Research Paper Format | How to write a Research Paper?

Research Paper Format | How to write a Research Paper?

After the topic is well researched and you have gained some handsome experience in experimenting and calculating the results, the time has come for you to write the paper. Well, there are some key points to keep in mind before you start writing the paper.  

You must follow the 5 Golden Rules of Research - These steps will help you gain insights into the topic and will help you in doing deep research.

After following these rules, you must jot down the key results that you have got during the experiments and note them in a table.  Also, keep track of the algorithm or the procedure used during the experiments. If you have used derivations, keep them with you.

You should know the Ethics of Research and the concept of Plagiarism. Read about Plagiarism

Start writing your paper. Note that your writing of a paper should not be influenced by any Research Paper Format. You should always record your findings and write them as a draft and later you can re-write it according to any journal or conference. 

Here are some questions you need to know.

Research Paper Format

How to write the Abstract of a Research Paper?

Abstract

The first thing which you should write is the Abstract of the paper. The Abstract is basically a short glimpse of your the problem and the approach towards the research. You should not represent any of your results in the Abstract. A good Abstract should always be Dependent on the paper itself, meaning you should not write about any future references or trends. 

The tone of the writing in the Abstract should be Assertive even if you are strongly opposing a view or point in your paper. Remember many journals only allow fellow researchers to only see the Abstract of your paper, to read the full paper other fellows may need to buy the paper. So, your Abstract should be short, attractive and to the point which should reflect the usefulness of your research contribution. Ideally, an Abstract should be between 150- 250 words for your draft paper. After you choose your journal or conference you can change accordingly.

This is one of the sample Abstract from my paper:

Research Paper Abstract

How to write the Introduction of a Research Paper?

Introduction

After the Abstract comes to the Introduction. As the name suggests this area will introduce your research to the audience. You can mention about the algorithms or the process used in doing your experiments and highlight some key points of your research. Do not include your results here. Remember the introduction should be easy to read and understand for the audience. If you make a rough and tough Introduction, the majority of the audience will run away from the paper making it useless in the long run.

The Introduction can be dependent on the research which you did or it can be independent and you can write things which are out of your research but which will help your audience to understand your work better. There is no Threshold Limit for the number of words in Introduction, as long you are able to make the audience understand the concepts, you are good to go.

Here is a sample Introduction for your reference:

Research Paper Introduction

How to write the Literature Review of a Research Paper?

Literature Survey | Background Study

This section includes the study of all the previous work done in the topics related to your research to make the audience well versed with the past and to let them see where your research stands. If you are making a Survey Paper or Review Paper this section becomes very essential as this will give the audience the entire motive of your research.

You can make charts and tables to compare the different findings of others and tell how your research is unique from the rest. You can also explain the drawbacks of other's paper but you should not criticize any paper. This comes under academic ethics which you should follow always. 

You should mention all the findings from every source which you found helpful in your paper. Always remember, the research has been done by you, not by your audience. The ball is in your coat if you can play it will the paper will definitely stand out. 

Here is a sample Literature Survey which might help you:

Research Paper Literature Survey

How to write the Discussion Section of a Research Paper? | Methodology Section

Experimental Methodologies | Procedure | Approaches

In this section, you should mention about the approaches and methodologies you took while doing the research. Be clear and concise and make your audience understand the approach. Your audience may not be with your point of view, but your paper should convince the audience with your views. Try to take a noble approach which is well known and easy to understand. Try to explain the logic which you made in order to reach the results of your research.

You can use flowcharts, timelines, graphs and other visual effects to let the audience better understand your work. In a Review or Survey paper, this section is not needed but you can include some Timeline from where you gathered your sources.

Here is a sample Methodology from my paper:

Research Paper Methodology

How to write the Results section of a Research Paper?

Experimental Results | Findings

This is the most vital section of your paper drafting. Your actual contribution to the scientific community goes here in this section. Make sure to make all validation before putting the results in place. Avoid writing pieces of information which is irrelevant to the topic of your research here and try to explain all the facts and procedures you would like the audience to know. 

Do not ignore or disregard False positives and True Negatives. If a particular data you have collected failed or you cannot use it in your research, try to mention that well and explain why that failed or why you couldn't use it. You can do a comparison between various other works in your field and make your audience understand that. This section brings the essence and the feel of the paper. Make sure to make it worth reading for the audience.

The sample Results section of my paper:

Research Paper Results and Analysis

How to write the Conclusion of a Research Paper?

Conclusion Section

This section as the name suggests concludes your paper. This section is also very important like the Experimental Results section. This section should always open the gate for future researchers to study your work and gain insights about how to go about in your topic. Do not Paraphrase the entire paper here, but give a proper summary of the solution you gave to the problem.

As I always said, before starting a research think of the Problem. You are no God and you cannot solve all the problems in your domain. Try to give hints or propose some problems which the audience or the research community can solve.  

You should know how to cite a reference properly. How to Cite?

Here is a simple conclusion from my paper:

Research Paper Conclusion

Key Points to Remember

• Always address the audience in the Past Tense. There should not be any phrase “ I am doing it, I will do it”. All these words bring incompetence of your research and may put a bad review.
• Always Cite your points, maybe In-Text citation or in Bibliography, never forget to cite proper references, otherwise, it will be very difficult for the audience to read.
• You should know how to cite a reference correctly. What is Citing?
• The Tone should always be Assertive and you should never put comments or criticize other people’s work.
• Follow proper Research Ethics in order to put forward the work in the research community.
• Remember every work is a novel work, whether it is full research or a short review if it is morally correct you have a significant contribution to the research community. Kudos to you.
• After making the proper drafting according to the points mentioned above, you need to choose a good journal or a conference to publish your paper and make it available to the community.
• You should take proper steps in finding the right journal or conference otherwise the entire research might go to waste. 

Do shout if you need any help.