HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER | Steps to writing a research paper | Research paper sections

Summary

In this informative video, Niha Agrawal, founder of Eyes of Communications, shares her step-by-step process for writing research papers. With three publications to her name and experience conducting workshops at prestigious Indian institutions, she offers valuable insights. From choosing a topic to writing the abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion, and conclusion, she covers the IMRDC structure. She also highlights the importance of a well-written abstract and the reliability of experimental methods. Niha invites viewers to her research paper writing course for detailed guidance on publication preparation.

Takeaways

• 📚 Niha Agrawal, founder of Eyes of Communications, shares her step-by-step research paper writing process in a video.
• 🔍 To choose a research topic, one can approach a professor, explore university websites, or read review papers to narrow down a specific area.
• 📈 Conducting research involves either experimental or theoretical work aimed at achieving novel results that contribute to the field.
• 📝 A research paper is a conventional report structure that communicates findings to the research community.
• 📑 The IMRDC structure (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion) is the standard format for research papers.
• 🔗 The sections of a research paper are interconnected, with the introduction and conclusion mirroring each other's themes.
• 💡 The abstract is a crucial section of a research paper, summarizing the entire work within a word limit of 250 to 300 words.
• 📝 The introduction section sets the stage by providing background, existing evidence, the research gap, the objective, and the scope of the study.
• 🔬 The materials and methods section details the experiments conducted, ensuring transparency and reliability for replication.
• 📊 The results and discussion section presents data, explains the results, and discusses their implications in the context of the research problem.
• 🏁 The conclusion reiterates the study's objective, reviews key findings, and suggests broader applications and future work recommendations.
• 📚 The references section credits all sources used in the research, following the journal's citation style.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video and what is their professional background?

The speaker is Niha Agrawal, the founder of Eyes of Communications. They have published three research papers during their postgraduate studies at NTU Singapore and have conducted workshops on writing research papers at IITs and NITs in India.

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to share a step-by-step process for writing research papers based on the speaker's personal experience and knowledge.

What are the three methods suggested for choosing a research topic?

The three methods are: 1) Approaching a professor for a research topic, 2) Going through university websites to find areas of interest and reading related research papers, and 3) Starting with a broad topic and narrowing it down through extensive reading of review and research papers to identify a research gap.

What is the significance of the IMRDC structure in a research paper?

The IMRDC structure (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion) is significant because it provides a conventional and rhetorical structure that makes research papers easy to follow and understand.

Why is the abstract considered an important section of a research paper?

The abstract is important because it is a summary of the entire research article, and readers often decide whether to read the rest of the paper based on the abstract.

What is the word limit for an abstract in a research paper?

The word limit for an abstract is typically between 250 to 300 words.

What are the key components of the introduction section of a research paper?

The key components of the introduction section include the background of the study, existing evidence or literature survey, identification of the research gap, the objective of the study, and the scope of the research.

What should be the focus of the materials and methods section in a research paper?

The focus of the materials and methods section should be to explain the step-by-step process followed to arrive at the final results, including the list of materials used, the procedure, and the tools or instruments for data measurement or analysis.

How should the results and discussion section be structured in a research paper?

The results and discussion section should start with sharing the data in the form of visuals, followed by explaining the results, and then discussing the implications of the results in the context of the current research scenario and the research problem.

What is the purpose of the conclusion section in a research paper?

The purpose of the conclusion section is to remind the audience of the research objective, review the key findings, discuss the broader applications and implications of the study, and provide recommendations for future work.

What is the role of the references section in a research paper?

The references section gives due credit to all the sources and literature referred to during the research or while writing the paper, ensuring academic integrity and allowing readers to trace the research's lineage.

What additional resource is offered by the speaker for those interested in learning more about research paper writing?

The speaker offers an eight-hour certification course that covers detailed aspects of writing a research paper, including citation, avoiding plagiarism, and choosing the right journal for publication.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Research Paper Writing

Niha Agrawal, the founder of Eyes of Communications, introduces her video on the process of writing research papers. She has published three papers during her postgraduate studies at NTU Singapore and conducts workshops in India. The video is aimed at guiding both beginners and those with completed research on how to write a research paper. Niha suggests three methods for choosing a research topic and emphasizes the importance of arriving at a novel result. She also mentions her research paper writing course, which covers all aspects of writing a paper, including citation, avoiding plagiarism, and choosing the right journal for publication.

