What is Research Paper Format or Structure of Research Paper Steps for Writing Research Paper by Ali Rehman

1. M. A. Rehman

2. An old French word :“searcher” – to seek or search
Prefix “re” – again
▪ It is an intensive search with purpose of becoming certain.
▪ Research is a systematic investigation into reality to gain knowledge.
▪ A Research Paper is any kind of academic writing based on original
research which features analysis and interpretation from the author.
Research

3. ▪ Abstract
▪ Introduction/ Thesis Statement
▪ Literature Review
▪ Methodology
▪ Results & Discussion
▪ Conclusion
▪ Recommendations/ Future Avenues
▪ Reference
Main Parts of Composition
include:
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

4. STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PAPER
▪ Abstract:
To briefly introduce the reader to the aims of the study, the
methodology, results and findings.
▪ Introduction and/or thesis statement:
To state a clear overall purpose for the study, often framed in a
discussion of the need the research is satisfying. To define the
research question(s) of the study. To give a very brief background of
relevant theory and practice for your topic.
▪ Literature Review:
To summarize what conclusions have been reached in the research
literature and whether different writers agree or not. To highlight main
issue and controversies around the problem.

5. STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PAPER
▪ Methodology:
To demonstrate that you are aware of the research methods used
to study this topic. To explain and justify the method of data
collection and analysis.
▪ Results:
To present the findings of your research in an orderly manner,
using heading planned in your methodology or headings arising
from patterns found in the research.
▪ Discussion:
To comment on the trends/findings and show your
understanding of what your data suggests. To highlight anything
unexpected that came up.

6. STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH PAPER
▪ Conclusion:
To sum up your findings and highlight the significance of the outcomes of
your study. To discuss the limitations of your study and indicate where
further research is needed.
Recommendation/ Future Avenues:
To state probable areas of research that can be taken into account to further
increase the scope of your study.
▪ References:
To list alphabetically all the reference materials that have been cited in the
text of the report

7. ❑ ABSTRACT
▪ It is a summary of a body of information; it expresses the main claim
and argument of a paper.
▪ Questions that an abstract answers:
➢ Why did you do this study or project?
➢ What did you do and how?
➢ What did you find?
➢ What do your findings mean?

8. ❑ INTRODUCTION
▪ The primary purpose of an introduction is to frame the paper for its
readers.
▪ It should provide:
✓ Brief description of the topic
✓ Statement as to why the topic is worth researching
✓ Statement of the research objectives.
✓ Statement of the method(s) and the scope of study.
✓ An overview of the rest of the paper.

9. ❑ LITERATURE REVIEW
▪ It consists of four guide questions:
A. What is the present state of knowledge regarding the topic
under consideration?
B. How are the studies related to the one being proposed?
C. What is the quality of the studies reviewed?
D. How will the proposed study contribute to the existing
literature?

10. ❑ METHODOLOGY
▪ To demonstrate that you are aware of the research methods
used to study this topic.
▪ To justify the research method and approach you have taken or
your study.
▪ To explain and justify the method of data collection and
analysis.

11. ❑ RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
▪ Results - to present the findings of your research in an orderly
manner, using heading planned in your methodology or headings
arising from patterns found in the research.
▪ Discussion - show your understanding of what your data
suggests.

12. ❑ CONCLUSION
▪ The ‘results’ and ‘discussion’ should bethe focus of this part.
▪ To sum up your findings and highlight the significance of the
outcomes of your study.
▪ To outline any implication or recommendations indicated by the
findings.

13. ❑ REFERENCES
▪ Tolist alphabetically all the reference materials that have been cited
in the text of the report.
▪ References need to contain all works cited in the text.
▪ References should consistently follow one recognizable system.

14. WRITING RESEARCH PAPER

15. ▪ Steps for creating an effective academic writing include:
i. Understand the assignment
ii. Understand your audience
iii. Choose a research paper topic
iv. Conduct preliminary research
v. Develop a thesis statement
vi. Research paper outline
vii. Paragraph structure
viii. Write a first draft of the research
paper
ix. Write a research paper
introduction
x. Write a compelling body of text
xi. Write the research paper
conclusion
xii. The second draft
xiii. The revision process
xiv. Checklist

16. For accomplishing the specific tasks set out for you, that needs properly and thoroughly
understanding the assignment task, which you can achieve by doing the following:
✓ Read it carefully, looking for anything confusing you might need to clarify with your
instructor/supervisor.
✓ Identify the assignment goal, deadline, specifications, formatting and submission
method.
✓ Make a bulleted list of the key points, then go back and cross completed items off as
you’re writing.
▪ At this stage, consider:
✓ Timeframe: be realistic, and plan for time to research, write and edit.
✓ Word limit: work with a precise or specific topic to avoid trying to cover too much
information.
✓ Purpose: Each purpose comes with different requirements. For example, are you
aiming to inform people of something, persuade them to think differently, or encourage
them to take a certain course of action?

17. ▪ To write a research paper, you need to consider your audience.Their knowledge
level influences your writing style, choice of words and how much detail you need
in explanations of concepts.
▪ A master’s thesis is usually written for an expert audience, though you may wish to
make it accessible to a broader audience. If you are writing an undergraduate
paper, you can assume your audience is somewhere between generalist and
expert.
GENERALIST
• Avoid technical terms or, if you must use
them, include definitions
• Avoid excessive, complex detail
• Use shorter, simpler sentences and
shorter, simpler words
• Use slow and simple explanation to
make your argument; show your logic
• Be informative
• Use examples to clarify key points
EXPERTS
• Do not over-explain — e.g. common
technical terms and obvious
background
• Carefully justify your claims
• Show nuance in your arguments
• Exhibit command of the literature —
experts will notice things you fail to
mention

18. ▪ There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, whether you prefer
old-fashioned brainstorming by writing notes, or talking with a fellow student or
professor to figure out how to approach a topic.
▪ You can also gain inspiration from other research. The discussion or
recommendations sections of research papers often include ideas for other
specific topics to examine.
▪ Once you have a main subject area, narrow it down to choose a topic that:
✓ Interests you
✓ Is original
✓ Meets the criteria of your assignment
✓ Is possible to research
▪ Remember that the idea is to be both original and specific.

19. ▪ Note any discussions that seem important to the topic and try to find
an issue that you can focus your paper around. Use several types
of sources, including journals, books and reliable websites, to ensure
you do not miss anything glaring.
▪ Determine that do you have a unique take on your topic?
▪ Search for the recent developments on your topic of research.
▪ In this stage, you might find it helpful to formulate some research
questions to help guide you. These are more commonly used in a
thesis or dissertation rather than an essay. To write research
questions, try to finish the following sentence: “I want to know
how/what/why…”

20. ▪ A thesis statement is a statement of your central argument — it
establishes the purpose and position of your paper. If you started
with a research question, the thesis statement should answer it. It
should also show what evidence and reasoning you’ll use to support
that answer.
▪ The thesis statement should be concise, contentious, and coherent.
That means it should briefly summarize your argument in a sentence
or two; make a claim that requires further evidence or analysis; and
make a coherent point that relates to every part of the paper.
▪ It serves as a guide throughout the writing process.
▪ Every paragraph should aim to support and develop this central
claim.

21. ▪ A research paper outline works as an effective guide to use during
the writing process. It is essentially a list of the key topics, arguments
and evidence you will include, divided into sections with headings so
the paper is planned before you begin writing.
▪ A research paper outline can help make the writing process much
more efficient, so it is worth dedicating the time to create one.
▪ Read our article on creating a research paper outline.

22. ▪ Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of research papers. Each
one should focus on a single claim or idea that helps to establish the
overall argument or purpose of the paper.

23. ▪ Your first draft should not be the last, as you can polish it later. The main goal at this
stage is to:
➢ Turn your rough ideas into workable arguments
➢ Add detail to those arguments
➢ Get a sense of what the final product will look like
▪ You do not need to start your paper at the introduction. Start writing where it feels
most natural for you — some prefer to finish the most difficult sections first, while
others choose to start with the easiest part. If you created a research paper outline,
use it as a map while you work.

24. First Draft of Research Paper
▪ Your priorities when writing the first draft should be:
➢ Maintaining forward momentum — write now, perfect later.
➢ Paying attention to clear organization and logical ordering of paragraphs and
sentences, to help yourself when you come to the second draft.
➢ Expressing your ideas as clearly as possible
➢ Keeping your arguments flexible. Be prepared to change or abandon arguments if
needed.
➢Citing clearly — your citations do not need to be perfect yet, but you will save time
by including the essentials such as author name, year of publication and page
numbers with the relevant information.

25. ▪ The introduction usually addresses three questions:What? Why? How?
▪ In a thesis or dissertation, the introduction has strict requirements of precisely what
to include.
▪ After finishing the introduction, the reader should know what the paper is about
and why it is worth reading.
▪ What? Be specific about the topic of the paper, introduce the background and
define key items such as terms, theories and historical details.
▪ Why? This is the most important, but also most difficult part of the introduction. Try
to provide brief answers to the following questions: What new material or insight
are you offering? What important issues does your topic would define or answer?
▪ How? The reader needs to know how the paper will proceed. Therefore, the
introduction should include a “map” of what will be discussed or briefly present all
the key elements of the paper in chronological order.

26. ▪ The major struggle faced by most writers is how to organize the
information presented in the paper, which is one reason a research
paper outline is so useful. However, remember that the outline is only
a guide and, when writing, you can be flexible with the order in
which the information and arguments are presented.
▪ One way to stay on track is to use your thesis statement and topic
sentences.
▪ Do not be ruled by your sources — use them as they become relevant
to what you are writing.
▪ After completing the first draft, condense the paragraphs into only
topic sentences and read them one at a time.
▪ Be aware of paragraphs that seem to cover the same things. If two
paragraphs discuss something similar, they must approach that topic
in different ways.

27. ▪ The conclusion is designed to help your reader out of the paper’s argument, giving
them a sense of finality.
▪ Give the paper a sense of finality by making sure the reader understands how the
paper has settled the issues raised in the introduction. Recap the what, why and
how, and try to show how the key ideas mentioned in the introduction look now that
your point is established.
▪ You might also discuss the more general consequences of the argument, outline
what the paper offers to future students of the topic and suggest any questions the
paper’s argument raises but cannot or does not try to answer.
▪ You should not:
➢ Offer new arguments or essential information
➢ Take up any more space than necessary
➢ Begin with phrases that signal you are ending the paper.

28. There are four main considerations when it comes to the second draft:
A. Check how your vision of the paper lines up with the first draft and, more
importantly, that your paper still answers the assignment (initially set up tasks).
B. Identify any assumptions that might require justification, keeping your reader’s
perspective foremost in mind. Remove these points if you cannot authenticate
them further.
C. Be open to rearranging your ideas. Check whether any sections feel out of place
and whether your ideas could be better organized.
D. If you find that old ideas do not fit well as you anticipated, you should cut them
out or condense them.

29. ▪ The goal during the revision and proofreading process is to ensure
you have completed all the necessary tasks and that the paper is
as well-articulated as possible.
Global Concerns
▪ Confirm that your paper completes every task specified in your
assignment sheet.
▪ Check for logical organization and flow of paragraphs.
▪ Check paragraphs against the introduction and thesis statement.

30. Revision Process
Here are some tips to make sure you do not miss anything:
▪ Read the paper aloud, which will force you to slow down and look
more closely at each word
▪ Change fonts, as it helps to spot mistakes by making the text less
familiar
▪ Edit a printed copy. Follow each word with a pen or pencil
▪ Have someone else read through and make notes

31. ▪ Formatting guidelines; page numbers, spacing, font.
▪ Appropriate referencing style (e.g. APA or MLA or Chicago)
▪ Appropriate in-text citation
▪ Address the feedback from instructor/supervisor
▪ Proper introduction (interesting and giving sense of topic)
▪ Key points and arguments are discussed
▪ Proper structure of paragraph
▪ Relation between each paragraph
▪ Relation between each sentence
▪ Proper conclusion
▪ Proper revision of the document

32. 1. Passing of someone else’s
work as your own, whether
we do this deliberately or
not.
2. Not acknowledging when
using information (i.e. data,
tables, figures or graphics)
from other writers.
3. Inadequately paraphrasing
a source.
PLAGIARISM

33. I’ve just
stolen other
author’s
work!
PLAGIARIZER