RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SKILL

ENHANCEMENT (BT-501)

SCIENTIFIC PAPER WRITING

 Contents

1. What is a research paper

2. Goals in writing a research paper

3. Steps in writing a research paper

4. Structure of a research paper

 1. What is Research Paper

Written and published report describing original research

results.

A scientific experiment is not complete until the results have

been published and understood.

A good research paper is the one that easily conveyed your

idea to the reader.

Thus it has to be clear, simple and well ordered

communication.
 2. Goals in writing a research paper

• To disseminate one’s research and findings competently to

a wider audience.

• To contribute to the body of knowledge in a particular field.

• To earn recognition from peers and experts in the field.

• To derive personal and professional satisfaction.

• It places the research finding in a permanent record.

3. Steps in writing a research paper
 Identify Journal

It is crucial that you select a peer-reviewed journal which will

present your research:

• in the best way

• convey it to the right target audience

List of journals you have published in can directly and

indirectly affect you career advancement, professional
reputation, and funding opportunities.
1. Is there a match between the subject of your article
and the journals aim and scope?

The most common yet avoidable reason for journal rejection.

First consider the sort of research that the journal focuses

on.

Is it theoretical (e.g., Acta Biotheoretica) or applied (e.g.,

Annals of Applied Biology)?

Is the range of articles sought by the journal broad-based or

very narrow in focus?
For example:

Histopathology and The Journal of Pathology are two much

respected journals which focus on different aspects of the
same subject, namely, pathology.

Histopathology is intended to be of practical value to surgical

and diagnostic histopathologists

Journal of Pathology contains articles about the

pathophysiological and pathogenetic mechanisms of human
disease.
Finally, confirm that the journal accepts the article type you intend
to submit.

For example:

If your paper is a case study, check that the journal publishes

case reports.

Submission to a journal that does not accept the type of article

you’ve written gives you an almost 100% chance that the
manuscript will be rejected.
2. What is the readership and target audience?

Reaching the right readership can sometimes be more important

than reaching a wide readership.

Multidisciplinary journal.

If your paper could have a bearing on public policy or could change

the way nurses handle patient care, then choose a broad-based
journal that reaches a wide and non-technical audience.
Specialty journal.

If your paper is highly specialized or technical, better publish in a

journal with a small but very specific target audience.

How popular is the journal among your peers?

Talking to established colleagues will help you assess whether

the journal is widely read among your peers.
3. Is the journal highly visible?

Is the journal included in electronic databases?

ISI’s Web of Science, Science direct, PubMed etc.

This improves the visibility of your research and may also

increase the number of times your article is cited.

Is the journal available online?

Publishing in journals that are only circulated in print can seriously

limit the number of people coming across or reading your work.
4. What is the “CV value of publication”?

Editorial board members.

Prestigious journals usually have eminent researchers as

members of their Editorial Board.

Visit the journal website to check the names on the Editorial

Board.

Journal sponsorship.

Is the journal owned or sponsored by a prestigious society in

your field?

Nature publishing group, Elsevier etc.

What is the journals impact factor?

IF is Quantitative tool for evaluating journals.

It represents the frequency with which the "average article" in a

journal has been cited in a given period of time.

For example: if there are 100 papers published in a journal in

2021-2022 and there are 100 citations of articles from this journal
in 2023 the Impact Factor’2023 is 1 (number of published articles /
number of citations).
5. What is the journal’s turn around time?

Peer review period.

How many issues does the journal publish in a year?

A monthly journal is much more likely to review your article
quickly compared with a journal that only publishes once a year.

Some journals list the date submitted and date accepted.

Comparing these dates will give an approximate idea of the turn
around time.
Publication delay.

If the journal has an online edition, does it post accepted articles

online there once approved for publication?

If so, this means that your article will be published online soon
after it is accepted (and for practical purposes, will be considered
as a published paper), even if it appears in print much later.
6. Others

• What are the publication charges?

• Is the length and structure of your manuscript acceptable to the

journal?

• Open access refers to the practice of making peer-reviewed

scholarly research and literature freely available online to
anyone interested in reading it.
 How to choose journal for submitting paper

Checklist
Each journal has a set of individual author guidelines.

It provide advice on how to prepare your paper for

submission.

Includes formatting, language, visual style, preparation of

figures, illustrations, and other electronic artwork for
publication

Also provide here further detail on specific topics which may

be valuable as you prepare your submission.
 4. Structure of a Research Paper

Following is a list of the parts commonly found in research

articles.

• Title page
• Abstract
• Introduction and / or Literature Review
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements
• References
• Tables and Table Captions
• Figure and Figure Captions
TITLE PAGE

• Title of the research paper-short and simple.

• Authors and author affiliations.
• Approximately 5 key words
• Some time short title or running title
• Finally, complete contact information for the
corresponding author.

Title should be specific and indicate the problem the

research project addresses using keywords that will be
helpful in literature reviews in the future.
ABSTRACT

The abstract is used by readers to quickly review the overall

content of the paper.

• The abstract is typically a single paragraph.

• The first sentence-the objective of the experiment.
• The hypothesis along with statements describing its basis and
evaluation.
• Then methodology, how the investigation was carried out.
• The results of the experiment.
• The final sentences describe the significance of the results
• The impact of this work on the general field of study.
Things to remember…

• As a summary of work done, it is always written in past

tense

• An abstract should stand on its own, and not refer to any

other part of the paper such as a figure or table.

• What you report in an abstract must be consistent with

what you reported in the paper.

• Correct spelling, clarity of sentences and phrases, and

proper reporting of quantities (proper units, significant
figures).

• Long words should be followed by its abbreviation.

INTRODUCTION

Consist of three to four paragraphs.

