Writing Research Paper

Writing a Research Paper

The purpose of this presentation is to
identify the important components in research paper writing Examine them Discuss some general guidelines

What is Scientific Writing

A research paper is a written (hard/soft) published report describing original results. It must be clear, simple and well structured communication. Must use proper English which gives the sense in the fewest short words.

Before Writing
In the long term: Right from the beginning of the work/study /experiment/simulation, think in terms of future papers (especially its novelty). Perform a background study. Assemble data BEFORE writing the paper, than during the process.

Process of Research Paper Publication

Completion of research Preparation of manuscript Submission of manuscript Assignment and review Decision Rejection Revision Resubmission Re-review Acceptance

Rejection
Publication

Forums for Publication

Conference
Rapid publication Limited circulation Good for networking Letters (Short and rapid, high rejection rate) Research Paper Review Paper Invited Paper

Journal

Conferences Publication
Conferences (conference publications are extremely important in Science/Engineering)
Peer reviewed conference Acceptance on the basis of Full Paper/Abstract/Extended Abstract Blind review, double blind review Sponsoring Agency Whether Conf. Proceeding to be published with ISBN/ISSN Acceptance rate Possibility of Extended version of selected papers in Special Issue of Journal Indexed

Journal Publication
Journal Selection
Indexed High Impact Factor Journals Frequency of Publication Paid/Open Access Journals Time required to publish National/International
average number of times published papers are cited up to two years after publication.

Publish or Perish

Publish and Perish

The Deadly Sins

Data manipulation, falsification Duplicate manuscripts Plagiarism Author conflicts of interest Animal use concerns Humans use concerns Gift Authorship

Bio/Ethical Clearance

Paper Structure
Title: Describe concisely the core contents of the paper

Abstract: Summarize the major elements of the paper

Keywords: Few keywords for indexing and paper search.

Introduction: Provide context and rationale for the study

Materials: Describe the experimental design so it is

reproducible.

Paper Structure
Methods: Describe the experimental procedures Results: Summarize the findings without interpretation Discussion: Interpret the findings of the study Summary/Conclusion: Summarize the findings Acknowledgement: Give credit to those who helped you References: List all scientific papers, books and websites that you cited

Paper Structure
Read instructions to authors Follow the rules length limits, formatting standards etc. Assess the audience: To whom are you writing? Why will they be reading your writing? Title: Catchy and indicative of your research contribution
Use fewest possible words that adequately describe the contents of the paper. Indexing and abstracting of the paper depends on the accuracy of the title. Make a list of the important keywords Think of a title that contains these words Avoid abbreviations, chemical formulas, proprietary names or jargon.

Abstract
Abstract: A summary of the research, claims and evidence. DOs
State the principal objective and scope of the investigation Describe the methods used Summarize the results State the principal conclusion Usually written in one paragraph, 250-500 words. It should be written in the past tense as it refers to work done.

DONTs
It should not cite any references (except in rare cases) It should never give any information or conclusion that is not stated in the paper. Must be accurate with respect to figures quoted in the main text. No abbreviations or acronyms

Keywords and Introduction

Keywords: Words that reflect the contents of the paper. Introduce the field of study Explain the motive, intention or purpose, scope and focus. Provide background or the situation a reader may need. Related work:
a. A critical review on the rival approaches that supports the motivation b. How to differentiate existing work with your own creative contributions.

Narrow focus using specific and important references Statement of purpose (hypothesis, predictions etc.)

Introduction
Avoid
Exhaustive literature survey Details of your study

Use the present tense when referring to work that has already been published, but past tense when referring to your own study. Passive voice Reviews of previous unfocused research. General reference to textbooks. Define any specialized terms or abbreviations Check who are on the program committee or editorial board, and cite their relevant work with due credit

Materials/Methods
Presented in logical order A complete account of all the steps in the study Data collection protocol. All materials, quantities, brands of major equipment and study locations Data Analysis Figures of complicated setups Equations and statistics

Materials/Methods
Provide full details so that the experiments are reproducible. Must identify accurately experimental animals, plants, and microorganisms used. The source of subjects studied, number of individuals in each group used, their sex, age and weight must be clearly stated (No name or personal Identification) If human subjects are used, the criteria for selection should be described and consent is essential. For chemicals used, include exact technical specifications and source or method of preparation. Avoid the use of trade names of chemicals, generic or chemical names are preferred.

Results
It needs to be clearly and simply stated as it constitutes the new knowledge. Summarize and illustrate the findings in an orderly and logical sequence, without interpretation. Objective presentation of experiment results
Summary of data NOT a Discussion! Common mistakes Raw data Redundancy Discussion and interpretation of data

Result Presentation

Table: Presents lists of numbers/ text in columns Figure: Visual representation of results or illustration of concepts/methods (graphs, images, diagrams, etc.)
All figures and tables must be accompanied by its title and caption or legend which must be stand-alone. All the tables/figures must be referenced in the text.

Care to be taken
Figures must be high resolution Must be labeled

Discussion
It is the hardest section to write. Primary purpose is to show the relationships among observed facts. Do not make this predominantly a rehash of either the Introduction or the Results. It should present the overall significance of the work and show how it agrees or disagrees with previous models. It should end with a short summary or conclusion regarding the significance of the work.

Discussion cont
Present the principles, relationships and generalizations shown by the Results Point out any exceptions or any lack of correlation Discuss the theoretical implications or practical applications of the work.

Conclusion
A paragraph or two for short summary or conclusion regarding the significance of the work. Summarize your evidence for each conclusion

Acknowledgement
Grant/funding body. People who read the paper or contributed to discussion and/or ideas. People who gave tools e.g. probes Technical and secretarial assistance.

Copyright
Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Check for the copyright form and sign it.

References
Referencing is a standardized way of acknowledging the sources of information and ideas that were used in the manuscript. Check specific referencing style of journal Should reference:
ALL the references used in the text must be written. Peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, books

Should not reference:

Non-peer-reviewed works, textbooks, personal communications

Common Mistakes
Format

References
Reference format varies widely:
Harvard format (the name and year system) is the most widely used Alphabet-Number system is a modification of name and year system Citation order system In name and year system In alphabet-number system In Citation order system

In-text citations

Thank You
Never Give Up!!!