Templates: Academic Writing Research Template

This document is here for you to contrast the academic writing structure and style to the business writing style.  They are indeed very different from one another.  Academia does the research and creates new knowledge; business uses that knowledge.

WORKING TITLE HERE   (reference in Reference section)

First Author Name, Second Author Name, Third Author Name

The abstract section serves as an outline for writing scientific papers.  Write a sentence from each section of the paper as a preview to the reader:  including a brief description of the project including relevant description of the problem, data collection procedures and a summary of the results.  Additionally mention how this information fits within the scope of its community.  What is the bigger, more general field your article refers to?  What is the purpose of your article?  What methodology did your use?  What are the key results?  What re the practical implications of your research? The section is typically about 200 – 400 words.

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INTRODUCTION

The Introduction justifies the significance of the subject matter and connects your work to previous research.  Write in logical funnel organization – general aspects first and then sentence-by-sentence and paragraph-by-paragraph the text should proceed to be more narrower in detail.

What is the problem that is addressed?

  1. Introduce the reader to the subject matter including background information.
  2. Enunciate the questions to be addressed in the paper
  3. The beginning claims must match the ending recommendations.

THEORY

Start your research from the article from your target journal. Include references that are relevant to your study and others that are from known experts in the field.  Additionally, refer to new journal articles.  Minimize self references.

Write the theory to support the storyline of your article.

This is also called the Literature Review.  Why is it important?

  1. Inform to the reader  of the current literature  on the subject
  2. Include contradictory information as to demonstrate objectivity in thinking

 

RESEARCH METHODS/PROCESS

Be precise. Describe clearly ho the research was done.

How did you study the problem?

  1. Detail HOW you went about the experiment.  Do your best as you don’t want someone to duplicate your experiment and get different results only because you did not communicate your approach well.
  2. You want to convince your reader that your approach was sound and thorough
  3. You may want to include a diagram with a caption
  4. Include anything that happened out of the ordinary, including in errors in design or set up.  Remember the experiment needs to be replicable.

RESULTS

Be sure the reader can separate your thoughts from the research facts.

What are you results?

  1. Describe your raw data results
  2. Include any graphs
  3. Tables of data used are to be small, not large

ANALYSES

Findings.

What are the implications of the results?

  1. Describe how the process (the data) will answer the questions noted in the Introduction
  2. Persuade the reader that the methods you used to get from you results to conclusions are sound.  If any of the information is unclear or incomplete, your reader may not trust the conclusions you draw.
  3. Use equations, graphs, or tables with captions, and mention it in the text.

CONCLUSIONS

This is a core section of the article.  Do not introduce any new information. Include practical application and implications. Write in the following order:

Introduction, Results (one paragraph for each research question), Significance, Limitations and Recommendations for further study.

What do you recommend as further study for others?

  1. Be brief but thorough
  2. Think:  Why are these conclusions important?  Who might these results affect? What could these results be used for?

REFERENCES

Belt, A. et all (2011). Tips for Writing Scientific Journal Writing.  Industrial Engineering and Management Working Papers.

  1. Include references whenever you have used information from another course.  You do not have to include common knowledge; however, a novice person might be including more information over less.

 

 

Notes to the writer:

Think though the following questions: Who is your audience?, What do I want them to get out of this paper?, What are the most important ideas to convey in this paper?

Write in the following order:

  1. Create the template document – create bullet points or key points in headings as you move forward through the experience.
  2. Initial outlining of introduction (research questions)
  3. Initial outlining of theory
  4. Results
  5. Analyses
  6. Finalize Theory
  7. Introduction
  8. Conclusions
  9. Abstract
  10. Title
  11. Final Revisions

Hints: 

  • State the obvious – Walk the little girl across the street
  • Write the document so that the reader can duplicate the experiment, intervention, computation, or theoretical methods
  • Fill in the gaps – use lots of words.
  • Use hedging words as certainty in scientific thought is unattainable.
  • Use bolding for persuasive reading for the audience
  • Persuasive narrative – tell your research story
  • Be audience-centered:  use the language of your industry/field

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