Skip to main content

The Writing Techniques That May Enhance Your Research Paper Writing

When I write my research article I follow the following principles/guidelines and find amazing results

Image Source: Shutterstock


1.  Avoid Redundant Statements

Before writing a new sentence I think whether it has already been said before. Often the same message can be given / same thing can be told by using different group of words / sentences. For example, if I want to include the definition of a concept at a certain point in writing, I normally include one broad and one more detailed definition of the concept. It is mentionable that different level of details and group of words can be used to define the same thing. I refrain from adding a third sentence that will define the same concept / term again. 

I take a similar approach when I revise my draft. I ask whether a sentence is redundant and can be deleted or merged with other sentences to keep my writing concise. The goal is telling more with less.    

2. Organize Writing into Paragraphs

When I write a section/chapter of the article I organize it into a number of paragraphs. I try to dedicate a paragraph to one or two themes/messages. When I want to write on a different aspect of the topic/ theme I switch to a new paragraph if the previous paragraph is sufficiently large (maybe 3 to 5 sentences). 

If you write many things in the same paragraph, It will be very difficult for readers to organize their understanding in their brain. On the other hand when you keep space between different themes/aspects of a topic it will be easy for the brain to catch.

3. Follow Guidelines on What to be Included in Different Sections/Chapters of the Article

I also keep in mind and strictly follow the guidelines on what to include in different sections of the article or any other piece of writing. Each section / part of the writing has a specific purpose. It is a must to know the purposes that will be served by the section you are writing? 

For example, in the introduction chapter/section my purpose is to  briefly introduce/describe the research gap, identify my research questions, highlight my unique contributions to the literature through the work (research paper or any other writing). Before going to these things I normally start with a background discussion that result in the research gap followed by my research questions. At last I may also include summary results of the study and their theoretical and practical implications. I also include a description about how the remaining portion of the work is organized in different sections and their sequence.

Good writing (academic or other) requires skills and expertise. To develop expertise in writing research papers I think the following strategies may be helpful:

1. Read a lot of good quality research papers/book chapter/ others (whatever you want to build expertise on). It helps understand how  good research papers look like i.e. are written and organized.

2. Write more and more. Expertise on writing develops gradually when people engage in writing tasks. People learn  different things from each writing project through reading related literature and seeking for strategies / techniques / tools to improve their own output.

My most recent article titled "Factors of audit committee independence: An empirical study from an emerging economy" coauthored with Mohammad Rajon Meah bears a testimony to these techniques. To view the article click here. 


Md. Hossain Ali

hossainais19@gmail.com

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Language Movement: A summary of its Significance for Bangladesh

The Language Movement The language movement is a very significant event in the history of Bangladesh. It is actually a series of events regarding the issue of what would be the status of Bangla/Bengali language in the newly formed Pakistan in 1947. How language movement paved the way to the independence of Bangladesh? The movement played a great role in subsequent independence of Bangladesh in 1971 in a number of ways. First, The language issue had huge economic implications for Bengalis ( See the related article on BBC Bangla ). If only Urdu was made the national language of Pakistan, the Bengalis of East Pakistan would lag behind in terms of government jobs in different sectors including defense forces. The Bengali Muslims supported the cause of Pakistan for their economic freedom and development. The insistence of Urdu by the rulers disappointed the Bengali people from the very outset. The culturally oppressive decision by the central government led to form and strengthen the langua...
Post a Comment
Read more

সুখের রহস্য উন্মোচনঃ হার্ভার্ড বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের দীর্ঘতম গবেষণা প্রকল্পের গল্প

জীবনে সুস্বাস্থ্য ও সুখ কিসের উপর নির্ভর করে? অথবা ভবিষ্যতে সর্বোচ্চ সুখী হতে হলে কি কি বিষয়ে সময় ও শ্রম দিতে হবে? এ প্রশ্নের উত্তর জানা খুব কঠিন। কারণ তাহলে কিছু সংখ্যক মানুষকে তাদের জীবনের শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত  স্টাডি করতে হবে বা অবজারভেশনে রাখতে হবে। বিভিন্ন পর্যায়ে তার সিদ্ধান্ত গ্রহণ, কাজকর্ম , শারীরিক ও মানসিক অবস্থা, পারিবারিক ও বৈবাহিক অবস্থা ইত্যাদি সম্পর্কে তথ্য সংগ্রহ ও বিশ্লেষণ করে তার সুখ-দুঃখ, সুস্বাস্থ্য বা খারাপ স্বাস্থ্য ইত্যাদির সত্যিকার কারণ বের করা যাবে। তবে এই ধরণের গবেষণা খুবই দুর্লভ। হয়ত রিসার্চ ফান্ডিং থাকে না, গবেষকদের মৃত্যু হয়ে যায়, অথবা তাদের লক্ষ্যে পরিবর্তন আসে। তা না করে যদি অতীত সম্পর্কে জিজ্ঞাসা করা হয় তাহলে গবেষণার নির্ভরযোগ্যতা কমে যাবে।  কেননা মানুষ অতীতকে পরিপূর্ণভাবে বা সম্পূর্ণভাবে মনে রাখতে পারে না। বরং তার বর্ণনায় এমন কিছু যোগ হবে যেগুলো ঘটেনি। অথবা থাকবে কিছু বিয়োজন। মোটকথা মানুষের অতীতের বর্ণনা হবে পরিবর্তিত বা মডিফাইড।  তাই কষ্টকর  ও ব্য্যবহুল হলেও প্রথম পদ্ধতিই বেছে নিয়েছেন হার্ভার্ডের একটি গবেষক দল। প্রায় ৭৫ বছর ধরে তার...
2 comments
Read more

Extracting Text from images in Photos App (Google)

Steps in using Photos app to extract text from images using Google Photos App. 1. Have an image having text in your Gallery/Photos (Google) App (through capturing by camera, downloading from different websites, taking screenshots). 2. Open Photos App. Open the image by going to Photos option or Library option. 3. Click on the pop up box titled " Copy text from image" or click on the Lens button. The text will be identified.  4. Select the full/required text by clicking on the select all option or manually selecting required partial text.  5. Copy the selected text and paste somewhere else (Facebook, Messenger, notes etc.) after checking accuracy (which may vary for some reasons). You may require some editing before final use of the text. You must have internet connection to avail this feature. This feature also help find similar images in the internet.  
Post a Comment
Read more