WRITING PROCESS 2 : THE

LECTURE 5 FRAMEWORK – DRAFTING

THE RESEARCH PLAN &
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
 In order to write a paper of a very
high academic and ethical standard,
FOUN1014 teams should design
FOCUS detailed plans (blueprints) and apply
STATEMENT
the principles that govern scientific
writing.
  Designing a plan is fundamental to the
writing of scientific research
SCIENTIFIC papers.
RESEARCH  If you have a research paper plan ready
PAPER before writing, you will be able to
(SRP) PLAN effectively organize and present all the
PLAN information and ideas you collected
during your research.
 A research paper plan will also help you
write in a clear, organized manner
without missing anything.
For FOUN1014, your research paper
plan should have different sections.
 Introduction- end with thesis statement
Discussion- should be outlined in three sections
SECTIONS
based on the main ideas you will develop in your
OF YOUR
SCIENTIFIC paper:
RESEARCH I. First Main Idea
PAPER
II. Second Main Idea
(SRP) PLAN
III. Third Main Idea
Conclusion: (Include this section in your
plan but do not provide an outline of it.
You will not be able to write an informed
conclusion until you have written your
paper.)
 INTRODUCTION

When entering a gate of a magnificent city we can make a

prediction about the splendor, pomposity, history, and
civilization we will encounter in the city. Occasionally, gates
do not give even a glimpse of the city, and it can mislead the
visitors about inner sections of the city.

An introduction to a scientific research paper is like a gate of

a city. It is a presentation which aims at introducing itself to
the readers, and attracting their attention (Armağan, 2013).
  identify your topic
 provide essential context
A GOOD  indicate your particular focus in
INTRODUCTION the paper
SHOULD:
 engage your readers’ interest
(Freedman & Plotnick, n. d.).
 The introduction:
 leads the reader from a general
research issue or problem to your
specific area of research;
 puts your research question in
context;
 establishes the significance of the
INTRODUCTION
research;
PURPOSE  is usually done by summarizing
current understanding (research to
date); and,
 provides background information
about your team’s topic
  Find startling statistics that illustrate the
seriousness of the problem you will address.
 Integrate summaries and paraphrases from
experts (be sure to acknowledge them).
 Mention ideas that will help you to create a build
up to your topic.
 Give some background information necessary
for the audience to understand your
paper
DO  Explain key scientific concepts and refer to
relevant and credible literature.
 Define terms that are possibly unfamiliar to your
audience but are central to your audience’s
understanding of your paper

End with the thesis statement

  Provide dictionary definitions,
especially of words your audience
already knows.

 Repeat the assignment

specifications using the wording
DON’T that is in the instructions.

 Give details and in-depth

explanations that really belong in
your body paragraphs.
 Narrowed topic: The effects of excessive use of smart
telephones on adolescents’ sleep health

Anderson and Jlang (2018) reported that 95% of

adolescents in the world own or have ease of access to smart
phones. Growing up in this digital age, these adolescents spend an
appreciable amount of their time manipulating a variety of
applications on the screen, hence they are referred to as
screenagers (Robb, 2017). The ease of access that these
screenagers have to smart phones coupled with their
overindulgence in their use has created numerous health problems
SAMPLE SRP including telephone addiction, depression and poor sleep health.
PLAN: For example, a study conducted in America reported that although
adolescents require 8.5–10 hours of sleep per night to function
EXAMPLE OF normally, many were sleeping fewer than 6.5 hours and that
INTRODUCTION excessive use of smart telephones was identified as a significant
contributor as it affects not only sleep quality, but also quantity
(Adams, Daly & Wiliford, 2013). This means that
overindulgence in the use of smart telephones can cause
ripple effects. Lack of sleep experienced by adolescents
caused by excessive use of smart phones results in
disruption of their circadian rhythm and by extension,
predisposes them to cognitive impairment and cardiac
illnesses.
 DISCUSSION
You should outline this section under sub-headings based on the main ideas you
will be developing in your paper

Main Idea I for the paper on “The effects of excessive use of smart telephones on
adolescents’ sleep health” outlined in the thesis statement is presented in
the following slides:

Main Idea I

Main Idea III Main Idea II

 Excessive use of smart telephones
and disruption of the circadian
rhythm
I. Lack of sleep experienced by
adolescents caused by excessive
use of smart telephones results in
disruption of their circadian rhythm.
SAMPLE SRP PLAN A. The circadian rhythm, the
sleep/wake cycle or body clock
is a natural, internal system
that regulates feelings of
sleepiness and wakefulness
over a 24-hour period
(Adams et al. 2013).
 B. It was discovered in a study that the blue
light on the screen of smart phones
suppressed melatonin for about twice as
long as the green light and shifted
circadian rhythms by twice as much (3
hours vs. 1.5 hours) (Harvard Medical
School, 2018)
C. This means that delayed secretion of
SAMPLE SRP PLAN melatonin is directly related to the
(CONT’D) irregular function of the circadian rhythm.

D. Therefore, prolonged use of smart phones

by adolescents especially at night sends
signals to their brains which keep them
awake and this is detrimental to their
health on a whole.
ETHICS Academic Integrity
AND
SCIENTIFIC
WRITING
IT IS SCIENTISTS’
ETHICAL
objective - statements and
RESPONSIBILITY ideas are supported by
TO ENSURE THAT
THEIR WRITING IS appropriate evidence that
OBJECTIVE.
demonstrates how
conclusions have been drawn
as well as acknowledging the
work others
The writing of original scientific ideas is a rigorous
cognitive process.
Elbow (1998) suggested that original writing calls on the
ability to create words and ideas out of yourself (p. 7).

D
E A
I S
.
 ORIGINALITY

Elbow really alluded to the fact that writing calls for

originality and not mere regurgitation and repetition
of other people’s ideas. The latter makes your writing:
B P
D R
O U O
R
I
L S
A
N L I
G C

MONOTONOUS UNINTERESTING
COMPOSING ORIGINAL ACADEMIC WRITING

Spatt (2007) stated that the main purpose of university writing is to help
students consolidate what they have learned and to expand their capacity
for constructive thinking and clear communication. Students’ writing
should:
As FOUN1014 students learn the art of scientific
writing, one way in which they are expected to expand
knowledge and stimulate constructive thinking is by
consulting credible sources. So your collaborative
scientific paper will keep you busy…
 SOURCE
A place, situation, reservoir or site from which information is accessed.

BANK
When you have completed the different stages of the reading and research
processes, you will be challenged to use the information you have gathered
from data banks to write a comprehensive and trustworthy collaborative
paper.

How do we put the ideas all together???

 DOCUMENTATION
This scientific research paper
requires you to:
write from sources
give credit to these sources
adhere to rules and conventions
which govern scientific writing
One of these conventions is the
complex system of documentation
that makes the acknowledgement of
sources clear and accurate.
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (N. D.)
SUGGESTED THE FOLLOWING:
 Academic integrity is a fundamental
value in an academic community
devoted to the "creation, preservation,
and dissemination of knowledge (Yale
College, 2015, para. 1).

ACADEMIC  Harris Leonhard (2002) suggested

INTEGRITY that academic honesty is an important
loop in academic circles. She further
maintains that it is imperative that
both students and professionals follow
the same standard in order to produce
acceptable writing.
On the contrary, Harris Leonhard (2002) states that
“academic dishonesty has serious consequences
ranging from a failing grade on [assignments] (or a
severe reprimand) to expulsion from school (or loss of
a job)” (p. 239).
Brooks, Kennedy, Moen and
Ranly (2008) are of the view that
people, including university
students, should develop
personal ethical values and
principles to guide their actions.
They propose three ethical
philosophies which can be used
as points of reference. They are
as follows:
 Deontological
ethics

Ethical
philosophies

Teleological
Situation ethics
ethics
Firstly, “Deontologists
believe that some actions are
always right and some are
always wrong and that there
exists in nature a fixed set of
principles or laws, from
which there should be no
deviation” (p.487).
Secondly, teleological ethics is the
ethics of final end. “According to this
philosophy, what makes an act
ethical is not the act itself but the
consequences of the act.
Teleologists believe that the end can
and often does justify the means…
From a teleological perspective
cheating may not always be wrong”
(p. 488).
Finally, situation ethics is
ethics of specific acts. When
asked whether the end
justifies the means, a person
subscribing to situation ethics
would reply, “It all depends”
(Brooks et al. p. 490).
 Based on what has been
said so far which ethical
WHAT IS YOUR
ETHICAL
philosophy do you embrace?
PHILOSOPHY ?

Would you prefer to be

a deontologist?
a teleologist?
a situationist?
When citing sources, it is necessary to inform
the reader about the authors and texts you
consulted when you gathered the information for
your collaborative paper.
Present information from your sources in:
Summaries
Paraphrases
Remember to write your
summaries and paraphrases so that
they convey the exact message that
was presented in the original
source.

No distortion - this will affect the

credibility of your writing
Avoid the “string” of pearls
effect. This string of pearls
effect occurs when a writer
strings together one
quotation after another
showing no original thought,
analysis or clear purpose
(McCuen & Winkler, 2001).
 This means that the act of

and

is not an ethical option.

 USE TURNITIN AS YOUR HELPMATE

Check the similarity index when you submit the first draft of
your paper to Turnitin.

If you are concerned about the similarity index, or if you do

not understand it, discuss it with your tutor.
Prepare an accurate list
of references using the 6th
edition of the APA
documentation style
 It is essential that FOUN1014
students create a blueprint (plan)
FINAL
THOUGHT for their scientific research paper,
and in doing this, adhere to the
ethical guidelines which guide
academic writing so that in the
final analysis, they will produce
well organized, logical and
credible work.
 REFERENCES
Armağan, A. (2013). How to write an introduction section of a scientific article? Turkish Journal of
Urology, 39(1), 8-9.doi: 10.5152/tud.2013.046
Brooks, B., Kennedy, G., & Moen, D. , Ranly, D.(2008). New reporting and writing. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin

Dettmer, B. (2009). The intermediate objective map and the evaporating cloud. Retrieved from
http://www.goalsys.com.
Freedman, L. & Plotnick, J. (n. d.). Introductions and conclusions. Retrieved from http://advice.writing.
utoronto.ca/planning/intros-and-conclusions/
Harris Leonhard, B. (2002) Discoveries in academic writing. Oxford: Heinle & Heinle.

McCuen, J. & Winkler, C. (2001). From idea to essay. New York: Longman
Spatt, B. (2007). Writing from sources. New York: Bedford/St. Martin.
University of British Columbia. (n. d.). Academic integrity. Retrieved from https://learningcommons.
ubc.ca/academic-integrity/

Yale College. (2015). Academic honesty. Retrieved http://yalecollege.yale.edu/new-students/class-

2018/academic-information/intro-undergrad-education/academic-honesty