Research Papers
Overview
Reading and writing research papers are common in most graduate programs. Grad students need to develop the knowledge and techniques to understand and analyze research so they can begin to participate in their field; they need to write research papers so they can share their findings with others. This page will provide some starting resources about writing research papers in graduate school.
Be sure to review each section in depth with our handout collection on abstracts, introductions, literature reviews, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusions.
General Parts a Research Paper
Abstract: This section is a short 100-300 word summary of the entire paper.
Introduction: This section provides the broader context of the paper.
Literature Review: This section reviews relevant, current sources and positions the research topic within a research gap.
Methodology: This section explains and justifies the research methods, steps, and analysis used.
Results: This section reviews the findings and compares them to the research question.
Discussion: This section relates the study's finding back to the larger research context to explore broader implications.
Conclusions (and Limitations): This section summarizes the findings and the impact of the study; it acknowledges the limitations of the research and shows areas for possible future study.
Below you will find additional resources on topics related to the research process.
The Writing Process
For all students, the writing process is non-linear; however, the iterative nature of writing is even more pronounced in graduate school when you're working on lengthier papers and more detailed research studies. The process circles back on itself. It is best to expand how we think about the writing process to include reading, analyzing, and getting feedback cycles. Most graduate projects are large--spanning months to semesters, rather than a few weeks. The longer time frame requires more cycling between each step as we make further progress in our drafts.
A key takeaway is to remember to give ourselves credit when we are reading, analyzing, editing, and getting feedback. This all counts as making progress on the assignment. Words on the page just happen to be the end product, but they are supported by all these necessary steps.
Advice for Reading Research Articles
Advice for Reading
STEM Articles
STEM Articles
Techniques for Quickly Reading a Research Paper
Related SJSU Library Guides
Writing Center Blog Posts
External Resources
Annotated Biliopgrahies from the Purdue OWL
Research Papers from the Purdue OWL
Scientific Reports from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center