Pen Down to Research Article!

[Ajit P]

The Internet makes it easy to treat the research paper as a Google exercise. However, any perceived “failure” of the research paper isn’t in the medium itself or the use of the Internet, but in the way we are tempted to approach it. A research paper done correctly goes beyond the mere conglomeration of facts that teachers today lament, and instead asks us to examine current literature and argue a thesis that is not directly from conventional wisdom. Learning how to take what is already known and enhance it in a unique way is an unparalleled learning experience that we should not lose. My first experience in summarizing the breaking news of the day in high school was a transformative step in developing how I think, argue and write. While my efforts were rewarded when my paper was awarded as the “BEST PAPER AWARD”, it was the process of writing it that was the most valuable and I’m grateful that I’ve continued to be pushed up to treat the research paper as an academic exploration.

Here are some points for the new info-kids, how to start writing a research article:

       1.      Focus of your Article:          

                     a.      Gather all important data, analyses, plots and table

                     b.      Organize results so that they follow a logical sequence

       2.      Draft Properly:

                     a.      Identify two or three important findings emerging from the experiments

                     b.      Note good and bad writing styles in the literature. Some are simple and easy to       follow, some are just too complex.

                     c.       Note the readership of the journal that you are considering to publish your work

      3.      Structure your Article:

                     a.      Title: Compose a title that is simple, attractive and accurately reflects the investigation.

                     b.      Abstract: First couple of sentences should focus on what the study is about. Include major findings in a style that a general readership can read and understand.

                     c.       Introduction: First couple of sentences should focus on what the study is about. Include major findings in a style that a general readership can read and understand. Add 2-3 paragraphs that discuss previous work.

                     d.       Objectives: Make 3-5 objectives on which you are going to summaries your work.

                     e.       Results and Discussions: Describe the results in detail and include a healthy, detailed discussion with tables and figures. Discuss how your data compare or contrast with previous results

                     f.       Conclusion: Include major findings followed by brief discussion on future perspectives and/or application of present work to other disciplines. Don’t copy your abstract.

                    g.      Acknowledgement: Remember to thank all who assisted in preparing it.

                    h.      References: Check the styles (eg. APA; Chicago; MLA etc). The styles vary for different journals.

Writing a research paper needs to be taught and practiced, repeatedly, across curricula, throughout secondary school. This kind of extended critical essay is as much an exercise in thinking as writing. Excellent research papers do not spring unaided form the minds of adolescents or adults.The skills for producing such work need to be taught, learned and practiced. 

Regards,

Ajit P.

[Dr. Dimple]

Thank you very much for wonderful sharing information.
I am following this pattern for writing although i am writing my second research paper. I want some guideline about data analysis.
Can you guide how data analysis can be done in excell or SPSS

Awaiting for reply

[Ajit P]

Dear Ms. Dimple,

 Pl check the spss weblinks for the training session

1. http://mkuniversity.org/direct/downloads/notification/economics_adv...

2. http://www.itmuniversity.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/SPSS.pdf

3. http://www.riemysore.ac.in/images/latest-News/spss.pdf

4. http://www.iitr.ac.in/departments/DM/news/2015/workshop%20brochure(17032015).pdf

Guiding over the web wont be that much feasible.

regards,

Ajit P. 

[Dr. Dimple]

Thank you sir for you guidance. I am from Gujarat, so it's not possible for me to attain seminars in provided link.

[Ajit P]

Youtube videos on spss software on "HOW TO START" will work out for you.

link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADDR3_Ng5CA

[Munesh Kumar]

IIM, Ahmadabad organize workshops on the writing skills in Gujarat reign. If you could travel till New Delhi, you may attend similar, frequent programme at JNU.  

[SUPRIYA SINGH]

Sir I am not a research scholar but I want to publish my research articles. Please brief me about this.

[Munesh Kumar]

Dear Ms. Singh

In order to write research article. I would like to suggest you to choose an area in which you feel comfortable, confident and updated. Read journals of Library Science, understand the themes published in journals and start analysis why it is published? Read articles, make understanding and try to attend  conference for getting idea. Start critical review of available resources and start compiling them from article point of view (and read this post/forum of Ajit Sir).

Thanks...

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Sri Ajit P.

Thanks for your post 

As I personally feel, writing a research paper or more generally, the ability to write is a particular trait and some are bestowed with this skill while some acquire it.

I have gone through your post and may I add that a point called materials & methods (meaning methodology) which you have mentioned in the Results & Discussions part in your post needs a brief discussion.

