This powerpoint reviews parts of academic paper, such as the Title, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion

1. Academic Papers
Even Semester 2021-2022
Susana Teopilus

2. Academic Paper/Research Paper
A research paper is any paper that involves
finding out things you didn’t know before and
presenting that information.
A research paper is NOT a book report.
A research paper is NOT an essay.
A research paper is NOT journalism.

3. Types of Research Paper
Historical events
Current Events
Text-Based
Personal interest
All research papers present a thesis and use
research to defend it.

4. Parts of an Academic
Paper
1. TITLE
2. ABSTRACT
3. INTRODUCTION (Background)
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
5. METHODS SECTION (Materials
and Methods)
6. RESULTS & DISCUSSION
7. CONCLUSION
8. REFERENCES

6. TITLE
Titles have two functions:
a) to identify the main topic or the message of the paper
b) to attract readers
A good title is accurate, complete, and specific.
 Use the fewest possible words that describe the contents of the paper.
 Avoid waste words like "Studies on", or "Investigations on".
 Use specific terms rather than general.
 Use the same key terms in the title as the paper.
 Watch your word order and syntax.
 Avoid abbreviations, jargon, and special characters.

7. ABSTRACT
 The abstract is a miniature version of your paper.
 It should present the main story and a few essential details of the
paper for readers who only look at the abstract and should serve
as a clear preview for readers who read your whole paper.
 It is usually short (250 words or less).
 The goal is to communicate:
What was done?
Why was it done?
How was it done?
What was found?

8. ABSTRACT
What makes a good abstract?
A good abstract is specific and selective. Try summarizing
each of the sections of your paper in a sentence two. Do
the abstract last, so you know exactly what you want to
write.
Use 1 or more well developed paragraphs.
Use introduction/body/conclusion structure.
Present purpose, results, conclusions and
recommendations in that order.
Make it understandable to a wide audience.

9. Keywords
 A tool to help indexers and search engines find relevant
papers. If database search engines can find your journal
manuscript, readers will be able to find it too. This will
increase the number of people reading your manuscript,
and likely lead to more citations.
 To be effective, Keywords must be chosen carefully. They
should:
Represent the content of your manuscript
Be specific to your field or sub-field

10. Keywords
 Manuscript title: Direct observation of nonlinear optics in an isolated carbon
nanotube
Poor keywords: molecule, optics, lasers, energy lifetime
Better keywords: single-molecule interaction, Kerr effect, carbon nanotubes,
energy level structure
 Manuscript title: Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid
administration
Poor keywords: neuron, brain, OA (an abbreviation), regional-specific
neuronal degeneration, signaling
Better keywords: neurodegenerative diseases; CA1 region, hippocampal; okadaic
acid; neurotoxins; MAP kinase signaling system; cell death
 Manuscript title: Increases in levels of sediment transport at former glacial-
interglacial transitions
Poor keywords: climate change, erosion, plant effects
Better keywords: quaternary climate change, soil erosion, bioturbation

11. INTRODUCTION (Background)
 It tells the reader why you are writing your paper (i.e. identifies a
gap in the literature) and supplies sufficient background
information that the reader can understand and evaluate your
project without referring to previous publications on the topic.
The goal is to communicate:
 The nature and scope of the problem investigated.
 The pertinent literature already written on the subject.
 The method of the investigation.
 The hypothesized results of the project.

12. INTRODUCTION
A good introduction is not the same as an abstract. Where the
abstract summarizes your paper, the introduction justifies your
project and lets readers know what to expect.
 Keep it brief. You conducted an extensive literature review, so that
you can give readers just the relevant information.
 Cite your sources using in-text citations.
 Use the present tense. Keep using the present tense for the
whole paper.
 Use the same information that you use in the rest of your paper.

13. LITERATURE REVIEW
A literature review is a survey of scholarly
sources on a specific topic.
It provides an overview of current
knowledge, allowing you to identify
relevant theories, methods, and gaps in
the existing research.

14. LITERATURE REVIEW
Writing a literature review involves finding relevant publications (such
as books and journal articles), critically analyzing them, and explaining
what you found. There are five key steps:
 Search for relevant literature
 Evaluate sources
 Identify themes, debates and gaps
 Outline the structure
 Write your literature review
 A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it
analyzes, synthesizes, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture
of the state of knowledge on the subject.

15. METHODS
(Materials and Methods)
Generally a methods section tells the reader how you
conducted your project.
It is also called "Materials and Methods".
The goal is to make your project reproducible
A good methods section gives enough detail that
another scientist could reproduce or replicate your
results.

16. RESULTS
The results objectively present the data or
information that you gathered through your
project. The narrative that you write here will
point readers to your figures and tables that
present your relevant data.
Keep in mind that you may be able to include
more of your data in an online journal
supplement or research data repository.

17. RESULTS
A good results section is not the same as the discussion. Present the
facts in the results, saving the interpretation for the discussion section.
The results section should be written in past tense.
 Make figures and tables clearly labelled and easy to read. If you
include a figure or table, explain it in the results section.
 Present representative data rather than endlessly repetitive data.
 Discuss variables only if they had an effect (positive or negative).
 Use meaningful statistics.
 Describe statistical analyses you ran on the data.

18. DISCUSSION
The discussion section is the answer to the
question(s) you posed in the introduction section.
It is where you interpret your results. You have a lot
of flexibility in this section.
In addition to your main findings or conclusions,
consider:
• Limitations and strengths of your project.
• Directions for future research.

19. DISCUSSION
A good discussion section should read very differently than the
results section. The discussion is where you interpret the project as
a whole.
• Present principles, relationships and generalizations shown by the
results.
• Discuss the significance or importance of the results.
• Discuss the theoretical implications of your work as well as
practical applications
• Show how your results agree or disagree with previously
published works.

20. Conclusion
The conclusion of a research paper is where you wrap up your ideas
and leave the reader with a strong final impression. It has several key
goals:
 Restate the research problem addressed in the paper
 Summarize your overall arguments or findings
 Suggest the key takeaways from your paper
The content of the conclusion varies depending on whether your
paper presents the results of original empirical research or constructs
an argument through engagement with sources.

21. REFERENCES
A references page is the last page of an essay or
research paper that's been written in APA style.
It lists all the sources you've used in your project so
readers can easily find what you've cited.