15-01-2021

Agenda
• Structure of an academic paper
• The Initial part of your research paper
• 0. Abstract and tables
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Literature review
• 3. Methods: data collection
• 4. Methods: data analysis and results
Writing an academic paper • 5. Discussions and interpretations of results
• 6. Conclusions, limitations, recommendations
Mayank Golpelwar
• 7. References / Bibliography
• 8. Appendices
• Important notes
• References
Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 2

The structure of a scientific paper - I The structure of a scientific paper - II

Figure 1: The anatomy of a Figure 3: Steps of scientific writing
scientific paper (McKirnan, 2011)
(Guide2Research, 2021)
Source:
Source: McKirnan, D. J. (2011). Basics of
Guide 2 Research (2021). How to Scientific Method. Universtiy
Write a Conclusion for a of Illinois at Chicago.
Research Paper: Effective http://psych242.class.uic.ed
Tips and Strategies. Guide 2 u/Week2.html, accessed
Research. 11.01.2021.
https://www.guide2research
.com/research/how-to-write-
a-conclusion-for-a-research-
paper, accessed 11.01.2021.

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 3 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 4

1
 15-01-2021

The structure of a scientific paper - III
Figure 3: Steps of the scientific
method (Explorable, 2021)
Source:
Explorable (2021). Research
Basics: What is the Scientific
Method?
https://www.assistertselvhjel
p.no/research-basics,
accessed 11.01.2021
The initial part of the research paper
Figure 3: Steps of the scientific
method (Bahadoran et al.,
2018, p. 2)
Source:
Bahadoran, Z., Jeddi, S.,
Mirmiran, P., & Ghasemi, A.
(2018). The Principles of
Biomedical Scientific Writing:
Introduction. International
Journal of Endocrinology and
Metabolism, 16(4), e84795.
https://doi.org/10.5812/ijem
.84795

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 5 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 6

0. Abstract and Tables

• Provide a short abstract of the research paper.
• Include the table of contents, table of figures, list of tables, and table of abbreviations.

Starter Elements

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 7 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 8

2
 15-01-2021

1. Introduction 2. Literature review / theoretical framework

• Provide the background information, story, situation, and context that someone not well versed • What do the existing theoretical and empirical research say about the situation, the problems, and
with about the topic need to have to properly understand it. about how to solve the problems?
• Introduce and position the problems, which have real life implications. • Which theories or theoretical models would you choose to help you answer the research
question?
• Clarify who the people / organizations / societies affected by these problems. In what way are they
affected by these problems? • Why are these theories or theoretical models better than other models for helping you answer
the research questions?
• Explain the importance of the problems/questions by stating what the consequences would be , if
these problems were not solved. • What would be the best (compared with alternatives) possible answers (hypotheses) to the
research questions, based on your theoretical framework?
• Also clarify what makes these problems special (Why are these problems important compared to
other problem? What are these other problems?).
• Are their associated questions or problems, which one needs to solve or information, which one
needs to find in order to understand or solve the main problems?
• What terms and concepts must the readers be aware of to understand the situation and the
problem? Provide definitions, which you will use in your research (These are known as operational
definitions).

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 9 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 10

3. Methods: Data collection

• Would you be able to answer your research questions based on secondary sources (books,
research papers, reports, etc.), or do you need to conduct primary empirical research for this?
• Which kind of data will you need to solve the problems?
• Which participants (sample) would you ask or observe? Why have these participants been
Intermediate elements selected?
• How will you collect this data? Which data collection methods and tools could be used?
• Which methods and tools has been selected?
• Why were these the best tools and methods to help you answer your research question? This is
the methodology – The justification for using particular methods (Gabriel, 2011).
• Explain the tool being used meticulously (E.g. If interviews or survey are being used, which
questions are being asked and to whom?).
• In case of a questionnaire or interview, why are the questions you are asking being asked? How do
the answers to these questions help you provide a solution to your research questions/problems.

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 11 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 12

3
 15-01-2021

4. Methods: Data analysis and results

• Which various data analysis methods could help process the important information from the
collected data?
• Which among these are you selecting and why was it the best data analysis method one for the
research?
• Which software etc. are you using to help analyze the data? Concluding elements
• Explain the process of data analysis explained step by step.
• What are the results of your data analysis.
• Do these results confirm your hypotheses?