The last paragraph of your post is quite just and true. A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to talk with some M.Phil students of two leading Universities who came to use our library resources in relation to their dissertation work and I was shocked to see that they do not have the basic knowledge of how to search the databases, identify the references & collect and collate data. (I must mention here that I am really happy to see Ms. Dimple's post here as at least she knows that there are certain Softwares for data analysis and it is quite natural for any individual to ask questions to get his/her doubts clarified) . I learnt from them that they have not been taught about those issues by their guides. I asked them to request their guides to accompany them at least for a single day or a part to teach them how to do such exercises but in vain. Just last week I was invited to deliver a talk in a National Seminar on use of Libraries by Researchers and during the question session I noticed that many of the students needed several clarifications  and I tried to explain them during the limited period and after the session, I had to face many many more questions  some were quite simple and some were really complex and I understood that they were real life questions the researchers faced during their research. In our time we used to have the weekly Current Comments by Eugene Garfield  in the Hard copies of Current Contents, we had books like How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper by Robert Day, Nick Moore's Book on How to do Research, Library Association's publication on Use of Information Resources for Theses & Dissertations, Barbara Gastel's book On Presenting Science to the Public to name a few and they were like The Ramayana & The Mahabharatha both for the Researchers & Librarians in the Research Institutes. Unfortunately, as I go for interview as an interviewer, I hardly find my young co-professionals are knowledgeable about such books even of these days. I am pretty sure many more books have been published on these issues by now and as I know there are some international Publishers who regularly publish such books which are very reasonably priced in Indian currency!!

i hope your post will attract attention of a huge number of the members and they will be enriched through your post.

Thank You once again.

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

[Dr. Dimple]

Siddhartha sir, at the time of our course work of Phd. we ask to teach us SPSS but we are not getting any co-operation. Mail hardship in Phd i found is that, you are taking one of the highest degree but u don't have anyone to teach. somethings are difficult without proper guidance.
There must be provision to teach proper data analysis to scholars from their respective university.

[Munesh Kumar]

Thanks everyone to lead this discussion more purposeful.

Research is not a small task that you alone can do in current environment. Lots of tools and techniques are available which helps you to make your work effective and easy. SPSS and Excell are very much popular tools for handling the data for various purposes. 

Being a human and professional we should help to needy if they are in need. Judging the quality of a student/professional is really not good; until they told to do so else you are going to give them option of job/designation/and salary etc. It is really difficult to know, what student get after completion of degree and course. It is not only the mistake of a faculty member alone neither it is denied that he/she is right. We are having responsibilities being student, teacher, co-teacher, professional etc. to bridge the gap of knowledge if it is. We give the example of ‘the Gita’ and ‘the Mahabharata’ but we don’t follow the ethics and principles of these two great sources of humanities.   

If you know please contribute, instead of criticizing about other’s role and responsibilities.

Note: It is just my personal view and Funda,(not any criticism) which I follow being a professional.  
 

Thanks...

 

[Ajit P]

Thanks all for posting your issues and recommendations. Hope we will get more updates by Sh. Siddharth Sir and dear Muneesh.. I really appreciate the points updated by both.

Thanks All once again to be a part of my post.

regards,

Ajit P

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Sri Ajit P.

Thanks for your comments; You are right.

I think I should clarify my points. 

There is no denying that the style of writing often plays great role in acceptance & rejection of papers. I have witnessed this in several occasions. In my previous institute one of the Scientists (who later became a Bhatnagar Scientist) possessed excellent writing skills!! I often used to get my proposed paper checked by him before submission. And he often used to make subtle modifications, rewrote a sentence,  re-framed certain sentences like deleting some sentences in the say, 17th line (in objective part)and adding them on 49th. line (in discussion part), and clubbing some sentences together in a particular sequence in methodology sections, modifying some words in the concluding part and I often astonished to see that by such modifications, the very essence of entire article used to change dramatically!! Little by little, I tried to gather conception of the art of writing.This is, as I believe, sort of mentoring an inexpert me!! That is why I have mentioned in the very onset of my previous post that this art is inherent and some are bestowed with it (like my ex colleague) 

Teachers and Research Guides, as I personally believe, have the duty to guide their unskilled pupils by teaching them how to handle references, how to prepare the introduction part, how to write the concluding paragraph, how to sequentially arrange the methodologies etc. If my feelings appears to be accusation, I must feel sorry but well, I don't mind.

If I see a little boy trying to cross the roads full with traffic, I believe it IS MY DUTY to hold his hand and safely cross him over the other side of the road. If I ignore/fail to do this I shall certainly accuse myself!! students and research scholars are teachers & research guides of future, if they are not nurtured to be matured in their academic/research fields , how they will be able to guide their students in the years to come.

Coming to the context of US, the Library professionals; it is a bare fact that  with the advent of e-resources, the close interaction between users and library professionals have significantly diminished. Today's generation are extremely techno-savvy but one should be there physically to introduce the tit-bits of searching the databases. And more importantly one must introduce the resources to them and explain the better ways to extract the  essential materials to make their writings richer & more informative.It is often observed that the users do not know which resource they are supposed to browse for a specific information. The older roles of Librarians do not hold good anymore as the users' approaches have changed dramatically and in the changed scenario, the library professionals have become more restrained. Delivering lectures to a group of new students as part of Library orientation programme has become outdated in many libraries, often the users are asked to consult the library portals but that often do not match manual interactions.

I again repeat that writing articles is a specific trait and those of us who are not bestowed with this particular attribute, must adopt it gradually in course of our work and there should be some people, teachers, research guides or knowledge professionals to introduce them to the new world of information resources.

Thank You,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta