Most papers written in the social sciences, life sciences, nursing, and education usually follow the same basic structure and use APA style. Although these areas of study may be different, the methods of writing, presenting evidence, and explaining the research process are very similar.
Most quantitative papers include the same organization and order:
1. Introduction
2. Review of Literature
3. Methodology
4. Findings
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
7. References
8. Appendices
Introduction
(1) Your introduction should state the problem you are going to address. It will likely pose the research question as well. This is sometimes referred to as identifying a gap in the disciplinary knowledge.
(2) Briefly discuss what the discipline already knows about the subject. In other words, summarize what you have learned about your topic. Background information such as summaries of current practices within the field, histories, and/or theories that help your reader “get up to speed” on the problem should go here.
(3) [When your paper is completed at the end of the semester, you must add this part]
Briefly explain how you will fill this gap in the knowledge. State the principle results of the study and the principle conclusions. What did you do to get to this conclusion? The rest of the paper will discuss your findings and add to the information. Ask yourself the following questions:
What this section should accomplish when you are done.
● Does your clearly identify the problem or state the research question and its answer?
● Does it tell your reader why you will be discussing it?
● Do you establish why your audience should listen to you?
