The document provides an introduction to research essays, outlining key concepts for writing research papers, such as understanding disciplines, text genres, and the systematic process of research. It details the steps for beginning a research paper, including understanding assignment instructions, planning, and effective reading of academic articles. Additionally, it covers the importance of proper referencing, understanding plagiarism, and utilizing various academic resources for academic writing.

1. INTRODUCTION TO
RESEARCH ESSAYS
BASIC CONCEPTS FOR WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER
LISA WEIDEMAN & SHENA LAMB DU-PLESSIS
Academic Literacies and Writing
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU)
2015
Assignment Writing and Referencing by Academic Literacies and Writing at NMMU is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

2. Use your smartphone, laptop, or tablet to explain what each
of the following means in terms of academic writing:
A discipline
A text genre
Research
KEY CONCEPTS

3. KEY CONCEPTS
Discipline – refers to a field or area of expertise (for example, Logistics, Nursing
Sciences, Tourism.)
Genre – refers to a ‘text type’ or kind or writing (for example, proposal, report,
or essay)
Research – refers to a “systematic process of collecting, analysing and
interpreting information (data) in order to increase our understanding of
phenomena about which we are interested or concerned” (Leedy & Ormond
2000: 2).

4. BEGINNING A RESEARCH PAPER
1. Clarify the assignment instructions
2. Organise the structure of the paper (the outline)
3. Break the workload into sub-tasks (more manageable
pieces)
4. Begin your first draft

5. PRE-WRITING PROCESS
Think
Purpose of the paper? – the research question – what is my point of view? – what information do I
need?
Search
Find sources and information that are relevant, up to date.
Read
Skim-read, if relevant read article in detail – what is the argument or the main idea of the paper?
Take notes
Make summaries and find supporting details
Re-think
Draw conclusions, evaluate the information and sources you have found

6. THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
“The quality of everything we do is determined by the
quality of the thinking we do first” (Kline 2005: 5).

7. STRATEGIC PLANNING
Set goals for each stage of your paper
◦ deadline for the first draft (to understand the structure
and organisation of the paper)
◦Get feedback on your first draft from the Writing Centre or
from your lecturer/peers
◦Set a personal deadline for final draft

8. STRATEGY IS ALL IMPORTANT

9. What is the purpose of an introduction?
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

10. A good introduction answers these questions:
What? (background of subject – brief introduction to topic of
your essay)
Why? (aim of essay)
How? (map of your essay, outlines how you plan to achieve
the aim of the essay – what the essay will cover)
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

11. In the following example, which
sentence explains the ‘What’ question?
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

12. This essay discusses the role of women in the
workplace. The purpose of this essay is to inform
women of the changes that have taken place in the
workplace. In particular, the essay will focus on the
growing options available to women. Firstly, the
background to a woman’s role in the workplace will
be outlined. Secondly, the problems women
encounter will be described. Thirdly, …
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

13. In the example, which sentence explains
the ‘Why’ question?
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

14. This essay discusses the role of women in the
workplace. The purpose of this essay is to inform
women of the changes that have taken place in the
workplace. In particular, the essay will focus on the
growing options available to women. Firstly, the
background to a woman’s role in the workplace will
be outlined. Secondly, the problems women
encounter will be described. Thirdly, …
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

15. In the example, where does the
Introduction show how the essay will
achieve its objectives?
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

16. This essay discusses the role of women in the
workplace. The purpose of this essay is to inform
women of the changes that have taken place in the
workplace. In particular, the essay will focus on the
growing options available to women. Firstly, the
background to a woman’s role in the workplace will
be outlined. Secondly, the problems women
encounter will be described. Thirdly, …
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

17. Which words in the Introduction make it
easier for the reader to follow the essay’s
path?
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

18. This essay discusses the role of women in the
workplace. The purpose of this essay is to inform
women of the changes that have taken place in the
workplace. In particular, the essay will focus on the
growing options available to women. Firstly, the
background to a woman’s role in the workplace will
be outlined. Secondly, the problems women
encounter will be described. Thirdly, …
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION

19. READING JOURNAL
ARTICLES EFFECTIVELY
SMART AND ACTIVE READING TO SAVE YOU TIME

20. INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC ARTICLES
Have you ever used an academic article?
What makes an academic article different from other kinds
of writing?
What are the benefits of using an academic article instead
of a textbook?

21. WHAT IS AN ACADEMIC ARTICLE?
Use your device to search for the differences
between an academic article and a textbook.

22. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING
JOURNAL ARTICLES?
Use your device to search for the benefits of using
an academic article in research.

