Anatomy of a Research Paper

Question 1

In a title, what will you see

Answer 1

independent
dependent
population of interest

effect of concurrent loading on bone density in older adults

Question 2

Author list
* First Author, the author who contributed the most, Second Author….>
* Last Author, Principal investigator, Lab Owner – Director, might be the
person who contributes the second most to the paper. They supervised
the work and checked it (also look for corresponding author…)

Question 3

The introduction should answer these questions
* What are we looking at / investigating? Why?
* What we know currently?
* How we know it?
* What are the limitation to that knowledge?
* What is the knowledge gap?
* How will our research address this knowledge gap?
* Final thoughts
* State our hypothesis

Question 4

Methodology(the heart of the study) *MOST IMPORTANT
* Study design (RCT, Case-study, Cross sectional, Longitudinal….)
* Defines what type of questions this study can address or attempt to answer.
* Every type of study design is faced with a trade off!
* There is no perfect study design.
* RCT’s are often claimed to be “the best” because they
target cause and effect questions
* There are other questions though, that may need to be asked first

Operational definitions:

The definition of how…
* Defining what are you…

Answer 4

Operational definitions for independent and dependent variables

The definition of how you are defining a variable in context!
* Defining what are you measuring exactly: what is it, when is it measured, how is it
measured, what is the unit of measure.

Question 5

More methodology questions
* How will you collect and process the data
* What statistical tests will you run, how will you measure change
* What is the critical measure-value, why did you choose it
* Controls for bias and confounding variability
* Diet, exercise, sleep, randomization, etc.
* What groups completed the ethical review of the study, and provided their approval

CRITICAL MEASURE VALUE

Answer 5

The term “critical measure-value” does not have a single universal definition, but it generally refers to a threshold or key value that determines a significant change in a system. Here’s why:

In Statistics: The critical value is used in hypothesis testing to decide whether to r

Question 6

Results

Answer 6

• What did you record in your study…
• Describe your subject(s), size, height, how many did you have, did
  any drop out… (descriptive statistics…)
• There is no interpretation of the data in the results section
• However, processed data can be in the results
• This is where Tables and Figures are introduced in a paper (they may
  be attached at the end)
• Data is presented in the way that was outlined in the methodology
• Numbers, units, scales, standard deviations …. Clearly presented
  easy to understand and interpre

Question 7

Discussion

Answer 7

What happened in your study? now it is time to explain.
* Did you see a change in the DV, why, which direction did it go.
* Did this agree with your expectations? Why/not?
* What did you learn in the study about the study / DV?
* Were there any unforeseen limitations, restriction, biases,
confounding variables that cropped up during testing?
* What could you do better?
* Where is the research headed?

Question 8

Abstract

Answer 8

Abstract
* Written last, once everything is done….
* Word limited to between 150-300 words
* Condense and summarize research into a brief description
* Very limited in size and scope, so only most important measures
or outcomes are discussed
* Seldom ever references outside work or supporting outside
documentation so does not included citations (YEMV)

Question 9

THERE IS NO PERFECT STUDY FOR A RESEARCH PAPER