief outline of the points
will make in the body paragraphs (Moher et al., 2010). The body should
be organized logically and move from general to specific points as move
through the argument. Finally, the conclusion should restate the main
point and summarizer key arguments (Gray et al., 2017).
A research paper is an in-depth essay that requires a significant amount of academic knowledge to complete. These
papers typically explore topics related to the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. To create a research paper,
one must follow certain guidelines and include specific elements (Jochen and Kotz 2013). This article will help master
the most important aspects of academic writing, from understanding how to structure a paper to citing sources correctly
to avoid common mistakes while drafting own.
Writing a research paper requires a proper understanding of what each section should capture. This will help avoid
repetition or providing the wrong details in the various parts of the research paper. To write an impressive research paper,
researchers must first understand why each section of the research paper was written, what purpose it serves and what it
contains. Therefore, many researchers often find it difficult to understand the difference between some parts of the
research paper and are unsure whether they are interchangeable or serve distinct purposes. This article lists the
differences between some sections and the more confusing aspects of a research paper.
Study Versus Research
Research is considered a scientific process or method of finding answers to a research question, solving an issue, or
generating contemporary knowledge through an orderly and systematic collection, organization, and thorough analysis of
information targeted towards making research beneficial in decision making (Potter et al., 2021). In contrast, a study is
defined as the act of spending time investigating and learning about a specific subject area or particular thing. The noun
"study" refers to a single paper or project, can replace "paper" with "study" in almost all cases (but not always the other
way around)." The noun "research" means more like a whole body of research, including many individual studies: The
research of a field, the lifetime achievements of a scientist or research team (Kabir, 2016).
Research Article
Article History
Received: 10.12.2021
Revision: 18.12.2021
Accepted: 29.12.2021
Published: 10.01.2021
Author Details
Ahmed Lateef Alkhaqani
Authors Affiliations
M.Sc., Ministry of health, Al-Najaf Direction,
Al-Sadder Medical Hospital, Al-Najaf, Iraq
Corresponding Author*
AHMED LATEEF ALKHAQANI
How to Cite the Article:
Ahmed Lateef Alkhaqani. (2022); Commonly
Confused Aspects of Research Paper: Discussion
Paper. SRJ Clin & Med Sci. 2(1) 1-4.
Copyright @ 2022: This is an open-access article
distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution license which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction
in any medium for non commercial use
(NonCommercial, or CC-BY-NC) provided the
original author and source are credited.
DOI: 10.47310/srjcms.2022.v02i01.001

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Abstract Versus Introduction
An abstract is a brief and clear summary of a
research. It contains the most important research details,
including the key results, methods, and conclusion. The
abstract clearly highlights the issue addressed by the
study and the key findings. An abstract is a stand-alone
one without reference to the main text or the literature.
It is intended to help readers, who are often busy
scientists, decide if they wish to read the entire article
and can be especially useful in the case of paywalled
articles (J. W. L. Cals and Kotz 2013). It also helps
editors of journals to decide whether articles should be
considered for peer review.
On the other hand, the introduction section is the
beginning of the research paper. It provides background
for the research topic, which helps the reader
understand the study‟s motivation. It sets the context for
research by introducing the research topic, providing a
brief overview of the published previous literature,
identifying the gaps or problems that existing research
has failed to address, and finally presenting the problem
that intends to solve, ideally through an „aim‟ statement
at the end of the introduction (J. W. L. Cals and Daniel
2013).
AIM VERSUS OBJECTIVES
A research aim describes the main goal or the
overarching purpose of a research project. The study's
aim states the outcome that the study hopes to achieve.
It is a broad statement of the study's main goal and
indicates where we hope to reach at the end of the
research (Thomas and Hodges 2010). While research
objectives, meanwhile, define the steps, i.e., the
specific or direct actions taken to achieve the aim.
Research objectives define specific stages that will
reach to accomplish goals. On the other hand, the aim is
a broad goal that the researcher wishes to accomplish,
the objectives are several smaller parts, and precise
steps will guide the research path (Nieswiadomy and
Bailey 2018). In other words, the research aim states
what the researcher wishes to achieve, and the
objectives indicate how will achieve them by
identifying specific milestones or steps.
Introduction Versus Problem Statement
The introduction is the first part of the research and
provides an overview of background information for the
study. It includes a literature review, explains the study
aim, and states the research question. The purpose of an
introduction is to help the readers understand the aim of
the study and give them essential background
information about the study (J. W. L. Cals and Daniel
2013). On the other hand, a problem statement is a
brief and clear explanation of the issue, situation, or
condition that the researcher is to study. It helps the
researcher clearly identify the purpose of the study by
highlighting the gap between reality and the ideal
situation to address and why it is important to bridge
that gap (Nasution et al., 2019).
Research Background versus Literature Review
A background and literature review informs
knowledge of the existing area of research and helps
identify gaps that remain unaddressed. The study
background is written to state the study's importance,
while the literature review evaluates the progress of
knowledge in the research area. While the study
background is written shortly and concisely, the
literature review is relatively detailed. However, it
should focus only on the literature needed to provide
context and motivation for the research question. Both
eventually lead readers to gaps in research that have
remained unaddressed. The background broadly
introduces the research topic. At the same time, the
literature review tracks the existing knowledge in the
field and helps identify the exact gaps in research that
the study will address (Hart 2018).
Research Question Versus Research Problem
The research problem identifies a broad issue that
the researcher wishes to address through the study.
However, the research question identifies the specific
concern answered through investigation and critical
thinking. Derive the research question from the research
problem but is based on study design. Specifying a
research question is the first step toward actually
solving the research problem (Jochen and Kotz 2013).
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY VERSUS
RESEARCH METHODS
They are two different terms but are commonly
confused. Research methodology is a process or broad
set of principles that help researchers choose which
methods they should use to conduct their study. It is a
general type of research selected to answer the research
question: quantitative research, qualitative research,
outcomes research, or mixed methods research. In
contrast, research methods are the actual techniques
and procedures used in research work. The specific
ways in which the researcher chooses to conduct the
study within the selected design. Methods include the
choice of setting, subject selection, attempts to limit
factors that might introduce error, how a research
intervention is strategized, ways in which data are
collected, and statistical tests choice. They depend on
the choice of research methodology. The research
methodology could encompass qualitative or
quantitative data based on the study's nature.
Accordingly, researchers choose different research
methods like observation, interviews, surveys,
laboratory experiments, etc. (LoBiondo-Wood and
Haber 2021).
RESULTS VERSUS DISCUSSION
The results section presents study findings in a
brief text supported by data presented in tables, graphs,
figures, or other aspects of non-textual. It provides a
clear, concise, and objective description of the results of
a particular study and is mostly written in the past tense.
The results are presented without interpretation. (Kotz

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and Cals 2013a). On the other hand, the discussion
section summarizes and explains or interprets the
study's results in detail. Both items can be grouped
under a single section, “results and discussion,” or the
results can be separated into a single section followed
by a discussion, where the implications of the results
are talked about as well as final share comments (Cals
and Kotz 2013).
Figure Captions Versus Legends Versus Labels
These terms refer to distinct items that serve
different purposes and can‟t be used interchangeably.
Figure captions are the titles or headings of figures,
tables, or illustrations and tell the reader what an
illustration contains. While Legends are brief
descriptions of tables or figures, which often indicate
how to interpret the information presented in them and
facilitate understanding of the data (Kotz and Cals
2013b). On the other hand, Labels are figure parts or
illustrations and are used to highlight and name parts of
a diagram. They are used to identify each illustration
aspect. These aspects are required for a table, figure, or
illustration to be completely understandable and
independent of the manuscript's main text.
Implications Versus Limitations Versus
Recommendations
These are significant-conclusion section
components, which summarize the results and the
study's gist. Implications are the conclusions drawn
from the study. They suggest how the study results can
be useful. Through implications, it can show how study
can be applied to real-life policies and practices. While
research limitations define the context within which
the study results should be interpreted and applied.
They are based on several reasons, such as
unavailability of needed resources, methods used,
ineffective research design, or lack of access to
advanced instruments and apparatus.
On the other hand, recommendations are
suggestions from research for a specific course of action
for subsequent study. Once study limitations are
included, ideas for future study can be suggested based
on questions or gaps that the research cannot address. It
can also recommend other elements of the study topic
that might be interesting to work on and form leading
research questions (Gray, Grove, and Sutherland 2016).
Citations Versus References Versus Bibliography
Citation is done when selecting accurate ideas from
the other researchers' work, either in the form of
quotations or paraphrases. Citations are included in the
main body of the research paper, where the information
source is cited along with the statement. Both citations
and references are used to credit the authors whose
work may have been cited when writing the manuscript,
making a quotation in the main text, i.e., quoting or
paraphrasing another work.
References and bibliography refer to a list, usually
placed at the end of the research paper, of all the
sources materials “books, articles, documents, and other
sources, etc.” that may have been used to gather
information needed for work. The only difference is, all
references must be cited in the main text (J. Cals and
Kotz 2013).
Footnotes Versus Endnotes
Footnotes are explanatory notes or the comments
added at the bottom of the page and marked the
footnote and the explanatory statement or word with the
same symbol or superscript number. In contrast,
endnotes are added supplementary information at the
end of the research paper marked with a superscript.
However, they are also marked with a high number.
Footnotes can be useful for quickly identifying the
information source at a glance at the page bottom.
While endnotes help eliminate page clutter and help
maintain flow while reading.
CONCLUSION
Each research paper section of the manuscript serves
a distinct purpose and highlights a different aspect of
the research. Therefore, before starting to draft the
manuscript, a clear understanding of each section's
purpose will help to avoid mistakes.
Recommendation
It is important to understand the different elements
of a research paper before writing it. This article helps
the researcher understand the difference between the
discussed aspects. When the researchers clearly
understand each section's purpose, they will manage to
write a successful research paper before drafting a
paper.
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