Breaking Your Writing Up
It is helpful to have a sense of the components and general structure for your final written project before you begin writing so that you can divide your writing into different component parts. Most writing requires an introduction The start of a research article providing background information and an overview of the research presented in the article. and conclusion The end of a research article that wraps up the work presented. A conclusion can also be a spot to discuss limitations of the research or future avenues for this line of research., but you may also need to include a literature review The process of summarizing, synthesizing and/or critiquing literature around a specific topic/idea. This work can help a researcher understand what has happened before and also how past research intersects and or diverges from other research. A literature review can be a full-length manuscript or a subsection within a larger research article., methodology The theoretical framework that informs how a researcher approaches their work and what methods are used to collect data., results The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” , or other sections (USC Libraries 2023). It may be helpful to look at examples of writing in the venue where you hope to publish to get a sense of what sections are expected, or at other published work on similar topics or with similar research methodologies.
Dividing your writing into sections allows you to focus on short chunks that are easier to manage than a single sprawling project. You will be able to see your progress and feel motivated by the work you have already accomplished as you steadily achieve small goals while completing one section at a time. Breaking your writing into sections may also help you identify what work needs to be done first and can make it easier to map out a realistic calendar for completing the entire project. For example, if you are developing a survey, you may need to complete a literature review before you can finalize the questions to ensure you gather the maximum new data. If you are writing a case study that you’ve already completed, however, a literature review may be the last step to provide context for the case study. Integrating your research plan and project timeline into your calendar to map out how you will work on each section of your final project can make it easier to get started on a big project and ensures you stay on track to complete your work by the deadline.
Exercise
Complete the following exercise in your LPOL Workbook. This exercise will help you check for learning, engage with the material, and work through new ideas.
Consider using the 4.4.1: Article Section Map worksheet in your LPOL Workbook to break your proposed project into relevant sections and begin to identify goals for when you would like to have a draft of each section completed. Remember that you do not need to write your paper in order, and it is always possible to move sections around later. In the next section of this lesson, we will consider who might be able to assist you in reviewing subsequent drafts of each section you have identified, as well as how to cope with the difficulty of writing that very first draft.
Topic 1 References
USC Libraries. “Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper.” USC Libraries Research Guides. July 21, 2023. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide.
Breaking Your Writing Up
It is helpful to have a sense of the components and general structure for your final written project before you begin writing so that you can divide your writing into different component parts. Most writing requires an introductionIntroduction The start of a research article providing background information and an overview of the research presented in the article. and conclusionConclusion The end of a research article that wraps up the work presented. A conclusion can also be a spot to discuss limitations of the research or future avenues for this line of research., but you may also need to include a literature reviewLiterature Review The process of summarizing, synthesizing and/or critiquing literature around a specific topic/idea. This work can help a researcher understand what has happened before and also how past research intersects and or diverges from other research. A literature review can be a full-length manuscript or a subsection within a larger research article., methodologyMethodology The theoretical framework that informs how a researcher approaches their work and what methods are used to collect data., resultsResults The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” , or other sections (USC Libraries 2023). It may be helpful to look at examples of writing in the venue where you hope to publish to get a sense of what sections are expected, or at other published work on similar topics or with similar research methodologies.
Dividing your writing into sections allows you to focus on short chunks that are easier to manage than a single sprawling project. You will be able to see your progress and feel motivated by the work you have already accomplished as you steadily achieve small goals while completing one section at a time. Breaking your writing into sections may also help you identify what work needs to be done first and can make it easier to map out a realistic calendar for completing the entire project. For example, if you are developing a survey, you may need to complete a literature review before you can finalize the questions to ensure you gather the maximum new data. If you are writing a case study that you’ve already completed, however, a literature review may be the last step to provide context for the case study. Integrating your research plan and project timeline into your calendar to map out how you will work on each section of your final project can make it easier to get started on a big project and ensures you stay on track to complete your work by the deadline.
Exercise
Complete the following exercise in your LPOL Workbook. This exercise will help you check for learning, engage with the material, and work through new ideas.
Consider using the 4.4.1: Article Section Map worksheet in your LPOL Workbook to break your proposed project into relevant sections and begin to identify goals for when you would like to have a draft of each section completed. Remember that you do not need to write your paper in order, and it is always possible to move sections around later. In the next section of this lesson, we will consider who might be able to assist you in reviewing subsequent drafts of each section you have identified, as well as how to cope with the difficulty of writing that very first draft.
Topic 1 References
USC Libraries. “Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper.” USC Libraries Research Guides. July 21, 2023. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide.