CONSTRUCTING NEW INSIGHTS,

STATE OF THE ART AND NOVELTY

TO YOUR RESEARCH

at

UPT-Pengembangan Bahasa IAIN Kendari

Dr. Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf, S.Pd., M.Ling.

Lecturer, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Editor-in-Chief, Studies in English Language and Education

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Meaning

Insights: a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden

understanding of a complicated problem or situation.

State of the Art: the best known methodology identified

to date in the field.

Novelty: the quality of being new, original, or unusual.

These are what top journals are always looking for!

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New Insights, State of the Art and

Novelty

All research papers are designed to add new content into a particular study or

subject → not intended to just simply restate old things that you have found.

Adding your own insight into your paper especially makes it more interesting

→ your work highlights something new.

How?

Find connections – Study your topic: what is known about the broad topic?

What are the gaps or missing links that need to be addressed?

Collect preliminary data → find some certain trends or concepts that might

be hiding that deserve to be explored.

What is the significance of addressing those gaps?

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Where in the manuscript?

In the Introduction

Point 1: what we know

presents 'the general knowledge/statement' about the problem being studied

explain the importance of the problem being studied

Point 2: what we don’t know

challenge the existing assumptions

presents a description of the research at this time, i.e. previously published research on the topic → explain the research gap

Point 3: why we did this study

formulate the research questions or problems

explain the significance of the study → what readers can expect after reading your work

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What if my research is “local”?

It all depends on how you present your argument for the new insights, state of the art, novelty → gap of study

Focus on originality

Focus on topic

Focus on respondents

Focus on scope

Focus on location

Focus on situation

Focus on instrument

Focus on method/framework

…or exaggerate with the academic style! Yes, you read that right ☺

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Originality

An instrumental study of oral vowels in the Kedah variety of Acehnese (2016,

Language Sciences, Q1)

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Topic

Cross-linguistic influences of Malay through cartoons on Indonesian children’s

language use in the home domain (2017, Indonesian Journal of Applied

Linguistics, Q2)

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Respondents

Speaking Acehnese in Malaysia (2013, Language and Communication, Q1)

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Scope

(._.)/ dont 4get 2 txt me plz! Linguistic and Discoursal Features of Short

Message Service by Female Texters (2016, 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of

English Language Studies, Q1)

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Location

“Listen, do, repeat, understand and remember”: Teaching English to very

young children in Aceh (2017, Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research,

Q2)

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Situation/Problem

Perceptions and barriers to ICT use among English teachers in Indonesia (2018,

Teaching English with Technology, Q2)

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Instrument

A Teacher’s Experience in Teaching with Student Teams-Achievement Division

(STAD) Technique (2015, International Journal of Instruction, Q3)

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Method

An instrumental analysis of Acehnese oral vowels (2012, Language and

Linguistics, Q2)

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Exaggerate with Style! ☺

Types of Indonesian-English code-switching employed in a novel (2020,

Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, Q3)

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Finding the Right Journal

Collect a list of journals publishing research similar to yours

(http://sinta.ristekbrin.go.id/journals,

https://www.scopus.com/sources?zone=TopNavBar&origin=sbrowse) make

sure it is not included in Beall’s List (https://beallslist.net/)

Check the Impact Factor of the journal

Read the journal’s “About Us” and “Guide for Authors” sections

Read related articles published in your target journals, and cite them!

Examine each journal’s submission process

Examine each journal’s publication method

Draft your manuscript to suit your target journal

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Rejections?

Stay calm and be strong!

Keep your confidence and faith!

Reply the editor when you are ‘cooled down’ with a polite letter

Keep in mind that there are hundreds of other journals out there that your

paper is worth for!

Write more articles, keep them rolling! ☺

Tips before submitting to another journal:

Never ignore the editors’ and reviewers’ comments on your paper.

Can revise your paper based on them…and submit again to another journal!

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The Don’ts

To send a rejected paper without any change to another journal…because

there is a possibility that the same reviewer could receive it!

Multi-submissions – a big NO-NO!

Submitting an unpolished or incomplete paper and expect the reviewer to

correct or complete it for you…nope, they’ll never do that! Remember –

reviewers are not paid!

To publish your published article as it is to another journal…don’t think they

will not find out…they will! Most journals have plagiarism detection software!

Plagiarism in journal publication is a mortal sin!

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Main Points (Hyland, 2009)

Research doesn’t necessarily require large funding

The first research paper is always the most difficult – consider co-authors

Find an idea/experiment – doesn’t need to be profound as long as it measure

what is measurable

Do it! Write it up! – don’t be afraid of failure

Send it to a realistically-placed journal – don’t aim it to the moon!

Expected to have it rejected the first time around, or even more – must

always have the spirit to re-submit it again and faith that it will get

published!

PRESEVERE – keep going and trying!

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THANK YOU

AND ALL THE BEST! ☺

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