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 13 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 14

5. Discussions and interpretations 6. Conclusions

• Base the discussions and interpretations on logic and on your research questions, theories, • Revisit your research problems and write briefly how your research has provided a solution for it.
empirical evidence, and secondary literature.
• Summarizing your thoughts and convey the larger significance of your research.
• What could be the possible reasons for the hypothesis being confirmed or not confirmed?
• What are the limitations of your study? Why is still a valid and useful research, despite the
• What new and unexpected findings were obtained? Why were these unexpected? Why is this limitations?
interesting.
• What suggestions do you offer to future researchers in order to extend your findings and to tackle
• Based on the findings, what steps need to be taken by the people affected by the problem the limitations of your study?
(suggestions)? How can your findings be applied by practitioners?
• What significance and implications could the results have for the target group (the people whom
the research question is important for) and for the society?

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 15 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 16

4
 15-01-2021

7. References / Bibliography 8. Appendices

• Use the American Psychology Association (APA) publication guidelines (7th edition) for providing your references • Place any of the following here:
and citations (American Psychology Association, 2019).
• Large tables
• You can get a lot of information about the APA 7 style online, and especially on the APA’s resources page:
https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/handouts-guides.
• Datasets

• Generally the in-text citations are as follows: (Author last names, Year of publication, page numbers).
• Calculation sheets

• Generally the bibliographic entries are as follows, with a hanging indent:

• Transcripts
• Interview guidelines / Questionnaires

Author Last Names, Initials (Year). Title. Publishers. Web address, • Scoring and coding keys
accessed on which date. • Statistical or Qualitative output sheets
Source:

American Psychological Association (2019). Publication manual of the American

Psychological Association (Seventh edition). American Psychological Association.

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 17 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 18

Important notes - I Important notes

• Don’t list out theories, definitions, methods, etc. without any context. • The thesis should have clear page numbers, clear tables of content, tables, figures, and abbreviations. Unless
necessary, tables and chats, etc. should be put in the appendices.
• The context is provided by your research questions. Everything else is a tool to help you answer your research
questions, optimally. • Number every page, chapters, sections, figure, and table.
• Always convince the readers that you are using the best possible theory, best possible method, best possible • Font used in a research paper (not presentation) should be 12 point Times New Roman or Calibri or Ariel.
hypothesis, best possible analysis, and so on.
• Start a new chapter (not section) on a new page.
• You do this by providing clear sources, and by comparing information from different sources and between
• Cite every source in-text and include it in the bibliography as well.
different theories, methods, analyses, etc.
• There should be an inch-long (2-2.5 cms) margin on all sides of an A4 sized papers with single/ 1.5 line / double
• Keep in mind that properly introducing your research questions and problems is extremely important. It is your
spacing.
task to convince the readers that finding an answer to these research questions are important.

Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 19 Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 20

5

Recommended Literature
American Psychological Association (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (Seventh edition). American Psychological Association.
Adu, P. (2019): A Step-By-Step Guide to Qualitative Data Coding. Milton: Routledge.
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/suub/detail.action?docID=5747025.
Graff,G., & Birkenstein,C. (2014). They say / I say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing (3rd
ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
http://www.drivelearning.org/uploads/4/4/1/1/44110523/they_say_i_say_3rd_edition.pdf,
accessed on 11.01.2021.
Lingard, L.; Watling, C. (2016): It's a Story, Not a Study. Writing an Effective Research Paper. In
Academic Medicine: journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges 91 (12), e12.
10.1097/ACM.0000000000001389.
Saunders,M., Lewis,P., & Thornhill,A. (2019). Research methods for business students (Eighth
Edition). Pearson. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/suub/detail.action?docID=5833491.
Theisen, Manuel René (2017): Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten: Verlag Franz Vahlen GmbH. Available
online at http://dx.doi.org/10.15358/9783800653836, checked on 20.04.2020.
Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 21
15-01-2021
References
American Psychological Association (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (Seventh edition). American Psychological Association.
Bahadoran, Z., Jeddi, S., Mirmiran, P., & Ghasemi, A. (2018). The Principles of Biomedical Scientific
Writing: Introduction. International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 16(4), e84795.
https://doi.org/10.5812/ijem.84795.
Explorable (2021). Research Basics: What is the Scientific Method?
https://www.assistertselvhjelp.no/research-basics, accessed 11.01.2021.
Gabriel, D. (2011). Methods and methodology. https://deborahgabriel.com/2011/05/13/methods-
and-methodology, accessed on 11.01.2021.
Guide 2 Research (2021). How to Write a Conclusion for a Research Paper: Effective Tips and
Strategies. Guide 2 Research. https://www.guide2research.com/research/how-to-write-a-
conclusion-for-a-research-paper, accessed 11.01.2021.
McKirnan, D. J. (2011). Basics of Scientific Method. Universtiy of Illinois at Chicago.
http://psych242.class.uic.edu/Week2.html, accessed 11.01.2021.
Friday, January 15, 2021 Scientific Writing 22