Lesson 4: Parts of a research paper, with focus on CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM

AND ITS SETTING

Parts of a research paper

Parts of a research paper

Flyleaf
TITLE PAGE
Front matter

DEDICATION (optional)
APPROVAL SHEET
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
CHAPTERS
1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Background of the study
Conceptual framework
Statement of the problem
Statement of the hypotheses/assumptions
Scope and delimitation of the study
Significance of the study
Definition of terms
Body/text

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Participants
Research design
Sampling procedure
Research instruments and data-collection techniques
Data analysis
4 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Conclusions
Recommendations
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
Back matter

A. Letter asking permission to conduct the study

B. Letter to the participant
C. Survey questionnaire
D. List of participants with addresses
E. Graphs
CURRRICULUM VITAE (optional)
Flyleaf

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CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Choosing a specific topic and writing a RESEARCH TITLE

Range of topics Area of inquiry

– a number of topics of the same general kind – a particular aspect that has to be investigated
– a variety of topics
Examples: Examples:
modules, modular education, modular distance attitudes of selected Grade 12 students toward
learning (MDL) modular distance learning (MDL)
These sample topics are NOT specific topics. They
still need to be narrowed down.
Note: To narrow down your research topic,
identify & define its main elements. For example,
you want to research on “attitudes,” but it is a
broad topic. To narrow it down, ask yourself,
“What particular ‘attitudes’ would you like to
research on?” It will be specific if you research
on the “attitudes of selected Grade 12 students
toward modular distance learning (MDL).”
anxiety, depression, stress ways to cope with depression as followed by
These sample topics are also broad topics. They selected teenagers
still have to be made specific (clear & exact).

These are the criteria for choosing a specific research topic adapted from those given by Dr. Domingo
B. Nuñez and Dr. Leticia S. Navarro in their book Action research for teachers, social workers and
practitioners published in 2015:
Criteria for choosing a specific research topic
1. Personal knowledge & capability concerning What is your level of knowledge about the topic?
the topic ➢ Are you familiar with the topic or knowledgeable
about it? How much of the topic do you know?
➢ Do you have experience in the use/application of
such knowledge? To what extent have you
used/applied that knowledge
2. Personal interest in the topic How much interest do you have in the topic?
➢ What is your level of motivation to work on the
problem? How much interest do you have in
addressing the problem?
➢ What is your level of willingness to contribute
something about the topic? To what extent are you
willing to contribute something about the topic?
3. Available resources What resources are available to enable you to pursue
the study?
➢ How much manpower support (specifically,
assistance provided by the members of the
research team) do you have to do the research?
➢ Do you know the sources of the data needed and
the procedures to collect them?
➢ How many man-hours (total number of hours
worked over a specific period of time) are
involved? How much time does the research need
to reach completion?
➢ Are logistic resources (materials for detailed
planning & implementation), hardware (computer
machinery & equipment) and software (computer
instructions, data, or programs) materials
available for you to use?

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4. Significance of the topic How important is the topic to address the problem?
➢ How urgent is the need to address the problem?
➢ How intense and pervasive (widespread) is the
problem? Who are affected by the problem? What
is the level of seriousness of the problem?
➢ How much damage/harm can the problem do if
NOT attended to in due time?

Types of research title Examples

concise title – usually includes the main focus ATTITUDES OF SELECTED GRADE 12 STUDENTS
(specific topic) of the study & the participants TOWARD MODULAR LEARNING
– a contemporary type of research title POSITIVE WAYS TO COPE WITH DEPRESSION
AS FOLLOWED BY SELECTED TEENAGERS
Note: American Psychological Association (APA)
suggests that a title be a concise statement of the
main topic.
For your research, however, you have to write the
concise title in a modified way. Adopting this
modified way of writing, be sure that such a
concise title
✓ is in all CAPITALS, boldfaced (in darker
print), & preferably in inverted triangle form
✓ has lines that do NOT end with prepositions
(e.g., OF, FOR, FROM, TO, TOWARD, ON, IN,
AT, INTO, THROUGH, BY, WITH, DURING,
etc.), conjunctions (e.g., AND, AS, etc.),
articles (e.g., A, AN), & adjectives (e.g.,
SELECTED) & do NOT include names of
institutions & locations (e.g., MOUNT
CARMEL COLLEGE OF BALER) (depending
on the situation) & dates (e.g., S.Y. 2020–2021,
C.Y. 2020)
complete title – usually includes the main focus ATTITUDES OF SELECTED GRADE 12 STUDENTS
(specific topic) of the study, the participants, the OF MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE OF BALER
research setting, and the time period of the study (MCCB) TOWARD MODULAR DISTANCE
LEARNING (MDL) DURING THE FIRST QUARTER
– a conventional type of research title OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 2020–2021
POSITIVE WAYS TO COPE WITH DEPRESSION
AS FOLLOWED BY SELECTED TEENAGERS
IN BRGY. 04 (POBLACION), BALER, AURORA
DURING THE LAST QUARTER
OF THE CALENDAR YEAR 2020

General standards in writing the RESEARCH TITLE

1. The title must be concise & must contain ONLY the words enough to hint the research content.
➢ The title must summarize the main topic of your paper. It must tell the total nature of the subject.
➢ Preferably, the title must have a length of 12 words or fewer. It must contain the fewest possible
words that adequately describe the research content & purpose. APA (7th edition) citation guide,
however, states that “while there is NO word limit for titles, ‘short but sweet’ is the goal.
➢ The title must exclude the following words/phrases:
✖ AN ANALYSIS OF
✖ AN ASSESSMENT OF
✖ AN INQUIRY ON
✖ AN INVESTIGATION OF
✖ A STUDY OF
✖ IMPLICATIONS OF
2. The title must be attractive & interesting enough to catch the readers’ attention.
3. The title must be stated in declarative form & NOT in interrogative (question) form.
4. If the title exceeds one line, it must be stated in V form (inverted triangle form). Preferably, NO title
must be written in excess of three lines regardless of the word count.

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Describing the Background of the study

Background of the study – the “key to unlock a research topic”

– establishes the context of your research study
– explains why the research topic is essential to the understanding of the main aspects of your research
study
– gives an overview of your research study
– provides general information on the topic of your research study & emphasizes the main aims of the
study
Pointers on describing the Background of the study
1. Concisely outline the historical development in the literature that has led to your research topic.
2. Briefly highlight the main development of your research topic & identify the main gaps/missing links
that need to be addressed.
3. Briefly discuss your findings about related studies in a chronological manner to accentuate the missing
points that need to be addressed.
✓ Ensure that you discuss ONLY the main and relevant aspects of the studies that have led to your
aims.
✖ Do NOT elaborate on such aspects of related studies because the elaboration must be done in the
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE (RRL)
4. Clarify your thesis statement (short, concise sentence summarizing the main point of your research
study).
5. Write your research background as a summary of your interpretation of previous studies & what your
research study proposes to accomplish.
✓ Keep the Background of the study as concise as possible by saving specific details for the body of
your research study.
✖ Do NOT bombard your reader with too much information, but do NOT deprive them of the relevant
information they need to know.
In the subject English for Academic and Professional Purposes, you have learned that academic writing,
including research writing, requires you to use formal language. Therefore, when you write the
Background of the study and most other sections/parts of your research paper,
✓ use the third-person pronouns & NOT the first-person pronouns (I, we, me, my, mine, our, ours) and
second-person pronouns (you, your, yours)
Take note, however, that in the Letter asking permission to conduct the study, Letter to the
participant, & statements in the Survey questionnaire, you are allowed to use the first-person &
second-person pronouns. Otherwise, those people with whom you need to communicate might keep
their distance from you ONLY when you use language that sounds formal & NOT quite friendly.
✓ avoid contractions, the shortened forms of words
For example, write is not (NOT isn’t), cannot (NOT can’t), will not (NOT won’t), among others.
✓ use gender-neutral language & NOT sexist language/gender-biased words
For example, write business owner (NOT businessman), workforce (NOT manpower), spokesperson
(NOT spokesman), among others.
✓ avoid emotive/sensational language, which can make your work sound subjective rather than objective
For example, write business owner (NOT businessman), workforce (NOT manpower), spokesperson
(NOT spokesman), among others.
✓ exercise care in using modality, words indicating the degrees/levels of certainty about statements,
claims, or arguments presented
For example, high-modality words, such as must, ought to, has to, & have to, are usually used for
proposing a certain course of action. Examples of medium-modality words are will, should, can, &
need to. Examples of low-modality words are would, could, may, & might.

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Presenting the Conceptual framework of the study

Conceptual framework of the study (often called research paradigm) – the “backbone of a research
study”
– an analytical tool that explains the main concepts to be studied or investigated in a research study
– a visual or graphical summary of an entire research study
– uses boxes & arrow(s) to show the relationship among the different variables of the study
– has a logical basis which is the literature review of the study
– uses concepts & NOT theories
Pointers on illustrating, explaining, & presenting the Conceptual framework of the study
1. Do a literature review to determine what research studies have already been conducted on your
research topic.
✓ Look for reliable sources such as scientific journals, books & scholarly articles.
2. Identify the particular variables explained in the literature & examine the relationship between them.
3. Construct your conceptual framework, be it in the form of a concept map, flowchart, or mind map.
✓ Show the flow of your research study & the relationship between the variables.
4. Write an explanation about the variables having bearing on your research study & the research
methodology.
Note: While conducting research, you are likely to find data that can disprove your hypothesis. In that
case, you can go back to your conceptual framework & make the necessary revisions on it.