Parts of the Research Paper

Papers should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Your introductory part should grab
the reader's attention, state your
main idea, and indicate how you
will support it. The body of the paper should
expand on what you have stated in the introduction.
Finally, the conclusion restates the paper's thesis and
should explain what you have learned, giving a wrap up
of your main ideas.
 Chapter 1 :
The Problem and
Its Background
The purpose for the research should not be a mystery: begin the section
with a one-sentence research problem statement that includes the
variables studied.
INTRODUCTION
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Clearly articulates the specific issue or gap in knowledge that the
research aims to address.
A problem statement is a concise and concrete summary of the
research problem you seek to address. It should:

• Contextualize the problem. What do we already know?

• Describe the exact issue your research will address. What do we still
need to know?
• Show the relevance of the problem. Why do we need to know more
about this?
• Set the objectives of the research. What will you do to find out
more?

McCombes, S. & George, T. (2023, November 20). How to Write a Problem Statement | Guide & Examples. Scribbr.
Retrieved February 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/problem-statement/
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A theoretical framework is a foundational review of existing
theories that serves as a roadmap for developing the arguments
you will use in your own work.

ADD TEXT

Vinz, S. (2023, November 20). What Is a Theoretical Framework? | Guide to Organizing. Scribbr.
Retrieved February 6, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/theoretical-framework/
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Illustrates the expected relationship between your variables. It
defines the relevant objectives for your research process and
maps out how they come together to draw coherent conclusions.

Developing a conceptual framework in research

A conceptual framework is a representation of the relationship you
expect to see between your variables, or the characteristics or
properties that you want to study.

Conceptual frameworks can be written or visual and are generally

developed based on a literature review of existing studies about your
topic.
Swaen, B. & George, T. (2022, November 15). What Is a Conceptual Framework? | Tips & Examples. Scribbr.
Retrieved February 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/conceptual-framework/
 PROCESS FLOWCHART
Creating a flowchart in a research paper is a useful way to
visually represent processes, procedures, or the flow of
information.

A flowchart is a picture of the separate steps of a

process in sequential order. It is a generic tool that
can be adapted for a wide variety of purposes, and
can be used to describe various processes, such as a
manufacturing process, an administrative or service
process, or a project plan.

What is a Flowchart? Process Flow Diagrams & Maps | ASQ

https://asq.org/quality-resources/flowchart
 PROCESS FLOWCHART

Elements that may be included in a flowchart are a sequence of

actions, materials or services entering or leaving the process
(inputs and outputs), decisions that must be made, people who
become involved, time involved at each step, and/or process
measurements.

A flowchart is a picture of the separate steps of a

process in sequential order. It is a generic tool that
can be adapted for a wide variety of purposes, and
can be used to describe various processes, such as a
manufacturing process, an administrative or service
process, or a project plan.
What is a Flowchart? Process Flow Diagrams & Maps | ASQ
https://asq.org/quality-resources/flowchart
 COMMONLY USED SYMBOLS IN DETAILED FLOWCHARTS
• One step in the process. The step is written inside the box. Usually, only one arrow goes out
of the box.

• Direction of flow from one step or decision to another.

• Decision based on a question. The question is written in the diamond. More than one arrow
goes out of the diamond, each one showing the direction the process takes for a given
answer to the question. (Often the answers are "yes" and "no.")
• Delay or wait

• Link to another page or another flowchart. The same symbol on the other page indicates
that the flow continues there.
• Input or output

• Document

• Alternate symbols for start and end points

What is a Flowchart? Process Flow Diagrams & Maps | ASQ
https://asq.org/quality-resources/flowchart
 FLOWCHART EXAMPLES
1. High-Level
Flowchart for an
Order-Filling Process

2. Detailed Flowchart

What is a Flowchart? Process Flow Diagrams & Maps | ASQ

https://asq.org/quality-resources/flowchart
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The significance of the study is a written statement that explains why
It’s a justification of the
your research was needed.
importance of your work and impact it
has on your research field, it’s
contribution to new knowledge and how
others will benefit from it.
When writing this section, first think about where the
gaps in knowledge are in your research field.

