Identifying research questions within your field or subject of interest is the first step in developing an experimental design. Your research problems need to address an important question in your field or subject of interest and contribute to the body of knowledge within your field. There are several different methods to identify research problems.
Begin defining broad problems in areas of interest (Richey, R.C., and Klein, J. D., 2014). Then you can refine your problems and interests based on your readings and research. Some factors you should consider are (a) significance, (b) feasibility, and (c) benefit (Richey, and Klein, 2014).
Compound research questions. For example: “Do learning spaces inspire faculty members to employ new active-learning techniques that enhance student motivation and learning?” This question contains several distinct questions, which should be listed separately.
Ambiguous terminology. For instance, “are students more engaged throughout the lesson when the class is started with an active-learning activity?”
For example, “does using a problem-based learning approach to course design affect a student's performance in an experiential learning environment?
This question can be difficult to answer because there could be many different variables (Richey and Klein, 2014).
The literature review's purpose is to identify and organize key concepts related to your area of research. The literature view must identify the body of literature your research will contribute to and be based on the materials you have consulted in developing your manuscript. Washington University in St. Louis describes a literature review as the following:
A literature review is more than a summary of the sources, it has an organizational pattern that combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant (Library Services for Undergraduate Research Literature Review: A Definition.)
The methods section is the most important part of the research paper, because it describes to the reader the information needed to judge the validity of the study. A methods section contains:
Description of participants including basic demographic data.
Description of materials used in the research study.
Explanation of how material was used in the research study.
Step-by-step description of the procedures and protocol.
Explanation of instruments and measurements used in the study.
Kallet, R. H. (2004). How to write the methods section of a research paper. PubMed, 49(10), 1229–1232.
James Madison University. (n.d.). Method Sections for Empirical Research Papers An Overview. Https://Www.jmu.edu/Uwc/Link-Library/Types-of-Writing/Empirical_research_writing.shtml.
The conclusion section of a research paper is where you will summarize your findings. It should be concise and focused. Typically, conclusions are about a paragraph in length (Tablas-Mejia, 2021).
In the discussion section, you will interpret your results in relation to the current body of literature and describe new insight from your research.
The discussion section will always connect back to the introduction and research questions.
It is the only section in a research report where you can interpret the meaning of your research. Likewise, you can describe how your research contributes to the field.
The discussion section is largely seen as the most important part of a research paper, because:
You will have the opportunity to think critically about how your research relates to the problem.
You will demonstrate how your research findings can be applied creatively to solve problems.
You can showcase how your understanding of the issue or problem has evolved through your research (Sacred Heart University, 2009).
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