Writing a Research Paper

A research paper has a fairly demanding job to do. It has to explain what you investigated, why you investigated it, how you did it, what you found and what those findings mean.

The reader was not there while you carried out the research. They only have the paper in front of them, so the information they need has to be on the page and in a form they can follow.

Start with a Clear Question

A research paper needs a focus. The subject itself is not enough. Climate change, language acquisition or nineteenth-century literature may be subjects, but they are far too broad to tell the reader what you actually investigated.

Your research question defines the part of the subject you are examining. It also gives you something against which to judge the rest of the paper.

If a section has no bearing on the question, consider whether it belongs there. Interesting information is not automatically relevant information.

Explain What You Did

You know how the research was carried out because you did it. Your reader does not.

The method needs enough information for the reader to understand how the results were obtained and, where appropriate, to judge whether the approach was suitable. What that requires will depend entirely on the type of research.

Avoid assuming that a step is too obvious to mention simply because it became routine while you were working. At the same time, do not bury the reader under details that have no effect on how the research should be understood.

Results and Discussion Are Not the Same Thing

What you found and what you think those findings mean are related, but they are not necessarily the same part of the paper.

Results should present the evidence accurately. The discussion is where you can consider its significance, relate it to previous research, explore possible explanations and recognise limitations.

Be careful not to make the evidence say more than it does. A result may suggest, indicate or support a conclusion without proving something beyond doubt.

Precision Matters

Small differences in wording can make large differences in academic writing. Saying that two things are associated is not necessarily the same as saying that one caused the other. Some, most and all make very different claims.

This is one reason complicated language can be dangerous. If a shorter sentence states your finding more accurately, it is usually the better sentence.

Specialist terminology should be used correctly and consistently. Changing terms simply to avoid repeating the same word can create ambiguity where none existed before.

Tables and Figures Still Need Words

A table, graph or figure can present information far more efficiently than a paragraph, but it should not be left to explain the research entirely by itself.

Tell the reader what is important about it. You do not need to describe every number they can already see, but you should draw attention to the pattern, difference or result that matters to your discussion.

Check that every table and figure is numbered, labelled and referred to correctly in the text. Moving sections during revision can easily leave an old reference pointing to the wrong place.

Writing Research in English

When English is not your first language, research writing can be particularly demanding because precision matters so much. A sentence can be grammatically acceptable and still give the reader a slightly different impression from the one you intended.

Do not assume that translating an established term word for word will produce the term used by English-speaking researchers in the same field. Check recognised terminology and use it consistently throughout the paper.

The aim is not to make the English sound elaborate. It is to make the research accurate and unambiguous.

Read It as a Researcher

When the paper is finished, try to forget what you know from carrying out the research and concentrate on what the document actually tells you.

Is the question clear? Can you understand how the research was carried out? Do the results support the conclusions? Are limitations explained? Can you distinguish previous research from your own findings and interpretation?

A reader should not have to know what happened behind the scenes in order to understand the research. The paper has to provide the evidence, explanation and connections for itself.