When writing a paper – points that need to be considered

 »      Abstract

• What is the research question?
• Why is it important?
• How was the investigation undertaken?
• What did the results show and what does it mean?

»      Introduction

• What is the broad aim of the thesis
• Why is it important to study?
  • Broad/Social Implications - Context information 
  • Research drivers – ie a statement of the problem or 'gap' in the research
• Specific Aims of the project
• Brief description of your methodological approach underpinned by a theoretical framework/rationale

 »      Review of the Literature

Before you start, you need to think about how are you going to order your discussion. There are a number of ways you can organize your review: sequentially, methodologically, thematically or combination of these approaches to literature.

• What are the arguments that you want your reader to consider when evaluating your methodological approach? To do this you may want to consider:
  • What has been done in your field of research?
  • How do the various studies relate to each other?
  • What contribution do they make to research field? What are their limitations?
  • Where and how does your work fit into this body of research?

 »      Experimental Methodology/ Theoretical Modelling and Comparison with Experimental Results

• rationale for choosing materials, methods and procedures
• details of materials, equipment and procedures that will allow others to:
  • replicate experiments
  • understand and implement technical solutions

»      Experimental Results and Discussion

• Do your research findings support your hypothesis? In what way?
• Do your findings challenge your hypothesis? Why and how?
• What else do your findings tell you, over and above what you initially set out to investigate?
• How do your results differentiate your research from previous research?

»      Conclusion and Recommendations for future Work

• Restatement of the aims of the thesis
• What is the significance/implication of your findings?
• Are there other factors which need to be looked at (beyond the scope of the work)?
• What future research do you suggest needs to be done?

This is a summary of the information found on the RMIT, Melbourne and Monash RHD websites on writing please refer to the websites for more in-depth discussion of the topics/ideas summarised here.