23. They are more current than books or textbooks (easier to publish)
They are shorter than textbooks
We can navigate them easily
Using online databases, we can often search for articles on specific
topics and get PDFs for free
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING
JOURNAL ARTICLES?

24. ACADEMIC ARTICLES AS GENRE
Journal articles are not the same as books or magazine articles, and so should not be
read in the same way.
A journal article is made up of specific sections, which make it easier for the reader to
navigate the paper:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- Discussion of results
- Conclusion

25. Effective reading of an article takes advantage of these elements to save time
Instead of reading a journal article as you would read a book (from beginning to
end), it makes more sense to ‘jump around’ to confirm that the article is
relevant to your needs
If you have been asked to summarise certain parts of the paper, it is often easier
to make use of the various headings, rather than to go through the entire article
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SmOq6gENPM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyMT08mD7Ds
ACADEMIC ARTICLES AS GENRE

26. HOW TO READ EFFECTIVELY
We can start by asking ourselves some questions:
◦ Why am I reading this?
◦ What is the article’s objective?
◦ Is the article relevant to my topic of research? What is the relation between this article and
my own research?
◦ Do I agree with what the author is suggesting?
◦ Are there any concepts in the article that I don’t understand? If so, does the author define
them?
◦ Has the author helped me by using specific terms and words to guide me?
* Practise active reading with a pencil or highlighter in hand and make notes as
you go along – create a conversation between the article and you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL0pqJeE4_w

27. SOME USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES:
Phrase/Word What this signifies
Firstly, secondly, thirdly The author is making it clear that s/he is listing related
elements or else providing a clear flow of argument for
you
To start with, next, following this, finally The author is making it clear that s/he is listing related
elements or else providing a clear flow of argument for
you
However This word often indicates a change in the direction of the
discussion or a comparison between elements
On the one hand, on the other hand The author is providing an obvious comparison between
two elements
As a result Often, some kind of conclusion is going to be offered
when this phrase is used
Similarly Shows that the author is going to provide another source
who seems to be in agreement with the source at hand

28. Make use of the clearly marked sections (abstract, introduction, literature review, body,
discussion, conclusions)
1. Begin with abstract (a concise summary of the article, normally containing the objectives)
2. Conclusion (will show you the outcomes and value of the research)
3. Introduction (will provide a context for the research, and perhaps define some important terms)
4. Literature review (will contain definitions and explanations of concepts, as well as indicate past and
current research)
5. Results
6. Methodology
*Bear in mind that the subtitles in the article can guide you towards relevant information
HOW TO READ EFFECTIVELY

29. THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE
READING
◦ Better comprehension (don’t become weighed down by ‘heavy’ concepts –
sometimes authors can say too much)
◦ Reading articles becomes less daunting
◦ One can save time and energy (don’t waste time by reading irrelevant articles
or information)
◦ Mastering this skill gives one a significant advantage in postgraduate research
◦ Reading journal articles effectively is a crucial aspect of academic literacy, and
it will help you throughout your university career

30. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES
Do you know where and/or how to find journal
articles?

31. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

32. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

33. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

34. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

35. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

36. LEARNING TO REFERENCE
AND UNDERSTANDING
PLAGIARISM
IN-TEXT REFERENCING, REFERENCE LISTS, AND PLAGIARISM

37. WRITING STYLE
1. Academic writing is formal and objective (not personal, subjective
or ‘chatty’)
2. Academic writing always supplies evidence (references) for any
claim or opinion
3. Your voice shows in the references you choose and how you refer
to them.

38. SOURCES YOU MAY CONSULT
1)Books
2)Academic journals
3)Newspaper articles
4)Certain official websites (NOT blogs)

39. What is plagiarism?
Use your device to find a definition of
plagiarism.
PLAGIARISM

40. • Unintentionally using someone else’s work without
acknowledgement
• Deliberately pretending someone else’s work is your own
(stealing)
Either way, it means trouble. Acknowledge your source – whether
it’s a direct quote, an indirect quote or a summary.
PLAGIARISM

41. Make sure you know which style your department requires:
Harvard
APA
Chicago
Vancouver
REFERENCING STYLES

42. Consider this example:
Singapore is known for being the smallest country in
Southeast Asia (Book Reference) and, as a result of its
size, it has earned the nickname, “The Little Red Dot”
(Website Reference).
REFERENCING SKILLS

43. Using the information below, write the in-text reference and the full
reference for the book and website sources. You may use a guide or
the internet to help you.
Book source: Disha Devashish (author), Tourism Marketing (title),
2011 (pub year), Pearson Education India (publishers), New Delhi
(place of pub), 17 (page number).
Website Source: 2012 (pub year), Singapore Tourism Board (author),
Vibrance in the City (website title), 20 May 2013 (date),
http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/browse/abouts
ingapore/key-facts.html (web address).
REFERENCING SKILLS

44. Devashish, D. 2011. Tourism Marketing. New Delhi: Pearson Education India.
(Devashish 2011: 17)
Singapore Tourism Board. 2012. Vibrance in the City. [Online]. Available:
http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/browse/aboutsingapore/k
ey-facts.html [Accessed: 20 May 2013].
(Singapore Tourism Board, 2012)
REFERENCING SKILLS

45. HARVARD REFERENCE LIST
Binder, W. 1993. Slavery in the Americas. Würzburg: Köningshausen & Neumann.
Birnie, A. 2013. An Economic History of Europe 1760-1930. London: Routledge.
Blatt, H. 2008. America’s Food: what you don’t know about what you eat. Food Yearly,
59(1), 45-60.
Bouch, C & Jones, G. 1961. A Short Economic and Social History of the Lake Counties
1500-1830. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
What observations can you make about the formatting of the list?

46. HARVARD REFERENCE LIST
Alphabetical order
Set to ‘hanging’
All kinds of sources are included in the list
No bullet points or fancy details to separate the sources

47. HARVARD REFERENCE LIST EXAMPLES
1) Referencing a book:
Tracey, D. 2011. Urban Agriculture: Ideas and designs for the new food revolution.
Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers.
2) Referencing an academic journal:
Mackenzie, R. 1998. Psychologist: to be or not to be? Journal of philosophical
psychologists, 34(2), 345-347.
3) Referencing newspaper articles:
Matomela, S. 2010. Crime rampant in Gauteng. The Sun, 29 March: 3.
4) Referencing websites:
Johnston, A. 2014. The Fall of Neoliberal Politics. [Online]. Available:
http://socialistreview.org.uk/351/rise-and-fall-neoliberalism [28 August 2014].

48. HARVARD IN-TEXT REFERENCES
EXAMPLES
1) In-text reference for book sources:
(Author year: page) – (Jones 2010: 4) OR Jones (2010: 4)
2) In-text reference for journal article:
(Author, year: pages) – (Mackenzie, 1998: 345)
3) In-text reference for newspaper articles:
(Author, year: page) – (Matomela, 2004: 10) OR Matomela (2004: 10)
4) In-text reference for websites:
(Author, year) – (Mckinnley, 2010)

49. HARVARD IN-TEXT REFERENCING
The way you write the in-text reference depends on
the way you have quoted the information.
What kind of quotes can you think of?

50. Give only three pieces of information: surname, year, page
As Strauss (2005:35) explains, “tourists need places to stay,
eat and shop which creates jobs in hotels, restaurants and
stores and provides money that can then be spent locally”.
DIRECT QUOTES: IN-TEXT REFERENCING

51. Tourists need places to stay, eat and shop. This creates jobs
in hotels, restaurants and stores and provides these
businesses with money that can then be spent locally
(Strauss 2005:35).
no inverted commas “ …”
same 3 pieces of information (author, year, page)
INDIRECT QUOTES: IN-TEXT
REFERENCING

52. don’t put only www…
always give name of author
if you REALLY can’t find an author, give the title or source of the article
e.g. (Causes of unrest in Sudan, 2005:8)
Your in-text website reference can look just like an
in- text book reference:
Archer (2008:9) lists the causes of unrest as …
REFERENCING WEBSITES: IN-TEXT

53. If no date is available to indicate when the article was written, use
‘no date’, or ‘n.d.’
For example:
(Jones, no date)
If page numbers are non-existent , use paragraph numbers, for
example:
(Myers, 2005 para. 5).
REFERENCING WEBSITES: IN-TEXT

54. GETTING TO LIBRARY’S REFERENCING
RESOURCE
Student portal: Library
How to … Apply reference styles
Harvard – click for list

55. GETTING TO LIBRARY’S REFERENCING
RESOURCE

56. GETTING HELP FROM THE WRITING
CENTRE

57. gino.fransman@nmmu.ac.za
ginofransman@gmail.com
Twitter: @ginofransman
Assignment Writing and Referencing by Academic Literacies and Writing at NMMU is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Content:
Lisa Weideman lisaweideman1@gmail.com
Shena Lamb Du-Plessis shena.lambdu-plessis@nmmu.ac.za
Visit Scoopit!
http://www.scoop.it/t/academic-literacy-development
&
http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-graduate-literacies
57