What is the Significance of the Study? | DiscoverPhDs

 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Describe what your research is trying to achieve and explain
why you are pursuing it. They summarize the approach and
purpose of your project and help to focus your research.

Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper, at

the end of your problem statement. They should:

• Establish the scope and depth of your project

• Contribute to your research design
• Indicate how your project will contribute to
existing knowledge
Ryan, E. (2023, November 20). Research Objectives | Definition & Examples. Scribbr.
Retrieved February 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-objectives/
 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
A distinction is often made between research objectives and
research aims.

A research aim typically refers to a broad statement

indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should
appear at the end of your problem statement, before your
research objectives.

Your research objectivesare more specific than

your research aim and indicate the particular focus and
approach of your project. Though you will only have one
research aim, you will likely have several research objectives.
Ryan, E. (2023, November 20). Research Objectives | Definition & Examples. Scribbr.
Retrieved February 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-objectives/
 HYPOTHESIS
A distinction is often made between research objectives and
research aims.

A research aim typically refers to a broad statement indicating

the general purpose of your research project. It should appear at
the end of your problem statement, before your research
objectives.

Your research objectives are more specific than your research

aim and indicate the particular focus and approach of your
project. Though you will only have one research aim, you will
likely have several research objectives.

Ryan, E. (2023, November 20). Research Objectives | Definition & Examples. Scribbr.
Retrieved February 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-objectives/
 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
The scope and delimitations of a thesis, dissertation or research
paper define the topic and boundaries of the research problem to be
investigated.

Delimitations refer to the boundaries of the research study, based on

the researcher’s decision of what to include and what to exclude. They
narrow your study to make it more manageable and relevant to what you
are trying to prove.

Limitations relate to the validity and reliability of the study. They are
characteristics of the research design or methodology that are out of your
control but influence your research findings. Because of this, they determine
the internal and external validity of your study and are considered potential
weaknesses.
Scope and Delimitations - Explained & Example | DiscoverPhDs
 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Provides readers with the necessary background knowledge or
foundation to understand the concepts that will be used throughout
your whole research, allowing readers to have a better
understanding of the concepts, factors, and context in your study.

Definition of Terms an alphabetical list of important terms or

acronyms that you define.

Operational definition of terms refers to a

detailed explanation of the technical terms and measurements used
during data collection. This is done to standardize the data.
Whenever data is being collected. it is necessary to clearly define
how to collect the data.
Report Research Paper Definition Of Terms | by Caroln | Medium
CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
• INTRODUCTION
• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
• CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
• PROCESS FLOWCHART (only applicable for Research Capstone)
• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
• OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
• HYPOTHESIS (only applicable for Quantitative studies)
• SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
• DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
• INTRODUCTION
• VARIABLE DISCUSSION
• SYNTHESIS
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
• INTRODUCTION
• RESEARCH DESIGN
• RESEARCH LOCALE
• POPULATION AND SAMPLING
• RESEARCH ETHICS
• RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
• DATA COLLECTION
• DATA ANALYSIS
CHAPTER 4
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION
OF DATA
• INTRODUCTION
• RESULTS
• ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
• TABLES AND FIGURES
CHAPTER 5
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
• DISCUSSION
• CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
• RECOMMENDATIONS
What is a
literature
review?
What is a
literature
review?
A LITERATURE REVIEW is
a collection of
scholarly sources on a specific topic.
It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing
you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in
the existing research.

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources –

it analyses, syntheses, and critically
evaluates to give a clear picture of the
state of knowledge on the subject.
 STUDY vs LITERATURE
• Literature – published materials
(books, journals, newspaper articles, internet articles,
pamphlets, etc.)

• Studies – unpublished materials

(researches, theses, and dissertations)

Should include both works from foreign and local authors

The content will look slightly different in each case, but
the process of conducting a literature review follows the
same steps. This is a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

https://www.scribbr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Literature-review-guide.webp
 Step 1: Search for relevant literature
Before you begin searching for literature, you need a
clearly defined topic. If you are writing the literature
review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will
search for literature related to your research objectives
and questions.

