A research paper (RP) is a type of academic writing with a theoretical and methodological line of thought utilized by a great number of competent writers and researchers in various disciplines. The main purpose of a research article (RA) is to address an audience in order to inform a community of readers about some definite investigation work carried out by a researcher or a team of researchers. "A research paper is exactly . . . a paper written to reflect a search that will present information to support a point of view on a particular topic” (Berge & Saffioti, n.d., as cited in Basic college research, n.d.).
Berge & Saffioti (Ibid.) state that effective research papers require elements and sections inherent to the type of writing. Those sections are to be clear and well defined. The RA process follows certain steps such as selecting a clear topic and problematizing it. Literature review is one of the major factors before the RA is commenced. This crucial stage will offer the writer a precise viewing angle of how much has been investigated in the specific field. The next objective to accomplish is to formulate a plausible hypothesis, from which the investigation will start. The hypothesis or hypotheses proposed might be presented as questions, although clear, well-defined statements are preferred.
Likewise, another crucial step is the fact of working in an organized fashion when information is being collected. Furthermore, the lengthy and arduous initial preparation of the design of a RA should contemplate its type and format: Will it be experimental, non-experimental, qualitative, quantitative, cross-sectional or longitudinal? Finally, collecting and interpreting data and drafting are the in-between stages before the final outcome.
The aim of this paper is to make an in-depth analysis of the introduction and methods sections from both a RA in medicine and in education, respectively. The analysis will basically focus on the simplicity or complexity of both paper sections, the lexis used by the researchers, grammatical features, length, the use and techniques to define terms, identification of the use of examples, if any, clarification of terms and the use of connectors.
In order to carry out this analysis, two RAs have been chosen in the field of education and the other in the field of medicine.
The introduction is only a part of a research article which unveils the basic facts to start revealing the problem as well as stating reasons for choosing the topic. It might be defined as a short, uncomplicated preview of what the author will devote him/herself to writing. This section should be brief and clear so as not to distract the reader’s attention. However, it should be informative and persuasive enough so as to catch the reader’s interest by shaping the main ideas which will later be discussed in detail within the body section.
In both RAs mentioned above, the simple present tense is used to introduce the problem. Both researchers expose the core of their investigation in the introduction section and provide a brief explanation for their study. Regarding the education RA, the introduction is fairly short and simple to follow compared to the medical RA. Both RAs are void of term definitions. The terms and wording utilised in the medical RA are much more specific and uncommon to ordinary people, typically referred to as jargon. Both RAs respect different writing conventions and documentation system. Whereas RAs on psychology and social science adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA) style, biomedical and medical RAs follow the Vancouver documentation system.
As regards the education RA no in-text citations have been used. However, in the medical RA the authors have made use of in-text citations to refer to previous studies conducted by other researchers such as O’Connell and Berson et al. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2009) states that “[r]eferences in APA publications are cited in text with an author-date citation system . . .” (p.174). In the case of Ybarra, Leaf, & Diener-West’s (2004) RA, these conventions have not been fully respected. The authors cited O’Connell’s qualitative analysis and the year within parentheses complying with the American Psychological Association (APA) conventions. However, they failed to provide the year when Berson et al.’s survey was conducted. In both O’Connell’s and Berson et al’s studies, the method utilized as well as data collection and final results have been mentioned.
While Ybarra, Leaf, & Diener-West’s (Ibid.) included their literature review and in-text citations within the introduction section, Loucky (Ibid.) decided to include in-text citations in a different, separate section labelled Literature Review.
The use of linking words or connectors is extremely important to make the piece of writing cohesive and to indicate the relationship between ideas and paragraphs. Ybarra, Leaf, & Diener-West’s (Ibid.) used several connectors in their introduction section. In contrast, even though Loucky ‘s (Ibid.) RA is easy to follow, he did not make use of connectors in his introduction.
As for the layout format, Ybarra, Leaf, & Diener-West’s (Ibid.) used 1.5 line spacing whereas Loucky ‘s (Ibid.) used 2.0 line spacing. As well as this APA convention, Ybarra, Leaf, & Diener-West’s (Ibid.) have used two returns between main paragraphs.
The methods section of an APA format is the most important section as it provides the information by which the study’s validity is judged. Therefore, it should include a detailed explanation for the research design, special mention of participants, materials, equipment, variables as well as any other relevant information. For clarity, when a large amount of information is presented, the methods section may be divided into sub-sections properly and clearly labelled.
Both RAs analysed in this paper present a methods section subdivided into sub-sections. Considering the fact that the medical RA is much lengthy, it comprises a wider number of sections compared to the education RA.
From the point of view grammar, it should be noted that the medical RA methods sections was written in past tenses, ranging from past simple to past perfect tenses. However, in the education RA present tenses were preferred. The use of lexical terms is another distinctive characteristic which differentiates one RA from the other. In the medical RA the terminology used is more formal and demanding for common readers. Conversely, the terms used in the educational RA are much simpler and easier to understand.
To conclude, regardless of the research the author of the RA will present, it seems to be unquestionable that there exists a well-established convention to which to conform. The RA writer will have to adhere to including the sections already analysed as well as others not mentioned in this paper. Relevant information must be included in the appropriate sections following APA conventions. In regard to the use of terminology, the writer may use simpler, more accessible terms or a more complex terminology, such as the jargon used by different communities. Nonetheless, this decision should not impair clarity and understanding. Organization, clarity, well-defined aims, the rationale for the study and the quality of writing will be decisive when it comes to writing a RA.
References
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American psychological association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Berge, P., & Saffioti, C. (n.d.). Basic college research. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.library.ualberta.ca/guides/writingresearch/index.cfm
Loucky, J . P. (2007). Improving online reading and vocabulary development Kasele Bulletin, 35, 181-188. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/3f/75/5e.pdf
Ybarra, M. L., Leaf, P. J., & Diener-West, M. (2004, February 6). Sex differences in youth-reported depressive symptomatology and unwanted internet sexual solicitation. Journal of Medical Internet Research. Retrieved April 2, 2010, from http://www.jmir.org/2004/1/e5/HTML
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