UPSB v3

Pen Spinning Relations / [topic][4.9.2] Proper Format for Writing a Research Article

  1. Eburt
    Date: Mon, Oct 15 2007 01:59:58

    Proper Format for Writing a Research Article

    Contributors:
    Eburt



    Abstract:

    This article, based largely on the methods used across the world for research, will be constructed in an outlined format with specific sections. It is possible that some of the formatting mentioned may be unnecessary in the wiki setting that articles will be uploaded in. The general idea of an abstract, introduction, hypothesis, index for the methodology/materials and methods will likely be followed in almost every setting. The article should include everything needed to analyze and recreate your study when it is completed. Not omitting anything is the most important part. For information on how to do research properly, facilitating it being written up in this format, please see “Policies and Procedures When Conducting Research” (insert hyperlink to finished article)

    Index:
    1) Introduction
    2) Notes on Formatting
    3) Title
    4) Abstract
    5) Index
    6) Introduction
    7) Hypothesis
    8) Methodology/Materials and Methods
    9) Content Sections
    10) Conclusion/Closing Thoughts
    11) Bibliography/Works Cited
    12) Closing Thoughts
    13) Bibliography

    Introduction:

    In an effort to improve the quality of research in the field of Pen Spinning new guidelines are being suggested for standardizing research. (Policies and Procedures When Conducting Research, Eburt et al., 2008 and Ethical Guidelines for Research, Eburt, 2008) (insert appropriate links) However, even with more accurate and informative research, there is a lacking in the method that it is presented. This article attempts to outline a method (note that there may be others that are more appropriate depending on the article) that is versatile and simple to write as well as to read.

    Notes on Formatting:

    Formatting your article is important, in that it keeps everything nice and pretty and easy to follow. It clarifies you organization system and makes it easy to find sections within your article.

    The first thing to consider is that you generally want headers to be obvious, bold or perhaps larger text. Generally avoid colors as this can be hard on the eyes and simply annoying. As mentioned above, this may become unnecessary given the headers in the wiki format.

    For the rest of the text, try to keep it as plain as possible, otherwise it detracts from the professional feel of the paper. Also use paragraphs and skip lines when appropriate, for organization’s sake.

    Also, it is generally a good idea to use another program to type the article beforehand and spell-check it, such as Microsoft Word. Also try to use diverse and intelligent language, but not so much that users will have to look up words frequently. This is not intended as a college level paper, but rather as something for the average user. In that same vain, try to avoid using slang, and internet abbreviations, such as “LOL,” “OMG,” ect.

    Lastly, it is important that your formatting remain the same throughout the article, so as not to confuse the readers. Be consistent.

    In addition, please note that the order sections are listed in this article is the generally accepted order for putting them into your research article.

    Title:

    You should introduce your article with a meaningful title. Anyone should be able to get a general idea of the article from that alone. It should also generally stand out, as the other headers mentioned above.

    You also want to put the list of contributors in your research below the title, so that it is evident who worked on the article. The head researcher should be listed first. It is also possible to list the author(s) separately if desired, especially if they are different from the researchers. For the time being screen names will likely remain the preferred method of citing authors, however in the future this may shift to real names.

    If using Wiki format for publication you will likely want a short title for linking and a longer one to fully describe your article.

    Abstract:

    This is a general idea of what the paper is about. Tell people what your article will include, possibly by giving a brief look at the contents. One method for this is basically to summarize your index in sentence form. You should also outline any research you did here briefly, but do not go into it in detail. Also note that in Wiki format this is the section directly above the index.

    Index:

    The index is simply the contents of your article. They can be done in wiki format, if appropriate, or numbered. Just make sure that they describe the sections properly and correspond with the titles in the article. This also serves as a general outline to keep you organized, and I suggest writing it before the rest of the article, even if you change it afterwards. Also note that Wiki does this for you based on your headings, but in other publications it is standard procedure to put it directly following the abstract.

    Introduction:

    The introduction serves the purpose of explaining why you are doing the research that you are. You should generally start with any relevant information you found in other articles/sources during your literature review (See “Policies and Procedures When Conducting Research). (insert appropriate link to finished article) Explain how you came to the idea of performing the research and what you hope to accomplish with it.

    Also note that you should include citation of your literature review. This can be cited in a number of ways. It is generally suggested that you put the title of the work, the author(s) and the year published in parenthetical notation after the information gained from them. If necessary, particularly if they are not on the Wiki, a complete citation should be provided in the bibliography.

    Concerning listing authors of works, there are some accepted methods for listing them. If one or two authors are cited as writing the article, simply list them. If three or more are listed in the article then you should list it as the primary (first) author followed by “et al.” For example, if citing an article with three or more authors written by Eburt, you would write: “Article title, Eburt et al., Year published”

    Hypothesis:

    You may want to make a separate heading for this, or perhaps include it in introduction as the last paragraph. Both are acceptable. The hypothesis, is the idea that you started with and based your research on. It should always be phrased as a statement. You may also elaborate briefly as to weather or not it was confirmed or refuted by the study, but again, avoid too much detail.

    Note that you may not have a hypothesis for some articles, such as this one.

    Methodology/Materials and Methods:

    This may be named as you see fit, both are acceptable. In addition, not all articles will need this section. This article does not use one because no actual research was performed in writing it. As a general rule of thumb, if you have a hypothesis then you should have this section as well.

    In this section you want to explain how you performed your study and what you used to do so. If the study was a survey/polling study then you will want to explain how big it was, what your target group was, and how the poll was completed. If it involves physical tests then you want to explain each of those tests, any apparatuses used and what those do in a manner that your tests may be reproduced by someone who has read the article.

    Content Sections:

    Ok, so we’re finally to the important section of the article. This will be the longest, most in depth part of the article, and also the most important. This is where the real information is and the findings of your study.

    The content sections will usually be what are listed in your index, and explain what you did in your study. They should be as comprehensive as possible, and accurate. It is important, especially in physical studies, that other researchers can emulate and retest your work if they desire, and therefore they need as much accurate information as possible. If you’re in doubt about including something, do it anyway.

    This is also where you elaborate on the methods suggested in your abstract and anything suggested in methodology/materials and methods.

    You should also explain the results of your tests, but you need not go into depth about what those results mean, save that for the next section. A simple, “Test A produced results 1, 2 and 3 and refuted 4” would do.

    Conclusion/Closing Thoughts:

    This is the section in which you sum up your findings. You want to explain exactly what the findings of the tests described in the last section mean, and how it relates to the overall goal of the article. You can title it as you feel appropriate, based on the tone of the article. As well as summarizing your findings you also want to confirm or refute your hypothesis, especially if you didn’t do so earlier. Lastly it is important to point out any weak areas in the research, things that could be improved upon and how others can help or further research. As such, I also suggest including contact information here as well.

    Remember that you want other to keep looking at and working on your research. Don’t be offended if someone checks it over, or refutes it with their own research. The idea is that the more people think about and look into various pen spinning topics, the more information will come out of it, and the more we will be able to use to improve Pen Spinning as a whole.

    Bibliography/Works Cited:

    This is the last important part in allowing others to look at your research. This should include links to any other articles or literature you reviewed in the process. They do not have to be MLA or APA formatted, however make sure that sufficient information is provided for someone else to find them.

    I also suggest including what you used any of the sources for. This can be done with either notes after each source, or parenthetical or numerical citations within the article. Use whichever method suits you best, so long as the reader can determine where you got what information.

    Also you should mention anyone who may have helped in the research, but not as a researcher. For example someone you interviewed. This can be done here, or as a special thanks in the conclusion/closing thoughts.

    Closing Thoughts:

    Well I think that this pretty well sums up how to write a research article. This is the way that I have been writing them for some time now I hope that it will help to improve the overall level of organization of such articles. Also realize that this is not the only way to do this, and it is also not compulsory. If you feel you have a better way to do this then feel free to use it, or better yet, write an article on how to do so, so that others can use it and benefit as well!

    If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to contact me either by Personal Message her on UPSB, or by emailing me at [email protected]

    And also note that I am always looking for ways to improve this, so please if you have any ideas contact me, or update the wiki appropriately.

    Bibliography:

    This is taken completely from my personal experience writing, and also reading articles. It is also loosely based on the format that scientists generally use in the scientific community across the world. Please look at any of the other articles I’ve done or other scientific research articles for more info.

    Examples of written articles by me:

    “Policies and Procedures When Conduction Research”
    “Ethical Guidelines for Research”
    (insert appropriate links to finished articles)

  2. Eburt
    Date: Sun, Apr 20 2008 04:55:11

    Post updated to reflect similar format changes to the other article. Want to release sometime this week. Also posting the final article for review.