Writing a Scientific Research Article
Writing a Scientific Research
Article
Scientific Research
Methodology
Language
• Academic language
• A poorly written article with
grammatical errors may not be
accepted
• The entire manuscript should flow
naturally between sentences,
paragraphs, and sections.
• Outline the entire paper to provide a
nice flow
Abstract
• 100 – 200 words (look up the guidelines)
– 4 – 5 sentences
•
•
•
•
•
Key words
1st sentence - Background, general question
2nd sentence – Research Question/Hypothesis
3rd sentence – Model and data
4th sentence – Results
– Find the general story of the results
• 5th sentence –
Conclusion/Implications/Recommendations
– Depending on the purpose of the article
Introduction/Background
• First 2 pages
– Global Statement: There is an important issue
addressed
– Specific Statement: Frame the issue
• Significance (Contribution)
– Why is the topic important and interesting?
• What do you how to achieve
• Short summary of existing literature
• Some mentioning of methods and maybe
hypotheses
Literature review
• Find a way to synthesize prior
knowledge
– Turn it into a story to support/inform
your own research
– Comprehensive yet targeted to your
study
• Contribution of your study
– What makes yours different from others?
Objectives
• Objectives
– What do you want to accomplish with
this study?
– Be specific and refined to narrow the
emphasis
• Hypotheses to test
– How you address the research question
– Significance of coefficient in a model
Theoretical Model/Considerations
• Theoretical framework (descriptive theory)
– Examples:
•
•
•
•
Principal-Agent theory
Asymmetric information
Utility/Risk Return
Risk Aversion
• Formulation of the model
– Constrained maximization
– Minimum problem
• Developments
– First Order Conditions
– Expected signs/relationships
Empirical Model
• Operationalize the theoretical model by
choosing specification, functional form,
variable measures, etc.
• Specify the empirical model
• Define variables for your study
– Justify their appropriateness
• Theoretically or
• Based on previous literature
– Provide expected relationship for each
variable
Data
• Description of data
– Type and source of data
• Secondary
• Primary
– Description of the sample
– Description of the variables
– Descriptive Statistics (table 1)
Method Types
•
•
•
•
Econometric
Simulation
Qualitative; Institutional
Case study
Methods
• Identify the statistical model(s) used and explain
it sufficiently
– Linkage with the statistical model
– Linkage with previous uses in the literature
• Indicate tests that need to be performed to get to
the final statistical model
• Specify all the steps taken in the modeling
process
• Make the explanation sufficient for replication
Results
• Restate the problem and model
• Report results from testing of assumptions (if
any)
• Provide main story
– Significance and key relationship from hypothesis test
– Significance and relationship of other variables
(demographics…)
• Compare and contrast
– With previous literature, Previous expectations,
Theory
– Were expectations matched? Why or Why not
Results (cont)
• Explain in words what was discovered in
the research.
• Clear, thorough, and in a logical sequence.
• Tell everything you know about the
results; don’t just report the coefficient
estimates and their significance.
• Interpretation of results may be included
in this section or another section.
Conclusion/Policy Implications
• Same structure as the abstract but with more
emphasis on the results (longer than the abstract)
• Provide specific recommendations based on the
finding for the study
– For whom is it useful?
• Provide Implications for policy, businesses, consumers,
etc. that are linked to the results.
– How do they vary from previous research?
• Do the findings support or contradict previous
research? Theories?
• How does the work move scientific knowledge forward
• Limitations (but don’t end with this)
References
• 100% correspondence between text
and reference list
• Give proper credit to those before you
• Plagiarism and copying are strictly
forbidden
• Give proper credit to those before you.
• Reference style will be specified by the
journal
Article
Scientific Research
Methodology
Language
• Academic language
• A poorly written article with
grammatical errors may not be
accepted
• The entire manuscript should flow
naturally between sentences,
paragraphs, and sections.
• Outline the entire paper to provide a
nice flow
Abstract
• 100 – 200 words (look up the guidelines)
– 4 – 5 sentences
•
•
•
•
•
Key words
1st sentence - Background, general question
2nd sentence – Research Question/Hypothesis
3rd sentence – Model and data
4th sentence – Results
– Find the general story of the results
• 5th sentence –
Conclusion/Implications/Recommendations
– Depending on the purpose of the article
Introduction/Background
• First 2 pages
– Global Statement: There is an important issue
addressed
– Specific Statement: Frame the issue
• Significance (Contribution)
– Why is the topic important and interesting?
• What do you how to achieve
• Short summary of existing literature
• Some mentioning of methods and maybe
hypotheses
Literature review
• Find a way to synthesize prior
knowledge
– Turn it into a story to support/inform
your own research
– Comprehensive yet targeted to your
study
• Contribution of your study
– What makes yours different from others?
Objectives
• Objectives
– What do you want to accomplish with
this study?
– Be specific and refined to narrow the
emphasis
• Hypotheses to test
– How you address the research question
– Significance of coefficient in a model
Theoretical Model/Considerations
• Theoretical framework (descriptive theory)
– Examples:
•
•
•
•
Principal-Agent theory
Asymmetric information
Utility/Risk Return
Risk Aversion
• Formulation of the model
– Constrained maximization
– Minimum problem
• Developments
– First Order Conditions
– Expected signs/relationships
Empirical Model
• Operationalize the theoretical model by
choosing specification, functional form,
variable measures, etc.
• Specify the empirical model
• Define variables for your study
– Justify their appropriateness
• Theoretically or
• Based on previous literature
– Provide expected relationship for each
variable
Data
• Description of data
– Type and source of data
• Secondary
• Primary
– Description of the sample
– Description of the variables
– Descriptive Statistics (table 1)
Method Types
•
•
•
•
Econometric
Simulation
Qualitative; Institutional
Case study
Methods
• Identify the statistical model(s) used and explain
it sufficiently
– Linkage with the statistical model
– Linkage with previous uses in the literature
• Indicate tests that need to be performed to get to
the final statistical model
• Specify all the steps taken in the modeling
process
• Make the explanation sufficient for replication
Results
• Restate the problem and model
• Report results from testing of assumptions (if
any)
• Provide main story
– Significance and key relationship from hypothesis test
– Significance and relationship of other variables
(demographics…)
• Compare and contrast
– With previous literature, Previous expectations,
Theory
– Were expectations matched? Why or Why not
Results (cont)
• Explain in words what was discovered in
the research.
• Clear, thorough, and in a logical sequence.
• Tell everything you know about the
results; don’t just report the coefficient
estimates and their significance.
• Interpretation of results may be included
in this section or another section.
Conclusion/Policy Implications
• Same structure as the abstract but with more
emphasis on the results (longer than the abstract)
• Provide specific recommendations based on the
finding for the study
– For whom is it useful?
• Provide Implications for policy, businesses, consumers,
etc. that are linked to the results.
– How do they vary from previous research?
• Do the findings support or contradict previous
research? Theories?
• How does the work move scientific knowledge forward
• Limitations (but don’t end with this)
References
• 100% correspondence between text
and reference list
• Give proper credit to those before you
• Plagiarism and copying are strictly
forbidden
• Give proper credit to those before you.
• Reference style will be specified by the
journal