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How to write a survey paper?

Method · July 2022

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18000.79362

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Osama Ali Ahmed Awan

King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok
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How to write a survey paper?

Prepared by:
Osama Ali Ahmed Awan

In supervision of:
Prof. Dr. Ali Sarosh

Prepared at:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Air University, E-9, Islamabad
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Select a broad topic

List down all journals related to that topic by taking help from HJRS

List down all possible keywords

Narrow down your research (like last ten years etc.)

Visit web pages of each journal and search all keywords

First pass reading (read title, keywords, etc.)

Second pass reading (title, abstract, last paragraph of Intro, conclusion)

Start making table consisting of problem, solution, category, citation

Categorize all the papers after finishing second pass reading

Select category for your survey paper. It is the foundation of your paper

Go for second pass reading again but this time with a revised purpose

Select best 10-15 papers which have most novel or important content

Make summary table of selected works

Main body - Now describe those 10-15 papers in adequate detail

Write introduction for your survey paper followed by a summary, conclusion,

Write recommendation, abstract, revise keywords and title for your paper

Finalize your initial draft (check for paper length, number of tables & figures)

Go for spelling and grammar check

Check the similarity index for your manuscript

Prepare a convincing letter for the editor of the journal

Select the journal for your manuscript

Steps to be Followed for Writing An Effective Survey Paper

1. Major Topic. Select the critical topic on which you want to write a survey paper
(like gas turbines, wind turbines, etc.).

2. HJRS Check. Open HJRS on google. (HEC manages HJRS, which ranks
journals accordingly, with the W category being the best and the Y category being
the worst). The medallion status on the HJRS website can also help you rank
journals of the same category. Please make a list of journals that are related to
your field according to their type.

3. W Category. Your focus must be on W category journals; however, list all

journals, so you have more options.

4. Possible Keywords. Now, look for all possible keywords for your future
research. Here you will have to brainstorm. Try gathering your peers for this. Keep
thinking till you list all the potential keywords.

5. Arrange your work: Please make sure you are documenting each step and
saving your work. Make a folder. After that, create sub-folders of each journal.

6. Research domain. Now is the time when you are starting your actual
research. Before you start, make sure you have narrowed down your research.
For example, if you want to limit your research to last ten years or five years, etc.

7. Search keywords. Please take one day for each journal. Then, go to the
journal's official webpage and search your keywords.

8. First, pass reading: skim through each paper. Read the title, keywords, etc. Here
you have options on how to continue your research. Repeat until you have covered
all the journals that you have listed down.
(a) You cite each paper that you think might be relevant to your research in the
word document. Make sure you have made separate word documents for
each journal you have selected. (This is more efficient)
(b) You start downloading them in your directory of the respective journal.
9. Search on google scholar. Now make another folder for google
scholar. Search your keywords on google scholar and repeat the same process
you did for each journal. Note that you only have to do first-pass reading till now.

10. Other category journals. After finishing this step, you should preferably
do the same for X and Y category journals. But if you think you have enough
content, then you may stop.

11. Second pass reading. After the first pass reading, it's time to go for the
second pass reading. Read the following sections of each of your selected papers.
(a) Title
(b) Abstract
(c) Last paragraph of Introduction
(d) Conclusion

And write a small summary of each paper by writing 3-5 sentences for each
article in MS Word. Then, try to answer these questions.

(a) What is the problem?

(b) What solution has been proposed by the authors?
(c) What methods have been applied?
(d) What are the results or outcomes of the research?

12. Be consistent. The previous step is the most difficult, time-consuming,

tedious, and frustrating, but at the same time, it is the most crucial step. The next
step is very much recommended for effective research.

13. Category table of all papers. Please make a table with the following columns in
a separate MS Word file:
(a) Problem
(b) Solution proposed
(c) Possible category (for example, in wind turbines, we can say wake
reduction techniques, effects of yawing, effect of tower size, offshore wind
turbines, onshore wind turbines, cost-benefit analysis of wind turbines,
characteristic curves of wind turbines, etc.). Try to have a finite number of
categories, like 3 or 4. To make your life easier.
(d) Citation

Note:
It is highly recommended to follow step 21. It will make your life easier.
Please write the possible category of each paper under its summarized
paragraph in the MS word document. Moreover, create a separate table for
each journal.
 When you have finished the first pass and second pass reading. In addition,
if you are confident that you have enough data for your survey paper, stop;
otherwise, keep searching until you have finished all the W, X, and Y
category papers and google scholar recommendations.

