4000 word research project
G003
KP_Writingupyourresearch.pptxWriting-Up Your Research Paper
Dr. Kandida Purnell
City, University of London
The plan (roughly):
Abstract:
Introduction:
Introduce research question/s
Set the scene (context: empirical and academic)
Provide summary of what’s to come
Literature Review (/Theoretical Framework):
What are the key academic debates in this area?
What are the key concepts in the literature and how are they understood?
What are the key theories in the literature that are informing your research?
Methodology (theory that guides method):
Research Design: What are you going to do? Why?
Research Method/s: HOW will you do it? Detailed explanation/justification
Shortcomings/potential drawbacks? Room for improvement?
Discussion/Analysis:
What did you find out?
Finding:
How does this respond to your research Qu?
How does this relate to the literature/theories?
Conclusion:
Bibliography (does not count towards word count)
Appendixes (do not count towards word count)
Writing the Abstract
An abstract is a condensed summary of your work that is placed at the beginning of a paper.
Length: about 200 words.
Four key pieces of information:
a statement of the research question;
the relevance or importance of the research question;
the methods used to answer the research question;
the research paper’s overall conclusions.
Abstract example 1
Grieving, Valuing, and Viewing Differently: The Global War on Terror’s American Toll
Abstract example 2
Body Politics and Boundary Work: Nobodies on Hunger Strike at Guantanamo (2013-2015)
Writing the Introduction
Motivation for the project:
So what? What is the point of the research? Why should anyone care? Introduction should capture the reader’s interest
Empirical scene setting: WHY so interesting?
Academic scene setting: THE GAP
A HOOK to draw/drag your readers in…
SELL SELL SELL!!
Writing the Intro: ‘the hook’
Writing the Intro: ‘the hook’
Writing the Introduction
Introduce the research question
Asking XXXXXXXX? In this research paper …..
In this research paper I respond to the question XXXXXX? By ………
With the question XXXXXXXX? driving this project, research detailed in the following pages involves….
Writing the intro
Democracy
Terrorism
Security
Ideology
The State
Human Rights
Anarchy
Gender
War
Equality
Capitalism
Introduce and UNPACK your key concepts
Concepts are ESSENTIALLY CONTESTED
Do not assume your readers know how you are using your key concepts
UNPACK THEM (tell the reader how YOU understand your key concepts)
Writing the Introduction
Solution
Summarise your methodology:
Research design
Research methods
Findings
A research paper (or essay for that matter) is not a mystery novel; do not keep your audience guessing as to what the takeaway message will be.
by providing some conclusions up front, someone who reads your paper will be able to understand how you reached your conclusions much more effectively
Abstract / Intro
Yes they do a lot of the same thing
Do not worry about repetition
Abstract is much shorter
Abstract is what people read online BEFORE clicking into the main article PDF
Have to ‘sell’ the article so people then download-read the whole thing
Writing up your Literature Review
Objective of a Literature Review
It helps situate a study within the context of the literature itself.
It establishes credibility of the researcher as an expert in the field.
Structure and Style
The researcher must synthesize the literature in a concise, useful way to demonstrate mastery of the subject at hand.
Remember that lit review should give the reader an overview of the debates and discussions your research will intervene into / build on
Use subheadings: e. theory section/s could make reference to existing theories that help provide the framework for your research
Writing up your Methodology
The methodology section in a research paper briefly outlines the researcher’s approach to research/responding to the research question/s.
Research Design: What kind of a project is this?
Research Method/s:
You should discuss the specific research method/s you have used IN DETAIL
JUSTIFY YOUR CHOICES IN WRITING
Whether quantitative or qualitative methods used should be outlined in this section.
Case-Study Justification
You should discuss which cases you selected for your study and how these were selected.
Potential drawbacks/room for improvement
Acknowledge your research design and methods’ weaknesses in light of limitations/barriers you faced.
Writing up your Methodology
Research Design: What kind of a project is this?
