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WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER: A GUIDEABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONA research paper is a part

of academic writing where there is a gathering of information from different sources. It is
multistep process. Selection of title is the most important part of research writing. The title
which is interesting should be chosen for the research purpose. All the related information is
gathered and the title for research is synthesized. After thorough understanding and
developing the title, the preliminary outline is made which maintains the logical path for its
exploration. After preliminary research, proper research work is started with collection of
previous resources which is then organized and important points are noted. Then research
paper is written by referring to outlines, notes, articles, journals and books. The research
paper should be well structured containing core parts like introduction, material and
methods, results and disscussion and important additional parts like title, abstract,
references.KEY WORDSAcademic writing, Preliminary research, Research paper.1.
Department of Pharmacology, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa, Nepal2.
Department of Physiology, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa, Nepal3.
Department of Surgery, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa, Nepal
For Correspondence Dr Laxmi Shrestha Department of Pharmacology
Universal College of Medical Sciences Bhirahawa, Nepal Email:
drshresthalaxmi@gmail.comJournal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2021) Vol.09
No.01 Issue 23761 2 3Laxmi Shrestha, Bishal Joshi, Anand KumarREVIEW ARTICLEWRITING
A RESEARCH PAPER: A GUIDE Laxmi Shrestha, Bishal Joshi, Anand KumarDOI:
http//doi.org/10.3126/jucms.v9i01.37987

following resources can be used to understand the title:·Chapters in textbook, dictionaries

and other specialized reference books·Encyclopedia (internet sources), web
pages·Research articles, scholarly journals·Magazine or newspaper articles While preparing
this background, one should make notes that 6defines the title which will be useful for
research.1.3 Developing the titleTitle is the most important part of research paper. It attracts
the readers. Therefore, while collecting materials for the title, one should think, develop and
explore ideas in the paper. Ideas are the key of the title which will be helpful in the research.
It should be clear and interesting. Finding out more about the subject will help to create
a good research paper. Ask a question like why, who, what, where, when, how? so that
it will be easy to collect information for the research work. Make a system for noting
sources, taking notes and organizing materials according to its relative importance. The
author's name and affiliation are mentioned in the title page.1.4 Preliminary outlineOnce
the title is established, one should be ready for creating preliminary outline for the
research paper. The outline is similar to template for your research. It forms a structure of
your paper and helps to generate ideas and formulate 7hypothesis. It is necessary to
explore research materials by reading reference books, periodicals, internet articles etc. The
researcher should read review articles in the particular field of interest before deciding to
research on particular subject. The researcher should find out the research question and
also should find the gap present in the article that has not been answered in existing
studies or research within the field so that it can be done in his/her research article. During
this process, one should pay close attention for quality of reference materials used. For
example, if the research paper is related to health, the search should be in medical
journals and books rather than searching in general magazine or newspaper. The
preliminary outline should not be regarded as waste of time. The materials found during this
preliminary outline will be helpful for the research paper. The outline is the guide for the
content of research paper. It will help to maintain logical path for the exploration of the title.
The outline allows breaking the subject into manageable sections. Thus, it helps to keep the
point and avoid omitting the key sections from the research paper. 8The followings are the
content of preliminary outline.a) HeadingIt contains the title of the research. It should be
concise but informative, containing the key words of the paper. It should be short and should
adequately describe the research work.INTRODUCTION A research paper is a part of
academic writing where there is a gathering of information from different sources. It is
based on author's original research on particular topic, collection of expert ideas
together, own ideas or conclusion supported by expert opinion, evidence, data analysis and
interpretation of 1the research findings. There are two different types of research
paper: primary research and secondary research. The primary research is the study of a
subject through first hand investigation, such as analyzing a literary or historical text, a film,
a performance, conducting a survey or an interview, carrying out a laboratory
experiment. Primary sources include statistical data, historical documents, and works of
literature or art. Secondary research is the examination of studies that other researchers
have made on a subject. Examples of secondary sources are articles and books, scientific
debates, or 2literary works.Writing a research paper is making contribution to the
scientific community. In order for the results of research to be accessible to other
professionals and have a potential effect on the scientific community, it must be written and
published in suitable journals. Mostly the scientific discovery is published 3in peer reviewed
journals. For publishing a research results, there should be some results that worth
reporting, contribute in the progress of scientific community and that reaches a
4broader audience. 1.1 Selecting a title Title selection is very important steps for writing a
research paper. Preliminary research on various topics is done before the selection of a title.
Then the title for the research is refined and chosen. The title which is interesting and one
would like to work on it, should be chosen for the research purpose. A good research paper
should address a specific research question. A good research question should have
specificity, originality, and novelty. It should be precise and relevant to scientific
5community. The following points can be considered while choosing a title for research
purpose:·Interest in a particular title·Time frame in which particular title can be
covered·Availability of enough resources ·Title within the scope·Address the research
question·Relevance 1.2 Understanding the titleOnce the title is decided, it is important
to have some background reading to gain an understanding of the subject area. Exploring
the knowledge about the topic will help to develop a core title. The title should be
refined so that it is not wide in scope and all the information can be covered. The Journal
of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2021) Vol.09 No.01 Issue 2377REVIEW
ARTICLEWRITING A RESEARCH PAPER: A GUIDE Laxmi Shrestha, Bishal Joshi, Anand Kumar