05:00

🔍 Understanding the Rhetorical Structure of a Research Paper

This section delves into the IMRDC structure of a research paper, which includes Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion. Niha explains the interconnectedness of these sections and the importance of the abstract as a concise summary of the entire paper. She also discusses the significance of the introduction in making a good first impression and the necessity of the materials and methods section for ensuring the reliability of the research. The results and discussion section is highlighted as the place to present findings and their implications for the research gap.

10:02

📝 Writing the Conclusion and References for a Research Paper

The conclusion section is described as a reminder of the research's purpose and its achievements. It starts by reiterating the study's objective, reviewing key findings, discussing broader implications, and suggesting future work. The references section is crucial for giving credit to all sources used in the research. Niha encourages viewers to join her research writing course for a detailed understanding of writing a research paper and to improve their chances of publication. She concludes the video with a call to action, directing interested viewers to the course link provided in the description and pinned comment.

Keywords

💡Research Paper

A research paper is a scholarly article that presents original research results and is written by one or more researchers. In the video, it is the central theme, as the speaker discusses the process of writing a research paper, including the importance of its structure and content. The script mentions that a research paper follows a conventional report structure and includes sections such as introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion, and conclusion.

💡Research Topic

A research topic is the subject or problem area that a research paper investigates. The video script emphasizes the importance of choosing a research topic, suggesting methods such as approaching a professor, reviewing university websites, or narrowing down a broad topic through extensive reading. The speaker's own experience in publishing research papers and conducting workshops is tied to the selection and refinement of research topics.

💡IMRDC Structure

IMRDC stands for Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, which is the conventional structure of a research paper. The video explains how this structure facilitates the flow of information and makes research papers easy to follow. Each section serves a specific purpose in presenting the research in a logical sequence.

💡Abstract

An abstract is a brief summary of a research paper, typically limited to 250 to 300 words, that includes the main sections of the paper in a condensed form. The video script highlights the significance of the abstract as it can determine whether readers decide to read the entire paper. The abstract is meant to provide an overview of the research, including the background, methods, results, and conclusions.

💡Introduction

The introduction section of a research paper sets the stage for the study by providing background information, existing evidence, the research gap, the objective of the study, and the scope. In the video, the speaker explains that the introduction is crucial for making a good first impression and for sharing the rationale behind the research.

💡Materials and Methods

This section of a research paper details the procedures, materials, and tools used in the research. The video script stresses the importance of transparency and replicability in this section, ensuring that others can reproduce the same results, which is a hallmark of reliable research.

💡Results and Discussion

The results and discussion section presents the findings of the research and interprets their significance. The video explains that this section includes data presentation, results that explain the data, and a discussion that contextualizes the results within the broader research field, helping to bridge the research gap.

💡Conclusion

The conclusion section of a research paper summarizes the study's objectives, key findings, broader implications, and contributions to the field. The video script indicates that the conclusion should remind the audience of the research's purpose and its outcomes, often suggesting directions for future research.

💡Research Advisor

A research advisor is a mentor or guide who assists in the research process. The video script suggests considering various factors when choosing a research advisor and provides links to additional resources for understanding the advisor's role in conducting research.

💡Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to the act of using another's work or ideas without proper attribution, which is unethical in academic research. The video script mentions the importance of avoiding plagiarism, indicating the need for correct citation and referencing to give credit to the original sources.

💡Publication

Publication in the context of the video refers to the process of submitting a research paper to a journal or conference for peer review and potential dissemination. The speaker discusses the importance of choosing the right journal for publication and provides a course that can help in this process.

Highlights

Niha Agrawal, founder of Eyes of Communications, shares her step-by-step research paper writing process.

She has published three research papers during her postgraduate studies at NTU Singapore.

Conducts workshops on research paper writing at IITs and NITs in India.

The video starts with choosing a research topic, suggesting three methods to identify one.

Discusses the importance of a novel result in research and its contribution to the field.

Introduces the IMRDC structure of a research paper: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion.

Explains the interconnectedness of the sections in a research paper.

Presents an eight-hour certification course on research paper writing, including citation and avoiding plagiarism.

The abstract is highlighted as a crucial section due to its role in attracting readers.

Details the components of an abstract, emphasizing its word limit and summary role.

The introduction section sets the stage by sharing the study's background, existing evidence, and research gap.

The materials and methods section must be transparent for experiment replication.

Results and discussion section should clearly present data, results, and their implications.

The conclusion section reiterates the study's objective and its broader applications.

The references section is essential for giving credit to all literature used in the research.

Encourages joining her research writing course for detailed guidance on getting papers published.

Ends with well-wishes for the viewers' research paper endeavors and the importance of getting published.

Transcripts

hi everyone I am Niha agrawal I'm the

founder of eyes of communications and in

this video I'm going to share with you

the step-by-step process that I followed

to writing my research papers I've

published three research papers during

my post graduate NTU Singapore and I've

also been conducting full-fledged

workshops on writing research papers at

iits and nits in India so in this video

I'm going to share all my knowledge with

you

thank you

now some of you who are watching this

video might be at the beginning of your

research where you're just trying to

understand what it takes to write a

research paper in that case I would

recommend that you watch this entire

video because I'm going to start from

scratch while for those of you who have

completed your research and you just

want to know how to write a research

paper I would recommend that you start

from this point and now without further

delay let's get started to start any

research the first thing that you need

to do is choose a research topic so for

this one method would be to approach a

professor and ask them to give you a

research topic on which you can work on

second would be to go through the

different University websites see what

are the different areas on which

professors are working on read their

research papers and then take that as a

base to find your own research topic and

the third and the longest route would be

that if you have a broad Topic in mind

you read a lot of review papers and

research papers to constantly narrow

down the topic until you arrive at a

problem statement at a research Gap that

no other researcher has been able to

overcome and that would be a research

topic of course if you wish to learn

about this in detail as to how to choose

a research topic you can check out my

previous video where I've explained this

thing in detail after this you're

supposed to conduct your own research it

could be experimental research or

theoretical research but the idea is

that at the end of it you should arrive

at a result which is new that's novel

and it contributes to the research field

it makes an impact so to know what are

some of the thing things you need to

keep in mind while choosing a research

advisor all while conducting your own

research you can check out these videos

that I've mentioned here if you watch

them step by step they will give you a

lot of clarity as to what are some of

the things you need to do to conduct

your own research now once you've

arrived at a novel result a novel

Finding you then start writing a

research paper so what is a research

paper a research paper is an account of

an investigation written by one or more

researchers sharing their findings with

the research Community using a

conventional report structure now

whenever you will read a research paper

you'll realize that most of them follow

a similar format a similar pattern which

is very easy to follow and understand

this is because of the conventional and

rhetorical structure of a research paper

which we will now understand

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now what is this rhetorical structure

