Workshop on Research Article Writing

Organized by
Bangladesh Institute of Human Resource Management
(BIHRM)

Material Source: Asian Institute of Technology,

Bangkok,Thailand
Session Instructor
Mohammad Ali
MPhil (On progress) BUP
BBA (Management), MBA (HRM), DU
Assistant Professor
Department of Management Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals
E-mail: [email protected]
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Outline of the Workshop

1. Title
2. Abstract
3. Introduction
4. Literature Review
5. Theoretical Framework
6. Methodology
7. Results
8. Discussion
9. References
10. Appendices
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 Research

Research is an organized, objective and

systematic process to study a particular
problem that needs a solution.

Research is a systematic process of collecting

data, analysing, and interpreting them in order
to increase our understanding of a
phenomenon about which we are interested
and concerned.

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 Title

Although short, the title of a research article requires great consideration.

Be specific, clear, and concise.
Use a subtitle for additional detail, but only if necessary.
Abbreviations should be avoided. Standard abbreviations (such as PhD), and field
specific abbreviations (such as DNA or RNA), may be accepted by some journals.
Avoid question marks, state the answer if you have found it.
Use key words at the beginning.
Be objective.

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 Title

Example of Title

1. Effectiveness of E-learning for University Students: Evidence from

Bangladesh
2. Human Resource Disclosure Practices of Banks in Bangladesh
3. Talent Management in South Asia: Prospects and Challenges
4. Impact of Safety and Health Measures on Workers’ Productivity in the
Readymade Garments Sector of Bangladesh

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 Abstract

The abstract is itself a miniature version of the entire paper, perhaps 200-250
words long, allowing readers to quickly get the gist of the entire work.

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Abstract

Example-1

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 Introduction

• The introduction is the first major section of a research article.

• Since this section introduces the rest of the paper, some authors choose to
write it last.
• The Create a Research Space (CARS) model is based on analysis of
introductions from research articles (Swales, 1990, p.140-166) and provides
a useful tool for research writers.
• Of course, not every introduction will be written in exactly the same,
formulaic, style. It is, however, usually possible to see three major stages

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 Introduction (Stage-1)

Stage-1: Establishing a territory

1. Claiming centrality: Demonstrates how the study contributes to an important or
interesting area of research (Recently, there has been a great deal
of interest in…).
and/or
2. Making topic These are usually statements about “knowledge or practice” The
generalization(s): established method for…), or “phenomena” (A common issue in
the field is…).
and/or
3. Reviewing items of Relates this study to associated research. The level of detail
previous research: depends on the paper being written, and whether or not a
literature review is included after the introduction (c.f. Writing
your paper: Literature review, page 48).

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 Introduction (Stage-2)

Stage-2: Establishing a niche

Counter-claiming: Demonstrates the need for this study by pointing out flaws or
or limitations of previous research.

Indicating a gap Demonstrates the need for this study by pointing out that no
or such studies have previously been done.

Question raising Demonstrates the need for this study by pointing out
unanswered questions or unsolved problems.
or
Continuing a tradition: Demonstrates the need for this study by pointing out how it
logically follows, or is directly related to, previous work.

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 Introduction (Stage-3)

Stage-3: Occupying the niche

Outlining purposes: Explicitly state why the research was done, including the
or scope (The goal of this study was to…).

Announcing present Explicitly state what research was conducted, including the
research: scope (This study investigated…)

Announcing principal Outline the key results of the study, and their implications.
findings:

Indicating RA structure: Briefly outline how the research article is organized.

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Example of Introduction

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 Literature Review

A literature review is a summary of publications which are directly related

to the article being written.
‘The literature’ is an expression often used by academics to describe
anything which has been published on a topic: journal articles, conference
papers, reports, etc.
The goal of a written literature review is to provide the background
information necessary for understanding an article, or to help create a
space for the research.
It is important to avoid simply summarizing a series of connected
publications.
Edith Cowan University (2008) suggests “The 5 C’s,” which can help with
analysis: cite, compare, contrast, critique, and connect.
Start with DV then IV and then MV and finally Control variable.
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 Literature Review

Some more tips for writing a literature review come from Galvan (2003).
Explain why a study is important.
Be specific about time frames. In the last decade is more accurate than recently.
Clearly label any original studies which have led to further research.
Include the results from replications of original research.
Include other literature reviews in your analysis of the literature.
Describe the methodology used to search the literature when pointing out gaps.

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 Theoretical Framework

• Identifies the variables investigated in the study.

• Illustrates how the variables interact with each other as hypothesized in the research by the aid
of diagrams.

Transactional
Leadership
Talent Retention
Transformational
Leadership

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

H1: Transactional leadership has a positive impact on talent retention.

H2: Transformational leadership has a positive impact on talent retention.
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 Methodology

• The methodology section of a paper describes the research in sufficient

detail to allow readers to evaluate the quality of the study, or, theoretically,
replicate it.
• The titles ‘Materials and Methods’, ‘Experiment’, and ‘Procedures’ are also
sometimes used. This section forms the “foundation of your paper,”
because the results obtained are dependent on the procedure (Katz, 2006).
• The structure of the Methodology will depend on the nature of the
research, but will roughly fall into two categories: data collection and data
analysis.
• Methodology should include Population, Sample and Sampling Technique,
Instrument, Procedure for Collecting Data, Data Analysis Techniques and
Tools.

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 Results

• The purpose of the Results, which may also be labeled ‘Findings,’ is simply
to provide readers with access to the original data.
• In fact, some papers will use the heading ‘Data’ because that is exactly what
this section contains: the data.
• The results of statistical analysis should also be included here.
• Tables are preferred when it is useful for understanding of the results to
provide a large data set.
• Other figures, such as charts or photographs, can also be included if they
are necessary or helpful for clarity of the discussion.
• The results should be short and sweet, without verbiage.

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 Results

• Tables and figures

• Write: Most respondents were female (Table 1).

• Do not write: As one can easily see from Table 1, most respondents were female.

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 Discussion

• Having a strong discussion is critical for successful research writing.

• It is here that the writer explains why their findings are important.
• A synthesis of several suggested structures (yields the following outline).
• Some writers may choose to go through the outline once for each research
question or main finding, using sub-headings to delineate.

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 A model for Discussions
Review findings If the Discussion is separate from the Results it is sometimes, but not always, useful to
remind readers of key findings.

Discuss outcomes Were the research questions answered? What were the answers? How can the findings
be used to answer the research questions? Were the findings expected, or were there
some surprises?

Analyze What relationships or patterns can be identified? What generalizations or

extrapolations can be made?

Offer explanations Possible reasons to account for the findings, including abnormalities.

Reference the Compare and contrast your results with other relevant studies. How, and why, do your
literature findings differ?

State implications What affect will the findings have on existing theories? In what ways can the findings be
applied to real-world situations?
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 Limitations, Future Research Direction and Conclusion

Limitations
• Point out any flaws that you are aware of regarding the research, including
assumptions which have been made.
Future Research Direction
• Suggest possible directions for future research following from this study.
Conclusion
• The last section in the main text, it is not unusual for Conclusions to be included
with the Discussion.
• One possibility is a brief summary of the research, though if this has been done in
the Abstract and Introduction it becomes quite redundant. Suggestions for action
to be taken could also be written here.

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 References and Appendices

References
• Referencing is as an important aspect of scientific writing (c.f. Sources and
referencing: The reference list, p.?).
• Details on formatting a reference list will vary depending on the journal’s
requirements (c.f. With [academic] style, p.?).
• Use reference manager (Mendeley, EndNote etc.)
Appendices
• The appendices are supporting materials, often tables or figures, which are
included with the paper but separate from the main text.
• While appendices are useful for including details which would interfere with the
text, be sure not to use them unnecessarily.

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Example of References

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Example of Appendices

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Question & Answer

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