Writing the Research Paper

BY:DR. AWATIF ALAM

Associate Professor

Approved Format of research paper include:-

Summary Introduction (including literature review and

objectives) Materials and Methods Results Discussion/Conclusions Bibliography Appendices

Summary A difficult part of the paper . should be written after the rest of paper has

been completed. The summary is also known as an abstract. It should summarize the content of the paper

in 150-220 words. It includes what was done; why it was done;

how it was done; and what was learned. It should be simple, clear and interesting so

that the reader will be encouraged to read the paper in full.

Introduction

Should be short and relevant. Copying all information from text books

is a serious mistake. The copied part should be indicated, and

proper credit be given to the author. Copying should be kept to a minimum

and must only be done if the particular quote is essential to the paper.

A good introduction includes the following:

A few sentences telling the reader why the research is important for Saudi Arabia.

“Rationale/ justification”

A Literature Review : “ Summary of relevant past research “.

The objective (s) of the research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is the most critical part of the paper, It explains how the study was carried out. It has to be clear enough and contain enough

information for the reader to be able to repeat the study.

It thus needs to state:- Where and when the data were collected. What data were collected. Who were included in the study, “case

definition”. Inclusion / exclusion criteria. Sampling technique , size. Measurements used / lab. Standards, etc.

(If a questionnaire was used this should be attached as an appendix in the research paper but not in an article).

Any difficulties encountered which prevented you from collecting some data.

If used, the statistical tests that were used to analyze the data should included, e.g. the Student’s test, the chi-squared test …. etc.

RESULTS:

In this part ,only facts are stated.

The raw data should be organized and summarized in tables and charts.

If the variable has only two or three possible values e.g. sex, nationality, then the results can be given in the text and not as a table or chart.

Do not repeat in words what you have summarized in tables and graphs apart from an explanation to point out to the reader interesting aspects of the data which should not be missed.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:

There are two important rules : - It should only be long enough to explain

the broad picture of the work; and

- It should be in three parts presented as a short essay. These include:

- Interpretation; - Comparison (s);

- Implication (s).

Interpretation : Explain what was learned and try to fit the information into

some interesting picture for the whole research. Explain what the data suggest or imply e.g. about mumps cases at the Fever Hospital – are the cases men, women, children? Are the cases city dwellers or are they Bedouins? Then give the reader personal ideas as to why such a disease pattern exists.

Comparison with other studies : How does this research fit in the general body of previous knowledge on the subject? Do the data presented have some interesting features not found in other studies on the same subjects?

Implications of Findings : What are the implications of this research? What should be

done in Saudi Arabia to improve the situation studied in this research? Here some philosophy, some opinions, and some theory can be used and some suggested avenues for further research can be offered.

Concluding the Paper: End the paper with the main conclusion (s)

drawn from the data. There are three possibilities:

1-The findings of the paper agree with what has already been reported and learned on the subject ,therefore the disease problem is the same in Saudi Arabia as elsewhere.

Concluding the Paper:

2-The findings support a suspected hypothesis and therefore strengthen the case for one or the other already proposed ideas;

Concluding the Paper:

3-The findings are new and have not been reported before

(this is sometimes the case for Saudi Arabia, where disease patterns may exist and differ from other countries). Sometimes a combined conclusion is relevant e.g. that the findings support known facts, but also the situation in Saudi Arabia differs (is new) in some respects.

BIBLIOGRAPHY :

Each paper must have a minimum of ten (10) references, of which eight must be from periodicals. Of course, the trainee is encouraged to have as extensive a bibliography as is relevant to the paper. There is a standard method (called the Vancouver method) used for presenting a list of references.

Format for complete reference from a book:

Author’s surname and initials. Title of the book (Capitalize all

main words). Edition. Place of publication. Name of publisher. Year of publication, in brackets. Volume, if more than one has been

published. Page (s).

Format for complete reference from a periodical:

Author’s surname and initials. Year (in brackets) Title of the article (capitalize only initial word and

proper nouns in English). Name of the periodical, abbreviated according to

the form given in the Cumulative Index Medicus or written correctly in full.

Volume No. Pages (inclusive, not just first page) e.g. 52-61. Month and day of the month if the periodical is

published more often than once a month. (Optional).

REFERENCES :

Example: Calnan, J and Bartas, A., “Writing

Medical Papers: a Practical Guide” Heinemann Medical Books Limited, U.K. – (1973), p 26.

Weinerman ER. (1978): “Multiphasic screening of longshoremen with organized medical follow-up”. Amer J Public Health 42: 1552-1567.

REFERENCES :

Whenever a book or paper is referred to in your text, the number you have given to that reference in the bibliography is put, in brackets, immediately after the reference. e.g. “These results are in agreement with those of Dodd’s study on a population of 7 years old in Tanzania (3)”. Here the reference number 3 in the bibliography will give the information about Dodd’s paper to which you have referred.

There should thus be no references used in the text without a reference number and details in the bibliography; nor should there be details of a reference in the bibliography which has not been referred to somewhere in the text of the paper.

Note: If the reference to which you are referring has three or more authors, in the text you can just state the first one followed by “et al” (meaning “and others” in Latin).

The reader can then find the full list of authors in your bibliography i.e. you must list all co-authors in the reference section.