14. The direction of review. Now it is time to give direction to your

research. Copy and paste the table of each journal document into a new record.
Now combine all the papers of similar category in one document. Carry on until
you have grouped all the selected articles after the second pass reading. This is
the time when you must brainstorm again. Gather your peers and discuss with
them. Read magazines, websites of different companies, etc. Discuss with your
supervisor. In addition, consider your significant interest.

15. Foundation of the survey paper. Now you must finalize the foundation on
which your report will be presented to the world. For example, when the author of
this document was conducting his first survey. He made the following broader
categories (for gas turbines):
(a) Film cooling
(b) Blade cooling
(c) Heat transfer in gas turbine blade
(d) Efficiency enhancement techniques of gas turbine
(e) Aerodynamic performance of gas turbines
(f) Etc.

And the authors decided to select the cooling of gas turbines as the base of
their survey paper.

16. Revised second pass reading. After selecting your category, it is time to do the
second pass reading for the second time. This time you will have a different aim.
Now you will do a second pass of all papers of your selected category and select
10-15 most relevant, advanced, most-cited, authentic journals with high impact
factor, H index, and I index. Please keep in mind you have to select the paper
which presents the best content in your selected category; maybe that paper
belongs to the Y category, or it can be a small conference paper.

17. Foundation papers. After selecting those 10-15 papers, you have now narrowed
your research. Now make another table with the following headings.
(a) Problems addressed
(b) Solutions proposed
(c) Techniques applied or used
(d) Merits or advantages
(e) Demerits or disadvantages
(f) Recommendations
 (g) Citation

Read your selected papers thoroughly and finish completing your table first
before going to describe those papers.

18. Main body. After completing your papers, start writing the main
manuscript's base or body. This will take time, maybe 10-20 days. But it would be
best if you do it with great interest. Try to answer the following questions.
(a) What is the problem?
(b) What solutions have been proposed, and how have they been applied?
(c) Basic theory behind the respective research.
(d) Results
(e) Applications

19. Introduction section. After finishing the body of your paper. Now start
working on the introduction part of your survey paper. Take help from the
summaries you finished before after the second pass reading. Try to include all
references within the context of your survey paper.

20. Other main headings. After that, write a summary, conclusion, and
recommendation section of your review paper. Now write the abstract, keywords,
and title of your survey paper. Ensure all the keywords come in your abstract,
preferably the title. At the same time, all the major title words shall also be included
in the abstract for once.

21. The layout of the paper. Please arrange your initial draft in MS word
document. Use the following headings for your article.
(a) Title
(b) Authors information
(c) Abstract
(d) Keywords
(e) Introduction
(f) Body (headings) (they can vary according to your paper base etc., Like
direct thermal methods and indirect thermal methods.)
(g) Summary (includes the summary table)
(h) Conclusion
(i) Recommendations
(j) References

After arranging your paper, now is the time to reread it and correct the
possible mistakes. Review your article again. Look for grammatical and
formatting errors.
 22. Figures and tables. Include all necessary figures and tables. The
figures and tables must be referred to in the text. The figure or table must follow
its reference in the text.

23. Similarity index. Pass it through turn-it-in to check for similarity index.
Keep the similarity index well below 10 percent at maximum.

24. Letter to the editor. Start preparing the letter to the editor. Write the scope,
corresponding author's information, advantages of the survey paper, etc.

25. Journal selection. Select the journal for your manuscript submission.
Make a separate list of all references to your finalized manuscript. Find out which
journal has the most papers cited in the document. Consider the overall number of
citations for each journal and on foundation articles of your manuscript.

26. Journal requirements. Open the selected journal's website and go through its
author's guide. Then, prepare your manuscript according to the journal's
requirements. If the journal has no conditions, then preferably keep a simple file
format so you can use it for multiple journals once any journal accepts your
manuscript. Then you can prepare your manuscript for that specific journal.

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