b) IntroductionIt is the clear statement of a problem of a research and the reason of

studying it. In this section, the author should explain the aims and objective of the study
clearly. The problems should be introduced in the first few lines. It should give the concise
and appropriate background for the discussion of problems in research work. It should
also mention its significance, scope of the research work. It should follow inverted
funnel approach. Initially, the introduction should describe the general information then
awareness and attitudes related to particular issues and finally it should be specific to
targeted objective of the research and should also provide constructive suggestions for
improvement of the research paper. c) BodyIt contains support or proof of the article. It
mainly consists of materials and methods and results. d) ConclusionIt includes summing up
results, mentioning the aspects that were not addressed in more detail, or pointing the
way for further research. The preliminary outline helps to produce following:·Finding more
interesting similar topics·Relevant material ·Availability of research material·Narrowing of
title in case of excess information·Avoid difficulty in understanding and starting research
work.RESEARCH WORKAfter completion of preliminary search, the research work is started.
The materials like books, journals, articles etc. are required for research work. The
published materials in related field should be searched. The materials should be properly
read, evaluated and analyzed and referenced accordingly. After collecting the information
and knowledge about the title, revision of preliminary outline should be done. During the
research work, one may come across the materials that support or may oppose the title.
The material which opposes the title should not be ignored. Both types of materials may be
useful during the research work.While writing a research paper one should follow the
research ethics. Before conducting any research work, ethical clearance should be taken.
The researcher should adhere to ethical principles in order to protect the dignity, rights
and welfare of the research participants.a. Collecting resources Collecting resources is
important for writing a research paper. Resources like books, articles, journals, documents or
website from where the related information can be obtained may not be sufficient or useful.
Evaluation of resources to determine the appropriate argument for research paper is
necessary. The scholarly resources and combination of other resources are 6important
for writing research articles.§To determine if a book is useful-Scan the table of contents to
determine the topics it covers-Check the index at the back of the book for keywords that
describe the title-Scan the chapters that pertain to the title-Read through the introduction of
the book to get an idea of what it covers§To determine if a periodical article is useful-Read
the abstract (summary) of the article-If there is no abstract, read the first paragraph
and conclusion of the article-Review charts, tables, footnotes, references§To determine if a
web site is useful-To what depth of the topic is explored-The qualifications of the author or
page editor should be determined -The reliability of the information should be checked.-
The accessibility of website should be checkedb. Organizing resources It is very important
to organize the resources and find the research paper. One should organize the resource
by taking notes, downloading articles or by sending emails. It is essential to note every
book, article, document or web sites when researching and writing the research paper.
It is important to record the following information:BOOK-Author name (last name, first
name)-The full title of the book (underlined or in italics)-Place of publication (usually found
on the title page or the back of the title page)-Publisher -Date of publicationPeriodical
article-Author name (last name, first name)-Title of the article -Name of the journal or
magazine (underlined or in italics)-Volume number and issue number (if there is one)-
Date/Year of publication -Page numbers of the articleWeb site-Author or person(s)
responsible for the intellectual content of the page (if available)-Title of page (underlined or
in italics)Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2021) Vol.09 No.01 Issue
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-Date of last update of page, if available-Place or location of page, if available-Date the data
is retrieved/viewed from the page-URLc. Plagiarism While doing research, various articles,
journals, books and newspapers are referred in order to collect the related
information. Research paper is made through these collected materials. In today's world,
internet is making it easy to download and copy the materials. The most important
protocol of academic writing is the principle of giving credit to the work of others.
“Plagiarism is defined as the act of 9claiming the words or ideas of another person as
your own”. Plagiarisms is a serious violation of the ethical standards of academic writing.
The plagiarism is of two types: a) intentional plagiarism b) unintentional plagiarism. a)
Intentional plagiarism: One type of intentional plagiarism is knowingly copying the whole
passage from outside sources into one's work without documentation. Another is buying
research papers from online sources or friends. These intentional acts of academic
dishonesty are the forms of plagiarism.b) Unintentional plagiarism is also the violation of
academic integrity.Plagiarism is:·Using copied material without enclosing that material in
quotation marks and without appropriately acknowledging its source.·Paraphrasing or
summarizing too close to the original wording.·Submitting work that has been written in
full or in part by someone else.·Borrowing, selling, purchasing, or lending academic work
for submission for academic credit.So while writing research paper, one should provide a
citation and use quotation marks to show exactly from where the 9information is
taken.TAKING NOTES Taking notes is an important part of research writing. Once the data is
collected and resources are organized, it is essential to search and determine the
important ones useful for the research paper. If the collected resources have
appropriate information related to the research work, it should be carefully read and notes
of important points should be made. For taking notes, one should develop their own
methods. It is important to make a clear difference between their own thoughts and
those derived from other sources. It should be grouped and organized together. The
materials or resources should be read Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences
(2021) Vol.09 No.01 Issue 2379REVIEW ARTICLEWRITING A RESEARCH PAPER: A GUIDE
Laxmi Shrestha, Bishal Joshi, Anand Kumarcarefully and summarized. During research paper
writing, the notes should be carefully reviewed to ensure that the paper is within the
guideline of the article. 6Consider the following point when taking notes:-Ideas that describe
the issue-Title of research-Ideas that support or refuse the paper -Factual or statistical
information that enhance the argument -Quotations from another's work that support
the argument WRITING THE DRAFT/ RESEARCH PAPERAfter completion of all work, one is
ready to write the research paper by referring the outline, notes, articles, journals and
books. The collected resources can be used properly for writing the research paper.
During the process of writing, one may require modifications at some parts of research
paper. The quotes should be judiciously used from primary or secondary literature to
clarify all the important points. If there is any problem with certain section while writing the
paper, a section can be skipped or a space can be left where quotation can be used to
support the agreement.The structure of research paper comprises three core parts,
namely Introduction, Body (methods and results) and Discussion. Basic structure of
typical research paper is in the sequence of Introduction, Material and methods, Results and
Discussion (IMRD). The progression of the thematic scope of a paper within these parts
typically follows a pattern called the 'Hourglass Model' (Figure 1, light-grey parts; cf.
Swales, 1993). However, there are additional parts of research paper which is very
important. These are Title, Abstract, References. The “King Model” is the extension of
“Hourglass Model” indicated by dark grey color in figure 2. Figure 1. The 'Hourglass Model'
(light-grey parts)

Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2021) Vol.09 No.01 Issue 2380REVIEW
ARTICLEWRITING A RESEARCH PAPER: A GUIDE Laxmi Shrestha, Bishal Joshi, Anand Kumar
Figure 2. The 'King Model', which covers an extended set of parts in a typical paper's
structure (Source: Based on Swales, 1993)a. Title It is the part of paper which is usually
read most often. The title of the paper should be specific, accurate and complete. It
should begin with the subject of the paper and should comprise the main identity of
the paper. It should not contain any abbreviations unless it is well known by target audience
and should attract the readers. It should be less than 15 words and should include the key
results of the research. b. AbstractIt is the summary of whole research paper. It should
be in format of mini IMRD (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion). It should not
be more than required and as indicated in the instructions of the journal. It addresses
the objective of the paper. It describes the material and methods of research paper, its
results and conclusion. It is just a summary of the paper so it cannot be substituted as full
paper.c. Introduction/ Background The introduction parts provide the general motivation
and broad subject to a particular research question which is described in the main body
of the research paper. It describes the importance of the subject. It should include
considerable amount of general information and should be specific. It should explain
the question addressed by the researcher. The author should explain the rationale and
background to the study in this section. It should also mention the constructive suggestions
for improvement of the research article. d. Body The body of the paper remains within the
scope of the research paper and describes the materials and methods and results in detail
including statistical methods used. It provides arguments and evidence to support the
research paper. It consists of methods, result section.Methods – it should provide readers
with sufficient details about study method, should be specific, concrete, technical and
detailed. It should mention study setting, sampling used, instruments, data collection, and
analysis strategy. Results-should include all the important finding of the research in
table/figure form. It should describe participants demographic and clinical conditions.e.
Discussion The discussion is the important part of research paper. It mainly focuses on
how the results approve or disapprove the hypothesis. The result obtained from the
research should be explained and compared with the findings of other research which have
been done previously. The structure of discussion should be in accordance to the research
question, hypothesis and result. In the discussion part, evaluation, interpretation and
implication of the result are needed. The shortcomings and limitations can be explained
in this part. f. Conclusion In the conclusion section, one can write the main result of the
research paper. Implications based on the findings are important here and new research
question can be named. But no new ideas are introduced in the conclusion part. g.
ReferenceIt is the essential part of research writing. When some source is used for ideas or
information for the research work, one must acknowledge the source. The main purpose of
reference is to enable the reader to check what sources of information have been used in
the research. It helps the reader to locate the particular source of information. i.
Referencing styleThere are various standard methods used for citing the source of work.
These methods are called as referencing styles or citation styles. Citations may be
parenthetical references, footnotes or endnotes.Different publishers require different
formats or styles for citing a paper in the text and for listing references. The citation or
referencing style depends on the discipline on which the articles are written for. The
referencing system is broadly divided into two types: a) Author date (parenthetical) system
b) Notation system.a) Author date system: It includes the author and date of
publication, hence named as author date system.b) Notation system: In this system, a
superscript number (e.g. 1) is placed in the text. This number refers the reader to a
footnote or endnote. This system is traditionally used in arts and humanities, and sometimes
in social science. This system is also used in biomedical disciplines (e.g. in Vancouver
10style).