Planning your paper

WelcomeSession overview

Length – 1 hourPresentations and activities

Ground RulesRaise hand for urgent questionsUse chat for general questions and activitiesArriving late/leaving early

Learning outcomesAt the end of this workshop, you will:be aware of the different types of paper

commonly published;recognise the typical elements in a paper

structure;be able to start to develop a paper outline.

Last session, we looked at...Types of publications and outletsWhat makes a good paper?Things to consider when choosing where to

publish.How to read a call for papers.

Any questions?

Activity: what types of paper are there?

From your own reading, please add your ideas to the chat window.

Types of paperpresentation of original researchdescriptive case studytheoretical paperliterature reviewmeta-reviewthought piece

Structure of a paperIntroductionBackgroundMethodology

Data collection methodsData analysis methods

ResultsDiscussionConclusions

IntroductionWhat is the paper about?Who is it aimed at?What type of paper is it?What is the structure of the paper?

BackgroundWhy is this paper important?Why did you carry out the work?Who influenced you?What is the 'state of the art' in the field?What are your research questions?

MethodologyWhat are your philosophical assumptions?What type of research are you describing?What data collection/generation methods did

you use?What data analysis methods did you use?Why did you use this approach?

ResultsWhat did you find out?What evidence/examples show your findings?How valid, reliable and generalisable are

your findings?

DiscussionWhat are the wider implications of your

research?What are the limitations of your research?How do your findings relate to the field?How do your findings relate to your research

questions?

ConclusionsWhy is this paper important?What can others learn from your work?What is the key message?What are the next steps?

Some tips to get startedDecide what sort of paper you are writingFind another paper of that type to use as an

exampleStart with the generic structure and add bullets

under each pointThink of each bullet as a paragraphCheck the flow of your argumentAdd estimated word counts for sectionsWrite something – you can always change it laterCustomise the structure to suit your own paper