Writing a Research paper: conclusion, acknowledgement, references

Research is a scientific activity based on an analysis and construction that is done

systematically, methodologically and also consistently and aims to be able to reveal the truth
is as one manifestation of human desire to be able to know about what is being faced (Sevilla,
2007). In contrast to Creswell's (2010) explanation that research is a fact-finding by a clear
objective method of finding relationships between facts and producing certain laws. Neuman
(2007: 67) said that research is a systematic attempt to provide answer to question.
The purpose of research according to Tafsir (2007), among others are as follows:
1. Explorative, to be able to find a new knowledge that previously had not existed;
2. Verificative, to perform testing of a theory or previous research results;
3. Development, to develop, dig deeper and also expand the scope of research.
According to Creswell (2010) that the usefulness of research have many things, such
as to develop science (theoretically) and help overcome, solve and prevent problems
that exist in the object being studied (practically).
Acknowledgment
In the world of academics and scientific writing, acknowledgment is an important part
of an article. Acknowledgment is the author's way of appreciating the contributions of
individuals or institutions who helped in researching or writing the article. In this article, we
will explain the meaning of acknowledgment and provide guidance on how to make one in an
article complete with references.
Understanding Acknowledgment
Acknowledgment is a part of an article that serves to acknowledge and appreciate
contributions from individuals or institutions who were not directly involved in the research
or writing of the article, but provided significant support or assistance. Contributions
acknowledged in an acknowledgment may take the form of financial assistance, technical
support, academic advice, or various forms of collaboration that do not include writing the
body of the article.
Why is Acknowledgment Important?
Acknowledgment is important because:
1. Research Ethics: Acknowledging the contributions of others is an ethical act in
scientific research and writing.
2. Transparency: Acknowledgment helps in creating transparency in research, so that
readers can understand the different contributions in writing an article.
 3. Appreciating Assistance: This is a way to appreciate and respect assistance provided
by individuals or institutions not directly involved in the research.
How to Make Acknowledgments in Articles
The following are the steps for making an acknowledgment in an article:
1. Place Acknowledgment: Acknowledgments are usually placed at the very end of the
article, before the reference list.
2. Define Contributions: Clearly define the contributions that will be recognized. This
could be financial support, equipment, technical assistance, or academic advising.
3. Name Individuals or Institutions: Name the individuals or institutions who contributed
and be clear about the role or support they provided.
4. Use Formal Language: Use formal and respectful language when writing an
acknowledgment. This should sound polite and respectful of the contribution made.

5. Don't Overdo it: Avoid making acknowledgments that are too long. Mention
significant contributions, but avoid making them too detailed or redundant.
Example of an acknowledgment in an article:
"Acknowledgment: The authors would like to thank Dr. John Smith for valuable
technical assistance during this research. We also appreciate the financial support
provided by the XYZ Foundation, which has made this research possible."

