Category: Academic Writing

In 13^th January, 2019, Paramadina University in collaboration with Research Synergy held a one day workshop entitled “Scientific Paper-Writing Workshop” at Paramadina University, Jakarta to help improve the academic writing skills of lecturers and researchers in Paramadina University. This workshop also intended as the preparation of paper submission for International Conference on Anti-Corruption and Integrity (ICOACI) Conference. ICOACI will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 2019. The conference proceedings of ICOACI 2019 will be submitted for inclusion to Scopus for possible indexing.

Mr. Sumaryo Suryokusumo as the representative of Paramadina University delivered the Opening Remarks to welcome all the participants in the workshop. More than 20 faculty members, lecturers, young researchers from Universitas Paramadina, participated in the workshop. Dr. Hendrati Mulyaningsih, as the Founder of Research Synergy Foundation, and Mr. Febrialdy Hendratawan as the Operation Team were the workshop facilitators. Dr. Hendrati then introduced the step-by-step formula to write a coherent and informative research paper. In addition, all the workshop facilitators also reminded all the participants about the clarity and readability of their research paper to facilitate the possibility of passing the review from the Editor. All the participants found the workshop useful as it increased their knowledge and capacity to improve their research paper. This workshop will continue the second session in the next month. The second session will be led by Publication Department of Research Synergy Foundation to check the papers for plagiarism, grammar, and paper formatting using RSF professional tools before starting the submission process in the conference website. All the participants in the 2^nd Workshop will be requested to bring the draft of their final paper to be reviewed and discussed with the workshop facilitators.

A research paper is basically a type of academic writing that should have theoretical and significant data that has gone through proper in-depth research. When you write about scientific topics to specialists in a particular scientific field, we call that scientific writing. Scientific papers typically have two audiences: first, the referees, who help the journal editor decide whether a paper is suitable for publication; and second, the journal readers themselves, who may be more or less knowledgeable about the topic addressed in the paper.

The first thing you will need to do when you start writing your research paper is to select your research topic. Choosing a topic that interest you much might give a motivation to do an effective research. When choosing the topic and relevant information, have a look at the date. It is recommended to use the most up-to-date and reliable sources: please do not select sources that are older than five years. Good scientific research begins with an original idea that is put into practice by means of a robust methodology. Before starting to write, you should ensure all the necessary information, for example all data, references and any draft of tables or figures, are at hand.

After your in-depth research, write an outline of your research. A research paper is typically composed of a number of sections:

1. Cover page
2. Title page – this page is containing the subject of work, the researcher`s data and date of writing;
3. Abstract; summary of paper: The main reason for the study, the primary results, the main conclusions
4. Introduction – here you can point out the reasons why you have started to write your paper and represent thesis as well;
5. Body paragraphs (experiment description and methods) – reveals the essence of work;
6. Findings (a.k.a. Results or what was found)
7. Discussion; why these results could be significant (what the reasons might be for the patterns found or not found)
8. Conclusion – imply the interpretation of results received during the research and the brief review of the whole work;
9. Bibliography/reference list – means the listing of referenced literature and other information sources;
10. Appendix (if any attachments were present).

Once your first draft feels right, with all the vital information and sources put in, you can proceed to editing and writing out your final paper. Often a manuscript has more than one author and thus the writing may be shared. However, the style needs to be consistent throughout so even if sections of the early drafts are written by different authors, the first author must go through the entire manuscript before submitting, and make any necessary editorial changes.

Successful publication of research brings attention to scholars and their institutions. Scholars in every countries are being pushed to write more. Every university is unique and all have something different to offer their post-graduate and PhD students, but they all have one thing in common– PUBLISH OR PERISH! This phrase initially coined by Coolidge in 1932 is now becoming a harsh reality. Competition for academic positions is fierce, and publishing is used to select those students who stand out and separate them from the rest. Because the publishing process is highly competitive, and to publish in a high quality journal requires you to compete against researchers who are much more experienced than you, being able to publish shows that you actually know what you are doing and that you have the potential of advancing your field. Thus the strongest and best are selected.

What motivates authors to go through the writing process, and then the peer review process, in order to publish their work? According to Chris A. Mack, there are two kinds of motivations, altruism and self-interest, and most authors have some combination of the two.

Altruism

Peer-reviewed science publications are the predominant method today for disseminating and archiving scientific advances (books, conference presentations, and university teaching are other common ways). Science grows and advances through a communal collection of knowledge that is constantly being challenged, revised, and expanded. Most scientists have a strong desire to contribute to the advancement of their field, which is often their primary reason for becoming a scientist. Publication is usually the most straightforward way to make such a contribution, and it is thus highly motivating (and satisfying) to most scientists.

Self-Interest

Self-Interest Publishing can also bring tangible benefits to an author, thus providing a self-interested motivation for writing and publishing a paper. Publishing may be required for career advancement and is frequently accompanied by direct or indirect monetary rewards. The familiar “publish or perish” paradigm in academia adds a proverbial stick to the carrot of career advancement. But even without these obvious professional motivations, almost all human beings crave recognition for their efforts.

After all of the hard work that goes into performing successful research, the final crucial step is choosing the right journal in which to publish. Publication in journals also benefits the careers of those who publish, even technical specialists who publish infrequently. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is the obvious goal of most research projects. It is through publication that Researchers have an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas with the rest of the scientific community which may prove invaluable in improving the existing and prospective knowledge base in a particular field. Some journals are published weekly, some monthly and some at other regular intervals.

So, Good Luck for your Research!

Source: Chris A. Mack, “How to Write a Good Scientific Paper?” Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Washington (2018).