Research
Papers Article Analysis-Integrative Assignment
Godoy,
B., Goyeneche, X. & Furlano, P.
Research
Articles: A Comparative Analysis
Research Articles (RAs) are papers written by
investigators to illustrate an outcome of scientific research with supporting
data. RAs are generally divided into different sections, namely Title,
Abstracts, Acknowledgements, Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results,
Discussions, Recommendations, References and Appendixes (Swales & Feak,
1994). The purpose of the
current study is to analyze and compare the Introduction and Methods sections
as well as the Literature Review of two research papers of different
disciplines; one in the education field and the other in the medicine arena.
Swales
and Feak (1994) has created the Create a Research Space Model (C.A.R.S.) which
describes the general organizational patterns as regards how writers should
present their introductions. They suggest three Moves in RAs’
Introductions; in Move 1 the writer establishes a research territory by
reviewing previous research and outlining the importance of the study; in Move
2 the author establishes a niche by indicating the gap that has been found in
the area; and in Move 3 the writer occupies the niche by outlining the purposes
of the current study and how the investigation will accomplish for the
field.
Both analyzed articles attempt to show that the
research studies are worth considering. Valk, Rashid, and Elder,
(2010) remark the increasing exploration of the potential of mobile
phones to facilitate learning nowadays; and Besierre, Pressman, Kiesler, and
Kraut, (2010) affirm that as the number of Internet users is growing
rapidly, it is important to assess how it affects people’s well-being. As
regards the revision of previous research, in the education research article the
author makes more generalizations about the subject and reviews more in depth
items of previous research. This is not as clear in the medicine article as
there is little evidence of previous research in Move 1.
As
regards verb tenses and their mastering when writing different sections of
research papers, both articles make good use of them as expected
for introductions. The present simple is used to establish current state
of knowledge and the writers’ research, the present perfect is used to say what
has been found and the past simple, though it is not included in the
introduction of the education paper, is used in the medicine one to show
results of previous research.
The articles’ motivations for the study lack
the exploitation of the proposed topic in question. They start Move 2
with a negative opening stating that more evidence is needed. On the one hand
the authors of the educational paper state that: “however, there remains a lack
of analysis that brings together the findings of the rising number of
m-Learning projects in the developing world” ( Valk et al. 2010, p. 2).
On the other hand the medicine research points out that: “although prior
research has shown…little reliable information exists about the impact of using
the Internet to obtain health resources, especially in non-clinical
populations” (Bessiere et al., 2010 ). Move 2 is very short as it is the link
that joins Move 1 and 3.
Concerning Move 3, even though both articles
outline the purpose of the study, they differ in some features included. The
education paper announces principal findings and indicates the structure of the
Research Paper. On the contrary, in the medicine article these features are
placed in a different section namely Current Study. The medicine article
contains both a descriptive and a purposive statement as it not only states the
purpose of the research but also describes the present study. Besierre et
al. (2010) announce that “the purpose of the current research was to determine
whether using the internet for health purpose is beneficial or harmful to
physical and psychological well-being.” (p.2). Furthermore, the author explains
how the study was conducted. On the contrary the educational paper only
contains a descriptive statement initiating Move 3.
With reference to literature review, in the
medicine article, as exposed previously, there is little on formation about the
topic of the research paper. A more complete review is presented in two
extra headings, Health Resources Online and Non-Medical Internet Use. Regarding
education research paper the author makes a general revision of the literature,
analyzing the topic in a broad way, placing specific information in three
subsequent headings, Theories of Mobile Learning, The role of Mobiles in
Improving Access to Education, and The Role of Mobiles in Promoting new
Learning.
Both articles use a wide variety of sources. While
the medicine article bases their searches on online medical journals and online
libraries, the educational paper utilizes books as well as articles in its
digital version, a newspaper article and a paper from a conference.
Regarding the way of acknowledging the sources chosen, the articles
differ from the method employed. While the medicine paper acknowledges sources with a number system, the
educational article uses in text citations following The American Psychological
Association (APA) (2008) manual’s requirements.
When analyzing social scientific research
papers it is indispensable to remember what type of research it is. According
to Sampieri, Collado and Lucio (1998), scientific research is a type of
research which is systematic, controlled, empiric and critical. Systematic and
controlled because as any discipline it is based on a system; empiric because
it is based on observable issues and critical because it is under permanent
objective observation and reflection. Thus, it is of utmost importance to
remember research’s characteristics when delving into this type of study.
To be able to analyze research reports it is
crucial to know about research types. Dankhe (1986, cited in
Sampieri et al., 1998) states that there are four types of research studies:
exploratory, descriptive, correlational, and explanatory. Thus, each type of
research study implements a different research method or strategy; components
such as the design, data and sample will vary depending on the chosen research
type and each of them is use different research tool to carry out the study.
In light of the typology to take into account
when examining research reports, it can be identified that the paper in the
educational field belongs to the descriptive type. Sampieri et al.
(1998) state that descriptive studies measure concepts and focus on
measuring the characteristics of a particular phenomenon. This type of research
answers the questions who, what, where, when and how and deals with everything
that can be counted or studied.
Valk et al.
(2010) delved into case studies for the purpose of examining the
existing evidence of m-Learning as a tool to exert a positive impact on
educational outcome. The authors identified relevant m-Learning pilot projects
by searching academic publications, as well as conducting a general internet
search. The selected projects document results and have evidence, both
qualitative and quantitative, thus, definitive conclusions can be drawn
regarding the impact of mobile phone on education.
As regards the method of study employed in the
medicine field it can be assumed that it is a correlational study. According
to Waters (n.d.) correlational research is a type of quantitative study in
which two or more variables from the same group are analyzed and correlated
(brought into reciprocal relation), to determine if there is a relationship or
covariation between the variables. Bessiere et al. (2010) used a
non-experimental method in their research. Thus, they did not manipulate
variables deliberately; they just observed the phenomenon and then analyzed it.
The researchers conducted a national survey of US households, using random
digit dialing, to determine whether using the Internet for health
purposes is beneficial or harmful to physical and psychological well-being.
In relation to the Method section, the medicine
article includes the traditional subsections Procedure and Participants, it
also adds Measures and Statistical Analysis subsections, omitting the Material
one. On the contrary the educational article does not make the division
among participants, method and procedure. And the information is placed in a
subsection called Methodology. Both articles contain a great amount of
information. While the medical paper utilized technical vocabulary the
explanations in the educational article are clearly exposed with simple
language and straightforward explanations. The simple past tense is used to
describe methods and data of the experiment.
Although both papers do not follow strictly the
requirements for writing research papers, they contain the information
specified for each section. On the whole they provide the necessary
information concerning introductions, literature reviews and method section and
they are written in an academic style. In the hope of gaining understanding of
the construction of research articles in different disciplines, an analysis of
two research papers, a medicine and an educational one, was carried out. An
awareness of the rules and conventions of research papers can help learners to
become better writers and professionals and thus showing the path to develop themselves
as members of a discourse community.
References
American Psychological Association (2008). Publication Manual (5th ed.). Washington, DC: British Library
Cataloguing-In-Publication Data.
Bessiere, K., Pressman, S., Kiesler, S., & Kraut, R. (2010). Effects of Internet Use on Health and Depression:
A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 12, (1). Retrieved April, 2013 from: http://www.jmir.org/2010/1/e6/
Hernández
Sampieri, R., Fernández Collado, C., & Baptista Lucio, P. (1998). Metodología
de la investigación. (2nd
ed.). McGraw Hill: Mexico
Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B.
(1994). Academic writing for graduate
students: A course for non-native speakers of English. Ann Harbour, MI: The
University of Michigan Press.
Valk, J., Rashid, A., & Elder,
L. (2010). Using Mobile Phones to Improve
Educational Outcomes: An analysis of evidence from Asia. International Review of Research in Open and Distance
Learning, 11(1). Retrieved April 2013 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ881581.pdf
Waters, J. (n.d.). Correlational resarch. Retrieved April
, 2013 from http://www.capilanou.ca/programs/psycology/students/research/correlation/html
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