References
Citing is not only a writing tradition, but also a necessity that must be done by anyone
who does scientific work. One reason is that science is accumulative. That is, the author or
researcher who now always refers to the writing or the results of previous research.
Therefore, the author of a scientific paper must understand the technique or procedure of
writing the correct referral source. A writer of a scientific paper should not write a referral
source, either in-text notation, foot note, back note or arbitrary list of sources (bibliography)
and ignore the principle of consistency, or mix one model with another model (Muhzin,
2008). During this time, quite a lot of writers or researchers who ignore It.
Based on data from SCImago, throughout 1996-2016, the number of Indonesian
global indexed publications reached 54,146 publications. When compared to Singapore,
Thailand, and Malaysia, Indonesia's ranking are still far below the three ASEAN countries. In
2016, at the world level, Indonesia ranked is 45th for the number of published documents
internationally. In the Asian region, Indonesia's position is at number 11, while at the level of
ASEAN is ranked 4 th. In addition, trends in the number of publication documents in
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia has increase continuously. Starting at 2010,
Malaysia shifted Singapore's position to 2 nd place. Related documents published in
Indonesia, the number increased to 46.41%v(11,470 publications) when compared to 7,834
publications in 2015. Although up, this figure is still far compared to Singapore (19,992
publications) and Malaysia (28,546 publications).
References are quotes that the author uses in text (essays, undergraduate
thesis/thesis/dissertations, journals, articles, etc.). There are different styles of quotations
depending on the field (Dawson, 2010). From the reference researchers usually get the
concepts, variables, theories or propositions to support or refute a statement in research
conducted (Wibisono, 2007). Researchers must uphold the two main moral or ethical
principles in the scientific world of truth and honesty (Suriasumantri, 2001:244). According
to the rules and calling the source of citations correctly, It means that a writer of scholarly
work has carried out two main moral principles in writing namely "the principle of honor"
and "the principle of recognition" (Nasir, Ideputri, and Muhith, 2011). The two principles are
inseparable, meaning that if a writer borrows another author's idea or idea then he must
respect it by acknowledging It.
American Psychological Association Style The American Psychological Association
(APA) developed its own model (APA style) in its publication. Now APA becomes the
standard editorial model in several sciences such as: psychology, sociology, economics,
criminology, social, and nursing (American Psychological Association, 2012). The quotation
on the APA model is able to illustrate a more appropriate citation format for a number of
commonly used research sources (Muhzin, 2008). Dawson (2010) stated that the list of
printed sources includes sources that are specifically found in libraries such as books,
journals, magazines, and newspapers. The list of electronic sources includes sources found
online or published on DVD or CDROM, including encyclopedias, journals, magazines,
newspapers, and government documents.
The importance of referencing
Referencing is important in all academic work because it shows where you have used
others’ ideas in your work especially for research report and journal publication (Allen,
2000). The source of reference is a series of writings written at the end of a scientific paper
which includes: the author's name, title, publisher, the publisher and the year identity of
publication which is the source or reference used by the researcher (American Psychological
Association, 2012). In the format of reference source, according to APA Style is divided into
several methods and examples shown in table 1 as follows:
References
Authorship/Correspondence
Source
Book Single author
Two until three authors
Unknown name
Not as 1st edition
Author as team or institution
Serial book / multivolume
