Navigating the Scholarly Landscape: A Guide to Research Paper Sections

The ability to craft a compelling research paper is a valuable skill. It empowers you to disseminate your research findings, fostering knowledge advancement within your chosen field. A well-structured research paper adheres to a specific format, guiding the reader through your arguments and evidence.

This comprehensive guide delves into the essential sections of a research paper, explaining the function of each component:

1. Title and Title Page:

• The title should be concise, informative, and accurate, precisely reflecting the paper’s subject matter.
• The title page incorporates the paper’s title, authors’ names, institutional affiliations, submission and acceptance dates.

2. Abstract:

• The abstract serves as a condensed version of your entire paper, typically ranging from 150 to 250 words.
• It should encompass the introduction, research methodology, findings, and conclusions.
• The objective of the abstract is to capture the reader’s attention and entice them to delve deeper into the full paper.

3. Introduction:

• The introduction serves to familiarize the reader with the research topic and highlight its significance.
• It should introduce the research questions and hypotheses.
• Additionally, it should provide background information and a review of relevant literature.

4. Methodology:

• The methodology section meticulously details how the research was conducted.
• This includes the research type, target population, sampling method, data collection tools, and data analysis techniques.
• The purpose of the methodology section is to enable the reader to assess the research’s credibility and reliability.

5. Findings:

• The findings section systematically presents the research outcomes.
• This presentation can involve tables, figures, or descriptive narratives.
• The aim of the findings section is to present raw data to the reader, allowing for their own interpretation.

6. Discussion:

• The discussion section delves into the interpretation of the research findings, drawing connections to the reviewed literature.
• It should also address any research limitations and the implications of the findings.
• The objective of the discussion section is to provide an interpretation of the findings and their significance within the research field.

7. Conclusion:

• The conclusion section offers a summary of the key findings and main conclusions.
• It should also address the research questions and propose recommendations for future research.
• The aim of the conclusion section is to provide a concluding overview of the paper’s content and the importance of the findings.

8. References:

• The references section provides a comprehensive list of all sources utilized within the paper.
• This encompasses books, articles, websites, and other resources.
• The purpose of the references section is to furnish the reader with the necessary information to locate the original sources.

Beyond the Basics: Important Considerations

• The structure of a research paper may vary slightly depending on the type of research and the specific journal’s guidelines.
• Always meticulously review the author guidelines before submitting your paper for publication.
• Consider seeking assistance from an editor or subject matter expert to refine and edit your paper.

By adhering to these guidelines, you can craft a well-structured and content-rich research paper that contributes to scholarly advancement in your field. Here are some additional tips for navigating each section:

• Title and Title Page: Ensure the title is clear and reflects the paper’s core message. Double-check for accurate author information and affiliations.
• Abstract: Craft a concise yet informative summary, enticing readers to delve deeper.
• Introduction: Provide sufficient background information and establish the research topic’s significance. Clearly outline the research questions and hypotheses.
• Methodology: Describe the research methods meticulously, allowing for replication. Ensure transparency in data collection and analysis techniques.
• Findings: Organize your findings logically, utilizing tables, figures, or narratives effectively to present the data.
• Discussion: Analyze and interpret your findings, drawing connections to existing literature. Acknowledge limitations and discuss the implications of your research.
• Conclusion: Summarize the key findings and conclusions, reiterating the research question’s resolution. Offer recommendations for future research endeavors.
• References: Meticulously format the reference list according to the required style guide (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago). Ensure all cited sources are included.

 

 

The components of a research paper are usually the same as a thesis or a dissertation. In other words, as it was said in “chapters of a master’s thesis”, it has five main sections, plus abstract and some other minor parts.

The most important difference between parts of a research paper and a thesis or dissertation is “table of content” which does not include in a research paper. Furthermore, a research paper is significantly shorter than a thesis or dissertation.

Nevertheless, each academic journal has its own format for acceptance that it has been explained in the “guideline” or in “instructions for authors” menu in the journal’s website. For example, many of them do not need a “literature review” section, while it has been explained in this post.

Title/cover page

Write Paper’s title at the center of a line. Turn to the next line and write author/s name, their title/s, and their emails.

Abstract

Start the abstract section with the gap in previous researches and the need you recognized, then tell your aims of doing the research which is fixing the needs or filling the gaps.

Then give a summary of results, and state what readers should expect to read in the discussion part of your paper.

In a new paragraph write the keywords of your study.

Introduction

Begin the introduction with basic information on the topic. Write about previous researches, the gap in them, and the importance of filling this gap. Then write that these gaps drive what questions into your mind, and what hypothesis you suggest for the questions.

As you see, introduction starts with general information, then narrows it to the research questions.

Literature Review

Although in this part you are going to review the previous related studies on your topic, it should not be stated as separate parts.

Use the studies have been done as evidence of your study’s significance and gaps. Discuss their findings and results, analyze them, combine different ideas and create a new opinion which is the base of your study.  

Methods

In this part, the samples, the scales you have used to measure the variables, and the design of the study should be described.

Explain everything you have done in details, including a complete description of samples, name the used methods, materials, and instruments, and how you did the research to collect the data.

Results and discussion

Now it’s time to report the result. Demonstrate the data collected through the materials in the format of tables, graphs, figures, etc.

Discussion/conclusion

After collecting the data and organizing it, you can interpret them in terms of your research questions. That is to say, in this section, the hypotheses will be confirmed or rejected.

Back to the aims of study and state how your audience would benefit of the results.

Furthermore, make some suggestions for interested researchers to study on, in the future.

References/bibliography

Every research is written based on previous researches. You need to cite the source of every part of your writings clearly. Even if you have written a single sentence from another paper, cite it both after the sentence and in the “references” part.

You may use research papers, theses and dissertations, books, audiovisuals, published and unpublished conference proceedings, and podcasts.

There is a rule for citing every type of source in the body and in references part of a paper. The most known one is APA, a book published by the American Psychological Association.

Appendix

This part is not necessary. A paper may have not any appendix to be included, but if you have one, you can put it in this part.

Questionnaires, and everything you have used to conduct your research as an instrument.

In order to publish your research paper, you need to consider rules of the publication you are going to publish on. However, there are minor differences between different formats offering by publications and journals.