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HEA-ICS Workshop December 2007. What makes a good research paper? Louise Cooke, joint editor, Library & Information Research. This session will consider…. Where to submit your work How to please the editor(s) and the reviewer(s) Structuring your paper and knowing what to include
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HEA-ICS Workshop December 2007 What makes a good research paper? Louise Cooke, joint editor, Library & Information Research
This session will consider… • Where to submit your work • How to please the editor(s) and the reviewer(s) • Structuring your paper and knowing what to include • Making your work stand out from the crowd • Achieving success!
Deciding where to submit your work • Who are your intended audience? • Academic or practitioner? • General or specialist? • Look at the editorial line e.g. methodology, philosophy, ideology • Look at the style and presentation requirements • Consider the main themes or approaches • Don’t send to multiple journals at the same time.
For example: LIR editorial policy • http://www.lirg.org.uk/lir/ojs/index.php/lir/about/editorialPolicies#focusAndScope
Structuring your paper • Title / abstract / keywords / author biographies / acknowledgements • Introduction • Literature Review • Methods • Findings • Discussion • Conclusion / recommendations • References.
Introduction • Establish the context of the research: • Who, what, where, how, when, why? • What did it set out to achieve: • Aim(s)? • Objectives? • Establish the significance of the research • How is the paper structured? What conventions (if any) does it adopt, or what assumptions are made?
Writing a literature review • What work has already been done on this topic? • What are the main theories and debates on the topic? • Who are the key players? • What are their perspectives on the topic? • Aim for a synthesis not a shopping list! • Keep it critical – ‘argues’, ‘suggests’ etc. • What gaps remain in our knowledge? • How will your work contribute to filling these gaps?
Discussing your methods • What did you do and why did you do it this way? • How else could you have approached it? • What philosophical assumptions underpinned your choice of methods? • Was there anything innovative about your methods? • Remember to discuss sampling choices, questionnaire design, data analysis etc. • JUSTIFY everything!
Presenting your findings • This should summarise key findings • Avoid repetition • Consider graphic representation • Identify the overall answer to the purpose of your study.
The discussion • What are the implications for theory and practice? • What is the contribution made by your work?* • What can NOT be deduced from your work? • How do your findings relate to those of previous work (as discussed in the literature review)? • What methodological limitations did you encounter? *Don’t stretch your claims!
Final conclusion • Relate back to aim(s) and objectives • Summarise key argument and contribution • This could be practical, theoretical and/or methodological • Outline any recommendations • Identify future directions.
For example, LIR author guidelines All authors are encouraged to conclude their paper with a section describing the practical applications of their research, i.e., answering the “so what?” question. What effect should your work have on the LIS practitioner or the research community? Is there anything the community should be doing differently as a result of your research? Have you identified areas for future research? If so, please state them here.
A few final tips… • Avoid wordiness – keep it simple • Get your colleagues – or even friends and family – to read and comment • Work with the editor – they want good quality material to publish • Tell your ‘story’ and answer the ‘so what’ question • Don’t be put off by rejection – learn from your reviewers.
