Studying the structure of research papers provides the tools to grasp the tenets of academic research. By empirically examining two research articles, the former on the medicine field and the latter on the educational sector, we hope to produce a deeper understanding of the structure of research papers. The results, discussions and conclusions sections will be evaluated so as to focus on their main similarities and differences from the perspective of the articles’ layout and organization contrasted with the American Psychological Association (APA) rules and requirements for academic papers.
Research by Bessiére, Pressman, Keisler and Kraut (2010) deals with the effects of internet use on health and depression whereas research by Zhang & Kenny (2010) illustrates the experiences of three international students when learning in an online distance education course. Though the articles seem to provide clear views on each field, their main similarities and differences will aid towards a deep understanding of each articles’ structure and content.
The first item to be compared is the structure of the articles. Within the medicine paper, the results section is separated from the discussions, limitations and conclusions. As regards the education paper, it is structured into the findings, the discussions and conclusions. The articles may contain different titles in their internal structure to meet the publisher’s field.
The results section aims at summarizing “the collected data and the analysis performed on those data” (American Psychological Association, 2009, p.32). It is highly likely that both articles meet the standards of APA (2009) as the data is disclosed in detail (APA, 2009, p.32). In view of the researchers’ findings and perhaps with the intention of providing readers with relevant information in a reduced space, Besiére et al. (2010) have utilized tables (Pintos and Crimi, 2010). It is probable that the displays partially match APA (2009) requirements since they seem to accomplish few of the basic rules concerning their formatting. Tough tables have a title, this is neither italicized nor written with each word capitalized (Pintos and Crimi, 2010).
However no tables had been included in the educational paper, the researchers included various direct quotations to refer to the students’ feelings and ideas about participating in an online distance education course. The direct quotations in the education paper may meet APA requirements as they are introduced through signal phrases which alert the reader the following passage in the article, refers to students’ exact words. To put it another way, the researcher included phrases such as “Masahiro observed that…” (Zhang and Kenny, 2010, n.p.). No inverted commas are used due to they are long quotations (APA, 2009).
Especially interesting is the fact that both papers refer to the subjects who took part in the research as participants, though some researchers in the medicine field prefer the term subjects (Pintos and Crimi, 2010). There seems to be a focus on the participants as a
“sensitive term” (Pintos and Crimi, 2010 p.34) by the researchers in both fields. Through this term, there is an appropriate identification of the sample involved in the research according to APA (2009). The results sections in both articles are developed in simple past tense meeting APA (2009) requirements as regards the usage of past verbal tenses for results. It is almost certain that the researchers have used past tenses to describe the outcomes of the research considering the questions or hypothesis of the article (Pintos and Crimi, 2010).
According to APA (2009), the discussions section aims at evaluating and interpreting the implications of the results in connection with the original hypotheses. The introduction section, in the medicine article, is developed around a purposive statement which may refer the reader to the purpose of the study mentioned in the introduction of the paper. Then, the researchers evaluate the results of the study. Similarly, Zhang and Kenny (2010) draw the reader’s attention by clearly stating the restricting cultural conditions in the online learning environment. The development of the discussions section matches APA (2009) style.
Regarding the usage of modal verbs, the researchers on the medicine field have addressed various modals in order to refer to the different degrees of certainty of the results and their possible consequences. It is very probable that researchers apply modal verbs so as to avoid vehement conclusions (Pintos and Crimi, 2010).On the other hand, the researchers in the education area have used a few modal verbs in the discussions section. The simple present tense is used in both articles in the discussions. Both discussions are likely to match APA (2009) style and requirements in this part.
In view of the findings in the medicine article, the researchers have included a Limitations section to address the unresolved issues or the obstacles the study had encountered. “Our ability to generalize to the US
The American Psychological Association (2009), states that the term follow-up should be hyphenated whenever it functions as a noun or adjective. Under this principle, the last sentence in the limitations section mirrors APA rule as it reads, “suggesting the need for follow-up research in this area” (Bessiére, et al. 2010 n.p.).
With regards to the conclusions section, it should connect the different parts of the paper by referring to some ideas mentioned in the introduction. Relevant data based on what needs to be done in the future may also be included at this stage (APA, 2009). Bessiére et al. (2010), refer to what has been done in the area while stating the limitations uncovered in the research, summarizing the main points of the investigation. Moreover, the need for additional research is emphasized as the authors claim “Additional research is needed to determine what…” (Bessiére et al., 2010, n.p.). Conversely, researchers in the education sector seem to give priority to the results obtained and the interpretations after conducting the research. In this perspective, Zhang and Kenny (2010) may be more concerned with the application of their research as the foundation for future investigations.
All in all, it could be concluded that through deep analysis of research papers, strong academic writing skills may be developed and improved. On condition that readers delve into academic reading by acutely analyzing sections such as results, discussions and conclusions, a deeper understanding of the academic field will be achieved. Broadly speaking, both research articles adhere to APA (2009) requirements while respecting documentation styles of the two fields.
References
Bessière, K., Pressman, S., Keisler, S. & Kraut, R. (2010) Effects of Internet use on health and depression: a longitudinal study. J Med Internet Res 2010; 12(1) Retrieved from:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2009) (6th ed.). Washington DC
Pintos, V. & Crimi, Y. (2010) Unit 2: The research article: introductions, literature reviews and methods sections. Universidad CAECE. Buenos Aires , Argentina
Zhang, Z. & Kenny, R. (2010) Learning in an online distance education course: experiences of three international students (Vol.11, 1).Retrieved from:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDOCS/data/ericdocs2slq/content_storage-01/0000019b/80/47/86/4e.pdf
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