Chapter 4: Writing a research article

and a review article

Taught by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serey Mardy

(PhD in Agricultural Economics)
4.1 Definition
• What is a manuscript?
• A manuscript is a handwritten or typed document, especially a
writer's first version of a book before it is published. It can also refer
to any handwritten or typed document, especially one that is old or
valuable.
• In the modern world, manuscripts are most commonly used by
authors and composers to submit their work to publishers and
agents. Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, it will be
edited and proofread before it is printed and released to the public.
Here are some examples of manuscripts:
▪ A novel
▪ A short story
▪ A screenplay
▪ A musical score
▪ A research paper
▪ A historical document
▪ A religious text
▪ A personal diary
▪ A letter
• What is a research paper?
• A research paper is a document that describes the results of a
study or experiment. It is typically published in a scientific
journal or other scholarly journal.
• Research papers are typically written by students and
academics, but they can also be written by professionals in
various fields. The purpose of a research paper is to present
new findings, evaluate existing research, or offer a unique
perspective on a particular topic.
Research paper organization
Research papers are typically organized in the following way:
• Introduction: This section provides background information on
the topic and states the research question or thesis statement.
• Body paragraphs: This section presents the evidence and
analysis that supports the thesis statement. Each body
paragraph should focus on a single main point.
• Conclusion: This section summarizes the main findings of the
paper and restates the thesis statement.
Research papers are an important part of the academic process,
and they can help students and academics to develop their critical
thinking, research, and writing skills.
Here are some examples of research paper topics:

