Parts of a Research Paper

• Title

  • summarizes the main idea of the study
  • contains the fewest possible words needed to adequately describe the content of the research paper 
• Rationale

  • contains the brief yet concise background of the study
  • contains the reason for conducting the study
  • answers the need for conducting the research
  • justifies the significance and novelty (something new or unusual) of the study
• Theoretical background

  • section upon which the research is anchored
  • introduces and describes the theory or theories that explains why the research problems under study exists
  • demonstrates an understanding of theories and concepts relevant to the topic of the research
  • helps the researcher generalize various aspects of observed phenomenon from simply describing it
• Review of Related Literature

  • knowledge and findings from existing scholarly, and relevant sources, and publications or studies related to the researcher's chosen topic.
• State of the Problem

  • enables the researcher to draft the most appropriate research design, the most fitting method, and the most appropriate treatment for the collected data
  • often called the controversy, the main concern, the general prevailing issue
  • where the research questions that make the study more specific and measurable are found.
• Statement of Hypothesis

  • concentrates on the tentative explanation or an answer to a question about variables, their relationships, and other facts involved in research
  • contains the researcher's inference, proposal, or guess about factual things related to what he or she researches
• Significance of the Study

  • statement that explains why the research is needed
  • justification of the importance of the research or study and its impact or contribution to new knowledge, and how others will benefit from the study.
• Scope and Limitations of the Study

  • explains the extent which the research area will be explored in the work; specifies the parameters within which the study will be operating.
• Limitations are the characteristics that limit the scope and describe the boundaries of the study, such as sample population, geographical location, or population traits.
• Research design

  • general framework guiding a research project
  • established way or ways of approaching research questions, for example: qualitative or quantitative methods
  • specific outline detailing how the researcher's chosen method will be applied to answer a particular research question
  • allows the researcher to apply the necessary method to gather the necessary data.
• Research Environment

  • also known as research locale
  • place where the study is conducted
• Research Instrument

  • measurements tools (questionnaire, interviews or scales) designed to obtain data on a topic of interest from research subjects.
• Research Procedure

  • steps or activities to be undertaken in order to achieve the objectives of the study
• Definition of terms

  • section where the researcher assigns meaning to a construct or variable by specifying the activities or operations necessary to measure the construct or the variable
• Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

  • section that contains the summary of the whole investigation, as well as the established conclusions based on the results of the study.
• The recommendation is where the researcher makes suggestions about some resolutions as a response to the research problem. it must be consistent with the conclusion.
• References

  • lists of all the sources the researcher used in the project so readers can easily find what has been cited.
• APA (American Psychological Association) used in researches related with Education, Psychology, and Sciences.
• MLA (Modern Language Association) used by the Humanities