(the editor same as the author)
Translation
Articles or chapters in edited
book
Articles or terms of reference
Sample of Implementation
Baxter, C. (1997). Race Equality in Health
Care and Education. Philadelphia: Balliere
Tindall.
Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. (2001).
Commitment In The Workplace Theory
Research and Application. California : Sage
Publication
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
(10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-
Webster.
Mitchell, T.R., & Larson, J.R. (1987). People
in Organizations: An Introduction To
Organizational Behavior (3rd Ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill
American Psychiatric Association. (1994).
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (4th Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Koch, S. (Ed.). (1959-1963). Psychology: A
study of science (Vols. 1-6). New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Kotler, Philip. (1997). Manajemen Pemasaran
: Analisis, Perencanaan, Implementasi
(Hendra Teguh & Ronny Antonius Rusli,
Penerjemah.). Jakarta: Prenhallindo
Eiser, S., Redpath, A., & Rogers, N. (1987).
Outcomes of Early Parenting: Knowns and
Unknowns. In A. P. Kern & L. S. Maze (Ed.).
Logical Thinking in Children (pp. 58-87).
New York: Springer
Schneider, I. (1989). Bandicoots. In
 book Grzimek’s Encyclopedia of Mammals (vol.1,
pp. 300 304). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Seminar papers, conferences, Crespo, C.J. (1998, March). Update on
etc National Data on Asthma. Paper Presented at
The Meeting of The National Asthma
Education and Prevention Program, Leesburg,
VA.
Journal Clark, L.A., Kochanska, G., & Ready, R.
(2000). Mother’s Personality and Its
Interaction With Child Temperament As
Predictors of Parenting Behavior. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 274-
285
Magazine Greenberg, G. (2001, August 13). As Good As
Dead: Is There Really Such A Thing As Brain
Death? New Yorker, 36-41.
Newspaper Crossette, Barbara. (1990, January 23). India
Lodges First Charges In Arms Scandal. New
York Times, A4.
Newspaper without author Understanding Early Years As A Prerequisite
Serial
To Development. (1986, May 4). The Wall
Street Journal, p. 8
Book review in the journal Grabill, C. M., & Kaslow, N. J. (1999).
Anounce of Prevention: Improving Children's
Mental Health For The 21st Century [Review
of the book Handbook of Prevention and
Treatment With Children and Adolescents].
Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 28, 115
116.
Film review in the journal Lane, A. (2000, December 11). Come Fly
With Me [Review of The Motion Picture
Crouching tiger, hidden dragon]. The New
Yorker, 129-131.
Interview Record and note Setyowati, R. D. (2017, July 17). Personal
 interview.
Television Show Crystal, L. (Executive Producer). (1993,
October 11). The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour.
[Television broadcast]. New York and
Washington, DC: Public Broadcasting
Service.
Video tape/VCD National Geographic Society (Producer).
(1987). In The Shadow of Vesuvius
Non-print [Videotape]. Washington, DC: National
information Geographic Society.
Audio cassette McFerrin, Bobby (Vocalist). (1990). Medicine
Music [Audio Recording]. Hollywood, CA:
EMI-USA.
Computer software Arend, Dominic N. (1993). Choices (Version
4.0) [Computer software]. Champaign, IL:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research
Laboratory. (CERL Report No.CH7-22510).
Electronic Complete paper McNeese, M.N. (2001). Using Technology In
publication Educational Settings. October 13, 2001.
University of Southern Mississippi,
Educational Leadership and Research.
http://www.dept.usm.edu/~eda/
Article from online database Senior, B. (1997, September). Team Roles and
Team Performance: Is There Really A Link?.
Journal of Occupational and Organizational
Psychology, 70, 241-258. June 6, 2001.
ABI/INFORM Global (Proquest) database.
Article from intenet Lodewijkx, H. F. M. (2001, May 23).
Individual-Group Continuity In Cooperation
and Competition Undervarying
Communication Conditions. Current Issues in
Social Psychology, 6 (12), 166-182.
September 14, 2001.
http://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.6.

Agency documents
Agency documents, without
page numbers and
information of publishing
year
Unknown author and
publishing time
Email
CD-ROM
12.htm
NAACP (1999, February 25). NAACP Calls
For Presidential Order To Halt Police
Brutality Crisis. June 3, 2001.
http://www.naacp.org/president/releases/polic
e_brutality.htm
Greater Hattiesburg Civic Awareness Group,
Task Force on Sheltered Programs. (n.d.).
Fund-raising efforts. November 10, 2001.
http://www.hattiesburgcag.org
GVU's 8th WWW User Survey. (n.d.).
September 13, 2001.
http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/user_surveys/surv
ey-1997-10/
Wilson, R. W. (1999, March 24).
Pennsylvania Reporting Data. Child
Maltreatment Research. March 30, 1999.
CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RL@cornell.edu
Ziegler, H. (1992). Aldehyde. The Software
Toolworks Multimedia Encyclopedia (CD-
ROM version 1.5). Boston: Grolier. Januari
19, 1999. Software Toolworks.
Nickell, S. J. (August 1996). Competition and
Corporate Performance. The Journal of
Political Economy, 104(4), 724-747.
December 15, 2003. Proquest Database (CD-
ROM)

Consistent referencing shows which ideas are our own and from where we found the
supporting evidence for our ideas (Wibisono, 2007). It demonstrates our ideas are based on
evidence we have found. Anything in our work for which we do not cite a source is assumed
to be our own original thought. If we do not show when we have used other people’s work we
could therefore be accused of pretending their ideas and findings are our own. This is
plagiarism and is a serious academic offence (Al Ma’ruf, 2014).
APA STYLE 7TH EDITION
APA 7th edition is one of the most popular citation styles. In this post, we discuss
formatting and citation rules for APA 7 and how it compares to previous versions. We also
include examples for how to cite books, journal articles, websites, and other online sources in
APA style.
A few key facts about APA style
APA style is one of the most common citation styles. It is used in fields like sociology,
business, philosophy, political science, computer science, and other science fields. APA style
uses in-text, parenthetical citations to cite quotes and other borrowed materials.
Differently from MLA (which calls the bibliography a Works Cited page), APA
requires a Reference list at the end of the paper that includes full bibliographic information
for each source. To learn more about APA style, take a look at our ultimate guide to citing in
APA style.
How to cite books in APA
To cite a book in a reference entry in APA style (7th edition) include the following elements:
1.) Author(s) of the book: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to 20
authors. Separate the last two names with with an ampersand (&). For 21 or more
authors, include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…), then add the last
author's name.
2.) Year of publication: Give the year in parentheses followed by a period.
3.) Title of the book: Book titles are italicized. Only the first letter of the first word and
proper nouns are capitalized.
4.) Edition number: Include information about the edition, if it is not the first.
5.) Publisher: Give the name of the publisher but omit terms such as Publishers, Co., and
Inc. Retain the words Books and Press.
APA 7 does not require you to include publication location in citations for books or book
chapters. Here is an example of a book citation in APA style:

King, S. (1986). It. Viking Press.

How to cite journal articles in APA
To cite an online journal article in a reference entry in APA style (7th edition) include the
following elements:
 1.) Author(s) of the article: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to
20 authors. Separate the last two names with with an ampersand (&). For 21 or more
authors, include the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis (…), then add the last
author's name.
2.) Year of publication: Give the year in parentheses followed by a period.
3.) Title of the research article: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are
capitalized.
4.) Title of periodical: Give the full, non-abbreviated title of the periodical in title case. It
should also be italicized.
5.) Volume number: The volume number is also italicized.
6.) Issue number: For journals that are paginated by issue give the issue number in
parentheses.
7.) Page numbers: Give the full page range.
8.) DOI: Include the digital object identifier (DOI) as a hyperlink starting with
“https://doi.org/.”
9.) According to APA 7, all journal article citations should include an issue number. This
is different from APA 6. A journal article reference entry in APA 6 format looks like
this:
Plessis, T. du. (2006). From Monolingual to Bilingual Higher Education: The Repositioning
of Historically Afrikaans-Medium Universities in South Africa. Language Policy, 5, 87–113.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-005-5627-5
In APA 7, the issue number is placed in parentheses after the volume number:
Plessis, T. du. (2006). From Monolingual to Bilingual Higher Education: The Repositioning
of Historically Afrikaans-Medium Universities in South Africa. Language Policy, 5(1), 87–
113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-005-5627-5
Whether you’re using APA 6 or APA 7, you need to include a DOI for any sources that
have one, such as journal articles that you find in an academic database. If the source you’re
citing doesn’t have a DOI, then you should cite it like a print source:

Gade, D. W. (2003). Language, Identity, and the Scriptorial Landscape in Québec and
Catalonia. Geographical Review, 93(4), 429-448.
Online journal articles are not websites and use a different APA citation format. Use
our guide on the differences between websites and journal articles if you’re unsure about
whether a source is a website or journal article.
 If you’re struggling to find academic sources for your paper, consider meeting with a
librarian or asking your instructor for help. When in doubt, always cite; this helps you to
avoid plagiarism.
How to cite a source with multiple authors in APA
APA 7 allows you to list up to 20 authors’ names in a citation. Sources with 21 authors
or more should include the first 19 names, then an ellipsis, followed by the last author of the
source.
Here is an example of a citation with multiple authors in APA 7:
Matsuda, W., Sonomura, T., Honma, S., Ohno, S., Goto, T., Hirai, S., Itoh, M., Honda,
Y., Fujieda, H., Udagawa, J., Takano, S., Fujiyama, F., Ueda, S. (2018). Anatomical variations
of the torcular Herophili: macroscopic study and clinical aspects. Anat. Sci. Int., 93 (4), 464–
468. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-018-0436-z

How to Search the Good references

1. Make sure the reference source is clear
When we want to include a theory from a particular reference, for example, make sure
the reference source is clear and reliable. We can take it from books that have been published
or journals from experts, so that the theory we use can be more accurate.
Avoid taking theories or quotes from unclear sources, such as blogs or writings on the
internet whose sources cannot be confirmed. Because, even though the theory is correct,
reference sources that are not strong and clear will reduce the quality of our scientific work.

2. Try to find the latest publications

Science continues to develop from time to time. There is new research that supports
old research, there are old theories that are updated, there are also old theories that are refuted
by new theories. For this reason, when we want to write a scientific paper, we try to look for
literature from the latest publications, even though old theories are still used. If we use a
reference source that is more than 20 years old, for example, it is feared that the theories in it
are no longer relevant or have been replaced by new theories.

3. Don't forget to include the source

Forgetting to include reference sources can have fatal consequences for our scientific writing.
Because, we will be considered as plagiarists who steal other people's work. Make sure we
are careful in including reference sources, both in the theories or quotations we quote and in
the bibliography.
The example of credible link or website of national and international journals
1. SINTA
2. https://www.emeraldinsight.com/
3. https://www.tandfonline.com/
4. https://journals.sagepub.com/
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/
6. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
7. https://www.cambridge.org/core/
8. https://academic.oup.com/journals
9. https://link.springer.com/
References
Allen, T. T. (2000). Citing References in Scientific Research Paper. Research Publication.
Dorthmund College. Vol. 2 (2), pp.gb g523-32.
Al-Ma’ruf, A. I. (2014). Sitasi, Daftar Pustaka, dan Anti Plagiarisme. Jurnal Terakreditasi
Kopertis VI Jawa Tengah. Vol. 1.
American Psychological Association. (2010). Preparing Manuscript for Publication in
Psychology Journals: A Guide for New
Authors. Washington DC: American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE.
American Psychological Association. (2012). APA Style Guide to Electronic References (6th
Ed.). Washington DC: American
Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE.
American Psychological Association. (2013). Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th Ed.).
Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Creswell, J. W. (2010). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mix Method
Approach. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
Dawson, C. (2010). The Practice Reseach Method: A Guidance. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
Dawud. (2010). Perbedaan Penelitian Kualitatif dan Kuantitatif. Malang: Universitas Negeri
Malang.
Muhzin, M. Z. (2008). Model American Psychological Association: Sebuah Model Penulisan
Sumber Acuan. Makalah
Lokakarya Tentang Standarisasi Penulisan Sumber Acuan. Bandung: Pusat Penelitian
Kebudayaan dan Kemasyarakatan
Universitas Padjajaran Bandung.
Nasir, A. Ideputri, M. E. & Muhith, A. (2011). Buku Ajar Metodologi Penelitian: Konsep
Pembuatan Karya Tulis dan Tesis
untuk Mahasiswa Kesehatan. Yogyakarta: Nuha Medika.
Nasution. (2002). Metode Penelitian: Penelitian Ilmiah. Jakarta: PT. Bumi Aksara.
Neuman, W. L. (2007). Basic of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches.
Boston: Pearson Education Inc.
SCImago. (2016). Scientific Journal Ranking. Accessed by: www.scimagojr.com
Sevilla, C. G. (2007). Research Methods. Quezon City: Rex Printing Company.
Surachman, A. (2016). Panduan Gaya Penulisan Sitiran Karya Ilmiah. Yogyakarta:
Perpustakaan Universitas Gajah Mada.
Syamsi, K. (2006). Merangkum dan Mengutip Dalam Penulisan Karya Tulis Ilmiah. Jurnal
Bahasa dan Sastra. Vol. 3 (1), pp. 11-23.