This session will give researchers some tips on the first part of the paper including the introduction, literature review, research question & purpose of the study. ​ ​

1. Writing a Full
Research Paper
Part I
Ms. Maria Zaheer
5 th March ’17

2. This session will give you as young researchers some tips on
the first part of the paper that is:
Introduction Research
questions
Literature review
Purpose of the
study.

3.  The researcher formulates the research questions as
well as the objectives of the study.
 A literature review is conducted to familiarise the
researcher with the content and the concepts related
to this study.
CONCEPTUAL PHASE

4. Structure of a Research Paper

5. How do I start the Introduction?
What type of sentence should I begin with?
What type of information should be in my Introduction,
and in what order?
How do I end the Introduction?

6.  The purpose of the Introduction is to stimulate the reader’s
interest and to provide pertinent background information necessary
to understand the rest of the paper.
 You must summarize the problem to be addressed, give
background on the subject, discuss previous research on the topic,
and explain exactly what the paper will address, why, and how.
 Besides motivating a reader to read your manuscript and to care
about your results.
 the Introduction is useful also to the journal’s reviewers and
editors in judging the importance of your manuscript.

7. This section deals with five language areas :
TENSE PAIRS
SIGNALLING LANGUAGE
PASSIVE/ACTIVE USE
PARAGRAPHING
USEFUL LANGUAGE
Grammar and Writing Skills

8.  Read the Introduction below.
 Don’t worry if the subject matter is not familiar or if
you have difficulty understanding individual words,
especially technical terms like polylactide.
 Just try to get a general understanding at this stage
and familiarise yourself with the type of language
used.
Let’s start by looking at a sample

11. There are a few tips that can help you write a strong
introduction, arousing interest and encouraging the reader to
read the rest of your work.
 Keep it Short
 Define the Problem
 Move from general to specific: from the problem in the real
world to the literature to your research.
 Write in the present tense except for what you did or found,
which should be in the past tense.
 Organization

12. Literature review
 My teacher says I have to write a
literature review, what do I do?
 So basically I just read the articles and
summarize each one separately?
 This sounds like a lot of information,
how can I keep it organized?

13. One way that seems particularly helpful in organizing literature
reviews is the synthesis matrix.

14.  As you write your review, you will work horizontally in the
row belonging to each point discussed.
 As you combine the information presented in each row, you
will begin to see each section of your paper taking shape.
 Remember, some of the sources may not cover all of the main
ideas listed on the left, but that can be useful also.
 The gaps on your chart could provide clues about the gaps in
the current state of knowledge on your topic.
How to use it?

16. Here is an example from the literature review: “World War Two and its Effect on
Women.” This excerpt synthesizes information without summarizing.
While the articles used in this research agree that women made many advances during
the Word War II period, it is crucial to realize that not all these changes were
welcomed. In most cases women faced discrimination from just about everyone
around them. Women in the workplace were often placed in positions of inferiority or
treated as being less physically able to do the same work the men did. Many women
were often not trained because they were viewed as temporary employees who were
only there for the duration of the war (Bruley, 2003, pp.221-222). Women were very
rarely given equal pay as men, even though some of them did the same work. Women
in the military faced not only mental abuse but also physical harm from their male
counterparts. According to Cornelsen (2005), there were many instances where female
aviators were injured or killed due to being made to fly ill-maintained aircrafts or
aircrafts that had been sabotaged. (p.114)

17.  After your chart is complete, notice patterns of information. You may
find that your sources, at times, discuss very similar material, or that
they sometimes deal with completely different aspects of your topic.
 These patterns can be useful in creating a thesis statement that can
guide your writing and keep you focused as you begin your draft.

18. What is a Research Question?
How Do You Formulate A Good Research Question?

19.  A research question guides and centers your research.
 It should be clear and focused, as well as synthesize
multiple sources to present your unique argument.
 Even if your instructor has given you a specific assignment,
the research question should ideally be something that you
are interested in or care about.
 Be careful to avoid the “all-about” paper and questions that
can be answered in a few factual statements.
What is a Research Question?

20.  Choose a general topic of interest, and conduct preliminary
research on this topic in current periodicals and journals to see
what research has already been done.
 This will help determine what kinds of questions the topic
generates.
 Once you have conducted preliminary research, consider: Who
is the audience? Is it an academic essay, or will it be read by a
more general public?
 Once you have conducted preliminary research, start asking
open ended “How?” “What?” and Why?” questions.
 Then evaluate possible responses to those questions.
How Do You Formulate A Good Research Question?

21. Why are social networking sites harmful?
A clearer question would be the following:
How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy
issues on such social networking sites as Facebook and
Twitter?

22. In essence, the research question that guides the sciences and
social sciences should do the following three things:
1) Post a problem.
2) Shape the problem into a testable hypothesis.
3) Report the results of the tested hypothesis.

23. What is the purposes of the study?
Why do I need to do it?
How do I write it?

24.  A purpose statement is a declarative sentence which
summarizes the specific topic and goals of a document.
 It is typically included in the introduction to give the
reader an accurate, concrete understanding what the
document will cover and what he/she can gain from
reading it.
What is the purposes of the study?

25.  The purposes of the study should explain the final conclusions that
the research study hopes to reach.
 Purposes should be written as statements.
 When writing the Purposes section, it is best to start with the
general purpose of the study:
The overall purpose of this study is to examine the effect of telling
stories on nursery children's literacy skills.
The purposes of the study

26. Writing a statement of purpose will do 4 things to help you:
 You will get more interested in your project.
 It will keep you from getting overwhelmed and panicky at
all the information you may find.
 It will help you develop a Thesis Statement, which comes
later on in the research process.
 It saves you valuable time and effort.
Why do I need to do it?

27. Some common introductory phrases for purpose statements
include:
 "The purpose of this paper/letter/document is to..."
 "In this paper, I will describe/explain/review/etc. the..."
 "My reason for writing is to..."
 "This paper will discuss the..."
 "The purpose of this paper is twofold: to ___ and ___"

28. This paper will describe four common causes of co-worker
conflict in organizations and explain how to use a five-step
procedure to constructively manage this conflict."
Critique:
Very specific about what aspects of conflict will be discussed.
Very precise about how much information will be given. Very
clear about what the reader will learn.
Example of an effective purpose statement:

29. Critique:
Very specific about what will be discussed (planning strategies),
and what the outcome will be for the reader (how to improve
employee productivity).
"This report will explain how supervisors can use four planning
strategies to improve employee productivity in the workplace."
Now its your turn

30. To be effective, a statement of purpose should be:
Specific and precise - not general, broad or obscure
Concise - one or two sentences
Clear - not vague, ambiguous or confusing
Goal-oriented - stated in terms of desired outcomes

32. Rate your learning: In pairs write down the following in relation
to this sessions training
Two thing
you have
learnt from
this session
Two things
you would
like to know
about
Two things
you feel you
need to
improve
Set your self
two targets
that will help
you improve