Table of Contents

Part I: Introduction to research

Meaning of research
Significance of research
Criteria of good research
Types of research
Part II : Writing a scientific /Research manuscript






Why to write and publish paper?
Why few not write research paper ? Give it a try
Manuscript structure
Part III : Publication and peer review
Types of research
Descriptive research- It includes surveys and fact finding enquiries of
different kinds
Analytical research-The researcher has to use facts or information
already available and analyze them to make a critical evaluation of the
material.
Applied research- It aims at finding a solution for an immediate
problem faced by society or by an industrial /business organization.
Fundamental research-It is mainly concerned with generalizations
and with the formulation of theory. Research concerning with natural
phenomenon or relating to human behaviour , pure mathematics are
example of fundamental research.
Quantitative research It is based on the measurement of quantity or
amount . eg How to increase the productivity?
How to raise the capacity of the plant?
Qualitative research It is concerned with qualitative phenomenon .
For instance we are interested in investigating the reasons for human
behaviour .
Conceptual research It is related to some abstract ideas or theory. It is
generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop new concepts or
to reinterpret existing ones.
Empirical research It is data based research , coming up with
conclusions which are capable of being verified by observation or by
experiment.
One time or longitudinal research- This type of research is
confined to a single time-period.
Field setting or laboratory or simulation research This type of
research depends upon the environment in which it is carried out.
Clinical or diagnostic research This type of research follows
case study methods or indepth approaches to reach the basic
causal relations.
Exploratory research- In this type hypothesis are developed and
tested
Historical research- It deals with past historical documents and
past historical data
Why to write and publish research papers?
Ideally
to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits
desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems
to share research findings and discoveries .
Practically
to get funding
to get promoted
to get a job
to contribute to your institution ( eg program accreditation)
contribute to your field
to keep your job!
Personal satisfaction and development
Why few not write research papers ?
Give it a try
Some of the common
barriers are
Lack of time
Unfamiliarity with
the process (dont
know where to
begin)
Bad experiences
(rejection &
criticism)
Planning strategies
can help
Its not really that
complicated
Everyone gets
rejected but
persistence pays

Manuscript Structure
Title
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Body of Article
Results
Discussion and Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Figures and Tables

8
Choose a Right Title
The title should be very specific, not too broad.
The title should be substantially different from others.
Women enterpreneurs in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME ) ,
IJM .
Intelligent system for assisting decisions in advance product and process
planning and design JMPT
Distributed topology control for power efficient operation in multihop wireless
networks, infocom01.
Avoid general / big titles, e.g.,
Research on data mining,
Some research on job assignment in cluster computing,
A new framework for distributed computing,

9
2.3.2 Write a concise Abstract

The abstract is the summary/ mirror of the full manuscript .
An abstract is the highly condensed version of a complete paper
Commonly 250 to 300 words
An abstract should tell:
Problem investigated - the problem that the paper discusses.
Purpose of research
Methods - the work that has been done, or method being used.
Results - original findings / achievements
Conclusions
The use of an abstract:
for search purpose.
giving readers a paper-summary before getting into details.
An abstract usually does NOT have:
reference numbers
multiple paragraphs
Abstract
Common Mistakes
Too much background or methods information
Figures or images
References to other literature, figures or images
Abbreviations or acronyms
11
Choose a right set of keywords
The keywords must be specific and, as a whole,
represent the main topic of the paper.
Avoid using the words that are not the main topic, such
as calculus, simulations, etc.
The use of keywords:
database search,
categorizing your work (for editors to choose reviewers).

Introduction-the most difficult part
Purpose of introduction:
Introducing readers to your problem / work.
Need for this study
Achievement / significance / brief-methodology of work
Broad information on topic - brief background of the topic area
Existing work, which would lead to the importance / originality of your work
Previous research should include a concise review of the relevant
literature - What is known already?
What knowledge gap exists?
How will this contribute ?
Focus of paper
Hypothesis
Summary of problem
Overall 300-500 words



Introduction
Common Mistakes
Too much or not enough information
Unclear purpose
Lists
Confusing structure
First-Person anecdotes


2.3.6 Methods and Materials
Provides instruction on exactly how to repeat experiment
Subjects
Sample preparation techniques
Sample origins
Field site description
Data collection protocol
Data analysis techniques
Any computer programs used
Description of equipment and its use
Methods and Materials
Common Mistakes
Too little information
Information from Introduction
Verbosity
Results/ sources of error reported
Results
Objective presentation of experiment results
Summary of data
NOT a Discussion!

Common mistakes
Raw data
Redundancy
Discussion and interpretation of data
No figures or tables
Methods/materials reported
2.3.8 Discussion
Interpret results
Did the study confirm/deny the hypothesis?
If not, did the results provide an alternative hypothesis? What
interpretation can be made?
Do results agree with other research? Sources of
error/anomalous data?
Implications of study for field
Suggestions for improvement and future research?
Relate to previous research



Discussion
Common Mistakes
Combined with Results
New results discussed
Broad statements
Incorrectly discussing inconclusive results
Ambiguous data sources
Missing information


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
Figures and Tables
Guidelines for Figures and Tables
High resolution
Neat, legible labels
Simple
Clearly formatted
Indicate error
Detailed captions

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
Format, Format, Format
(Figures & Tables, Equations, and References)
Redundant Information
Text, Figures, Tables, and Captions
Type of Reference

Part I: Publication & Peer
Review:


Part III : Publication & Peer Review:

Deciding to Publish and Submitting Your Paper
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


The seven deadly sins
1. Data manipulation, falsification

2. Duplicate manuscripts

3. Redundant publication

4. Plagiarism

5. Author conflicts of interest

6. Animal use concerns

7. Humans use concerns
Process of Research publication
Completion of research
Preparation of manuscript
Submission of manuscript
Assignment and review
Decision
Revision
Resubmission
Re-review
Acceptance
Publication
Rejection
Rejection
The Journal Process
Editor decides whether to send for review
Peer reviewers assigned
Decision
Accept / Reject
Revise & Resubmit

Prospective authors should not be
disheartened if a manuscript is rejected or
needs extensive rewriting; this is the rule
rather than the exception.

First Impressions

First Impressions

What constitutes a good journal?
Impact factor
average number of times published papers
are cited up to two years after publication.


Immediacy Index
average number of times published papers
are cited during year of publication.



Some Key Tips
Read many papers, and learn from good ones & bad ones
Write frequently: quality is everything
Review frequently
Learn to be objective about your work
Believe that editors/reviewers are likely trying to be objective
about your work
Learn to expect and accept rejection
There is no way to get
experience except through
experience.