• The impact of climate change on human health

• The effectiveness of different teaching methods for
students with learning disabilities
• The role of social media in the Arab Spring
• The ethical implications of artificial intelligence
• The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• …………
4.2 Publication & Peer review
• What to publish?
- abstract vs. full report
• Choosing your forum
- Which type of journal is best for you?
- What audience are you targeting?
• Research the journal
- Publication guidelines
- Article style
4.2.1 Publication procedure
• Author submits
• Editor is assigned to manuscript
• Editor assigns reviewers (associate editors) to inspect
• Reviewers decide on whether to review paper
• Several reviewers inspect and edit
• Editor decides on accuracy of revisions and whether to accept paper
• If accepted, editor sends paper back to author with revisions
• Author revises paper and sends it back
• Possibility of second review process
• Publication!
4.2.2 Peer review
• What is Peer Review?
- Peer review is the process of having a draft version of a
researcher's methods and findings reviewed by experts in the
same field. It is an important part of the scientific publishing
process, and it helps to ensure that only high-quality research
is published.
• Purpose of peer review
- To filter what is published as “science”
- To provide researchers with perspective
• Where is peer review used?
- Scientific publication
- Grant review
- Tenure promotion
• Peer review is typically double-blind, meaning that the
reviewer does not know the identity of the author, and
the author does not know the identity of the reviewer.
This helps to reduce bias in the review process.
• Constraints of peer review
- Slow
- Conflicting views
- Personal views
- Fraud (data manipulation and invention
 Peer reviewers are typically asked to consider the following
factors when evaluating a manuscript:
• Is the research question well-defined and important?
• Are the methods appropriate and rigorous?
• Are the results presented clearly and accurately?
• Are the findings interpreted correctly?
• Are the conclusions supported by the data?
Peer reviewers may also provide feedback on the writing
style, clarity, and organization of the manuscript.
Benefits of peer review
• It helps to ensure the quality and accuracy of scientific
research.
• It helps to identify and correct errors in research.
• It helps to prevent the publication of fraudulent or
misleading research.
• It helps to promote transparency and accountability in
scientific research.
• It helps to ensure that scientific research is relevant to
the needs of the scientific community and the public.
4.2.3 Where to begin?
• Read the journal instructions carefully
- Journal scope. Is this the correct place to submit
your work?
- Make sure you understand the page/section/data
figure limitations
- Make sure you understand the format (manuscript
layout; text format; format for citing literature)
- Understand the requirements for submitting
articles/data figures/pictures electronically
Exercise 1 (15 mins)
• Please go through the website below, then explore about
the journal, author guidelines, scope of the journal,
reasons of publishing in this journal, manuscript format
and how to submit manuscript to publish.
• Group 1: https://ijisrt.com/
• Group 2: https://www.ijsr.net/
• Group 3: https://journal.multitechpublisher.com/index.php/ijsas/about
4.3 Writing a scientific manuscript
Writing a scientific manuscript can be a
daunting task, but it is an important part
of the scientific process. A well-written
manuscript will help to communicate
your research findings to other scientists
and the public.
The IMRAD structure is a common
organizational structure for scientific
manuscripts. It stands for Introduction,
Methods, Results, and Discussion.
4.3.1 Manuscript structure
• IMRAD stands for Introduction,
Methods, Results, and Discussion.
It is a common organizational
structure for scientific papers.
• The IMRAD structure is designed to
help readers understand the
research question, how the study
was conducted, what the findings
were, and what the findings mean.
a. Introduction
• The introduction section provides background information on
the research topic and states the research question or thesis
statement. It should also explain why the research is important
and how it will contribute to existing knowledge.
• The overall number of words in introduction are from 300-500
words.
• The common mistakes in introduction are too much or not
enough information, unclear purpose, lists, confusing structure,
and first-person anecdotes.
b. Methods and Materials
• The methods section describes how the study was conducted.
This includes information about the participants (samples), the
data collection methods, and the data analysis procedures.
Description of equipment and tools used in the research are
also included.
• The common mistakes in methods are too little information,
information from introduction, verbosity, and results/sources of
error reported.
c. Results
• The results section presents the findings of the study in a clear
and concise way. This may involve tables, figures, and graphs.
• The results include the objective presentation of experiment
results (summary of data).
• The results are NOT a Discussion!
• The common mistakes in results are raw data, redundancy,
discussion and interpretation of data, no figures or tables,
methods/materials reported.
d. Discussion
• The discussion section interprets the findings of the study and
discusses their implications. This section should also address any
limitations of the study and suggest directions for future
research.
• Discussion may relate to previous research’s findings.
• The common mistakes in discussion are combined with results,
new results discussed, broad statements, incorrectly discussing
inconclusive results, ambiguous data sources and missing
information.
e. Figures and Tables
• Tables: presents lists of numbers/ text in columns
• Figures: visual representation of results or illustration of
concepts/methods (graphs, images, diagrams, etc.)
• Captions: must be stand-alone
• Guidelines for figures and tables: high resolution, neat, legible
labels, simple, clearly formatted, indicate error, detailed
captions.
f. References
• Check specific referencing style of journal
• Should reference: peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts,
books
• Should not reference: non-peer-reviewed works, textbooks,
personal communications
• Common mistakes in references: format (figures, tables,
equations), redundant information (text, figures, tables, and
captions) and type of reference.
4.3.2 Tips for writing a scientific manuscript
• Read other scientific papers in your
field. This will help you to get a sense
of the writing style and format that is
expected.
• Get feedback from others. Ask a
colleague or mentor to read your
manuscript and provide feedback.
• Revise and edit your manuscript
carefully. Make sure that your writing
is clear, concise, and error-free.
Exercise 2 (15-25 mins)
• Please go through the link below, then read that article.
• Group 1:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528624/pdf/pch11339.pdf
• Group 2:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=r
ja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjvlM_Xp8-
BAxWTSWwGHcVkAmcQFnoECBcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdownloads.hinda
wi.com%2Fjournals%2Fbri%2F2022%2F1492058.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0CyR32r0jiS
gc_oyy3XdLU&opi=89978449
• Group 3:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=
2ahUKEwjvlM_Xp8-
BAxWTSWwGHcVkAmcQFnoECBgQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.med.upenn
.edu%2Fmdresearchopps%2Fassets%2Fuser-
content%2FResources%2FWritingitup-step-by-
step.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0EUXcrwoan7lOhRfIyyNxw&opi=89978449
4.4 Writing a review article
4.4.1 What is a review article?
• A critical, constructive analysis of the literature in a
specific field through summary, classification, analysis,
comparison.
A scientific text relying on previously published literature
or data. New data from the author's experiments are not
presented (with exceptions: some reviews contain new
data).
• A stand-alone publication. Literature reviews as
integral parts of master theses, doctoral theses or grant
proposals will not be considered here. However, many
tips in this guideline are transferable to these text types.
4.4.2 What is the function of a review article?
• to organize literature
• to evaluate literature
• to identify patterns and trends in the
literature
• to synthesize literature
• to identify research gaps and recommend
new research areas
4.4.3 Who is the audience of review articles?
• experts in specific research areas
• students or novice researchers
• decision-makers
4.4.4 Difference between a review article and research article
• The difference between a review paper and research paper is presented
below.

Review paper Research paper

Evaluates previously published Discusses the present
Perspective
literatures on a specific topic research findings of an author
Content Existing research data New experimental findings
Limit to journal it is to be
Length Longer than a research article.
submitted.
4.4.5 Types of review articles
• Journal paper review: evaluates strengths
and weaknesses of a study.
• Research paper review: evaluates research
method adopted.
• Science paper review: involves anything in
the realm of science.
• Domain-based review: evaluates in the same
substantive domain.
• Theory-based review: evaluates same
underlying theory.
• Method-based review: evaluates same
underlying method.
4.4.6 Purpose of review articles
The purpose of the review paper can vary based on their specific type
and research needs:
• Provide a unified, collective overview of the current state of knowledge
on a specific research topic and provide an inclusive foundation on a
research theme.
• Identify ambiguity, contradictions in existing results or data.
• Highlight the existing methodological approaches, research techniques,
and unique perceptions.
• Develop theoretical outlines to resolve and work on published research.
• Discuss research gaps and future perspectives.
4.4.7 The length of a review article
• Review articles vary considerably in length.
• Narrative reviews may range between 8,000
and 40,000 words (references and
everything else included).
• Systematic reviews are usually shorter with
less than 10,000 words.
4.4.8 Criteria for good review article
• A good review paper needs to achieve three important criteria.
(Palmatier et al 2017):
• First, the area of research should be suitable for writing a review paper
so that the author finds sufficient published literature.
• The review paper should be written with suitable literature, detailed
discussion, sufficient data/results to support the interpretation, and
persuasive language style.
• A completed review paper should provide substantial new innovative
ideas to the readers based on the comparison of published works.
4.4.9 Step-by-step systematic procedure to write a review article
• Topic selection: Select a suitable area in your research field and
formulate clear objectives, and prepare the specific research
hypotheses that are to be explored.
• Research design: Designing your research work is an important step for
any researcher. Based on the objectives, develop a clear methodology
or protocol to review a review paper.
• Data collection: Thorough analysis and understanding of different
published works help the author to identify suitable and relevant
data/results which will be used to write the paper.
4.4.9 Step-by-step systematic procedure to write a review article (con’t)
• Data analysis: The degree of analysis to evaluate the collected data vary
by extensive review. The examination of treads, patterns, ideas,
comparisons, and relationships among the study provides deeper
knowledge on that area of research.
• Report: Interpretation of results is very important for a good review
paper. The author should present the discussion in a systematic manner
without any ambiguity. The results can be presented in descriptive
form, tables, and figures. The new insights should have an in-depth
discussion of the topic in line with fundamentals. Finally, the author is
expected to present the limitations of the existing study with future
perspectives.
4.4.10 Sample review article format
• Title, Abstract, Keywords
Write an effective and suitable title, abstract and keywords relevant
to your review paper. This will maximize the visibility of your paper online
for the readers to find your work. Your title and abstract should be clear,
concise, appropriate, and informative.
• Introduction
Present a detailed introduction to your research which is published
in chronological order in your own words. Don’t summarize the published
literature. The introduction should encourage the readers to read your
paper.
• Various topics to discuss the critical issues
Make sure you present a critical discussion, not a descriptive
summary of the topic. If there is contradictory research in your area of
research, verify to include an element of debate and present both sides of
the argument. A good review paper can resolve the conflict between
contradictory works.
• Conclusion and Future perspectives
The written review paper should achieve your objectives. Hence,
the review paper should leave the reader with a clear understanding of
following questions:
- What they can understand from the review paper?
- What still remains a requirement of further investigation in the
research area?
This can include making suggestions for future scope on the theme
as part of your conclusion.
• Acknowledgement
The authors can submit a brief acknowledgement of any financial,
instrumentation, and academic support received pertaining to research
work.
• References
Citing references at appropriate places in the article is necessary
and important to avoid plagiarism. Each journal has its own referencing
style. Therefore, the references need to be listed at the end of the
manuscript. The number of references in the review paper is usually
higher than in a research paper.
Exercise 3 (15 mins)
• Please read the following articles for more
understanding.
• Group 1: Components of writing a review article
• Group 2: Tips and tricks in writing review article
• Group 3: How to write a review article?
Thank You For Your Attention!