Pitching it right
Writing a research paper that effectively communicates one’s findings is an art
Writing a research paper is an integral
process while pursuing a PhD programme. Writing and publishing quality research
papers in reputed peer reviewed journals plays an important role in defining
the success of your programme. Its purpose is to effectively communicate one’s
research findings, ideas and insights to the scientific community.
While sitting at the study table surrounded
by mindboggling wealth of data and notes to write a research paper, the mind
tends to freeze at the first thought. I have realised that one way to shut off
a mental block is to first shift the approach. One needs to gather one’s
thoughts in peace and set the mind to think of ways to get started.
Focus and mental discipline are essential for
organising the thoughts. Clarity and confidence follow. Preparing a rough
general outline of the gathered information in a logical manner is the next
step. If you are comfortable with writing, put down your thoughts on paper. If
you are comfortable with working on a computer, you can type it out. The
editing tools would make it easier.
Thorough research, reading various published
papers from primary and secondary sources, visiting libraries for journals,
books and encyclopaedias and online Google search for authentic websites help.
This helps in understanding the structure of a research paper and getting
familiar with academic writing.
A scientific research paper has a prescribed
format. The elements of the paper comprise title, abstract, introduction,
materials and methodology, results, discussion, bibliography and
acknowledgement. Keep the title short, simple and crisp enough to spark
curiosity in the mind of the reader. Focus on the purpose of the work and
define the objectives of the experiment in the abstract section. The
introduction should include the review of literature related to your work. The
materials and methodology section consists of sampling, techniques and
experimental procedures, instrumentation and case studies.
The results section should reveal your data
and findings from the experimental analysis and include appropriate graphs,
tables, and facts and figures. The discussion section should explain
comparative analysis with other published work of researchers and emphasise
significant implications and the scope of your findings for further research.
Limitations in the study, if any, can also be mentioned here. Bibliography
contains accurate and verified references used for citation to avoid
plagiarism. Gratitude for technical and financial support is mentioned in the
acknowledgement section.
Once the structure of the paper is ready,
proof read and edit the draft. Do a final in-depth revision to check for
English grammar and sentence structure, logical sequence and overall flow.
I managed to finish writing three research
papers in a month with the encouragement I received from my research supervisor
and eventually got them published in peer-reviewed science pharmacognosy
journals. This boosted my confidence and motivated me to write my PhD thesis
chapters in an organised manner. With writing practice, hard work, confidence,
patience and perseverance you are sure to improve your writing skills! Happy
writing!
The writer is PhD research scholar,
department of
botany, Bharathiar
University, Coimbatore.
Source | The Hindu | 18 July 2016
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Library
Khaitan
& Co
Best
Paper Award | Received the Best Paper Award at TIFR-BOSLA National Conference on
Future Librarianship: Innovation for Excellence (NCFL 2016) on April 23,
2016. The title of the paper is “Removing
Barriers to Literacy: Marrakesh VIP Treaty”
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