Research design (re-cap) = The overall strategy you will employ to investigate your argument
Types of research design:
Experimentation
Observation
Case Studies:
Single Case Study
Comparative Case Studies
‘Large N’ quantitative design
Writing up your Methodology
Surveys
Interviews
Focus Groups
Ethnography
Participant Observation
Archival Research
Textual Analysis:
Content Analysis
Discourse Analysis
Statistical Analysis
Research Method/s:
You should discuss the specific research methods you have used IN DETAIL
Justify your choices IN WRITING
16
Writing up your Methodology
Did you take a qual or quant approach? Or a mix? Why? How?
Quantitative research refers to research using numbers, and qualitative research refers to that which does not use numbers.
Quantitative and qualitative research are not in opposition to one another. Rather, they can complement each other.
Writing up your Methodology
Case-Study Justification
You should discuss which cases you selected for your study and how these were selected.
What is a case ?
A conflict
An event
A country
A region
A city
A political party
A social movement
A terrorist group
A person
Writing up your Methodology
Case-Study Selection
Random
Typical or Extreme/Deviant?
Influential?
Hard or Easy?
Diverse?
Most similar or most different?
EXPLAIN & JUSTIFY
Writing up your Discussion
Your discussion is where you discuss your findings
Not all of them
Be selective
What were the most interesting and/or surprising things you found out?
How to present your findings
You should avoid using the word “prove” in your writing.
Often better to use phrases such as “the results suggest” or “the findings imply”
Writing up your Discussion
How to present your findings
You should avoid using the word “prove” in your writing.
Often better to use phrases such as “this suggests” or “the finding implies”
REFER BACK TO THE LITERARURE introduced in Lit Review
Make it plain HOW your findings draw and build on the debates, theories, and arguments introduced in the Lit Review
Make it plain HOW your findings change/update what we know about XXX place/event/thing
This is where you detail your CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE
Writing up your Discussion
Negative findings (evidence does not support theory)
A negative finding may be disappointing, but it is still a finding
Discuss reasons for which your findings may have gone contrary to expectation and to engage in ex post theorizing if you believe your theory needs revision.
Writing up your Conclusion
Refer back to the research question.
Now that you have completed your research, how well have you addressed your issue? Reiterate whether you were able to support your hypotheses with the data you collected and analyzed
Summarize the main findings
Writing up your Conclusion
Acknowledge your project’s limitations and weaknesses
Provide the reader an idea of how the re- search could have been improved and whether new questions based on the re- search findings have emerged.
In hindsight should you have used a different method, used different tools or adopted a different form of analysis? You will be credited for your perception and understanding in the examiner’s marking.
Writing up your Conclusion
Generalization
Discuss how the findings from the research can be generalized to other cases.
SELL SELL SELL!!
The last word(s)
Overall significance?
Questions raised?
Avenues opened up for further research?
Writing Up Your Conclusion (Thomas 2016)
Writing Tips
The “I” Debate: can I write in first person?
YES
Most often a researcher will use the first person in specific sections of a research report, such as the introduction, theory and hypotheses, methods and data, or results and discussion.
Writing Sequence
Researchers do not write their papers in order from the abstract to the conclusion.
the introduction to the paper should among the last sections to be written for a paper, after the re- search is complete and the researcher knows exactly what the paper’s conclusions are.
Appendix?
Some of you will have appendixes
Some of you won’t
Remember: carries no word count so use to your advantage
Appendix items may include:
Interview transcripts (coded)
Texts analyzed (coded)
Full list of participants
Full category/coding list
Full list of sites (if ethnography
ANY QUESTIONS??????
The plan (roughly): NOW WITH APPROX WORD COUNTS!!!
Abstract: 200ish (does not count towards word count)
Introduction: 500 max
Introduce research question/s
Set the scene (context: empirical and academic)
Provide summary of what’s to come
Literature Review (/Theoretical Framework): 1,000ish
What are the key academic debates in this area?
What are the key concepts in the literature and how are they understood?
What are the key theories in the literature that are informing your research?
Methodology (theory that guides method): 750-1,000
Research Design: What are you going to do? Why?
Research Method/s: HOW will you do it? Detailed explanation/justification
Shortcomings/potential drawbacks? Room for improvement?
Discussion/Analysis: 1,000-1,500ish
What did you find out?
Finding:
How does this respond to your research Qu?
How does this relate to the literature/theories?
Conclusion: 500 max
Bibliography (does not count towards word count)
Appendixes (do not count towards word count)
