Paper writing techinques

#CURI

By Daniel Shek

  1. A thorough literature review:
    1. What are the gaps in the literature leading to the present study? Examples in your research?
    2. What conceptual and methodological problems are there?
  2. Appropriate Scope of the Paper:
    Examples:
    • “To examine relationships between 20 measures of health and life satisfaction in the globe” Problems?
    • “To examine three moderators and three mediators in the relationship between stress and psychological well-being based on 100 participants” Problems?
  3. Clear Objectives of the Paper:
    Examples:
    • To apply psychotherapy in non-Western societies – Problems?
    • To inform us about the relationships between vitamins and academic performance of poor students – Problems?
  4. Clear Research Questions:
    Examples:
    • Is Theory X a good theory in explaining adolescent behavior? Problem?
    • Do self-concept and self-esteem mediate and moderate the relationship between empathy and volunteerism? Problem?\
  5. Alignment between Research Questions and the Objectives of the Study:
    • Objectives before the research questions
    • Four objectives but six research questions – How to avoid this?
  6. Clear Conceptual Framework:
    Why a clear conceptual framework is important?
    Examples:
    • Specific elements of the theory to be tested in the study are clearly spelled out
    • Figure or diagram; simple model to be tested
  7. Generalizability of Theory to Different Cultures/Populations
    (more suitable in social science)
    • To what extent the proposed theoretical model is applicable to Chinese people? Why is it important?
    • Any need for indigenization?
    • Discussion of the cultural context
  8. Clear Hypothesis formation
    Examples:
    • “Gender, age and income would moderate the relationships between several factors and intention to engage in healthy life style”. Problems?
    • “In our framework, self-esteem is likely to affect psychological well-being”. Problem?
  9. Justifications for the Research Design:
    • Why quantitative research, qualitative paradigms or mixed research?
    • Strengths and limitations of the research design?
    • Your research?
  10. Appropriate Measurement:
    • Use of validated measures
    • How to choose an appropriate measure?
    • Without validation, the findings would be problematic.
  11. Sample size justified
    • How large should be a sample?
    • Power analysis and statistical justifications
    • Same problem for qualitative studies
  12. Clear Plan for Data Analyses:
    Hypotheses testing, fact findings or what?
    Examples:
    • Differences between two groups: t-test? ANOVA? Non-parametric statistics?
    • How to look at different predictors of physical health?
  13. Clear Linkage between Different Parts of the Study:
    • The linkage between the first part (e.g., survey) and second part (e.g., interviews) of the study cleis not clear.
  14. Clear Discussion:
    • Consistency with the literature?
    • Novel findings and explanations?
    • Theoretical significance and implications
    • Practical significance and implications
    • Theoretical and practical advances?
    • Limitations of the study?
    • Possible future research directions
  15. Soft Skills
    • Writing skills alone are not adequate
    • Writing is supported by many soft skills
    • Diligence – no pain, no gain
    • Perseverance – never give up
    • Resilience – good recovery after rejection: Adversity Quotient (AQ)
    • Emotional Quotient (EQ)
    • Meaning of writing papers? Meaning? Spiritual quotient (SQ)

Question for Reflection Write a personal reflection on the talk: