How to Write a Research

Paper
 What is Research
Research is:
a carefully planned and performed investigation,
searching for previously unknown facts intending
to extend the limits of human knowledge.

Research is :
an organized and systematic way of finding
answers to questions.
Research Cycle
 Why Research is Important?
• Research is the main and only source of human
advancement.
 Why Research is Important?
• Research is what differentiate between strong nations and weak nations.
• Strong nations develop knowledge and weak nations pay them for using it.

Country Country GDP for Percentage of total

2009 country budget on
(Millions of US scientific research
Dollars)
United States of 14,256,300 9.2%
America
European Union 12,455,979 5%

India 1,296,085 3.2%

Israel 194,790 4.7%

Egypt 188,334 0.02%

 GDP
• Gross Domestic Product

• The market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of
a country in a year

• Nominal GDP (millions of USD)

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)
 Why Research is Important?
Transfer of Technology evaluation:
 How to measure transferred Technology?
 Critical factor: Capacity to contain/integrate technology.
 Why It is Important to Write Papers?

• To document and accumulate knowledge.

• To preserve your institution intellectual property.
• To be placed in the right position of human advancement

Country Number of Published

Papers( 1996-2006)
United States 2,907,592
Japan 790,510
Germany 742,917
England 660,808
France 535,629
China 422,993
Canada 394,727
India 211,063
Taiwan 124,940
All Arab Countries ~ 2000
 Outline
• What is Research?
• Why Research is Important
• Why is it Important to Write a Research Paper
• Five Commandments of Writing a Research
Paper
• Anatomy of Research Paper
• Types of Research Papers
• Tips for Writing a Good Research Paper
• Summary
 Five Commandments for Writing a Paper

1. do some background reading, think hard, and speak with the professor
in order to identify a topic.
• Read well before deciding what to write
• Talk to your supervisor
• Talk to your colleagues

2. have a clear research question.

• Identify one clear question. Begins with What if,Can we..
• Divide it into subquestions begins without Why, How, When
• Move systematically through questions and try to answer them or
develop more questions
 Five Commandments for Writing a Paper

3. do real research.
• Don’t stop at using secondary resources
• Use primary resources as statistics, simulations,…..
4. make an argument.
• Arguments are the most important thing in the paper
• Don’t just state facts but make argument and answer your primary
research question
• State what are the things that previous authors didn’t take into account
• Maybe use counter-arguments
5. write well..

”And the paper shall be accepted”

Anatomy of research paper

Abstract:
Description:
Title:
• Concise Summary of the work
• Better to be written after writing the
•Clear paper.
•Sexy
Authors:
• It is your hook
•First author
• State , always
Purpose of study
•Informative
thought to be your
• Describe leading.
experiment
• State
•Second final result
author, a little
less• contribution
Conclusion
•Style:
Last author,
supervisor.
• Single Paragraph
• Past tense
• DON’T refer to figures or equations
• Focus on results
 Anatomy of Research Paper
Introduction
Description
• Convince the reader with your
work
• State briefly previous work
• State why this work is done? Why
it worth reading?
• Defend your approach
• Very briefly state results
• At the end you should state how
the rest of the paper is organized
Style
• Use past tense except for facts.
• One point per paragraph
• DON’T state all background
information.
• State objective very clearly
Anatomy of Research Paper
Methods:
Description:
• Easiest section, you write what is in
your mind( about work!!!)
• Describe the methods and approaches
you used in your work so your results
can be reproduced
• Includes equipment used and
calibration made.
• Data analysis procedure
Style
• DON’T use first person, use passive
voice.
• DON’T add trivial details
• DON’T write it as a set of instructions
• DON’T spend much on why you used
this exact method-leave that for next
section
• Use figures to clarify your method.
 Anatomy of Research Paper
Discussion:
Description:
• Most important part. The “Meat” in the
paper.
• Interpret your results , support your
conclusions using your experiment output
and accepted knowledge.
• Illustrate the importance of your findings
• Interpretation should include all parts of
results.
• All stated hypothesis should be accepted,
rejected or can’t be decided.
• DON’T restate the results ,explain why they
came out that way.
• State future work to get more accurate
results.
Style
• Make sure to differentiate between your
results and others.
• Use past tense for your work or others
• Present tense for facts.
Results:
Description:
• Results should be presented in
tables , curves, pie charts…..
• Point to obvious observations of these
results
• Try to make comparison with
pervious work results.
• DON’T bias or interpret the results in
this section.
• DON’T add raw data.
Style
• Text complement tables not state the
same thing
• DON’T forget to refer to tables as
tables and figures as figures.
• Add relevant text near relevant figure.
• Use past tense or passive voice.
Anatomy of Research Paper
Conclusion
Description:
• State in brief the conclusions you
reached of your work.
• State your arguments and answers of
questions proposed.
• State your vision for future work
Style
References:
• Short sentences.
Description:
• Very Clear.
• DON’T
• You make
state the new arguments
Literature work youor
conclusions.
used for your work.
• DON’T
• State refer back
well-known andtogood
figures or tables.
• Reference previous work if you need
references.
Style to.
• Comply with the rules in the
template(DON’T get it blindly from
other papers)
 Outline
• What is Research?
• Why Research is Important
• Why is it Important to Write a Research Paper
• Five Commandments of Writing a Research
Paper
• Anatomy of Research Paper
• Types of Research Papers
• Tips for Writing a Good Research Paper
• Summary
 Types of Research Papers

Conference Journal
Paper Paper

Short paper 4 to 6 pages Long paper 10 to 20 pages

Stating an idea Stating the theoretical background of an idea

Submit paper , acceptance with comments,

Submit paper, acceptance, Camera ready
resubmit , comments

Process takes short time Process take long time

Paper is published in Paper published in Transactions and
Proceedings ,IEEEXplore IEEEXplore

Acceptance most of the time means good

Acceptance doesn’t always mean good paper
paper
 Types of Research Papers
• Conferences:
– Well-Known Conferences : ISSCC , ICCAD ,
DATE, DAC…
– Medium-Known Conferences: VLSI-SOC ,
ISCAS….
– Small Conferences…..
• Journals:
– Famous Journals: IEEE Solid-State Circuits,
……
– Medium-Known Journals…….
 Outline
• What is Research?
• Why Research is Important
• Why is it Important to Write a Research Paper
• Five Commandments of Writing a Research
Paper
• Anatomy of Research Paper
• Types of Research Papers
• Tips for Writing a Good Research Paper
• Summary
 Tips for Writing a Good Paper

• One good paper = 10 medium papers

• One bad paper kills 1000 good papers
• Stick to the template, read the instruction well
• Choose your words to be direct and to the point
• Choose famous references to show you are not ignorant.
• Make sure your figures are of good resolution.
• Make sure equations are well described.
• Make sure to state your argument clearly in both
introduction and conclusion.
• Avoid self-plagiarism.
• Finally be sure to mention anything you took from
external references to avoid plagiarism
 Summary
• Research is very important.
• We have to learn to make research.
• We have to learn to document that.
• Research is our way to develop our nation

Who want to begin making some

Research?
 Homework
• Choose one of these topics that you like best:
– Database Security.
– Software Engineering Testing
– Augmented Reality Applications
– Semantic Networks
Or
Choose a better topic…

Make survey paper using this template:

www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html

Send it to my email: cshaheen@hotmail.com

Due date 28/4/2012
Paper from 2 to 4 pages.
 IEEE Paper Contest
• IEEE Region 8 Student Paper Contest (SPC) is a traditional, long lasting academic,
technical and student activity in Region 8. SPC was and is an important IEEE topic in
many aspects, just to mention some of them:
• (a) SPC is an excellent occasion for personal leadership and strong involvement of
student members in a prospective IEEE scientific/technical activity
• (b) SPC is a very good reason and chance for activating and keeping active Student
Branches
• (c) it makes possible further promotion of IEEE among students
• (d) it is a nice possibility for IEEE members with non-student grades - the SPC
Committee (Jury) members, their colleagues (associate reviewers), Student Branch
Counselors, professors - student mentors and many other to be involved and to
participate in such an interesting IEEE student activity.
• http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/8/sac/index.php/spc
 Epilogue
• Places driving research in our world.
– Nile University www.nileu.edu.eg
– E-Just www.ejust.edu.eg
– KAUST www.kaust.edu.sa
– Qatar Foundation www.qf.org.qa

• What are funding agents in Egypt and

current active funded research.
Epilogue
Thank you for listening

Questions
?