Step 2: Evaluate and select sources

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major
theories in your field of research.
You can find out how many times an article has been cited on
Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been
influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your
literature review.
McCombes, S. (2022, June 07). What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 February 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/literature-review/
 Step 3: Identify themes, debates and gaps
To begin organizing your literature review’s argument
and structure, you need to understand the connections
and relationships between the sources you’ve read.
This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your
own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

Step 4: Outline your literature review’s structure

THEMATIC: If you have found some recurring central themes, you
can organize your literature review into subsections that address
different aspects of the topic.
For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health
outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural
attitudes, legal status, and economic access.
McCombes, S. (2022, June 07). What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 February 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/literature-review/
 Step 5: Write your literature review
The VARIABLES PRESENTED IN THE STUDY are the
items reviewed using various kinds of literature.
The proper citation must always be observed and must always be written in paragraph form.
Discussion of such can best be written in S-E-A format.

• SYPNOSIS – State what PARTICULAR TOPIC is all

about.
• EVIDENCE – Provide pieces of evidence about the
topic
• ARGUMENT – State the PROBLEMS THAT EMERGED
from the GATHERED EVIDENCES.
 APA Citation Style
7th Edition:
In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing
Gahan, C. (2020, October 15). How to paraphrase sources. Scribbr.com. https://tinyurl.com/y7ssxc6g
 Step 5: Write your literature review

Paraphrasing is recreating someone

else's ideas into your own words & thoughts, without
changing the original meaning (Gahan, 2020).
Tips on Paraphrasing
• How do I learn to paraphrase? IF you are thoroughly reading
and researching articles or book chapters for a paper, you will
start to take notes in your own words.
Those notes are the beginning of paraphrased information.

• Read the original information, PUT IT AWAY, then rewrite the

ideas in your own words. This is hard to do at first, it takes
practice, but this is how you start to paraphrase.
• It's usually better to paraphrase, than to use too many direct
quotes.
Gahan, C. (2020, October 15). How to paraphrase sources. Scribbr.com. https://tinyurl.com/y7ssxc6g
In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing - APA Citation Style, 7th Edition - Research Guides at East Carolina University Libraries (ecu.edu)
TWO ways to create in text citations for the above reference:

1. The first way is called a parenthetical citation and this is

when you cite the reference at the END of the sentence that
you’ve paraphrased.

You place this in-text citation IN parentheses

( ) before the period at the end of the
sentence:
Grief is a common reaction to the loss of a loved one and it can be a difficult
topic to share in children’s books (Martinez-Caballero et al., 2022).

In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing - APA Citation Style, 7th Edition - Research Guides at East Carolina University Libraries (ecu.edu)
TWO ways to create in text citations for the above reference:

2. The second way to cite is called a narrative citation and

this means that you add the in text citation IN the narration
or TEXT of your sentence.

Most often this is done by referencing the authors of the REFERENCE that you’re
paraphrasing in the text and then adding the date, which your reader can then refer
to by looking at the last name of the author AND the date on your references list.
This citation shows up as the DATE in parentheses to the
right of the author’s name in the text of your sentence:

Martinez-Caballero and colleagues (2022) shared that grief is a common

reaction to the loss of a loved one.
In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing - APA Citation Style, 7th Edition - Research Guides at East Carolina University Libraries (ecu.edu)
What do in-text citations look like?

In-Text Citations & Paraphrasing - APA Citation Style, 7th Edition - Research Guides at East Carolina University Libraries (ecu.edu)
 How To Synthesize
Written Information
From Multiple Sources
When you write a literature review or essay, you have to go beyond just
summarizing the articles you’ve read – you need to synthesize the literature to
show how it all fits together (and how your own research fits in).

How To Write Synthesis In Research: Example Steps (simplypsychology.org)

 Synthesizing
simply means combining.
Instead of summarizing the main points of each source in
turn, you put together the ideas and findings of multiple
sources in order to make an overall point.

At the most basic level, this involves looking for

similarities and differences between your sources.
Your synthesis should show the reader where the
sources overlap and where they diverge.
How To Write Synthesis In Research: Example Steps (simplypsychology.org)
How To Write Synthesis In Research: Example Steps (simplypsychology.org)
How To Write Synthesis In Research: Example Steps (simplypsychology.org)
 The lit review provides the foundation for
your study and perhaps for your career.
Spend time reading and getting lost in the literature.