• One or two paragraphs, introduce the reader to the general

field of study with short review of the literature related to the
research topic.

• The subsequent paragraphs then describe how an aspect of

this field could be improved.

• The final paragraph is critical. It clearly states, what

experimental question will be answered by the present study.
• The hypothesis is then stated.

• Next, briefly describe the approach that was taken to test the
hypothesis.

• Finally, a summary sentence may be added stating how the

answer of your question will contribute to the overall field of
study.
METHODS

• Begin, with detail of the materials used in the study.

Chemicals, Consumable, Kits used

• Study design, study setting, Sampling method and size,

Variables measured.

• Description of experimental methods. Each method should be

described in a separate section. Keep explanations brief and
concise.

• Finally, Statistical analysis methods that were utilized to

analyze the results
RESULTS

Presentation of key findings without interpretation. Orderly,

logical sequence using text and illustrations (figures/tables).

• Do not reiterate each value or finding. Only mention salient

points.

• Do not present the same data in table and figure both: this is
redundant.
• Do not report raw data values when they can be
summarized as means, percent, etc.

• Statistical test and value should be mentioned.

• Always mention appropriate units with data.

• Only present percentages to one decimal point.

• Each figure / table must be numbered consecutively and

complete with caption.
(caption goes under the figure and above the table).

• Indicate the placement of a particular table or figure in the text.

DISCUSSION

• Begin the Discussion section with an overview to the work.

• Compare your interesting, significant, remarkable findings with

others work reported in literature. Answers questions posed in
introduction

• Summarize the most important findings and, if applicable,

accept or reject the proposed hypothesis.

• Explains new understanding of the subject based on present

results.
• Finally, how this work contributes to the overall field of study.

• Outlines limitations of the study and discusses ideas for

future research.
CONCLUSIONS

Again, first introduce the work and then briefly state the
major results.

Then state the major points of the discussion.

Finally, end with a statement of how this work contributes to

the overall field of study.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• Provide a brief statement acknowledging the efforts of

any participants who are not included as authors of the
manuscript.

• State all of the funding sources for the work, ensuring

that the statement stick to the guidelines provided by the
funding institution.
REFERENCES

• Include all references that have been cited in the text.

• Always use the reference format that is mandated by the

journal to which you are submitting the manuscript.

• Software packages make citing literature particularly

easy. Example: Endnote
TABLES AND TABLE CAPTIONS

• Tables included in a separate section.

• The tables headed with title in bold (i.e., Table 1: Material

Properties).

• A caption-a sentence describes the content of the data

included in the table.

• Each table is referred to in the manuscript text; such as

in the Results section, Methods, or Discussion sections.
FIGURES AND FIGURE CAPTIONS

• Figures also placed in a separate section.

• Clarity is the key factor, especially with images and

graphs.

• The graphs should be large, with data points and axis

labels in a large font.

• Each figure is referred to in the manuscript text; such as

in the Results, Methods, or Discussion sections.
Authorship

Authorship and the order of authorship must be agreed

upon by all of the personnel who participated in the work.

Originality

• Be certain of the sources of all data and text.

• If the article is based upon prior work, be sure to

reference that prior work properly.

• Avoid plagiarism.
Research paper citation

A citation is a reference to a published or unpublished

source that you consulted and obtained information from
while writing your research paper.

H-index

The h-index measures productivity and citation impact of

the publications of a scientist.

H-index is based on the set of the scientist's most cited

papers and the number of citations that they have received
in other publications.
REVIEW ARTICLE
1.What is a review article?

A critical, constructive analysis of the previously published

literature in a specific field.

New data from the author’s experiments are not presented

(with exceptions: some reviews contain new data).

PURPOSE is to give an overview of existing literature in a

field and often identifying specific problems or issues.
2. How to choose which topic to review?

The topic must at least be:

• Interesting to you (recent papers related to your field).

• An important aspect of the field (broad interest and

enough material to write it).

• A well-defined issue.
3. Searching Literature

• use different keywords and database sources (e.g.,

Pubmed, Google Scholar, Medline, Scopus, Web of
Science).

• look at who has cited in past relevant papers, review

articles and book chapters.

• keep track of the search items you use to avoid

replication.
4. Choose the Type of Review

➢ Mini review- short reviews focusing on the last few

years with a limit on the number of words and citations
it may well attract more attention from busy readers.

➢ Full review-have the advantage of more freedom to

cover in detail the particular scientific development.
5. Be Critical and Consistent

Reviewing the literature is not stamp collecting.

A good review does not just summarize the literature, but

discusses it critically, identifies methodological problems,
and points out research gaps.

A reader should have a idea of:

(i) the major achievements in the reviewed field

(ii) the main areas of debate
(iii) the outstanding research questions
6. Find a Logical Structure

• A general introduction of the context

• Overall direction of study/field
• Achievements of the study/field
• A Conclusion of the main points

• You can include your own relevant research, but

Avoid to give too much importance
7. Be Up-to-Date, but Do Not Forget Older Studies

• latest information about the field/study provide

awareness.

• the progressive acceleration in the publication of

scientific papers provide overall direction and
achievements of a field.

• Older studies provide understanding, basis and theory of

field of study.
Elements of a Review Article

• Title

• List of authors (affiliation, corresponding author)

• Abstract: Informs about the main objectives and result of

the review article. Usually 200 to 250 words.

• Introduction: Provides information about the context,

indicates the motivation for the review, defines the focus,
the research question and explains the text structure

Between 10% and 20% of the core text.

Body: Main Part of the Review Article

• Methodological approaches
• Models or theories
• Studies that agree with another versus studies that
disagree
• Chronological order or subject matter / topic
• Geographical location
• 70 to 90% of the core text

Conclusions

• Answer the research question set in the introduction

• 5 to 10% of the core text