well for every research paper you will

see these as the main sections which is

the introduction the materials and

methods the results and discussion and

conclusion and together they are also

known as the imrdc structure now in a

research paper the information also

flows in this manner like the

information flows from the introduction

to the materials and methods to the

results and discussion and then finally

to the conclusion and the beauty of this

entire structure is that the

introduction and the conclusion section

are interconnected with each other and

the materials and methods and the

results and discussion section they are

interconnected with each other how well

in the introduction section we first

share the motivation of our study the

background of our research field and

then we narrow it down to talk about the

specific research problem that we are

working on on the flip side in the

conclusion section we first talk about

the findings from that research problem

and then we broaden it out and talk

about what have we achieved that has

contributed to that research field in

this way the introduction section and

the conclusion section are

interconnected to each other

similarly for every method there is a

result that we have gotten from it and

for every result there is a method as to

how we arrived at it so in this way the

materials and methods and the results

and discussion section are also

interconnected with each other so this

is the beauty of a research paper and

this is the rhetorical structure which

makes it so simple and easy to

understand

now before we talk about the different

research paper sections and how are they

written let me share about our research

paper writing course with you it's an

eight hour certification course where we

go into detail of how to write each and

every section of a research paper how to

cite and refer information correctly how

to avoid plagiarism and most importantly

how to choose the right journal to get

yourselves published

over 1500 students have attended our

course A lot of them coming from iits

nits bits Palani iisers and other top

institutions of India the certification

that you get at the end of this course

really boosts your CV for job

opportunities and higher education

abroad because research writing

capability is really valued both in

industry and Academia so to know more

about this course and register yourself

the link is in the description and in

the pinned comment the very first

section that you will see in a research

paper is an abstract also it's one of

the most important sections of research

paper and why is that because based on

your abstract the readers decide whether

they want to read the rest of your paper

or not an abstract is also a summary of

your entire research article and it

includes the four important sections

that we just discussed which is the

introduction the materials and methods

the results and discussion and

conclusion but the catch here is that an

abstract has a word limit of 250 to 300

words so you need to include all this

information but in a concise manner now

if you wish to learn in detail how to

write an abstract I've made two videos

the first video talks about the

step-by-step process of how to write an

abstract and the second video shares an

example with you of how an abstract is

written and we break it down for you so

there's no point repeating that

information here again you can check out

these two videos

now after the abstract the next section

is the introduction section and this is

also an important section because this

is also something that researchers read

and so it's important that you make a

good first impression in an abstract

basically we try to share what is the

rationale behind taking up the study or

what is the motivation to write this

paper so we first start with the

background of our study where we can

share either some historical data some

key terms or give definitions once we

have shared the background of a study we

then move on to existing evidence

basically the literature survey what

have other researchers done in this

field so far once we've established that

we then come to the next part which is

the research Gap so what is the research

Gap the research Gap is basically some

of the issues that the existing

researchers have not been able to

overcome so far

once you define the research Gap we come

to the objective

what is the objective the objective is

basically what are we planning to do in

our research study to overcome that

research Gap to fulfill that research

Gap and then finally comes the scope and

the scope sets the boundary of our

research so what are some of the things

we are planning to investigate not

investigate you need to very clearly

state it here in the introduction

section next is the materials and Method

section and here you need to explain to

your audience the step-by-step process

that you followed in order to arrive at

your final result your finding to

achieve that objective so here first we

start by sharing the list of materials

that we've used to conduct our

experiments then we share the

step-by-step procedure that we followed

in order to arrive at that final product

the final result and then we also share

some of the equipment tools or

instruments that we've used to measure

or analyze the data now this is one of

the easiest sections to write but one

thing that you need to remember here is

that your experiments need to be

reliable what does that mean it means

the way you're writing these experiments

and how you've conducted them it should

be so transparent that if somebody tries

to replicate your experiments repeat

your experiments they should arrive at

the same results as you this shows the

reliability of your research paper and

improves your credibility as an author

the third section is the results and

discussion section and the purpose of

this section is to share the results

share the findings that have helped us

in overcoming that research Gap so here

first we start by sharing the data now

the data can be in the form of visuals

charts graphs figures illustrations

after that we share the result where we

explain what that data means or what are

we analyzing from that data for example

think that we have a graph of x is equal

to Y so the graph itself of X is equal

to Y is your data but when you say for

every equal value of x there is an equal

value of y offer an equal increase in X

there is an equal increase in y that is

where you are attaching an explanation

to what that data means and that is

called as result

finally comes the discussion and

discussion is where you attach your

meaning to that result in terms of the

current research scenario and what it

means for the current research problem

that we are working on

so in this way we prepare the data

results and discussion of this section

the next section is the conclusion

section and the purpose of this section

is to remind our audiences to why we

started this research in the first place

and finally what have we achieved out of

it so we start this section by

reiterating the objective of our study

and reviewing the key findings of our

work after that we also share the

broader applications and broader

implications of our study and how we

exactly our study has made a

contribution to that research field

then finally we close this section by

sharing some recommendations for future

work and how this study can be taken

forward the last section that you will

see in a research paper is the

references section and here you give due

credit to all the sources all the

literature that you've referred to

either while conducting your own

research or while writing this paper so

you will neatly list down all the

sources using the citation style that is

followed by the journal and once you've

done that you will be sending your paper

for publication so guys I hope this

video has given you a good understanding

of how to write a research paper but if

you wish to learn research writing in

detail and make sure that you're able to

get your papers published then you

should join me for my research writing

course

to know more the link is in the

description and in the pinned comment

and now thank you so much for watching

this video and I wish you all the very

best for your research paper go get

yourselves published

foreign

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