example format of research paper

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13.1 Formatting a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

Identify the major components of a research paper written using American Psychological Association (APA) style.
Apply general APA style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style , the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style , from the Modern Language Association. There are a few major formatting styles used in academic texts, including AMA, Chicago, and Turabian:

AMA (American Medical Association) for medicine, health, and biological sciences
APA (American Psychological Association) for education, psychology, and the social sciences
Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books
MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities
Turabian—another common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.

If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.

Following these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Furthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind:

Work ahead whenever you can. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on.
Get it right the first time. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later.
Use the resources available to you. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.

General Formatting Guidelines

This chapter provides detailed guidelines for using the citation and formatting conventions developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. Writers in disciplines as diverse as astrophysics, biology, psychology, and education follow APA style. The major components of a paper written in APA style are listed in the following box.

These are the major components of an APA-style paper:

Body, which includes the following:

Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content
In-text citations of research sources
References page

All these components must be saved in one document, not as separate documents.

The title page of your paper includes the following information:

Title of the paper
Author’s name
Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated
Header at the top of the page with the paper title (in capital letters) and the page number (If the title is lengthy, you may use a shortened form of it in the header.)

List the first three elements in the order given in the previous list, centered about one third of the way down from the top of the page. Use the headers and footers tool of your word-processing program to add the header, with the title text at the left and the page number in the upper-right corner. Your title page should look like the following example.

Beyond the Hype: Evaluating Low-Carb Diets cover page

The next page of your paper provides an abstract , or brief summary of your findings. An abstract does not need to be provided in every paper, but an abstract should be used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise—about one hundred fifty to two hundred fifty words—and is written in an objective, impersonal style. Your writing voice will not be as apparent here as in the body of your paper. When writing the abstract, take a just-the-facts approach, and summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences.

In Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” , you read a paper written by a student named Jorge, who researched the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets. Read Jorge’s abstract. Note how it sums up the major ideas in his paper without going into excessive detail.

Write an abstract summarizing your paper. Briefly introduce the topic, state your findings, and sum up what conclusions you can draw from your research. Use the word count feature of your word-processing program to make sure your abstract does not exceed one hundred fifty words.

Depending on your field of study, you may sometimes write research papers that present extensive primary research, such as your own experiment or survey. In your abstract, summarize your research question and your findings, and briefly indicate how your study relates to prior research in the field.

Margins, Pagination, and Headings

APA style requirements also address specific formatting concerns, such as margins, pagination, and heading styles, within the body of the paper. Review the following APA guidelines.

Use these general guidelines to format the paper:

Set the top, bottom, and side margins of your paper at 1 inch.
Use double-spaced text throughout your paper.
Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, in a legible size (10- to 12-point).
Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header.
Section headings and subsection headings within the body of your paper use different types of formatting depending on the level of information you are presenting. Additional details from Jorge’s paper are provided.

Begin formatting the final draft of your paper according to APA guidelines. You may work with an existing document or set up a new document if you choose. Include the following:

Your title page
The abstract you created in Note 13.8 “Exercise 1”
Correct headers and page numbers for your title page and abstract

APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:

Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are boldfaced and italicized.
The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are italicized and not boldfaced.

Visually, the hierarchy of information is organized as indicated in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” .

Table 13.1 Section Headings

Level of Information	Text Example
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5

A college research paper may not use all the heading levels shown in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” , but you are likely to encounter them in academic journal articles that use APA style. For a brief paper, you may find that level 1 headings suffice. Longer or more complex papers may need level 2 headings or other lower-level headings to organize information clearly. Use your outline to craft your major section headings and determine whether any subtopics are substantial enough to require additional levels of headings.

Working with the document you developed in Note 13.11 “Exercise 2” , begin setting up the heading structure of the final draft of your research paper according to APA guidelines. Include your title and at least two to three major section headings, and follow the formatting guidelines provided above. If your major sections should be broken into subsections, add those headings as well. Use your outline to help you.

Because Jorge used only level 1 headings, his Exercise 3 would look like the following:

Level of Information	Text Example
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1

Citation Guidelines

In-text citations.

Throughout the body of your paper, include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from your research sources. As you learned in Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , the purpose of citations is twofold: to give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. Your in-text citations provide basic information about your source; each source you cite will have a longer entry in the references section that provides more detailed information.

In-text citations must provide the name of the author or authors and the year the source was published. (When a given source does not list an individual author, you may provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material instead.) When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

This information may be included within the sentence or in a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, as in these examples.

Epstein (2010) points out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Here, the writer names the source author when introducing the quote and provides the publication date in parentheses after the author’s name. The page number appears in parentheses after the closing quotation marks and before the period that ends the sentence.

Addiction researchers caution that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (Epstein, 2010, p. 137).

Here, the writer provides a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the author’s name, the year of publication, and the page number separated by commas. Again, the parenthetical citation is placed after the closing quotation marks and before the period at the end of the sentence.

As noted in the book Junk Food, Junk Science (Epstein, 2010, p. 137), “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive.”

Here, the writer chose to mention the source title in the sentence (an optional piece of information to include) and followed the title with a parenthetical citation. Note that the parenthetical citation is placed before the comma that signals the end of the introductory phrase.

David Epstein’s book Junk Food, Junk Science (2010) pointed out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Another variation is to introduce the author and the source title in your sentence and include the publication date and page number in parentheses within the sentence or at the end of the sentence. As long as you have included the essential information, you can choose the option that works best for that particular sentence and source.

Citing a book with a single author is usually a straightforward task. Of course, your research may require that you cite many other types of sources, such as books or articles with more than one author or sources with no individual author listed. You may also need to cite sources available in both print and online and nonprint sources, such as websites and personal interviews. Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.2 “Citing and Referencing Techniques” and Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provide extensive guidelines for citing a variety of source types.

Writing at Work

APA is just one of several different styles with its own guidelines for documentation, formatting, and language usage. Depending on your field of interest, you may be exposed to additional styles, such as the following:

MLA style. Determined by the Modern Languages Association and used for papers in literature, languages, and other disciplines in the humanities.
Chicago style. Outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style and sometimes used for papers in the humanities and the sciences; many professional organizations use this style for publications as well.
Associated Press (AP) style. Used by professional journalists.

References List

The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information. Again, this information allows your reader to follow up on the sources you cited and do additional reading about the topic if desired.

The specific format of entries in the list of references varies slightly for different source types, but the entries generally include the following information:

The name(s) of the author(s) or institution that wrote the source
The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
The full title of the source
For books, the city of publication
For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces. Review the following example. ( Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provides extensive guidelines for formatting reference entries for different types of sources.)

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case, not title case. Sentence case means that only the first word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

Key Takeaways

Following proper citation and formatting guidelines helps writers ensure that their work will be taken seriously, give proper credit to other authors for their work, and provide valuable information to readers.
Working ahead and taking care to cite sources correctly the first time are ways writers can save time during the editing stage of writing a research paper.
APA papers usually include an abstract that concisely summarizes the paper.
APA papers use a specific headings structure to provide a clear hierarchy of information.
In APA papers, in-text citations usually include the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.
In-text citations correspond to entries in the references section, which provide detailed bibliographical information about a source.

Home » Research Paper – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Research Paper – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Table of Contents

Research Paper

Definition:

Research Paper is a written document that presents the author’s original research, analysis, and interpretation of a specific topic or issue.

It is typically based on Empirical Evidence, and may involve qualitative or quantitative research methods, or a combination of both. The purpose of a research paper is to contribute new knowledge or insights to a particular field of study, and to demonstrate the author’s understanding of the existing literature and theories related to the topic.

Structure of Research Paper

The structure of a research paper typically follows a standard format, consisting of several sections that convey specific information about the research study. The following is a detailed explanation of the structure of a research paper:

The title page contains the title of the paper, the name(s) of the author(s), and the affiliation(s) of the author(s). It also includes the date of submission and possibly, the name of the journal or conference where the paper is to be published.

The abstract is a brief summary of the research paper, typically ranging from 100 to 250 words. It should include the research question, the methods used, the key findings, and the implications of the results. The abstract should be written in a concise and clear manner to allow readers to quickly grasp the essence of the research.

Introduction

The introduction section of a research paper provides background information about the research problem, the research question, and the research objectives. It also outlines the significance of the research, the research gap that it aims to fill, and the approach taken to address the research question. Finally, the introduction section ends with a clear statement of the research hypothesis or research question.

Literature Review

The literature review section of a research paper provides an overview of the existing literature on the topic of study. It includes a critical analysis and synthesis of the literature, highlighting the key concepts, themes, and debates. The literature review should also demonstrate the research gap and how the current study seeks to address it.

The methods section of a research paper describes the research design, the sample selection, the data collection and analysis procedures, and the statistical methods used to analyze the data. This section should provide sufficient detail for other researchers to replicate the study.

The results section presents the findings of the research, using tables, graphs, and figures to illustrate the data. The findings should be presented in a clear and concise manner, with reference to the research question and hypothesis.

The discussion section of a research paper interprets the findings and discusses their implications for the research question, the literature review, and the field of study. It should also address the limitations of the study and suggest future research directions.

The conclusion section summarizes the main findings of the study, restates the research question and hypothesis, and provides a final reflection on the significance of the research.

The references section provides a list of all the sources cited in the paper, following a specific citation style such as APA, MLA or Chicago.

How to Write Research Paper

You can write Research Paper by the following guide:

Choose a Topic: The first step is to select a topic that interests you and is relevant to your field of study. Brainstorm ideas and narrow down to a research question that is specific and researchable.
Conduct a Literature Review: The literature review helps you identify the gap in the existing research and provides a basis for your research question. It also helps you to develop a theoretical framework and research hypothesis.
Develop a Thesis Statement : The thesis statement is the main argument of your research paper. It should be clear, concise and specific to your research question.
Plan your Research: Develop a research plan that outlines the methods, data sources, and data analysis procedures. This will help you to collect and analyze data effectively.
Collect and Analyze Data: Collect data using various methods such as surveys, interviews, observations, or experiments. Analyze data using statistical tools or other qualitative methods.
Organize your Paper : Organize your paper into sections such as Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Ensure that each section is coherent and follows a logical flow.
Write your Paper : Start by writing the introduction, followed by the literature review, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. Ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and follows the required formatting and citation styles.
Edit and Proofread your Paper: Review your paper for grammar and spelling errors, and ensure that it is well-structured and easy to read. Ask someone else to review your paper to get feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Cite your Sources: Ensure that you properly cite all sources used in your research paper. This is essential for giving credit to the original authors and avoiding plagiarism.

Research Paper Example

Note : The below example research paper is for illustrative purposes only and is not an actual research paper. Actual research papers may have different structures, contents, and formats depending on the field of study, research question, data collection and analysis methods, and other factors. Students should always consult with their professors or supervisors for specific guidelines and expectations for their research papers.

Research Paper Example sample for Students:

Title: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health among Young Adults

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the impact of social media use on the mental health of young adults. A literature review was conducted to examine the existing research on the topic. A survey was then administered to 200 university students to collect data on their social media use, mental health status, and perceived impact of social media on their mental health. The results showed that social media use is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The study also found that social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) are significant predictors of mental health problems among young adults.

Introduction: Social media has become an integral part of modern life, particularly among young adults. While social media has many benefits, including increased communication and social connectivity, it has also been associated with negative outcomes, such as addiction, cyberbullying, and mental health problems. This study aims to investigate the impact of social media use on the mental health of young adults.

Literature Review: The literature review highlights the existing research on the impact of social media use on mental health. The review shows that social media use is associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health problems. The review also identifies the factors that contribute to the negative impact of social media, including social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO.

Methods : A survey was administered to 200 university students to collect data on their social media use, mental health status, and perceived impact of social media on their mental health. The survey included questions on social media use, mental health status (measured using the DASS-21), and perceived impact of social media on their mental health. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.

Results : The results showed that social media use is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The study also found that social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO are significant predictors of mental health problems among young adults.

Discussion : The study’s findings suggest that social media use has a negative impact on the mental health of young adults. The study highlights the need for interventions that address the factors contributing to the negative impact of social media, such as social comparison, cyberbullying, and FOMO.

Conclusion : In conclusion, social media use has a significant impact on the mental health of young adults. The study’s findings underscore the need for interventions that promote healthy social media use and address the negative outcomes associated with social media use. Future research can explore the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the negative impact of social media on mental health. Additionally, longitudinal studies can investigate the long-term effects of social media use on mental health.

Limitations : The study has some limitations, including the use of self-report measures and a cross-sectional design. The use of self-report measures may result in biased responses, and a cross-sectional design limits the ability to establish causality.

Implications: The study’s findings have implications for mental health professionals, educators, and policymakers. Mental health professionals can use the findings to develop interventions that address the negative impact of social media use on mental health. Educators can incorporate social media literacy into their curriculum to promote healthy social media use among young adults. Policymakers can use the findings to develop policies that protect young adults from the negative outcomes associated with social media use.

References :

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Preventive medicine reports, 15, 100918.
Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, C. G., Barrett, E. L., Sidani, J. E., Colditz, J. B., … & James, A. E. (2017). Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among US young adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 1-9.
Van der Meer, T. G., & Verhoeven, J. W. (2017). Social media and its impact on academic performance of students. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 16, 383-398.

Appendix : The survey used in this study is provided below.

Social Media and Mental Health Survey

How often do you use social media per day?
Less than 30 minutes
30 minutes to 1 hour
1 to 2 hours
2 to 4 hours
More than 4 hours
Which social media platforms do you use?
Others (Please specify)
How often do you experience the following on social media?
Social comparison (comparing yourself to others)
Cyberbullying
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Have you ever experienced any of the following mental health problems in the past month?
Do you think social media use has a positive or negative impact on your mental health?
Very positive
Somewhat positive
Somewhat negative
Very negative
In your opinion, which factors contribute to the negative impact of social media on mental health?
Social comparison
In your opinion, what interventions could be effective in reducing the negative impact of social media on mental health?
Education on healthy social media use
Counseling for mental health problems caused by social media
Social media detox programs
Regulation of social media use

Thank you for your participation!

Applications of Research Paper

Research papers have several applications in various fields, including:

Advancing knowledge: Research papers contribute to the advancement of knowledge by generating new insights, theories, and findings that can inform future research and practice. They help to answer important questions, clarify existing knowledge, and identify areas that require further investigation.
Informing policy: Research papers can inform policy decisions by providing evidence-based recommendations for policymakers. They can help to identify gaps in current policies, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, and inform the development of new policies and regulations.
Improving practice: Research papers can improve practice by providing evidence-based guidance for professionals in various fields, including medicine, education, business, and psychology. They can inform the development of best practices, guidelines, and standards of care that can improve outcomes for individuals and organizations.
Educating students : Research papers are often used as teaching tools in universities and colleges to educate students about research methods, data analysis, and academic writing. They help students to develop critical thinking skills, research skills, and communication skills that are essential for success in many careers.
Fostering collaboration: Research papers can foster collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers by providing a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas. They can facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships that can lead to innovative solutions to complex problems.

When to Write Research Paper

Research papers are typically written when a person has completed a research project or when they have conducted a study and have obtained data or findings that they want to share with the academic or professional community. Research papers are usually written in academic settings, such as universities, but they can also be written in professional settings, such as research organizations, government agencies, or private companies.

Here are some common situations where a person might need to write a research paper:

For academic purposes: Students in universities and colleges are often required to write research papers as part of their coursework, particularly in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Writing research papers helps students to develop research skills, critical thinking skills, and academic writing skills.
For publication: Researchers often write research papers to publish their findings in academic journals or to present their work at academic conferences. Publishing research papers is an important way to disseminate research findings to the academic community and to establish oneself as an expert in a particular field.
To inform policy or practice : Researchers may write research papers to inform policy decisions or to improve practice in various fields. Research findings can be used to inform the development of policies, guidelines, and best practices that can improve outcomes for individuals and organizations.
To share new insights or ideas: Researchers may write research papers to share new insights or ideas with the academic or professional community. They may present new theories, propose new research methods, or challenge existing paradigms in their field.

Purpose of Research Paper

The purpose of a research paper is to present the results of a study or investigation in a clear, concise, and structured manner. Research papers are written to communicate new knowledge, ideas, or findings to a specific audience, such as researchers, scholars, practitioners, or policymakers. The primary purposes of a research paper are:

To contribute to the body of knowledge : Research papers aim to add new knowledge or insights to a particular field or discipline. They do this by reporting the results of empirical studies, reviewing and synthesizing existing literature, proposing new theories, or providing new perspectives on a topic.
To inform or persuade: Research papers are written to inform or persuade the reader about a particular issue, topic, or phenomenon. They present evidence and arguments to support their claims and seek to persuade the reader of the validity of their findings or recommendations.
To advance the field: Research papers seek to advance the field or discipline by identifying gaps in knowledge, proposing new research questions or approaches, or challenging existing assumptions or paradigms. They aim to contribute to ongoing debates and discussions within a field and to stimulate further research and inquiry.
To demonstrate research skills: Research papers demonstrate the author’s research skills, including their ability to design and conduct a study, collect and analyze data, and interpret and communicate findings. They also demonstrate the author’s ability to critically evaluate existing literature, synthesize information from multiple sources, and write in a clear and structured manner.

Characteristics of Research Paper

Research papers have several characteristics that distinguish them from other forms of academic or professional writing. Here are some common characteristics of research papers:

Evidence-based: Research papers are based on empirical evidence, which is collected through rigorous research methods such as experiments, surveys, observations, or interviews. They rely on objective data and facts to support their claims and conclusions.
Structured and organized: Research papers have a clear and logical structure, with sections such as introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. They are organized in a way that helps the reader to follow the argument and understand the findings.
Formal and objective: Research papers are written in a formal and objective tone, with an emphasis on clarity, precision, and accuracy. They avoid subjective language or personal opinions and instead rely on objective data and analysis to support their arguments.
Citations and references: Research papers include citations and references to acknowledge the sources of information and ideas used in the paper. They use a specific citation style, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, to ensure consistency and accuracy.
Peer-reviewed: Research papers are often peer-reviewed, which means they are evaluated by other experts in the field before they are published. Peer-review ensures that the research is of high quality, meets ethical standards, and contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the field.
Objective and unbiased: Research papers strive to be objective and unbiased in their presentation of the findings. They avoid personal biases or preconceptions and instead rely on the data and analysis to draw conclusions.

Advantages of Research Paper

Research papers have many advantages, both for the individual researcher and for the broader academic and professional community. Here are some advantages of research papers:

Contribution to knowledge: Research papers contribute to the body of knowledge in a particular field or discipline. They add new information, insights, and perspectives to existing literature and help advance the understanding of a particular phenomenon or issue.
Opportunity for intellectual growth: Research papers provide an opportunity for intellectual growth for the researcher. They require critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, which can help develop the researcher’s skills and knowledge.
Career advancement: Research papers can help advance the researcher’s career by demonstrating their expertise and contributions to the field. They can also lead to new research opportunities, collaborations, and funding.
Academic recognition: Research papers can lead to academic recognition in the form of awards, grants, or invitations to speak at conferences or events. They can also contribute to the researcher’s reputation and standing in the field.
Impact on policy and practice: Research papers can have a significant impact on policy and practice. They can inform policy decisions, guide practice, and lead to changes in laws, regulations, or procedures.
Advancement of society: Research papers can contribute to the advancement of society by addressing important issues, identifying solutions to problems, and promoting social justice and equality.

Limitations of Research Paper

Research papers also have some limitations that should be considered when interpreting their findings or implications. Here are some common limitations of research papers:

Limited generalizability: Research findings may not be generalizable to other populations, settings, or contexts. Studies often use specific samples or conditions that may not reflect the broader population or real-world situations.
Potential for bias : Research papers may be biased due to factors such as sample selection, measurement errors, or researcher biases. It is important to evaluate the quality of the research design and methods used to ensure that the findings are valid and reliable.
Ethical concerns: Research papers may raise ethical concerns, such as the use of vulnerable populations or invasive procedures. Researchers must adhere to ethical guidelines and obtain informed consent from participants to ensure that the research is conducted in a responsible and respectful manner.
Limitations of methodology: Research papers may be limited by the methodology used to collect and analyze data. For example, certain research methods may not capture the complexity or nuance of a particular phenomenon, or may not be appropriate for certain research questions.
Publication bias: Research papers may be subject to publication bias, where positive or significant findings are more likely to be published than negative or non-significant findings. This can skew the overall findings of a particular area of research.
Time and resource constraints: Research papers may be limited by time and resource constraints, which can affect the quality and scope of the research. Researchers may not have access to certain data or resources, or may be unable to conduct long-term studies due to practical limitations.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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How To Write A Research Paper

Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + FREE Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | March 2024

For many students, crafting a strong research paper from scratch can feel like a daunting task – and rightly so! In this post, we’ll unpack what a research paper is, what it needs to do , and how to write one – in three easy steps. 🙂

Overview: Writing A Research Paper

What (exactly) is a research paper.

How to write a research paper
Stage 1 : Topic & literature search
Stage 2 : Structure & outline
Stage 3 : Iterative writing
Key takeaways

Let’s start by asking the most important question, “ What is a research paper? ”.

Simply put, a research paper is a scholarly written work where the writer (that’s you!) answers a specific question (this is called a research question ) through evidence-based arguments . Evidence-based is the keyword here. In other words, a research paper is different from an essay or other writing assignments that draw from the writer’s personal opinions or experiences. With a research paper, it’s all about building your arguments based on evidence (we’ll talk more about that evidence a little later).

Now, it’s worth noting that there are many different types of research papers , including analytical papers (the type I just described), argumentative papers, and interpretative papers. Here, we’ll focus on analytical papers , as these are some of the most common – but if you’re keen to learn about other types of research papers, be sure to check out the rest of the blog .

With that basic foundation laid, let’s get down to business and look at how to write a research paper .

Overview: The 3-Stage Process

While there are, of course, many potential approaches you can take to write a research paper, there are typically three stages to the writing process. So, in this tutorial, we’ll present a straightforward three-step process that we use when working with students at Grad Coach.

These three steps are:

Finding a research topic and reviewing the existing literature
Developing a provisional structure and outline for your paper, and
Writing up your initial draft and then refining it iteratively

Let’s dig into each of these.

Need a helping hand?

Step 1: Find a topic and review the literature

As we mentioned earlier, in a research paper, you, as the researcher, will try to answer a question . More specifically, that’s called a research question , and it sets the direction of your entire paper. What’s important to understand though is that you’ll need to answer that research question with the help of high-quality sources – for example, journal articles, government reports, case studies, and so on. We’ll circle back to this in a minute.

The first stage of the research process is deciding on what your research question will be and then reviewing the existing literature (in other words, past studies and papers) to see what they say about that specific research question. In some cases, your professor may provide you with a predetermined research question (or set of questions). However, in many cases, you’ll need to find your own research question within a certain topic area.

Finding a strong research question hinges on identifying a meaningful research gap – in other words, an area that’s lacking in existing research. There’s a lot to unpack here, so if you wanna learn more, check out the plain-language explainer video below.

Once you’ve figured out which question (or questions) you’ll attempt to answer in your research paper, you’ll need to do a deep dive into the existing literature – this is called a “ literature search ”. Again, there are many ways to go about this, but your most likely starting point will be Google Scholar .

If you’re new to Google Scholar, think of it as Google for the academic world. You can start by simply entering a few different keywords that are relevant to your research question and it will then present a host of articles for you to review. What you want to pay close attention to here is the number of citations for each paper – the more citations a paper has, the more credible it is (generally speaking – there are some exceptions, of course).

Ideally, what you’re looking for are well-cited papers that are highly relevant to your topic. That said, keep in mind that citations are a cumulative metric , so older papers will often have more citations than newer papers – just because they’ve been around for longer. So, don’t fixate on this metric in isolation – relevance and recency are also very important.

Beyond Google Scholar, you’ll also definitely want to check out academic databases and aggregators such as Science Direct, PubMed, JStor and so on. These will often overlap with the results that you find in Google Scholar, but they can also reveal some hidden gems – so, be sure to check them out.

Once you’ve worked your way through all the literature, you’ll want to catalogue all this information in some sort of spreadsheet so that you can easily recall who said what, when and within what context. If you’d like, we’ve got a free literature spreadsheet that helps you do exactly that.

Don’t fixate on an article’s citation count in isolation - relevance (to your research question) and recency are also very important.

Step 2: Develop a structure and outline

With your research question pinned down and your literature digested and catalogued, it’s time to move on to planning your actual research paper .

It might sound obvious, but it’s really important to have some sort of rough outline in place before you start writing your paper. So often, we see students eagerly rushing into the writing phase, only to land up with a disjointed research paper that rambles on in multiple

Now, the secret here is to not get caught up in the fine details . Realistically, all you need at this stage is a bullet-point list that describes (in broad strokes) what you’ll discuss and in what order. It’s also useful to remember that you’re not glued to this outline – in all likelihood, you’ll chop and change some sections once you start writing, and that’s perfectly okay. What’s important is that you have some sort of roadmap in place from the start.

You need to have a rough outline in place before you start writing your paper - or you’ll end up with a disjointed research paper that rambles on.

At this stage you might be wondering, “ But how should I structure my research paper? ”. Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here, but in general, a research paper will consist of a few relatively standardised components:

Introduction
Literature review
Methodology

Let’s take a look at each of these.

First up is the introduction section . As the name suggests, the purpose of the introduction is to set the scene for your research paper. There are usually (at least) four ingredients that go into this section – these are the background to the topic, the research problem and resultant research question , and the justification or rationale. If you’re interested, the video below unpacks the introduction section in more detail.

The next section of your research paper will typically be your literature review . Remember all that literature you worked through earlier? Well, this is where you’ll present your interpretation of all that content . You’ll do this by writing about recent trends, developments, and arguments within the literature – but more specifically, those that are relevant to your research question . The literature review can oftentimes seem a little daunting, even to seasoned researchers, so be sure to check out our extensive collection of literature review content here .

With the introduction and lit review out of the way, the next section of your paper is the research methodology . In a nutshell, the methodology section should describe to your reader what you did (beyond just reviewing the existing literature) to answer your research question. For example, what data did you collect, how did you collect that data, how did you analyse that data and so on? For each choice, you’ll also need to justify why you chose to do it that way, and what the strengths and weaknesses of your approach were.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that for some research papers, this aspect of the project may be a lot simpler . For example, you may only need to draw on secondary sources (in other words, existing data sets). In some cases, you may just be asked to draw your conclusions from the literature search itself (in other words, there may be no data analysis at all). But, if you are required to collect and analyse data, you’ll need to pay a lot of attention to the methodology section. The video below provides an example of what the methodology section might look like.

By this stage of your paper, you will have explained what your research question is, what the existing literature has to say about that question, and how you analysed additional data to try to answer your question. So, the natural next step is to present your analysis of that data . This section is usually called the “results” or “analysis” section and this is where you’ll showcase your findings.

Depending on your school’s requirements, you may need to present and interpret the data in one section – or you might split the presentation and the interpretation into two sections. In the latter case, your “results” section will just describe the data, and the “discussion” is where you’ll interpret that data and explicitly link your analysis back to your research question. If you’re not sure which approach to take, check in with your professor or take a look at past papers to see what the norms are for your programme.

Alright – once you’ve presented and discussed your results, it’s time to wrap it up . This usually takes the form of the “ conclusion ” section. In the conclusion, you’ll need to highlight the key takeaways from your study and close the loop by explicitly answering your research question. Again, the exact requirements here will vary depending on your programme (and you may not even need a conclusion section at all) – so be sure to check with your professor if you’re unsure.

Step 3: Write and refine

Finally, it’s time to get writing. All too often though, students hit a brick wall right about here… So, how do you avoid this happening to you?

Well, there’s a lot to be said when it comes to writing a research paper (or any sort of academic piece), but we’ll share three practical tips to help you get started.

First and foremost , it’s essential to approach your writing as an iterative process. In other words, you need to start with a really messy first draft and then polish it over multiple rounds of editing. Don’t waste your time trying to write a perfect research paper in one go. Instead, take the pressure off yourself by adopting an iterative approach.

Secondly , it’s important to always lean towards critical writing , rather than descriptive writing. What does this mean? Well, at the simplest level, descriptive writing focuses on the “ what ”, while critical writing digs into the “ so what ” – in other words, the implications . If you’re not familiar with these two types of writing, don’t worry! You can find a plain-language explanation here.

Last but not least, you’ll need to get your referencing right. Specifically, you’ll need to provide credible, correctly formatted citations for the statements you make. We see students making referencing mistakes all the time and it costs them dearly. The good news is that you can easily avoid this by using a simple reference manager . If you don’t have one, check out our video about Mendeley, an easy (and free) reference management tool that you can start using today.

Recap: Key Takeaways

We’ve covered a lot of ground here. To recap, the three steps to writing a high-quality research paper are:

To choose a research question and review the literature
To plan your paper structure and draft an outline
To take an iterative approach to writing, focusing on critical writing and strong referencing

Remember, this is just a b ig-picture overview of the research paper development process and there’s a lot more nuance to unpack. So, be sure to grab a copy of our free research paper template to learn more about how to write a research paper.

Can you help me with a full paper template for this Abstract:

Background: Energy and sports drinks have gained popularity among diverse demographic groups, including adolescents, athletes, workers, and college students. While often used interchangeably, these beverages serve distinct purposes, with energy drinks aiming to boost energy and cognitive performance, and sports drinks designed to prevent dehydration and replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates lost during physical exertion.

Objective: To assess the nutritional quality of energy and sports drinks in Egypt.

Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study assessed the nutrient contents, including energy, sugar, electrolytes, vitamins, and caffeine, of sports and energy drinks available in major supermarkets in Cairo, Alexandria, and Giza, Egypt. Data collection involved photographing all relevant product labels and recording nutritional information. Descriptive statistics and appropriate statistical tests were employed to analyze and compare the nutritional values of energy and sports drinks.

Results: The study analyzed 38 sports drinks and 42 energy drinks. Sports drinks were significantly more expensive than energy drinks, with higher net content and elevated magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C. Energy drinks contained higher concentrations of caffeine, sugars, and vitamins B2, B3, and B6.

Conclusion: Significant nutritional differences exist between sports and energy drinks, reflecting their intended uses. However, these beverages’ high sugar content and calorie loads raise health concerns. Proper labeling, public awareness, and responsible marketing are essential to guide safe consumption practices in Egypt.

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How to format a research paper

Last updated

7 February 2023

Reviewed by

Miroslav Damyanov

Short on time? Get an AI generated summary of this article instead

Writing a research paper can be daunting if you’re not experienced with the process. Getting the proper format is one of the most challenging aspects of the task. Reviewers will immediately dismiss a paper that doesn't comply with standard formatting, regardless of the valuable content it contains.

In this article, we'll delve into the essential characteristics of a research paper, including the proper formatting.

Make research less tedious

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What is a research paper?

A research paper is a document that provides a thorough analysis of a topic , usually for an academic institution or professional organization. A research paper may be of any length, but they are typically 2,000–10,000 words.

Unlike less formal papers, such as articles or essays, empirical evidence and data are key to research papers. In addition to students handing in papers, scientists, attorneys, medical researchers, and independent scholars may need to produce research papers.

People typically write research papers to prove a particular point or make an argument. This could support or disprove a theoretical point, legal case, scientific theory, or an existing piece of research on any topic.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of research papers is that they contain citations to prior research. Citing sources using the correct format is essential for creating a legitimate research paper.

Top considerations for writing a research paper

To write a research paper, you must consider several factors. Fields such as the sciences, humanities, and technical professions have certain criteria for writing research papers.

You’ll write a research paper using one of several types of formatting. These include APA, MLA, and CMOS styles, which we’ll cover in detail to guide you on citations and other formatting rules.

Specific requirements of the assignment

If the paper is for a college, university, or any specific organization, they’ll give you certain requirements, such as the range of topics, length, and formatting requirements.

You should study the specifics of the assignment carefully, as these will override more general guidelines you may find elsewhere. If you're writing for a particular professor, they may ask for single or double spacing or a certain citation style.

Components of a research paper

Here are the basic steps to writing a quality research paper, assuming you've chosen your topic and considered the requirements of the paper. Depending on the specific conditions of the paper you're writing, you may need the following elements:

Thesis statement

The thesis statement provides a blueprint for the paper. It conveys the theme and purpose of the paper. It also informs you and readers what your paper will argue and the type of research it will contain. As you write the paper, you can refer to the thesis statement to help you decide whether or not to include certain items.

Most research papers require an abstract as well as a thesis. While the thesis is a short (usually a single sentence) summary of the work, an abstract contains more detail. Many papers use the IMRaD structure for the abstract, especially in scientific fields. This consists of four elements:

Introduction : Summarize the purpose of the paper

Methods : Describe the research methods (e.g., collecting data , interviews , field research)

Results: Summarize your conclusions.

Discussion: Discuss the implications of your research. Mention any significant limitations to your approach and suggest areas for further research.

The thesis and abstract come at the beginning of a paper, but you should write them after completing the paper. This approach ensures a clear idea of your main topic and argument, which can evolve as you write the paper.

Like most nonfiction books, a research paper usually includes a table of contents.

Tables, charts, and illustrations

If your paper contains multiple tables, charts, illustrations, or other graphics, you can create a list of these.

Works cited or reference page

This page lists all the works you cited in your paper. For MLA and APA styles, you will use in-text citations in the body of the paper. For Chicago (CMOS) style, you'll use footnotes.

Bibliography

While you use a reference page to note all cited papers, a bibliography lists all the works you consulted in your research, even if you don't specifically cite them.

While references are essential, a bibliography is optional but usually advisable to demonstrate the breadth of your research.

Dedication and acknowledgments

You may include a dedication or acknowledgments at the beginning of the paper directly after the title page and before the abstract.

Steps for writing a research paper

These are the most critical steps for researching, writing, and formatting a research paper:

Create an outline

The outline is not part of the published paper; it’s for your use. An outline makes it easier to structure the paper, ensuring you include all necessary points and research.

Here you can list all topics and subtopics that will support your argument. When doing your research, you can refer to the outline to ensure you include everything.

Gather research

Solid research is the hallmark of a research paper. In addition to accumulating research, you need to present it clearly. However, gathering research is one of the first tasks. If you compile each piece of research correctly, it will be easier to format the paper correctly. You want to avoid having to go back and look up information constantly.

Start by skimming potentially useful sources and putting them aside for later use. Reading each source thoroughly at this stage will be time-consuming and slow your progress. You can thoroughly review the sources to decide what to include and discard later. At this stage, note essential information such as names, dates, page numbers, and website links. Citing sources will be easier when you’ve written all the information down.

Be aware of the quality of your sources. A research paper should reference scholarly, academic, or scientific journals. It’s vital to understand the difference between primary and secondary sources.

A primary source is an original, firsthand account of a topic. A secondary source is someone else covering the topic, as in a popular article or interview. While you may include secondary sources, your paper should also include primary research . Online research can be convenient, but you need to be extra careful when assessing the quality of your sources.

Write the first draft

Create a first draft where you put together all your research and address the topic described in your thesis and abstract.

Edit and format the paper

Proofread, edit, and make any necessary adjustments and improvements to the first draft. List your citations as described below. Ensure your thesis and abstract describe your research accurately.

Formatting a research paper: MLA, APA, and CMOS styles

There are several popular formats for research papers: MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association). Certain academic papers use CMOS (Chicago Manual of Style). Other formats may apply to particular fields.

For example, medical research may use AMA (American Medical Association) formatting and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for particular technical papers. The following are the guidelines and examples of the most popular formats:

The humanities typically use MLA format, including literature, history, and culture. Look over examples of papers created in MLA format . Here are the main rules to keep in mind:

Double-spaced lines.

Indent new paragraphs 1/2 inch.

Title case for headings, where all major words are capitalized, as in "How to Write a Research Paper."

Use a popular font such as Times New Roman. This applies to all formatting styles.

Use one-inch margins on all sides.

Number sections of the paper using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.).

Use a running head for each page on the upper right-hand corner, which consists of your last name and the page number.

Use an in-text citation within the text, using the author's last name followed by the page number: "Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for" (Heller 155).

On the citations page, list the full name, book or periodical, and other information. For MLA, you will not need footnotes, only in-text citations.

List citations in alphabetical order on a separate page at the end of the paper entitled “Works Cited.”

Continuing with the above example from Heller, the listing would be: Heller, Joseph. Catch-22, Simon & Schuster, 1961.

For a periodical, the format is "Thompson, Hunter S. "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved" Scanlon's, June 1970."

Use title case for source titles, as in "On the Origin of Species."

The sciences typically use APA format, including physical sciences such as physics and social sciences such as psychology. Simply Psychology provides examples of APA formatting . The following are the most important rules of the APA format.

Begin the paper with a title page, which is not required for MLA.

Use double-line spacing.

Use a running head for each page in the upper right-hand corner, which consists of the paper's title in capital letters followed by the page number.

The citations page at the end should be titled "References."

In-text citations should include the publication date: (Smith, 1999, p. 50). Note also that there's a "p" for "page," whereas in MLA, you write the page number without a "p."

As with MLA, use title case for headings, as in "Most Popular Treatments for Cognitive Disorders."

Use sentence case for titles of sources, as in "History of the decline and fall of the Roman empire." Note "Roman" starts with a capital because it's a proper noun.

When citing in-text references, use the author's last name and the first and middle initials.

Always use the Oxford comma. This comma goes before the words "or" and "and" in a list. For example, "At the store, I bought oranges, paper towels, and pasta."

CMOS formatting

Book publishers and many academic papers use CMOS formatting based on the Chicago Manual of Style. CMOS is also called Turabian, named after Kate L. Turabian, who wrote the first manual for this style. Here are examples of CMOS style formatting and citations.

Include an unnumbered title page.

Place page numbers on the upper right-hand corner of the page. Do not list your name or the paper's title as you would for MLA or APA styles.

Use title case for both headings and sources (same as MLA).

Unlike MLA and APA, the Chicago style uses footnotes for citations. Use a superscript for footnotes: "Smith argues against Jones' theory¹.” Footnotes may appear at the bottom of the page or the end of the document.

CMOS supports both short notes and full notes. In most cases, you'll use the full note: "Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (New York: Penguin, 2006), 76." For further references to the same source, use a short note: " Pollan, Omnivore's Dilemma, 45." The requirements of some papers may specify using only short notes for all footnotes.

General guidelines for writing and formatting research papers

Keep these guidelines in mind for all types of research papers:

Initial formatting

As you create your first draft, don't worry about formatting. If you try to format it perfectly as you write the paper, it will be difficult to progress and develop a flow of thought. With the first draft, you don't have to be concerned about ordering the sections. You can rearrange headings and sections later.

Citation tools

Use automation tools for citations . Some useful tools make citations easier by automatically generating a citation list and bibliography. Many work with APA, MLA, and CMOS styles.

Check for plagiarism

Use a plagiarism detector to make sure your paper isn't unintentionally plagiarizing. There are many free and paid plagiarism checkers online, such as Grammarly.

Proofread your work

Do several rounds of editing and proofreading. Editing is necessary for any type of writing, but you’ll need to revisit several distinct areas with a research paper:

Check for spelling and grammatical errors.

Read the paper to make sure it's well-argued and that you’ve organized it properly.

Check that you’ve correctly formatted citations. It's easy to make errors, such as incorrect numbering of footnotes (e.g., Chicago style) or forgetting to include a source on your citations page.

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How To Write A Research Paper

Research Paper Example

Research Paper Example - Examples for Different Formats

Published on: Jun 12, 2021

Last updated on: Jul 19, 2024

Research Paper Example for Different Formats

A research paper typically consists of several key parts, including an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and annotated bibliography .

When writing a research paper (whether quantitative research or qualitative research ), it is essential to know which format to use to structure your content. Depending on the requirements of the institution, there are mainly four format styles in which a writer drafts a research paper:

Letâs look into each format in detail to understand the fundamental differences and similarities.

Research Paper Example APA

If your instructor asks you to provide a research paper in an APA format, go through the example given below and understand the basic structure. Make sure to follow the format throughout the paper.

APA Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Research Paper Example MLA

Another widespread research paper format is MLA. A few institutes require this format style as well for your research paper. Look at the example provided of this format style to learn the basics.

MLA Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Research Paper Example Chicago

Unlike MLA and APA styles, Chicago is not very common. Very few institutions require this formatting style research paper, but it is essential to learn it. Look at the example given below to understand the formatting of the content and citations in the research paper.

Chicago Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Research Paper Example Harvard

Learn how a research paper through Harvard formatting style is written through this example. Carefully examine how the cover page and other pages are structured.

Harvard Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Examples for Different Research Paper Parts

A research paper is based on different parts. Each part plays a significant role in the overall success of the paper. So each chapter of the paper must be drafted correctly according to a format and structure.

Below are examples of how different sections of the research paper are drafted.

Research Proposal Example

A research proposal is a plan that describes what you will investigate, its significance, and how you will conduct the study.

Research Proposal Sample (PDF)

Abstract Research Paper Example

An abstract is an executive summary of the research paper that includes the purpose of the research, the design of the study, and significant research findings.

It is a small section that is based on a few paragraphs. Following is an example of the abstract to help you draft yours professionally.

Abstract Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Literature Review Research Paper Example

A literature review in a research paper is a comprehensive summary of the previous research on your topic. It studies sources like books, articles, journals, and papers on the relevant research problem to form the basis of the new research.

Writing this section of the research paper perfectly is as important as any part of it.

Literature Review in Research Sample (PDF)

Methods Section of Research Paper Example

The method section comes after the introduction of the research paper that presents the process of collecting data. Basically, in this section, a researcher presents the details of how your research was conducted.

Methods Section in Research Sample (PDF)

Research Paper Conclusion Example

The conclusion is the last part of your research paper that sums up the writerâs discussion for the audience and leaves an impression. This is how it should be drafted:

Research Paper Conclusion Sample

Research Paper Examples for Different Fields

The research papers are not limited to a particular field. They can be written for any discipline or subject that needs a detailed study.

In the following section, various research paper examples are given to show how they are drafted for different subjects.

Science Research Paper Example

Are you a science student that has to conduct research? Here is an example for you to draft a compelling research paper for the field of science.

Science Research Paper Sample (PDF)

History Research Paper Example

Conducting research and drafting a paper is not only bound to science subjects. Other subjects like history and arts require a research paper to be written as well. Observe how research papers related to history are drafted.

History Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Psychology Research Paper Example

If you are a psychology student, look into the example provided in the research paper to help you draft yours professionally.

Psychology Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Research Paper Example for Different Levels

Writing a research paper is based on a list of elements. If the writer is not aware of the basic elements, the process of writing the paper will become daunting. Start writing your research paper taking the following steps:

Choose a topic
Form a strong thesis statement
Conduct research
Develop a research paper outline

Once you have a plan in your hand, the actual writing procedure will become a piece of cake for you.

No matter which level you are writing a research paper for, it has to be well structured and written to guarantee you better grades.

If you are a college or a high school student, the examples in the following section will be of great help.

Research Paper Outline (PDF)

Research Paper Example for College

Pay attention to the research paper example provided below. If you are a college student, this sample will help you understand how a winning paper is written.

College Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Research Paper Example for High School

Expert writers of CollegeEssay.org have provided an excellent example of a research paper for high school students. If you are struggling to draft an exceptional paper, go through the example provided.

High School Research Paper Sample (PDF)

Examples are essential when it comes to academic assignments. If you are a student and aim to achieve good grades in your assignments, it is suggested to get help from CollegeEssay.org .

We are the best writing company that delivers essay help for students by providing free samples and writing assistance.

Professional writers have your back, whether you are looking for guidance in writing a lab report, college essay, or research paper.

Simply hire a writer by placing your order at the most reasonable price. You can also take advantage of our essay writer to enhance your writing skills.

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As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

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APA Sample Papers

Ever wonder how to format your research paper in APA style? If so, you’re in luck! The team at EasyBib.com has put together an example paper to help guide you through your next assignment. (Actually, looking for MLA? Here’s a page on what is MLA format .)

The featured example is a research paper on the uses of biometrics to inform design decisions in the tech industry, authored by our UX Research Intern Peace Iyiewuare. Like most APA style papers, it includes an APA title page , tables, and several references and APA in-text citations to scholarly journals relevant to its topic. References are an important aspect of scientific research papers, and formatting them correctly is critical to getting a good grade.

This paper follows the formatting rules specified in the 6th edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (the APA is not directly associated with this guide) . We’ve left comments and tips throughout the document, so you’ll know the specific rules around how to format titles, spacing, and font, as well as the citations on the APA reference page .

The reference list needs special care, as it demonstrates to the reader that you have accurately portrayed your outside sources and have given credit to the appropriate parties. Be sure to check our full APA citation guide for more information on paper formatting and citing sources in APA style. There is also a guide on APA footnotes in case that is your preferred form of citation.

Download the APA Visual Guide

When citations are done, don’t forget to finish your paper off with a proofread—EasyBib Plus’s plagiarism and grammar check can help! Got a misspelled adverb ? Missed capitalizing a proper noun ? Struggling with subject-verb agreement ? These are just a few things our checker could help you spot in your paper.

D. Complete Sample APA Paper

We’ve included a full student paper below to give you an idea of what an essay in APA format looks like, complete with a title page, paper, reference list, and index. If you plan to include an APA abstract in your paper, see the Professional Paper for an example.

If you’re looking for an APA format citation generator, we’ve got you covered. Use EasyBib.com! Our APA format machine can help you create every reference for your paper.

Below is an example of a student APA format essay. We also have PDF versions of both a student paper and a professional paper linked below.

See Student Paper See Professional Paper

Using Biometrics to Evaluate Visual Design

Jane Lisa Dekker

Art Department, Northern California Valley State University

UXAD 272: Strategic Web Design

Professor Juan Liu, PhD

January 29, 2020

A vast amount of research has been conducted regarding the importance of visual design, and its role as a mediator of user’s experience when browsing a site or interacting with an interface. In the literature, visual design is one aspect of website quality. Jones and Kim (2010) define website quality as “the perceived quality of a retail website that involves a [user’s] perceptions of the retailer’s website and comprises consumer reactions towards such attributes as information, entertainment/enjoyment, usability, transaction capabilities, and design aesthetics” (p. 632). They further examined the impact web quality and retail brand trust has on purchase intentions. Additional research examining e-commerce sites has shown web quality has an impact on both initial and continued purchase intention (Kuan, Bock, & Vathanophas, 2008), as well as consumer satisfaction (Lin, 2007). Moreso, research on the relationship between visual design and perceived usability (Stojmenovic, Pilgrim, & Lindgaard, 2014) has revealed a positive correlation between the two. As users’ ratings of visual quality increase, their ratings of perceived usability follows a similar trend. Although this research spans various domains, the reliance on self-report measures to gauge concepts like visual design and web quality is prevalent throughout much of the literature.

Although some self-report scales are validated within the literature, there are still issues with the use of self-report questionnaires. One is the reliance on the honesty of the participant. This tends to be more of an issue in studies related to questionnaires that measure characteristics of the participant, rather than objective stimuli. More relevant to this study is the issue of introspection and memory. Surveys are often distributed after a task is completed, and its accuracy is dependent on the ability of the participant to remember their experience during the study. Multiple research studies have shown that human memory is far from static. This can

be dangerous if a researcher chooses to solely rely on self-report methods to test a hypothesis. We believe these self-report methods in tandem with biometric methods can help ensure the validity of the questionnaires, and provide information beyond the scope of self-report scales.

Research Questions

We know from previous research that the quality of websites mediates many aspects of e-commerce, and provides insight as to how consumers view the webpages in general. However, simply knowing a webpage is perceived as lower quality doesn’t give insight as to what aspects of a page are disliked by a user. Additionally, it’s possible that the user is misremembering aspects of the webpage or being dishonest in their assessment. Using eye tracking metrics, galvanic skin response, and facial expression measures in tandem with a scale aimed at measuring visual design quality has a couple of identifiable benefits. Using both can potentially identify patterns amongst the biometric measures and the questionnaire, which would strengthen the validity of the results. More so, the eye tracking data has the potential to identify patterns amongst websites of lower or higher quality.

If found, these patterns can be used to evaluate particular aspects of a page that are impacting the quality of a webpage. Overall, we are interested in answering two questions:

Research Question 1 : Can attitudinal changes regarding substantial website redesigns be captured using biometric measures?

Research Question 2 : How do biometric measures correlate with self-reported measures of visual appeal?

Answering these questions has the potential to provide a method of justification for design changes, ranging from minor tweak to complete rebrands. There is not an easy way for companies to quantitatively analyze visual design decisions. A method for doing so would help companies evaluate visual designs before implementation in order to cost-justify them. To this end, we hope to demonstrate that biometric measurements can be used with questionnaires to verify and validate potential design changes a company or organization might want to implement.

By examining data from test subjects during a brief exposure to several websites, we hoped to explore the relationship between the self-reported evaluation of visual design quality and key biometric measurements of a subject’s emotional valence and arousal. Subjects were exposed to ten pairs of websites before and after a substantial visual design change and asked to evaluate the website based on their initial impressions of the site’s visual design quality using the VisAWI-S scale, as shown in Table 1.

During this assessment we collected GSR, facial expressions (limited by errors in initial study configuration), pupillary response, and fixation data using iMotions software coupled with a Tobii eye tracker, Shimmer GSR device, and Affdex facial expression analysis toolkit. This data was analyzed, in Table 2, to discover relationships between the independent and dependent variables, as well as relationships between certain dependent variables.

Jones, C., & Kim, S. (2010). Influences of retail brand trust, off-line patronage, clothing involvement and website quality on online apparel shopping intention: Online apparel shopping intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies , 34 (6), 627–637. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2010.00871.x

Kuan, H.-H., Bock, G.-W., & Vathanophas, V. (2008). Comparing the effects of website quality on customer initial purchase and continued purchase at e-commerce websites. Behaviour & Information Technology , 27 (1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290600801959

Lin, H.-F. (2007). The impact of website quality dimensions on customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence , 18 (4), 363–378. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783360701231302

Stojmenovic, M., Pilgrim, C., & Lindgaard, G. (2014). Perceived and objective usability and visual appeal in a website domain with a less developed mental model. Proceedings of the 26 th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference on Designing Futures: The Future of Design , 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1145/2686612.2686660


Factor	Item
Simplicity	Everything goes together on the site.
Diversity	The layout is pleasantly varied.
Colorfulness	The color composition is attractive
Craftsmanship	The layout appears professionally designed
Familiarity*	I am familiar with this website
Participants were asked about agreement with the item using a 7-point likert scale.
* question is simply to gauge familiarity for the study, and is not part of the Vis-AWI-S instrument


	Before		After
Website					Mean Difference
Joy Kitchen	3.49	1.30	5.61	0.93	2.12	0.00
Seacom	3.27	1.59	5.35	1.20	2.08	0.00
Food Blog	3.59	1.30	5.59	0.80	2.00	0.00
Credit Union	3.29	1.26	5.18	1.07	1.89	0.00
Travelers	3.61	1.39	5.38	1.24	1.78	0.00
Sporcle	4.23	1.23	2.45	1.12	-1.78	0.00
Eagle	3.93	1.47	5.45	0.82	1.52	0.00
Oberlin	4.00	1.25	5.47	0.84	1.47	0.00
Valve	3.88	1.56	5.10	1.42	1.22	0.00
Hospital	4.47	1.33	5.48	0.85	1.01	0.00
Travel Blog	4.71	1.23	5.69	1.01	0.98	0.00
Space	4.35	1.55	5.29	1.09	0.94	0.00
School	5.04	1.44	5.63	0.80	0.60	0.06
Book Publisher	5.12	1.27	5.63	1.17	0.51	0.10
Sneakers	4.78	1.37	5.20	1.34	0.42	0.14
Stance	5.08	0.88	5.41	0.95	0.33	0.09
City	4.79	1.18	5.12	0.88	0.32	0.07
IEEE	3.95	1.30	4.26	1.40	0.31	0.24
Rise	5.08	1.00	4.89	1.27	-0.18	0.30
Audio Technica	3.94	1.52	4.05	1.37	0.11	0.71
Bloomberg	3.63	1.35	3.52	1.26	-0.11	0.73
Stimuli are ranked by largest to smallest absolute mean difference.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

Annotated Bibliography
Block Quotes
et al Usage
In-text Citations
Multiple Authors
Paraphrasing
Page Numbers
Parenthetical Citations
Reference Page
Sample Paper
APA 7 Updates
View APA Guide

Citation Examples

Book Chapter
Journal Article
Magazine Article
Newspaper Article
Website (no author)
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Research Paper Examples

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A Sample Research Paper on Child Abuse

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Other Research Paper Examples

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Each category of research paper examples provided by iResearchNet serves as a valuable resource for students and researchers seeking to deepen their understanding of a specific field. By offering a comprehensive collection of well-researched and thoughtfully written papers, iResearchNet aims to support academic growth and encourage scholarly inquiry across diverse disciplines.

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A research paper is an academic piece of writing, so you need to follow all the requirements and standards. Otherwise, it will be impossible to get the high results. To make it easier for you, we have analyzed the structure and peculiarities of a sample research paper on the topic ‘Child Abuse’.

The paper includes 7300+ words, a detailed outline, citations are in APA formatting style, and bibliography with 28 sources.

To write any paper you need to write a great outline. This is the key to a perfect paper. When you organize your paper, it is easier for you to present the ideas logically, without jumping from one thought to another.

In the outline, you need to name all the parts of your paper. That is to say, an introduction, main body, conclusion, bibliography, some papers require abstract and proposal as well.

A good outline will serve as a guide through your paper making it easier for the reader to follow your ideas.

I. Introduction

Ii. estimates of child abuse: methodological limitations, iii. child abuse and neglect: the legalities, iv. corporal punishment versus child abuse, v. child abuse victims: the patterns, vi. child abuse perpetrators: the patterns, vii. explanations for child abuse, viii. consequences of child abuse and neglect, ix. determining abuse: how to tell whether a child is abused or neglected, x. determining abuse: interviewing children, xi. how can society help abused children and abusive families, introduction.

An introduction should include a thesis statement and the main points that you will discuss in the paper.

A thesis statement is one sentence in which you need to show your point of view. You will then develop this point of view through the whole piece of work:

‘The impact of child abuse affects more than one’s childhood, as the psychological and physical injuries often extend well into adulthood.’

Child abuse is a very real and prominent social problem today. The impact of child abuse affects more than one’s childhood, as the psychological and physical injuries often extend well into adulthood. Most children are defenseless against abuse, are dependent on their caretakers, and are unable to protect themselves from these acts.

Childhood serves as the basis for growth, development, and socialization. Throughout adolescence, children are taught how to become productive and positive, functioning members of society. Much of the socializing of children, particularly in their very earliest years, comes at the hands of family members. Unfortunately, the messages conveyed to and the actions against children by their families are not always the positive building blocks for which one would hope.

In 2008, the Children’s Defense Fund reported that each day in America, 2,421 children are confirmed as abused or neglected, 4 children are killed by abuse or neglect, and 78 babies die before their first birthday. These daily estimates translate into tremendous national figures. In 2006, caseworkers substantiated an estimated 905,000 reports of child abuse or neglect. Of these, 64% suffered neglect, 16% were physically abused, 9% were sexually abused, 7% were emotionally or psychologically maltreated, and 2% were medically neglected. In addition, 15% of the victims experienced “other” types of maltreatment such as abandonment, threats of harm to the child, and congenital drug addiction (National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, 2006). Obviously, this problem is a substantial one.

In the main body, you dwell upon the topic of your paper. You provide your ideas and support them with evidence. The evidence include all the data and material you have found, analyzed and systematized. You can support your point of view with different statistical data, with surveys, and the results of different experiments. Your task is to show that your idea is right, and make the reader interested in the topic.

In this example, a writer analyzes the issue of child abuse: different statistical data, controversies regarding the topic, examples of the problem and the consequences.

Several issues arise when considering the amount of child abuse that occurs annually in the United States. Child abuse is very hard to estimate because much (or most) of it is not reported. Children who are abused are unlikely to report their victimization because they may not know any better, they still love their abusers and do not want to see them taken away (or do not themselves want to be taken away from their abusers), they have been threatened into not reporting, or they do not know to whom they should report their victimizations. Still further, children may report their abuse only to find the person to whom they report does not believe them or take any action on their behalf. Continuing to muddy the waters, child abuse can be disguised as legitimate injury, particularly because young children are often somewhat uncoordinated and are still learning to accomplish physical tasks, may not know their physical limitations, and are often legitimately injured during regular play. In the end, children rarely report child abuse; most often it is an adult who makes a report based on suspicion (e.g., teacher, counselor, doctor, etc.).

Even when child abuse is reported, social service agents and investigators may not follow up or substantiate reports for a variety of reasons. Parents can pretend, lie, or cover up injuries or stories of how injuries occurred when social service agents come to investigate. Further, there is not always agreement about what should be counted as abuse by service providers and researchers. In addition, social service agencies/agents have huge caseloads and may only be able to deal with the most serious forms of child abuse, leaving the more “minor” forms of abuse unsupervised and unmanaged (and uncounted in the statistical totals).

While most laws about child abuse and neglect fall at the state levels, federal legislation provides a foundation for states by identifying a minimum set of acts and behaviors that define child abuse and neglect. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), which stems from the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, defines child abuse and neglect as, at minimum, “(1) any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation; or (2) an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk or serious harm.”

Using these minimum standards, each state is responsible for providing its own definition of maltreatment within civil and criminal statutes. When defining types of child abuse, many states incorporate similar elements and definitions into their legal statutes. For example, neglect is often defined as failure to provide for a child’s basic needs. Neglect can encompass physical elements (e.g., failure to provide necessary food or shelter, or lack of appropriate supervision), medical elements (e.g., failure to provide necessary medical or mental health treatment), educational elements (e.g., failure to educate a child or attend to special educational needs), and emotional elements (e.g., inattention to a child’s emotional needs, failure to provide psychological care, or permitting the child to use alcohol or other drugs). Failure to meet needs does not always mean a child is neglected, as situations such as poverty, cultural values, and community standards can influence the application of legal statutes. In addition, several states distinguish between failure to provide based on financial inability and failure to provide for no apparent financial reason.

Statutes on physical abuse typically include elements of physical injury (ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures or death) as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, shaking, throwing, stabbing, choking, hitting (with a hand, stick, strap, or other object), burning, or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of the intention of the caretaker. In addition, many state statutes include allowing or encouraging another person to physically harm a child (such as noted above) as another form of physical abuse in and of itself. Sexual abuse usually includes activities by a parent or caretaker such as fondling a child’s genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure, and exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials.

Finally, emotional or psychological abuse typically is defined as a pattern of behavior that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth. This may include constant criticism, threats, or rejection, as well as withholding love, support, or guidance. Emotional abuse is often the most difficult to prove and, therefore, child protective services may not be able to intervene without evidence of harm to the child. Some states suggest that harm may be evidenced by an observable or substantial change in behavior, emotional response, or cognition, or by anxiety, depression, withdrawal, or aggressive behavior. At a practical level, emotional abuse is almost always present when other types of abuse are identified.

Some states include an element of substance abuse in their statutes on child abuse. Circumstances that can be considered substance abuse include (a) the manufacture of a controlled substance in the presence of a child or on the premises occupied by a child (Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia); (b) allowing a child to be present where the chemicals or equipment for the manufacture of controlled substances are used (Arizona, New Mexico); (c) selling, distributing, or giving drugs or alcohol to a child (Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, and Texas); (d) use of a controlled substance by a caregiver that impairs the caregiver’s ability to adequately care for the child (Kentucky, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas); and (e) exposure of the child to drug paraphernalia (North Dakota), the criminal sale or distribution of drugs (Montana, Virginia), or drug-related activity (District of Columbia).

One of the most difficult issues with which the U.S. legal system must contend is that of allowing parents the right to use corporal punishment when disciplining a child, while not letting them cross over the line into the realm of child abuse. Some parents may abuse their children under the guise of discipline, and many instances of child abuse arise from angry parents who go too far when disciplining their children with physical punishment. Generally, state statutes use terms such as “reasonable discipline of a minor,” “causes only temporary, short-term pain,” and may cause “the potential for bruising” but not “permanent damage, disability, disfigurement or injury” to the child as ways of indicating the types of discipline behaviors that are legal. However, corporal punishment that is “excessive,” “malicious,” “endangers the bodily safety of,” or is “an intentional infliction of injury” is not allowed under most state statutes (e.g., state of Florida child abuse statute).

Most research finds that the use of physical punishment (most often spanking) is not an effective method of discipline. The literature on this issue tends to find that spanking stops misbehavior, but no more effectively than other firm measures. Further, it seems to hinder rather than improve general compliance/obedience (particularly when the child is not in the presence of the punisher). Researchers have also explained why physical punishment is not any more effective at gaining child compliance than nonviolent forms of discipline. Some of the problems that arise when parents use spanking or other forms of physical punishment include the fact that spanking does not teach what children should do, nor does it provide them with alternative behavior options should the circumstance arise again. Spanking also undermines reasoning, explanation, or other forms of parental instruction because children cannot learn, reason, or problem solve well while experiencing threat, pain, fear, or anger. Further, the use of physical punishment is inconsistent with nonviolent principles, or parental modeling. In addition, the use of spanking chips away at the bonds of affection between parents and children, and tends to induce resentment and fear. Finally, it hinders the development of empathy and compassion in children, and they do not learn to take responsibility for their own behavior (Pitzer, 1997).

One of the biggest problems with the use of corporal punishment is that it can escalate into much more severe forms of violence. Usually, parents spank because they are angry (and somewhat out of control) and they can’t think of other ways to discipline. When parents are acting as a result of emotional triggers, the notion of discipline is lost while punishment and pain become the foci.

In 2006, of the children who were found to be victims of child abuse, nearly 75% of them were first-time victims (or had not come to the attention of authorities prior). A slight majority of child abuse victims were girls—51.5%, compared to 48% of abuse victims being boys. The younger the child, the more at risk he or she is for child abuse and neglect victimization. Specifically, the rate for infants (birth to 1 year old) was approximately 24 per 1,000 children of the same age group. The victimization rate for children 1–3 years old was 14 per 1,000 children of the same age group. The abuse rate for children aged 4– 7 years old declined further to 13 per 1,000 children of the same age group. African American, American Indian, and Alaska Native children, as well as children of multiple races, had the highest rates of victimization. White and Latino children had lower rates, and Asian children had the lowest rates of child abuse and neglect victimization. Regarding living arrangements, nearly 27% of victims were living with a single mother, 20% were living with married parents, while 22% were living with both parents but the marital status was unknown. (This reporting element had nearly 40% missing data, however.) Regarding disability, nearly 8% of child abuse victims had some degree of mental retardation, emotional disturbance, visual or hearing impairment, learning disability, physical disability, behavioral problems, or other medical problems. Unfortunately, data indicate that for many victims, the efforts of the child protection services system were not successful in preventing subsequent victimization. Children who had been prior victims of maltreatment were 96% more likely to experience another occurrence than those who were not prior victims. Further, child victims who were reported to have a disability were 52% more likely to experience recurrence than children without a disability. Finally, the oldest victims (16–21 years of age) were the least likely to experience a recurrence, and were 51% less likely to be victimized again than were infants (younger than age 1) (National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, 2006).

Child fatalities are the most tragic consequence of maltreatment. Yet, each year, children die from abuse and neglect. In 2006, an estimated 1,530 children in the United States died due to abuse or neglect. The overall rate of child fatalities was 2 deaths per 100,000 children. More than 40% of child fatalities were attributed to neglect, but physical abuse also was a major contributor. Approximately 78% of the children who died due to child abuse and neglect were younger than 4 years old, and infant boys (younger than 1) had the highest rate of fatalities at 18.5 deaths per 100,000 boys of the same age in the national population. Infant girls had a rate of 14.7 deaths per 100,000 girls of the same age (National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, 2006).

One question to be addressed regarding child fatalities is why infants have such a high rate of death when compared to toddlers and adolescents. Children under 1 year old pose an immense amount of responsibility for their caretakers: they are completely dependent and need constant attention. Children this age are needy, impulsive, and not amenable to verbal control or effective communication. This can easily overwhelm vulnerable parents. Another difficulty associated with infants is that they are physically weak and small. Injuries to infants can be fatal, while similar injuries to older children might not be. The most common cause of death in children less than 1 year is cerebral trauma (often the result of shaken-baby syndrome). Exasperated parents can deliver shakes or blows without realizing how little it takes to cause irreparable or fatal damage to an infant. Research informs us that two of the most common triggers for fatal child abuse are crying that will not cease and toileting accidents. Both of these circumstances are common in infants and toddlers whose only means of communication often is crying, and who are limited in mobility and cannot use the toilet. Finally, very young children cannot assist in injury diagnoses. Children who have been injured due to abuse or neglect often cannot communicate to medical professionals about where it hurts, how it hurts, and so forth. Also, nonfatal injuries can turn fatal in the absence of care by neglectful parents or parents who do not want medical professionals to possibly identify an injury as being the result of abuse.

Estimates reveal that nearly 80% of perpetrators of child abuse were parents of the victim. Other relatives accounted for nearly 7%, and unmarried partners of parents made up 4% of perpetrators. Of those perpetrators that were parents, over 90% were biological parents, 4% were stepparents, and 0.7% were adoptive parents. Of this group, approximately 58% of perpetrators were women and 42% were men. Women perpetrators are typically younger than men. The average age for women abusers was 31 years old, while for men the average was 34 years old. Forty percent of women who abused were younger than 30 years of age, compared with 33% of men being under 30. The racial distribution of perpetrators is similar to that of victims. Fifty-four percent were white, 21% were African American, and 20% were Hispanic/Latino (National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, 2006).

There are many factors that are associated with child abuse. Some of the more common/well-accepted explanations are individual pathology, parent–child interaction, past abuse in the family (or social learning), situational factors, and cultural support for physical punishment along with a lack of cultural support for helping parents here in the United States.

The first explanation centers on the individual pathology of a parent or caretaker who is abusive. This theory focuses on the idea that people who abuse their children have something wrong with their individual personality or biological makeup. Such psychological pathologies may include having anger control problems; being depressed or having post-partum depression; having a low tolerance for frustration (e.g., children can be extremely frustrating: they don’t always listen; they constantly push the line of how far they can go; and once the line has been established, they are constantly treading on it to make sure it hasn’t moved. They are dependent and self-centered, so caretakers have very little privacy or time to themselves); being rigid (e.g., having no tolerance for differences—for example, what if your son wanted to play with dolls? A rigid father would not let him, laugh at him for wanting to, punish him when he does, etc.); having deficits in empathy (parents who cannot put themselves in the shoes of their children cannot fully understand what their children need emotionally); or being disorganized, inefficient, and ineffectual. (Parents who are unable to manage their own lives are unlikely to be successful at managing the lives of their children, and since many children want and need limits, these parents are unable to set them or adhere to them.)

Biological pathologies that may increase the likelihood of someone becoming a child abuser include having substance abuse or dependence problems, or having persistent or reoccurring physical health problems (especially health problems that can be extremely painful and can cause a person to become more self-absorbed, both qualities that can give rise to a lack of patience, lower frustration tolerance, and increased stress).

The second explanation for child abuse centers on the interaction between the parent and the child, noting that certain types of parents are more likely to abuse, and certain types of children are more likely to be abused, and when these less-skilled parents are coupled with these more difficult children, child abuse is the most likely to occur. Discussion here focuses on what makes a parent less skilled, and what makes a child more difficult. Characteristics of unskilled parents are likely to include such traits as only pointing out what children do wrong and never giving any encouragement for good behavior, and failing to be sensitive to the emotional needs of children. Less skilled parents tend to have unrealistic expectations of children. They may engage in role reversal— where the parents make the child take care of them—and view the parent’s happiness and well-being as the responsibility of the child. Some parents view the parental role as extremely stressful and experience little enjoyment from being a parent. Finally, less-skilled parents tend to have more negative perceptions regarding their child(ren). For example, perhaps the child has a different shade of skin than they expected and this may disappoint or anger them, they may feel the child is being manipulative (long before children have this capability), or they may view the child as the scapegoat for all the parents’ or family’s problems. Theoretically, parents with these characteristics would be more likely to abuse their children, but if they are coupled with having a difficult child, they would be especially likely to be abusive. So, what makes a child more difficult? Certainly, through no fault of their own, children may have characteristics that are associated with child care that is more demanding and difficult than in the “normal” or “average” situation. Such characteristics can include having physical and mental disabilities (autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], hyperactivity, etc.); the child may be colicky, frequently sick, be particularly needy, or cry more often. In addition, some babies are simply unhappier than other babies for reasons that cannot be known. Further, infants are difficult even in the best of circumstances. They are unable to communicate effectively, and they are completely dependent on their caretakers for everything, including eating, diaper changing, moving around, entertainment, and emotional bonding. Again, these types of children, being more difficult, are more likely to be victims of child abuse.

Nonetheless, each of these types of parents and children alone cannot explain the abuse of children, but it is the interaction between them that becomes the key. Unskilled parents may produce children that are happy and not as needy, and even though they are unskilled, they do not abuse because the child takes less effort. At the same time, children who are more difficult may have parents who are skilled and are able to handle and manage the extra effort these children take with aplomb. However, risks for child abuse increase when unskilled parents must contend with difficult children.

Social learning or past abuse in the family is a third common explanation for child abuse. Here, the theory concentrates not only on what children learn when they see or experience violence in their homes, but additionally on what they do not learn as a result of these experiences. Social learning theory in the context of family violence stresses that if children are abused or see abuse (toward siblings or a parent), those interactions and violent family members become the representations and role models for their future familial interactions. In this way, what children learn is just as important as what they do not learn. Children who witness or experience violence may learn that this is the way parents deal with children, or that violence is an acceptable method of child rearing and discipline. They may think when they become parents that “violence worked on me when I was a child, and I turned out fine.” They may learn unhealthy relationship interaction patterns; children may witness the negative interactions of parents and they may learn the maladaptive or violent methods of expressing anger, reacting to stress, or coping with conflict.

What is equally as important, though, is that they are unlikely to learn more acceptable and nonviolent ways of rearing children, interacting with family members, and working out conflict. Here it may happen that an adult who was abused as a child would like to be nonviolent toward his or her own children, but when the chips are down and the child is misbehaving, this abused-child-turned-adult does not have a repertoire of nonviolent strategies to try. This parent is more likely to fall back on what he or she knows as methods of discipline.

Something important to note here is that not all abused children grow up to become abusive adults. Children who break the cycle were often able to establish and maintain one healthy emotional relationship with someone during their childhoods (or period of young adulthood). For instance, they may have received emotional support from a nonabusing parent, or they received social support and had a positive relationship with another adult during their childhood (e.g., teacher, coach, minister, neighbor, etc.). Abused children who participate in therapy during some period of their lives can often break the cycle of violence. In addition, adults who were abused but are able to form an emotionally supportive and satisfying relationship with a mate can make the transition to being nonviolent in their family interactions.

Moving on to a fourth familiar explanation for child abuse, there are some common situational factors that influence families and parents and increase the risks for child abuse. Typically, these are factors that increase family stress or social isolation. Specifically, such factors may include receiving public assistance or having low socioeconomic status (a combination of low income and low education). Other factors include having family members who are unemployed, underemployed (working in a job that requires lower qualifications than an individual possesses), or employed only part time. These financial difficulties cause great stress for families in meeting the needs of the individual members. Other stress-inducing familial characteristics are single-parent households and larger family size. Finally, social isolation can be devastating for families and family members. Having friends to talk to, who can be relied upon, and with whom kids can be dropped off occasionally is tremendously important for personal growth and satisfaction in life. In addition, social isolation and stress can cause individuals to be quick to lose their tempers, as well as cause people to be less rational in their decision making and to make mountains out of mole hills. These situations can lead families to be at greater risk for child abuse.

Finally, cultural views and supports (or lack thereof) can lead to greater amounts of child abuse in a society such as the United States. One such cultural view is that of societal support for physical punishment. This is problematic because there are similarities between the way criminals are dealt with and the way errant children are handled. The use of capital punishment is advocated for seriously violent criminals, and people are quick to use such idioms as “spare the rod and spoil the child” when it comes to the discipline or punishment of children. In fact, it was not until quite recently that parenting books began to encourage parents to use other strategies than spanking or other forms of corporal punishment in the discipline of their children. Only recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics has come out and recommended that parents do not spank or use other forms of violence on their children because of the deleterious effects such methods have on youngsters and their bonds with their parents. Nevertheless, regardless of recommendations, the culture of corporal punishment persists.

Another cultural view in the United States that can give rise to greater incidents of child abuse is the belief that after getting married, couples of course should want and have children. Culturally, Americans consider that children are a blessing, raising kids is the most wonderful thing a person can do, and everyone should have children. Along with this notion is the idea that motherhood is always wonderful; it is the most fulfilling thing a woman can do; and the bond between a mother and her child is strong, glorious, and automatic—all women love being mothers. Thus, culturally (and theoretically), society nearly insists that married couples have children and that they will love having children. But, after children are born, there is not much support for couples who have trouble adjusting to parenthood, or who do not absolutely love their new roles as parents. People look askance at parents who need help, and cannot believe parents who say anything negative about parenthood. As such, theoretically, society has set up a situation where couples are strongly encouraged to have kids, are told they will love kids, but then society turns a blind or disdainful eye when these same parents need emotional, financial, or other forms of help or support. It is these types of cultural viewpoints that increase the risks for child abuse in society.

The consequences of child abuse are tremendous and long lasting. Research has shown that the traumatic experience of childhood abuse is life changing. These costs may surface during adolescence, or they may not become evident until abused children have grown up and become abusing parents or abused spouses. Early identification and treatment is important to minimize these potential long-term effects. Whenever children say they have been abused, it is imperative that they be taken seriously and their abuse be reported. Suspicions of child abuse must be reported as well. If there is a possibility that a child is or has been abused, an investigation must be conducted.

Children who have been abused may exhibit traits such as the inability to love or have faith in others. This often translates into adults who are unable to establish lasting and stable personal relationships. These individuals have trouble with physical closeness and touching as well as emotional intimacy and trust. Further, these qualities tend to cause a fear of entering into new relationships, as well as the sabotaging of any current ones.

Psychologically, children who have been abused tend to have poor self-images or are passive, withdrawn, or clingy. They may be angry individuals who are filled with rage, anxiety, and a variety of fears. They are often aggressive, disruptive, and depressed. Many abused children have flashbacks and nightmares about the abuse they have experienced, and this may cause sleep problems as well as drug and alcohol problems. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and antisocial personality disorder are both typical among maltreated children. Research has also shown that most abused children fail to reach “successful psychosocial functioning,” and are thus not resilient and do not resume a “normal life” after the abuse has ended.

Socially (and likely because of these psychological injuries), abused children have trouble in school, will have difficulty getting and remaining employed, and may commit a variety of illegal or socially inappropriate behaviors. Many studies have shown that victims of child abuse are likely to participate in high-risk behaviors such as alcohol or drug abuse, the use of tobacco, and high-risk sexual behaviors (e.g., unprotected sex, large numbers of sexual partners). Later in life, abused children are more likely to have been arrested and homeless. They are also less able to defend themselves in conflict situations and guard themselves against repeated victimizations.

Medically, abused children likely will experience health problems due to the high frequency of physical injuries they receive. In addition, abused children experience a great deal of emotional turmoil and stress, which can also have a significant impact on their physical condition. These health problems are likely to continue occurring into adulthood. Some of these longer-lasting health problems include headaches; eating problems; problems with toileting; and chronic pain in the back, stomach, chest, and genital areas. Some researchers have noted that abused children may experience neurological impairment and problems with intellectual functioning, while others have found a correlation between abuse and heart, lung, and liver disease, as well as cancer (Thomas, 2004).

Victims of sexual abuse show an alarming number of disturbances as adults. Some dislike and avoid sex, or experience sexual problems or disorders, while other victims appear to enjoy sexual activities that are self-defeating or maladaptive—normally called “dysfunctional sexual behavior”—and have many sexual partners.

Abused children also experience a wide variety of developmental delays. Many do not reach physical, cognitive, or emotional developmental milestones at the typical time, and some never accomplish what they are supposed to during childhood socialization. In the next section, these developmental delays are discussed as a means of identifying children who may be abused.

There are two primary ways of identifying children who are abused: spotting and evaluating physical injuries, and detecting and appraising developmental delays. Distinguishing physical injuries due to abuse can be difficult, particularly among younger children who are likely to get hurt or receive injuries while they are playing and learning to become ambulatory. Nonetheless, there are several types of wounds that children are unlikely to give themselves during their normal course of play and exploration. These less likely injuries may signal instances of child abuse.

While it is true that children are likely to get bruises, particularly when they are learning to walk or crawl, bruises on infants are not normal. Also, the back of the legs, upper arms, or on the chest, neck, head, or genitals are also locations where bruises are unlikely to occur during normal childhood activity. Further, bruises with clean patterns, like hand prints, buckle prints, or hangers (to name a few), are good examples of the types of bruises children do not give themselves.

Another area of physical injury where the source of the injury can be difficult to detect is fractures. Again, children fall out of trees, or crash their bikes, and can break limbs. These can be normal parts of growing up. However, fractures in infants less than 12 months old are particularly suspect, as infants are unlikely to be able to accomplish the types of movement necessary to actually break a leg or an arm. Further, multiple fractures, particularly more than one on a bone, should be examined more closely. Spiral or torsion fractures (when the bone is broken by twisting) are suspect because when children break their bones due to play injuries, the fractures are usually some other type (e.g., linear, oblique, compacted). In addition, when parents don’t know about the fracture(s) or how it occurred, abuse should be considered, because when children get these types of injuries, they need comfort and attention.

Head and internal injuries are also those that may signal abuse. Serious blows to the head cause internal head injuries, and this is very different from the injuries that result from bumping into things. Abused children are also likely to experience internal injuries like those to the abdomen, liver, kidney, and bladder. They may suffer a ruptured spleen, or intestinal perforation. These types of damages rarely happen by accident.

Burns are another type of physical injury that can happen by accident or by abuse. Nevertheless, there are ways to tell these types of burn injuries apart. The types of burns that should be examined and investigated are those where the burns are in particular locations. Burns to the bottom of the feet, genitals, abdomen, or other inaccessible spots should be closely considered. Burns of the whole hand or those to the buttocks are also unlikely to happen as a result of an accident.

Turning to the detection and appraisal of developmental delays, one can more readily assess possible abuse by considering what children of various ages should be able to accomplish, than by noting when children are delayed and how many milestones on which they are behind schedule. Importantly, a few delays in reaching milestones can be expected, since children develop individually and not always according to the norm. Nonetheless, when children are abused, their development is likely to be delayed in numerous areas and across many milestones.

As children develop and grow, they should be able to crawl, walk, run, talk, control going to the bathroom, write, set priorities, plan ahead, trust others, make friends, develop a good self-image, differentiate between feeling and behavior, and get their needs met in appropriate ways. As such, when children do not accomplish these feats, their circumstances should be examined.

Infants who are abused or neglected typically develop what is termed failure to thrive syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by slow, inadequate growth, or not “filling out” physically. They have a pale, colorless complexion and dull eyes. They are not likely to spend much time looking around, and nothing catches their eyes. They may show other signs of lack of nutrition such as cuts, bruises that do not heal in a timely way, and discolored fingernails. They are also not trusting and may not cry much, as they are not expecting to have their needs met. Older infants may not have developed any language skills, or these developments are quite slow. This includes both verbal and nonverbal means of communication.

Toddlers who are abused often become hypervigilant about their environments and others’ moods. They are more outwardly focused than a typical toddler (who is quite self-centered) and may be unable to separate themselves as individuals, or consider themselves as distinct beings. In this way, abused toddlers cannot focus on tasks at hand because they are too concerned about others’ reactions. They don’t play with toys, have no interest in exploration, and seem unable to enjoy life. They are likely to accept losses with little reaction, and may have age-inappropriate knowledge of sex and sexual relations. Finally, toddlers, whether they are abused or not, begin to mirror their parents’ behaviors. Thus, toddlers who are abused may mimic the abuse when they are playing with dolls or “playing house.”

Developmental delays can also be detected among abused young adolescents. Some signs include the failure to learn cause and effect, since their parents are so inconsistent. They have no energy for learning and have not developed beyond one- or two-word commands. They probably cannot follow complicated directions (such as two to three tasks per instruction), and they are unlikely to be able to think for themselves. Typically, they have learned that failure is totally unacceptable, but they are more concerned with the teacher’s mood than with learning and listening to instruction. Finally, they are apt to have been inadequately toilet trained and thus may be unable to control their bladders.

Older adolescents, because they are likely to have been abused for a longer period of time, continue to get further and further behind in their developmental achievements. Abused children this age become family nurturers. They take care of their parents and cater to their parents’ needs, rather than the other way around. In addition, they probably take care of any younger siblings and do the household chores. Because of these default responsibilities, they usually do not participate in school activities; they frequently miss days at school; and they have few, if any, friends. Because they have become so hypervigilant and have increasingly delayed development, they lose interest in and become disillusioned with education. They develop low self-esteem and little confidence, but seem old for their years. Children this age who are abused are still likely to be unable to control their bladders and may have frequent toileting accidents.

Other developmental delays can occur and be observed in abused and neglected children of any age. For example, malnutrition and withdrawal can be noticed in infants through teenagers. Maltreated children frequently have persistent or untreated illnesses, and these can become permanent disabilities if medical conditions go untreated for a long enough time. Another example can be the consequences of neurological damage. Beyond being a medical issue, this type of damage can cause problems with social behavior and impulse control, which, again, can be discerned in various ages of children.

Once child abuse is suspected, law enforcement officers, child protection workers, or various other practitioners may need to interview the child about the abuse or neglect he or she may have suffered. Interviewing children can be extremely difficult because children at various stages of development can remember only certain parts or aspects of the events in their lives. Also, interviewers must be careful that they do not put ideas or answers into the heads of the children they are interviewing. There are several general recommendations when interviewing children about the abuse they may have experienced. First, interviewers must acknowledge that even when children are abused, they likely still love their parents. They do not want to be taken away from their parents, nor do they want to see their parents get into trouble. Interviewers must not blame the parents or be judgmental about them or the child’s family. Beyond that, interviews should take place in a safe, neutral location. Interviewers can use dolls and role-play to help children express the types of abuse of which they may be victims.

Finally, interviewers must ask age-appropriate questions. For example, 3-year-olds can probably only answer questions about what happened and who was involved. Four- to five-year-olds can also discuss where the incidents occurred. Along with what, who, and where, 6- to 8-year-olds can talk about the element of time, or when the abuse occurred. Nine- to 10-year-olds are able to add commentary about the number of times the abuse occurred. Finally, 11-year-olds and older children can additionally inform interviewers about the circumstances of abusive instances.

A conclusion is not a summary of what a writer has already mentioned. On the contrary, it is the last point made. Taking every detail of the investigation, the researcher makes the concluding point. In this part of a paper, you need to put a full stop in your research. You need to persuade the reader in your opinion.

Never add any new information in the conclusion. You can present solutions to the problem and you dwell upon the results, but only if this information has been already mentioned in the main body.

Child advocates recommend a variety of strategies to aid families and children experiencing abuse. These recommendations tend to focus on societal efforts as well as more individual efforts. One common strategy advocated is the use of public service announcements that encourage individuals to report any suspected child abuse. Currently, many mandatory reporters (those required by law to report abuse such as teachers, doctors, and social service agency employees) and members of communities feel that child abuse should not be reported unless there is substantial evidence that abuse is indeed occurring. Child advocates stress that this notion should be changed, and that people should report child abuse even if it is only suspected. Public service announcements should stress that if people report suspected child abuse, the worst that can happen is that they might be wrong, but in the grander scheme of things that is really not so bad.

Child advocates also stress that greater interagency cooperation is needed. This cooperation should be evident between women’s shelters, child protection agencies, programs for at-risk children, medical agencies, and law enforcement officers. These agencies typically do not share information, and if they did, more instances of child abuse would come to the attention of various authorities and could be investigated and managed. Along these lines, child protection agencies and programs should receive more funding. When budgets are cut, social services are often the first things to go or to get less financial support. Child advocates insist that with more resources, child protection agencies could hire more workers, handle more cases, conduct more investigations, and follow up with more children and families.

Continuing, more educational efforts must be initiated about issues such as punishment and discipline styles and strategies; having greater respect for children; as well as informing the community about what child abuse is, and how to recognize it. In addition, Americans must alter the cultural orientation about child bearing and child rearing. Couples who wish to remain child-free must be allowed to do so without disdain. And, it must be acknowledged that raising children is very difficult, is not always gloriously wonderful, and that parents who seek help should be lauded and not criticized. These kinds of efforts can help more children to be raised in nonviolent, emotionally satisfying families, and thus become better adults.

Bibliography

When you write a paper, make sure you are aware of all the formatting requirements. Incorrect formatting can lower your mark, so do not underestimate the importance of this part.

Organizing your bibliography is quite a tedious and time-consuming task. Still, you need to do it flawlessly. For this reason, analyze all the standards you need to meet or ask professionals to help you with it. All the comas, colons, brackets etc. matter. They truly do.

Bibliography:

American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.aap.org/
Bancroft, L., & Silverman, J. G. (2002). The batterer as parent. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 5106g (1998).
Childhelp: Child Abuse Statistics: https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/
Children’s Defense Fund: https://www.childrensdefense.org/
Child Stats.gov: https://www.childstats.gov/
Child Welfare League of America: https://www.cwla.org/
Crosson-Tower, C. (2008). Understanding child abuse and neglect (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
DeBecker, G. (1999). Protecting the gift: Keeping children and teenagers safe (and parents sane). New York: Bantam Dell.
Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire: https://cola.unh.edu/family-research-laboratory
Guterman, N. B. (2001). Stopping child maltreatment before it starts: Emerging horizons in early home visitation services. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Herman, J. L. (2000). Father-daughter incest. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Medline Plus, Child Abuse: https://medlineplus.gov/childabuse.html
Myers, J. E. B. (Ed.). (1994). The backlash: Child protection under fire. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: https://www.missingkids.org/home
National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. (2006). Child maltreatment 2006: Reports from the states to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
New York University Silver School of Social Work: https://socialwork.nyu.edu/
Pitzer, R. L. (1997). Corporal punishment in the discipline of children in the home: Research update for practitioners. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Washington, DC.
RAND, Child Abuse and Neglect: https://www.rand.org/topics/child-abuse-and-neglect.html
Richards, C. E. (2001). The loss of innocents: Child killers and their victims. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources.
Straus, M. A. (2001). Beating the devil out of them: Corporal punishment in American families and its effects on children. Edison, NJ: Transaction.
Thomas, P. M. (2004). Protection, dissociation, and internal roles: Modeling and treating the effects of child abuse. Review of General Psychology, 7(15).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/

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Research Paper Guide

Research Paper Example

Research Paper Examples - Free Sample Papers for Different Formats!

Research Paper Example for Different Formats

Following a specific formatting style is essential while writing a research paper . Knowing the conventions and guidelines for each format can help you in creating a perfect paper. Here we have gathered examples of research paper for most commonly applied citation styles :

Social Media and Social Media Marketing: A Literature Review

APA Research Paper Example

APA (American Psychological Association) style is commonly used in social sciences, psychology, and education. This format is recognized for its clear and concise writing, emphasis on proper citations, and orderly presentation of ideas.

Here are some research paper examples in APA style:

Research Paper Example APA 7th Edition

Research Paper Example MLA

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is frequently employed in humanities disciplines, including literature, languages, and cultural studies. An MLA research paper might explore literature analysis, linguistic studies, or historical research within the humanities.

Here is an example:

Found Voices: Carl Sagan

Research Paper Example Chicago

Chicago style is utilized in various fields like history, arts, and social sciences. Research papers in Chicago style could delve into historical events, artistic analyses, or social science inquiries.

Here is a research paper formatted in Chicago style:

Chicago Research Paper Sample

Research Paper Example Harvard

Harvard style is widely used in business, management, and some social sciences. Research papers in Harvard style might address business strategies, case studies, or social policies.

View this sample Harvard style paper here:

Harvard Research Paper Sample

Examples for Different Research Paper Parts

A research paper has different parts. Each part is important for the overall success of the paper. Chapters in a research paper must be written correctly, using a certain format and structure.

The following are examples of how different sections of the research paper can be written.

Research Proposal

The research proposal acts as a detailed plan or roadmap for your study, outlining the focus of your research and its significance. It's essential as it not only guides your research but also persuades others about the value of your study.

Example of Research Proposal

An abstract serves as a concise overview of your entire research paper. It provides a quick insight into the main elements of your study. It summarizes your research's purpose, methods, findings, and conclusions in a brief format.

Research Paper Example Abstract

Literature Review

A literature review summarizes the existing research on your study's topic, showcasing what has already been explored. This section adds credibility to your own research by analyzing and summarizing prior studies related to your topic.

Literature Review Research Paper Example

Methodology

The methodology section functions as a detailed explanation of how you conducted your research. This part covers the tools, techniques, and steps used to collect and analyze data for your study.

Methods Section of Research Paper Example

How to Write the Methods Section of a Research Paper

The conclusion summarizes your findings, their significance and the impact of your research. This section outlines the key takeaways and the broader implications of your study's results.

Research Paper Conclusion Example

Research Paper Examples for Different Fields

Research papers can be about any subject that needs a detailed study. The following examples show research papers for different subjects.

History Research Paper Sample

Preparing a history research paper involves investigating and presenting information about past events. This may include exploring perspectives, analyzing sources, and constructing a narrative that explains the significance of historical events.

View this history research paper sample:

Many Faces of Generalissimo Fransisco Franco

Sociology Research Paper Sample

In sociology research, statistics and data are harnessed to explore societal issues within a particular region or group. These findings are thoroughly analyzed to gain an understanding of the structure and dynamics present within these communities.

Here is a sample:

A Descriptive Statistical Analysis within the State of Virginia

Science Fair Research Paper Sample

A science research paper involves explaining a scientific experiment or project. It includes outlining the purpose, procedures, observations, and results of the experiment in a clear, logical manner.

Here are some examples:

Science Fair Paper Format

What Do I Need To Do For The Science Fair?

Psychology Research Paper Sample

Writing a psychology research paper involves studying human behavior and mental processes. This process includes conducting experiments, gathering data, and analyzing results to understand the human mind, emotions, and behavior.

Here is an example psychology paper:

The Effects of Food Deprivation on Concentration and Perseverance

Art History Research Paper Sample

Studying art history includes examining artworks, understanding their historical context, and learning about the artists. This helps analyze and interpret how art has evolved over various periods and regions.

Check out this sample paper analyzing European art and impacts:

European Art History: A Primer

Research Paper Example Outline

Before you plan on writing a well-researched paper, make a rough draft. An outline can be a great help when it comes to organizing vast amounts of research material for your paper.

Here is an outline of a research paper example:

A. Title of the Research Paper
B. Author's Name
C. Institutional Affiliation
D. Course Information
E. Date

A. Purpose of the Study
B. Research Questions/Objectives
C. Methodology
D. Key Findings
E. Conclusion

A. Background Information
B. Statement of the Problem
C. Significance of the Study
D. Research Objectives/Hypothesis
E. Structure of the Paper

A. Overview of Relevant Literature
B. Key Theories or Concepts
C. Discussion of Previous Studies
D. Gaps in the Existing Literature
E. Theoretical Framework

A. Research Design
B. Participants or Sample
C. Data Collection Methods
D. Data Analysis Techniques
E. Limitations

A. Presentation of Findings
B. Data Analysis
C. Tables, Graphs, or Figures (if applicable)
D. Interpretation of Results

A. Summary of Findings
B. Comparison with Literature
C. Implications of the Results
D. Limitations and Future Research
E. Conclusion

A. Summary of the Study
B. Contribution to the Field
C. Recommendations
D. Concluding Remarks

A. Citations in APA/MLA/Chicago style
B. Books, Articles, Journals, and Other Sources Cited

Here is a downloadable sample of a standard research paper outline:

Research Paper Outline

Want to create the perfect outline for your paper? Check out this in-depth guide on creating a research paper outline for a structured paper!

Good Research Paper Examples for Students

Here are some more samples of research paper for students to learn from:

Fiscal Research Center - Action Plan

Qualitative Research Paper Example

Research Paper Example Introduction

How to Write a Research Paper Example

Research Paper Example for High School

Now that you have explored the research paper examples, you can start working on your research project. Hopefully, these examples will help you understand the writing process for a research paper.

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Exploratory Research

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Obscurity can eat up a person’s mind; the lack of clarity can be maddening to those who have a working brain. When one can’t think straight or form a coherent thought, they start to feel as though they’ve lost touch with reality. To battle this phenomenon, people find a focus so that they can build something out of a little fact. When things become too vague, the best thing would be to conduct some sort of case analysis . It would help if you searched for something that can give you a clue to where the problem leads, how the complication unfolds, and what other factors can lead to the issue. To fix things, like this, you might need to conduct exploratory research.

Before you can conduct exploratory research, you first need to understand what it is. Exploratory research defines itself as the process of investigating an unclear and improperly set problem. This research methodology is a way to recognize an existing problem. This study is useful when the problem is at its early phase. It can give slight clarifications but will not provide conclusive results. Researchers use this study to lock on specific issues. Since this is exploratory, researchers are required to be flexible and able to divert the path of the research based on the new data gathered from this research.

Help and Handicap

Exploratory research is a critical research framework applicable to any research project . This is because it lets the researcher find a clear path to solve a given problem. It enables the researcher to explore his ideas to help him find suitable ways to formulate and answer research questions. This builds a firm understanding of the subject without impulsively making conclusions. This type of research still does come with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, though.

One thing that makes this research favorable is that it lets the researcher adapt to any changes in the data gathered. It’s easy for researchers to be flexible with this study. It also provides a reliable insight into a phenomenon that is worth all the time, effort, or cost spent. The most significant advantage is that it can lead to other possibilities. Whether that is finding new details to solve the problem or further exploratory data analysis.

Disadvantage

The biggest downside to exploratory research is that it can turn into qualitative research . The data of which can be interpreted with bias. This research also provides inconclusive data, which can still lead to an unclear study. This research design usually makes use of a small sample that cannot accurately describe the whole demographic. Also, when using secondary research to collect data for this study, the information might not be up to date and can render itself useless.

10+ Exploratory Research Examples

If you are looking for answers to what, why, and how questions regarding a particular issue, you might need to conduct exploratory research. This research stirs the curiosity of the researcher and dives him to look for ways to solve a problem. If you need more information about this research action plan , here are 10+ exploratory research examples you can look into.

1. Exploratory Research Workshops Example

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2. Exploratory Research Design Example

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3. Exploratory Studies Social Science Research Example

4. Exploratory Research Project Example

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5. Fundamental and Exploratory Research Example

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6. Multiple Testing for Exploratory Researh Example

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7. Exploratory Social Science Research Example

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8. Exploratory Museum Studies Research Example

9. Exploratory Small Enterprises Research Example

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10. Exploratory Research Application Form Example

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11. Exploratory Research Essay Template

Wonderful Ways

Exploratory research is a very versatile research design. It can help you find faults in your case study or even your marketing strategies . This research can lead to further investigations like qualitative and descriptive research. But researching something would be really difficult if you have nowhere to start. There are many methods to accomplish this type of research; here are some of them.

1. Focus Group

A standard method in exploratory research is the use of focus groups. Having this in your research plan is strongly advised. This method selects 8-12 participants to answer questions and give insight into the topic studied. This strategy requires the participants to have similar backgrounds and experiences for the research results to be valid. This method provides useful information about the problem.

2. Polls / Survey

When collecting data regarding trends and opinions, the best methods for that are polls, survey questions, and questionnaires. The digital age has even helped in the advancement of this method through online surveys. That said, this method is considerably low cost. Researchers can also use this method to collect data from experts and specialists that know their way around the field and topic.

3. Interview

When gathering information, nothing beats in-person interviews. This way, you get to interact with your target market and research participants on a personal level. You get to gather information straight from the source. You can be sure that the facts you use for data analysis are reliable and valid. Interviewing experts can also provide you something not everyone can come across.

4. Secondary research

Exploratory research can also make use of secondary research. Documentary research can be a form of this method. By checking out previously conducted research, journals, and news articles, you can be sure that the data has been proven correct.

There is a quote that goes, “curiosity killed the cat.” What most people don’t know is that it is followed by, “but satisfaction brought it back.” This means that new things may be risky and dangerous, but when you get to prove something, you can get the satisfaction you deserve

Text prompt

Instructive
Professional

10 Examples of Public speaking

20 Examples of Gas lighting

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Acknowledgments in Research Paper: Thanking Those Who Helped

The acknowledgements in research paper are a way to say thank you to the people and groups that helped with the study. This part of the paper lets writers show their thanks and point out the teamwork, support, and guidance they received while doing their research.

Why Include Acknowledgements in a Research Paper?

The acknowledgement section of the paper does more than just talk about the research. It gives writers a chance to thank the many people and groups that helped them write their paper.

While the main part of the paper shows what was found and studied, the acknowledgments in the research paper point out the help from teachers, partners, money givers, schools, and even family and friends who supported the work. This section does a few things:

It shows that science is often a team effort
It helps people in the research world appreciate each other
It makes the research process more personal by showing all the different kinds of help
It helps make work connections and show kindness
It can make the writer look good in the research world

In the end, this part of the paper shows how working together and giving back are important for learning new things.

Who Should You Thank?

When thinking about how to write acknowledgments for research paper, include:

Teachers and advisors who gave advice or helped guide the work
Partners and co-writers who helped plan, do, or understand the research
Groups that gave money for the research
People who took part in collecting information, doing tests, or answering questions
Tech helpers who assisted with numbers, lab work, or computer programs
Office workers who helped get resources or gave other help
Schools or groups that provided tools, machines, or places to work
Family and friends who gave emotional support or understanding
Other researchers who gave feedback or helpful criticism

Who Should You Not Thank?

When writing your research paper acknowledgment, be careful not to include:

People you don't know well or only met briefly
Unknown reviewers, since their names are often kept secret
People you don't get along with or have had arguments with
People with strong political views that might make the research look bad
Family or friends who didn't really help with the work
Thank-yous that are too general and don't say exactly what someone did
Yourself, since the point is to thank other people

How to Format the Acknowledgment Section

When putting together your acknowledgment in research paper, think about this setup:

Clear title: "Acknowledgments"
Short opening paragraph saying thanks in general
Organized list of specific thank-yous, starting with the most important helpers
Details about what each person did, like helping gather information, understand it, give money, teach, or help with tech stuff
Professional and formal writing, not using casual words
Same style of writing throughout
You can add personal stories or feelings to show how much you appreciate the help

Here's an example:

Acknowledgments

This research couldn't have been done without help from many people and groups. I want to give a big thank you to...

[List of specific thank-yous]

Lastly, I want to thank my family from the bottom of my heart for always being there for me during this work.

Before you finish, read it over carefully to make sure everything is correct, clear, and complete, including the right spelling of names, titles, and where people work.

Helpful Hints for Writing Acknowledgement for Research Paper

Here are ten easy tips to help you figure out how to write acknowledgment for research paper:

Start by saying a sincere thank you to those who helped
Clearly name and thank each person, school, or group
Put the thank-yous in order, with the most important help first
Keep the writing professional
Make the thank-yous short and to the point
Give a quick description of what each person did to help
Double-check the spelling of names, titles, and where people work
Include all the important people who helped
Show personal connections where it makes sense
Read it over to make sure it's clear and makes sense

Wrapping Up

Writing good acknowledgments in research is a skill that balances saying thanks with being professional. It's a chance to recognize the often hidden support behind your work and to help create a culture of appreciation in the world of research. Well-written acknowledgments for research papers can lead to working together in the future, more people seeing your work, and more support for your ongoing research.

Remember, if you're having trouble figuring out how to write acknowledgment for paper, tools like Aithor can help. Aithor can assist you in creating acknowledgments that are both heartfelt and professional, making sure you give credit where it's due while keeping the scholarly tone of your research paper.

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Literature Review

5 Best Research Graphic Organizer Templates For Researchers

Discover the 5 best research graphic organizer templates to simplify and streamline your research process.

Aug 27, 2024

person making notes - Research Graphic Organizer

Researching a paper can feel overwhelming and chaotic. First, you must sift through countless sources before narrowing them down to a manageable number. Then, you need to extract information from each source while keeping track of everything you've uncovered. Research graphic organizers can help you structure your notes and identify connections between sources to streamline the writing process.

In this guide, we'll explore the ins and outs of research graphic organizers and offer tips for using them effectively. With the right tools and strategies, you'll write your paper quickly. Otio's AI literature search and writing partner can help you organize by summarizing information from your sources, creating research graphic organizers, and much more.

What are research graphics, what is a research graphic organizer, how to create a graphic organizer easily, purpose of research graphic organizer, supercharge your researching ability with otio — try otio for free today.

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Research graphics depict data or information connected to a research project. They summarize findings, help present complex data more efficiently, or illustrate relationships between variables.

Common Types of Research Graphics

Research graphics come in many varieties. Here are a few of the most common types:

Bar Charts

These visuals compare categories or groups. They feature rectangular bars that represent different categories, with the length of each bar corresponding to its value.

Line Charts

Line charts show trends or changes over time. They plot individual values on an X and Y axis and connect them with a line to illustrate how they relate over a certain period.

Pie Charts

These circular visuals represent the proportions or percentages of a whole. Each slice of the pie corresponds to a category’s contribution to the total. Pie charts work well for illustrating data with a limited number of categories.

Scatter Plots

Scatter plots show relationships between two variables. Each value pair in a data set is plotted as a dot on a two-dimensional graph. By examining the pattern of dots, you can determine whether the two variables have a positive, negative, or no correlation.

Histograms

Histograms depict the distribution of a single variable. They look similar to bar charts, but instead of comparing categories, they show the frequency of data within ranges or bins.

Infographics

Infographics present complex information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format. They combine visuals with minimal text to communicate a research topic to a broad audience. Infographics can take many forms and are often colorful and engaging.

person sitting alone and working - Research Graphic Organizer

Research graphic organizers help you effectively structure your research . They visually organize the notes to help you analyze and present your findings. When you outline your research paper, you may discover that certain graphic organizers fit your project better than others. In time, you will figure out which types of research graphic organizers work best for you.

Concept Maps: Visually Connect Ideas

Concept maps in research look like diagrams or webs that show the relationships between different ideas or concepts. They help researchers brainstorm information and organize and visualize their notes. You can create concept maps to grasp the bigger picture of your research topic and assess how different areas of study connect. Doing so will help you narrow your focus and pinpoint specific investigative aspects. Then, as you collect research, you can revise your concept map to reflect new information and how it alters your understanding of the topic.

Venn Diagrams: Compare and Contrast Information

Venn diagrams use overlapping circles to organize data visually. Each circle represents a different research topic, idea, or concept. As you collect information, you can jot down notes in the appropriate sections to analyze similarities and differences between your subjects. Venn diagrams are handy when your research involves contrasting theories, historical events, or studies with different conclusions.

Flowcharts: Outline Processes and Methodology

Flowcharts help researchers visualize both experimental processes and methodologies. They break down complex steps into more uncomplicated, easy-to-follow instructions. Flowcharts can also help identify areas of research that need further exploration. For example, if you create a flowchart to outline the steps of a scientific experiment, you may discover an area that needs more information. This could lead you to conduct further research before proceeding with your experiment.

Timeline Charts: Track Progressions Over Time

Timeline charts help researchers visualize how events unfold over time. They can help you organize historical data for research papers or projects, track the development of a particular topic, or map out your research progressions. As you collect data, you can create a timeline chart to help you organize your information and present your findings.

1. Open Google Sheets

To get started, open Google Sheets and create a new blank spreadsheet by clicking on the "+ New/Blank" button in the upper-left corner of the screen.

2. Create Your Columns

Next, begin adding your categories to the first row or column. These categories will serve as the column headers for your graphic organizer.

3. Adjust the Formatting

After that, use the formatting tools in Google Sheets to customize the appearance of your graphic organizer. You can change the font, font size, color, and background color of your text to make it more visually appealing. Play around with the format until you find a style that works for you.

4. Continue Adding New Content

Finally, enter your research notes under each category in the corresponding column. You can add text, numbers, and even images to your sheet. Continue to add notes as your research progresses, adding new categories or columns as needed.

team finding out Research Graphic Organizer

1. Say Goodbye to Research Overload with Otio

Knowledge workers, researchers, and students today suffer from content overload. And they are left to deal with it using fragmented, complex, and manual tooling. Too many of them settle for stitching together complicated bookmarking, read-it-later, and note-taking apps to get through their workflows. Now that anyone can create content with a button, this problem will only worsen.

Otio solves this problem by providing researchers with one AI-native workspace. It helps them collect various data sources, from bookmarks, tweets, and extensive books to YouTube videos. Otio can then extract key takeaways with detailed AI-generated notes and source-grounded Q&A chat. Lastly, it helps you create draft outputs using your collected sources. In short, Otio enables you to go from the reading list to the first draft faster.

Along with this, Otio also helps you write research papers/essays faster . Here are our top features that researchers love: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (YouTube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), enabling you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT and AI-assisted writing.

Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner — try Otio for free today !

2. EdrawMax: The Online Graphic Organizer Tool for All Your Needs

EdrawMax Online is a cloud-based software that allows users to create various diagrams, charts, drawings, and graphic organizers. By signing up, you can access a canvas to draw any organizer of your choice by dragging and dropping various shapes and symbols from the included library. You can also use EdrawMax Online to create graphic organizers for research papers . You can choose to make one from scratch or just use a template, albeit the latter option relies on the presence of a template in the template gallery.

3. HMH Templates: Free and Customizable Graphic Organizers

Help your students classify ideas and communicate more effectively with these free graphic organizer templates, available for download at HMH. They can be used to structure writing projects and help with problem-solving, decision-making, studying, planning research, and brainstorming.

4. Teachers Pay Teachers: Thousands of Graphic Organizers for All Subjects

TPT is a platform with over 2000 graphic organizer templates in areas such as animal research , career research, and more. These fillable templates are easy to use and can help students and researchers organize information in one place.

5. Canva: Graphic Organizer Templates to Get You Started

Learn concepts, brainstorm ideas, and gain insights using editable graphic organizer templates you can customize for any topic or purpose on Canva.

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man working with Research Graphic Organizer

Graphic organizers help learners of every age categorize, clarify, or simplify information. They support writing, reading, and research by assisting students to construct knowledge by exploring the relationships between concepts.

Supporting Complex Learning

Research graphic organizers can be beneficial for students tackling complex texts or topics. Teacher-generated organizers can help students categorize and analyze large amounts of information, introduce a refined lens to examine a complex text, and enable students to recognize patterns and compare perspectives. The visual nature of graphic organizers can also help reduce students’ anxiety about complex learning by providing a structured approach to the work.

Limiting Rigid Thinking

Despite their benefits, graphic organizers' structured nature can lead to some unintended consequences. For example, students may need more than the graphic organizer to manage their learning rather than approach the task flexibly. This can cause students to avoid the messy yet essential work of surfacing key insights or conceptual understanding. Instead, they may limit their thinking to just filling in the boxes of the graphic organizer.

Designing for Learning

When the goal is to support student learning, graphic organizers can provide intellectual guardrails to guide students toward more profound understanding and learning. Well-designed graphic organizers should help students categorize key concepts, surface the interconnection of ideas, or help students construct knowledge. For example, suppose your desired learning objective is to have students explain the paradox that an overly weak and overly strong government can threaten individual liberty. In that case, the graphic organizer must be constructed to generate that level of thinking.

The organizer should ensure that students move beyond the traditional listing of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation . Instead, the design should lead students to thoughtfully analyze how liberty was impacted under the British monarchy and the Articles of Confederation. The organizer should require students to compare plot elements from the story to the typical rising/falling action, climax, and resolution storyline; determine where and why the author made similar or different choices; and offer a judgment regarding the deliberate craft moves.

If the goal is to have students form well-reasoned opinions, the ubiquitous Venn diagram, although a viable means to make comparisons, doesn’t automatically require students to weigh the relative strengths of the elements depicted, isolate the most significant similarities or differences, or rate or discriminate between elements that would inform a thoughtful point of view. Unless designed with the end in mind, organizers may unintentionally lead students on an intellectual scavenger hunt that generates surface understanding and thinking. The design of the graphic organizer must align with the learning goal and require that students apply the information they deconstructed to make meaning or develop unique insights.

Imagine you’re a researcher. You’ve been given a grant to study the effects of climate change on polar bear populations. You’ll need to write a paper, and you want to produce something with real value. You want to collect and analyze data on the topic and write the best paper you can. The only problem is a massive content overload on climate change and polar bears. If you searched for "climate change and polar bears" today, you'd get over 5 million results.

That’s a lot of content to sift through. Imagine that instead of going through this process alone, you had a research partner. But instead of a human, it was an AI with superpowers specifically designed to help you with academic research. This is what Otio aims to do. It allows researchers and students to deal with academic content overload and produces better research papers.

Collect: Gather Knowledge From Anywhere

Otio helps you collect knowledge from anywhere. Whether reading a scientific journal, watching a YouTube video, or sifting through tweets, Otio enables you to gather all this information in one place. Instead of a disorganized collection of bookmarks, you’ll have a clean and organized visual interface that helps you get to the writing faster.

Extract: Synthesize Information with AI

Once you’ve collected enough data, Otio helps you understand it all. Using advanced AI technology, it generates notes for all your collected research. Need to understand what a specific bookmark is about? Just ask Otio. Do you want to chat with the data before you start writing? No problem. With Otio, you’ll extract the vital information you need to produce better research.

Create: Write Research Papers Faster

Otio doesn’t just help you gather and understand academic research. It enables you to write research papers faster. Using machine learning, Otio can help you draft outputs based on your collected sources. This way, you can go from the reading list to the first draft faster and produce better work.

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Sep 2, 2024

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What is a Research Paper Graphic Organizer, and How Can One Be Created?

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Open access
Published: 02 September 2024

The carbon emission reduction effect of green fiscal policy: a quasi-natural experiment

Shuguang Wang 1 ,
Zequn Zhang 1 ,
Zhicheng Zhou 2 &
Shen Zhong 2

Scientific Reports volume 14 , Article number: 20317 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Climate-change impacts
Climate-change mitigation
Environmental impact

Carbon emission reduction is crucial for mitigating global climate change, and green fiscal policies, through providing economic incentives and reallocating resources, are key means to achieve carbon reduction targets. This paper uses data covering 248 cities from 2003 to 2019 and applies a multi-period difference-in-differences model (DID) to thoroughly assess the impact of energy conservation and emission reduction ( ECER ) fiscal policies on enhancing carbon emission ( CE 1 ) reduction and carbon efficiency ( CE 2 ). It further analyzes the mediating role of Green Innovation ( GI ), exploring how it strengthens the impact of ECER policies. We find that: (1) ECER policies significantly promote the improvement of carbon reduction and CE 2 , a conclusion that remains robust after excluding the impacts of concurrent policy influences, sample selection biases, outliers, and other random factors. (2) ECER policies enhance CE 1 reduction and CE 2 in pilot cities by promoting green innovation, and this conclusion is confirmed by Sobel Z tests. (3) The effects of ECER policies on CE 1 reduction and the improvement of CE 2 are more pronounced in higher-level cities, the eastern regions and non-resource cities. This research provides policy makers with suggestions, highlighting that incentivizing green innovation through green fiscal policies is an effective path to achieving carbon reduction goals.

Green taxation, regional green development and innovation: Mechanisms of influence and policy optimization

The impact of China’s energy saving and emission reduction demonstration city policy on urban green technology innovation

Can place-based policy reduce carbon emissions? Evidence from industrial transformation and upgrading exemplary zone in China

Introduction.

Efforts to mitigate global climate change through the reduction of CE 1 have emerged as a shared objective among nations globally 1 . From the initiation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to the enactment of the Kyoto Protocol and the adoption of the Paris Agreement, these pacts reflect the unified resolve of nations to tackle global climate change 2 , 3 . With the acceleration of global industrialization and the continuous increase in energy demand, there has been a significant rise in the emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, posing an unprecedented challenge to the Earth’s climate system 4 . These issues encompass the escalation of average global temperatures, a surge in severe weather occurrences, accelerated glacier melt, and a persistent increase in sea levels 5 , 6 , 7 , which threaten the balance of natural ecosystems and have profound impacts on the economic development and well-being of human societies. Therefore, adopting effective carbon reduction strategies to slow these climate change trends has become an urgent task faced globally.

In the current field of CE 1 reduction research, the focus is mainly on implementing policies such as carbon emission trading 8 , smart city pilot policies 9 , and low-carbon city pilot policies 10 . Among these policies, green fiscal policy, as a core strategy to mitigate the impact of climate change, is increasingly recognized by the academic community and policymakers for its importance in promoting CE 1 reduction 11 , 12 . This policy directly impacts CE 1 in economic activities through adjustments in the tax system, provision of fiscal subsidies, and increased investments in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies 13 . Green fiscal policies differ from traditional environmental protection measures by employing a mechanism that combines incentives and constraints, aiming to encourage enterprises to adopt emission reduction measures. In the implementation process of green fiscal policies, governments encourage enterprises to reduce CE 1 by adjusting tax policies 14 . Specifically, the ECER policy impacts the carbon emissions of demonstration cities through a combination of financial incentives and target constraints. The demonstration period lasts for three years, during which the central government provides reward funds for demonstration projects. The amount of these rewards is determined by the category of the city: 600 million RMB annually for municipalities and city clusters, 500 million RMB annually for sub-provincial cities and provincial capitals, and 400 million RMB annually for other cities. Local governments have the discretion to decide how to utilize these funds, while the central government is responsible solely for project record management. Additionally, the central government conducts annual and overall target assessments of the demonstration cities. The results of the annual assessment influence the reward funds for the following year: cities that perform excellently will receive an additional 20% of reward funds, while those that fail to meet the standards will have 20% of their funds withdrawn. The overall assessment results are linked to the demonstration qualification and reward funds; cities that fail to meet the overall targets or have serious issues will lose their demonstration status and have all reward funds withdrawn. This financial incentive mechanism ensures that local governments have sufficient financial support when implementing green technologies and projects, promoting increased energy efficiency and the widespread adoption of clean energy. Simultaneously, through the target constraint mechanism, the central government strictly supervises and incentivizes local governments’ efforts to reduce emissions, ensuring effective policy implementation. Under the dual pressure of financial incentives and performance assessments, local governments actively adopt various measures to promote energy conservation and emission reduction, including investing in green infrastructure, promoting energy-saving technologies, and optimizing energy structures, thereby achieving significant reductions in carbon emissions.

Furthermore, innovation and technological breakthroughs significantly enhance the effectiveness of green fiscal policies in reducing carbon emissions. Specifically, technological advancements improve energy efficiency, reducing the energy consumption per unit of output; they lower the production costs of clean energy, promoting its widespread adoption; and they advance carbon capture and storage technologies, directly reducing industrial carbon dioxide emissions. These technological improvements bolster the impact of green fiscal policies, making them more effective in achieving carbon reduction targets. However, the implementation of green fiscal policies also faces some challenges. Firstly, balancing the relationship between economic development and environmental protection to avoid potential negative impacts such as job losses and industrial relocation during policy execution is an issue that policymakers need to consider. Secondly, the effective implementation of green fiscal policies requires strong policy support and regulatory mechanisms to ensure that policy measures are effectively executed and can adapt to constantly changing economic and environmental conditions. Therefore, evaluating the carbon reduction effect of such policies is of significant importance for achieving long-term environmental sustainability and promoting the green economic transformation.

This paper analyzes the impact of green fiscal policies on carbon emissions and carbon efficiency. Relevant research mainly focuses on the following two areas: studies on the factors influencing carbon emissions, and research related to environmental regulations and energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies.

Firstly, a substantial body of literature focuses on the factors influencing carbon emissions, with some studies specifically examining the impact of government intervention and environmental regulation on CO2 emissions. These studies are closely related to the theme of this paper. From an economic perspective, numerous studies have demonstrated that economic growth significantly impacts carbon emissions 15 , 16 , 17 . Generally, increased economic activity is associated with higher energy consumption, leading to higher carbon emissions. However, as economies reach a certain level of development, the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) phenomenon may occur, where carbon emissions begin to decrease after reaching a certain economic threshold 18 , 19 . Research has also confirmed that economic growth increases the ecological footprint, leading to environmental degradation 20 . For example, economic growth, income inequality, and energy poverty have increased environmental pressure in BRICS countries 21 . In Pakistan, institutional quality has led to higher CO 2 emissions, but economic development can help reduce these emissions 22 . From a social perspective, the acceleration of urbanization is typically accompanied by increased energy consumption, thereby raising carbon emissions. There is a long-term and short-term U-shaped relationship between urbanization and the environment 23 . Upgrading existing infrastructure can enable various sectors to produce minimal waste that impacts emissions 24 . Changes in consumption levels and population structure also significantly affect carbon emissions 25 . From a policy perspective, government-enacted environmental regulations and policies, such as carbon taxes, carbon trading markets, emission standards, and renewable energy subsidies, play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions. Innovations and environmental policies contribute to emission reductions both in the long and short term. Additionally, carbon pricing can reduce emissions in specific regions, although its impact is often more targeted at specific countries 26 . Carbon taxes and mitigation technologies are helping to achieve sustainable development goals for carbon mitigation 27 . Green energy investments are significantly associated with greenhouse gas emissions and support environmental quality 28 . However, these studies often overlook the impact of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies on carbon emissions.

Secondly, there is a body of literature focusing on environmental regulation, which can be divided into two main areas: the impact of environmental regulation on the environment and its impact on the economy. On the one hand, extensive research has explored the environmental impact of regulation. Studies generally agree that stringent environmental regulations help reduce pollutant emissions and improve environmental quality. Environmental regulations significantly enhance the synergy between carbon reduction and air pollution control 29 . Target-based pollutant reduction policies effectively constrain the sulfur dioxide emissions of regulated enterprises, lowering their sulfur dioxide emission intensity, thereby demonstrating that stringent environmental regulations facilitate green transitions for businesses 30 . However, in some developing countries or regions with weak enforcement, the effectiveness of environmental regulations may be compromised. Despite strict regulatory policies being in place, inadequate enforcement or a lack of regulatory capacity may result in actual pollutant reduction falling short of expectations. On the other hand, part of the literature examines the economic impact of environmental regulation. Some studies suggest that environmental regulation can drive technological innovation and industrial upgrading, thereby promoting economic growth 31 . Strict environmental standards force companies to improve production processes and develop new environmental technologies, which can create new economic opportunities and growth points 32 . Environmental regulations significantly enhance green technological innovation 33 , and they have notably promoted green innovation across European countries 34 . Conversely, environmental regulations may increase operational costs for businesses, particularly in the short term due to compliance costs, which could inhibit economic growth. This is especially true for regions or countries that rely heavily on high-pollution, high-energy-consumption industries, where environmental regulation might lead to a slowdown in economic growth. Given that energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies are a form of environmental regulation, it is necessary to evaluate their effectiveness.

Thirdly, some literature evaluates the governance effectiveness of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies. From an environmental perspective, these policies can reduce pollutants and enhance efficiency. On average, such policies have reduced industrial SO2 (sulfur dioxide) emissions by 23.8% and industrial wastewater discharge by 17.5% 35 . Additionally, energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies can effectively improve green total factor carbon efficiency 36 . From an economic perspective, these policies can promote investment and economic growth 37 . They have significantly improved green credit for enterprises and can facilitate sustainable urban development 38 .

In summary, there are two significant gaps in the existing literature. Firstly, although numerous studies have extensively explored the factors influencing carbon emissions from economic, social, and policy perspectives, relatively few have examined the relationship between ECER policies and carbon emissions. Specifically, most of the existing literature focuses on the impact of macroeconomic policies, industrial structure adjustments, and technological innovation on carbon emissions. However, there is a lack of systematic empirical analysis on how specific fiscal incentives directly affect carbon emissions, limiting our comprehensive understanding of the actual effects of fiscal policies on emission reduction. Secondly, most of the existing studies investigate carbon dioxide emissions from a single perspective, such as focusing on total carbon emissions, carbon intensity, or carbon efficiency. These studies lack a multi-faceted exploration of the relationship between a single policy and carbon emissions. Typically, research adopts a specific metric to measure policy effects, but this approach overlooks how different metrics might reveal various aspects of policy impact. Consequently, these studies fail to capture the multi-dimensional effects of policies on reducing carbon emissions comprehensively. This single-perspective research methodology cannot adequately reflect the multiple impacts of policies on carbon emissions across different scenarios and time periods. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of the ECER policy, jointly introduced by the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission in 2011, on CE1 and CE2. Given that the ECER policy was implemented in three batches of pilot cities, this study employs a multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) model for analysis. The advantage of this model lies in its ability to compare the effects of the policy before and after its implementation across multiple time points, thereby capturing the dynamic impacts of the policy. Furthermore, this article explores the mediating role of green innovation in the impact process of the ECER policy, revealing the policy’s varying effects on CE 1 and CE2 across different regions through heterogeneity analysis.The marginal contributions of this article: Firstly, this paper evaluates the relationship between ECER policies and carbon emissions, addressing a significant gap in the existing research. Although numerous studies have explored various factors influencing carbon emissions from different perspectives, there is a lack of systematic research on the actual effects of specific fiscal policies on energy conservation and emission reduction, particularly their direct impact on carbon emissions. Through empirical analysis and data validation, this study thoroughly investigates the specific mechanisms and effects of ECER policies on carbon emissions in practice, thus filling this research gap. Secondly, this paper systematically assesses the relationship between ECER policies and carbon emissions from two key perspectives: total carbon emissions and carbon efficiency. By considering these two important indicators, this study not only examines the impact of ECER fiscal policies on overall carbon emissions but also analyzes their role in improving carbon efficiency. Through an in-depth analysis of these two metrics, this paper provides a more comprehensive and multi-dimensional view, systematically evaluating the effectiveness and mechanisms of ECER policies.

The remainder of the article is organized as follows: the second part discusses the policy background and theoretical analysis; the third part details the model settings and variable explanations; the fourth part presents the empirical analysis; the fifth part analyzes regional heterogeneity; and the last part concludes with conclusions and policy recommendations.

Policy background and theoretical analysis

Policy background.

In 2011, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission issued the “Notice on Conducting Comprehensive Demonstration Work of Fiscal Policies for Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction,” deciding to carry out comprehensive demonstrations of fiscal policies for ECER in some cities during the “Twelfth Five-Year” period. Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Changsha, Guiyang, Jilin, and Xinyu were selected as the first batch of demonstration cities. In the subsequent years of 2013 and 2014, 10 and 12 cities were respectively chosen as pilot cities for the fiscal policies on ECER . Specifically, this policy uses cities as platforms and integrates fiscal policies as a means to comprehensively carry out urban ECER demonstrations in various aspects, including industrial decarbonization, transportation clean-up, building greening, service intensification, major pollutant reduction, and large-scale utilization of renewable energy. Its main goal in terms of CE 1 reduction is to establish a concept of green, circular, and low-carbon development in the demonstration cities, achieve widespread promotion of low-carbon technologies in industries, construction, transportation, and other fields, lead the pilot cities in ECER efforts across society, and significantly enhance their capacity for sustainable development. Figure 1 presents the spatial distribution of ECER policy pilot cities in the years 2011, 2013, and 2014 (This figure was created using ArcMap software).

Distribution of ECER Policy Pilot Areas (Plan Approval Number GS(2019)1822).

Theoretical analysis

Carbon emission reduction effect of green fiscal policy.

Green fiscal policy, as a significant environmental governance tool, promotes the transformation of the economic and social system towards low-carbon, sustainable development through fiscal measures 39 . Its CE 1 reduction effects can be described from the following aspects. Firstly, green fiscal policy encourages the research and application of green technologies through economic incentives (such as tax reductions and fiscal subsidies) 40 . These technologies include energy efficiency improvement technologies, clean energy technologies, and carbon capture and storage technologies, which directly reduce energy consumption and CE 1 in economic activities. Secondly, green fiscal policy influences the behavior of consumers and producers by affecting the price mechanism. The imposition of a carbon tax raises the cost of CE 1 , reflecting the external cost of CE 1 on the environment, encouraging enterprises to take emission reduction measures, and prompting consumers to prefer low-carbon products and services 41 . The change in price signals promotes the transformation of the entire society’s energy consumption structure towards more efficient and low-carbon directions. Furthermore, green fiscal policy can support CE 1 reduction-related infrastructure construction and public service improvements through the guidance and redistribution of funds. This includes the construction and optimization of public transportation systems, urban greening, and forest conservation projects, which not only directly or indirectly reduce CE 1 but also enhance the carbon absorption capacity of cities and regions. Lastly, green fiscal policies, by raising public environmental awareness and participation, create a conducive atmosphere for all sectors of society to join in carbon reduction efforts 42 . Governments can increase public awareness of climate change and inspire a low-carbon lifestyle through the promotion and education of fiscal policies, providing broader social support for carbon reduction 43 .

Green fiscal policies not only drive a reduction in CE 1 but also stimulate sustainable economic growth. By taxing high-carbon activities, offering financial subsidies and incentives for green projects, these policies channel capital towards low-carbon and green industries. This not only mitigates negative environmental impacts but also fosters the development of emerging green technologies and sectors. As the green industry expands and low-carbon technologies become more widespread, economic growth increasingly relies on clean and efficient energy use 44 , thereby enhancing the CE 2 . Thus, the implementation of green fiscal policies demonstrates a commitment to transitioning towards a low-carbon economy, playing a crucial role in the global response to climate change, achieving a win–win for environmental protection and economic growth.

Based on this, the article proposes hypothesis 1: Green fiscal policies can promote CE 1 reduction effects and enhance CE 2 .

Mechanism analysis

Green innovation is a key factor in driving sustainable development, particularly playing a significant role in CE 1 reduction and efficiency enhancement. By introducing and adopting new environmentally friendly technologies and processes, green innovation not only significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also enhances the efficiency of energy use and resource management, thus promoting a harmonious coexistence between economic activity and environmental protection. Green innovation, through the development and adoption of renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and biomass energy, directly reduces reliance on fossil fuels and the corresponding CE 1 . The application of these technologies not only reduces the carbon footprint but also promotes the diversification of energy supply and enhances energy security 45 . Green innovation also plays an essential role in improving energy efficiency. By adopting more efficient production processes and energy-using equipment, businesses and households can accomplish the same tasks or meet the same living needs with lower energy consumption, thus reducing CE 1 46 . Additionally, green innovation encompasses the concepts and practices of the circular economy, which encourages the reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials, reducing the extraction and processing of new materials and further lowering CE1s in the production process 47 . Green innovation includes the development of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technologies, which can directly capture carbon dioxide from industrial emissions and either convert it into useful products or safely store it, thereby reducing the carbon content in the atmosphere 48 . On the policy and management level, green innovation also involves establishing and refining mechanisms such as carbon pricing, green taxes, and carbon trading, which promote the adoption of low-carbon and environmentally friendly technologies and behaviors among businesses and individuals through economic incentives 49 . Based on this, the article proposes hypothesis H2: Green fiscal policies can promote CE 1 reduction effects and CE 2 by fostering green innovation.

In conclusion, the theoretical framework, as shown in Fig. 2 .

Theoretical framework.

Model setting and variable description

To address the limitations faced by traditional regression models in evaluating policy implementation effects, this study utilizes DID model for analysis. Given the variation in the policy implementation years in this paper, the traditional DID model cannot be used 50 . Accordingly, this paper draws on the approach of Beck et al. 51 , employing a DID with multiple time periods to assess the policy effects, with the model set up as follows:

Y in the model is the explained variable, indicating CE 1 and CE 2 of the city i in the annual t . Treated i is the group variable, where it takes the value 1 if city i belongs to the treatment group, and 0 if it belongs to the control group; Post it is the post-treatment period dummy variable, where it takes the value 1 for city i in year t if ECER policy has been officially implemented, and 0 if it has not been officially implemented. This study investigates the impact of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies on urban CE 1 and CE 2 by examining the effect of the interaction term Treated × Post it on the dependent variable. The coefficient β 1 measures the impact of the policy on the dependent variable. Controls in this study represent control variables, specifically urbanization rate ( lnur ), foreign direct investment level ( lnfdi ), industrial structure ( lnis ), level of scientific and technological expenditure ( lnsst ), and fiscal revenue and expenditure level ( lnfre ), among others. \(\nu\) , \(\tau\) and \(\varepsilon\) represent city fixed effects, time fixed effects, and random error terms, respectively.

Considering the three-year implementation period of green fiscal policies, it is necessary to establish an exit mechanism for the treatment group. Drawing on existing literature 12 , this paper constructs the following treatment groups: the first batch of pilot cities from 2011 to 2014 is set to 1; the second batch of pilot cities from 2013 to 2016 is set to 1; the third batch of pilot cities from 2014 to 2017 is set to 1, with other years set to 0. The pilot cities are shown in Fig. 3 .

ECER policy implementation period.

Variables and data sources

Explained variables.

Carbon Emissions: Drawing from existing literature, this article utilizes current CE 1 data to calculate CE 1 52 , 53 . It follows the guidelines on greenhouse gas emission allocations by the IPCC , taking into account the emissions of carbon dioxide within the administrative boundaries of each city. Territorial emissions refer to emissions occurring within the managed territory and maritime areas under the jurisdiction of a region 54 , including emissions from socio-economic sectors and direct residential activities within regional boundaries 55 .

Carbon Efficiency: Following existing literature, this paper measures CE 2 using the ratio of CE 1 to GDP 56 .

In examining the correlation between CE 1 and economic efficiency, Fig. 4 a provides an overview of the evolution of CE 1 from 2003 to 2019, while Fig. 4 b offers a detailed portrayal of the progress in CE 2 over the same period. Figure 4 a reveals a steady increase in total CE 1 beginning in 2002, with a notable acceleration post-2009, peaking in 2017. Despite some fluctuations and a slight dip in 2018, the figures for 2019 remained just below the peak, overall indicating an upward trajectory. In contrast, Fig. 4 b demonstrates a year-on-year improvement in CE 2 , measured in tens of thousands of yuan output per ton of carbon emitted, starting in 2003. The pace of growth accelerated significantly after 2011, reaching its zenith in 2019. This signifies a substantial rise in the economic output efficiency per unit of carbon emitted, revealing a reduction in carbon dependency within economic activities. The combined analysis of both figures indicates that, alongside economic growth, there has been a notable advancement in optimizing CE 2 .

Trends in CE 1 ( a ) and CE 2 ( b ) (2003–2019).

Control variables

To eliminate the interference of omitted variables on the research results, this article selects the following control variables 57 , 58 : Urbanization rate ( lnur ), which refers to the ratio of urban population to total population; Level of foreign direct investment ( lnfdi ), the ratio of actual foreign investment to the GDP ; Industrial structure ( lnis ), the proportion of the secondary industry in GDP ; Level of science and technology expenditure ( lnsst ), the ratio of science and technology expenditure in ten thousand to GDP in hundred billion; Fiscal revenue and expenditure level ( lnfre ), the sum of local fiscal budget revenue and expenditure to GDP . To reduce heteroscedasticity in the data, this article takes the logarithm of all control variables. Table 1 reports the definitions of the main variables in this paper.

Sample selection and data source

We selects cities at the prefecture level in China from 2003 to 2019 as the research sample. Considering that missing data can affect the results, this paper excludes samples with missing data, ultimately obtaining 3134 samples. The CE 1 data in this paper comes from the China Emissions Accounts and Datasets (CEADs), which provides CE 1 data from 1997 to 2019, so the sample period for this paper ends in 2019. The control variable data are all sourced from the China City Statistical Yearbook covering the years 2004 to 2020. Table 2 provides descriptive statistics for the main variables in this paper.

Eliminating interference

In a quasi-natural experiment, various factors may influence the relationship between the implementation of green fiscal policies and the reduction of carbon emissions. To address this, we employed multiple methods to control for these potential confounding variables. Firstly, we introduced control variables to eliminate or reduce the interference of external factors on the main research relationship, ensuring the accurate estimation of the effects of green fiscal policies. Secondly, we adopted a two-way fixed effects model to control for time-invariant city characteristics and potential common time trends. Thirdly, we conducted parallel trend tests to verify whether the trends of the treatment and control groups were consistent before the policy implementation, ensuring the validity of the Difference-in-Differences (DID) estimates. Additionally, we performed multiple robustness checks, including propensity score matching and excluding the effects of other concurrent policies, to test the robustness of the results. Finally, we confirmed the reliability of the results through placebo tests. These methods collectively help to effectively reduce the interference of external variables, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the research findings.

Empirical results

Benchmark regression analysis.

We employs a two-way fixed effects model for the empirical analysis of the CE 1 reduction effects of ECER policies, with the estimation results presented in Table 3 . Columns (1) to (3) of Table 3 report the estimation results of green fiscal policies on CE 1 . The results show that, when the model does not include control variables, the implementation of green fiscal policies has an estimated coefficient of − 0.070 for CE 1 , significant at the 1% level, indicating that the CE 1 of pilot cities are 7.0% lower than those of non-pilot cities. After adding control variables, the results do not change significantly. Columns (4) to (6) report the estimation results of green fiscal policies on CE 2 . The results indicate that, when the model does not include control variables, the implementation of green fiscal policies has an estimated coefficient of 0.099 for CE 2 , significant at the 1% level, suggesting that the CE 2 of pilot cities is 9.9% higher than that of non-pilot cities. After including control variables, the results remain largely unchanged. This provides evidence for Hypothesis 1: ECER policies have a significant CE 1 reduction effect and also significantly promote CE 2 .

To further illustrate the step-by-step changes in the coefficients, this paper presents Fig. 5 . The horizontal axis of Fig. 5 represents the number of control variables, while the vertical axis indicates the coefficients, with the grey area denoting the error bars. As evident from Fig. 5 , the coefficients and error bars exhibit minimal variation with the increase in control variables, indicating a negligible impact of the number of control variables on the coefficients and highlighting their stability. This finding suggests that the primary regression coefficients remain consistent even when more control variables are included in the analysis, underscoring the model’s robustness.

Plot of coefficient variation based on the step by step method.

Parallel trend test

The prerequisite for using DID model to evaluate policies is the parallel trends assumption. This implies that, before the policy intervention, the treatment group and the control group should exhibit similar trends without systematic differences. After the policy intervention, the trends between these two groups should diverge significantly. Following existing literature 50 , 59 , 60 , this paper employs an event study approach to analyze the effects before and after the policy implementation.

In Eq. ( 2 ), the variable Treated still represents cities that have been approved to establish pilot ECER policies. To avoid perfect multicollinearity, this paper uses the year before policy implementation as the baseline group, meaning that k = − 1 is not included in the regression equation, and the other parts of the model are consistent with the baseline model. If the coefficient is not significant when k < 0 , it indicates that the estimated results satisfy the parallel trends assumption. Figure 6 shows that, before the implementation of the policy, all coefficients are not significant, and in the fifth year after policy implementation, the coefficients start to become significant. This indicates that the implementation of ECER policies has a significant promotional effect on CE 1 reduction and CE 2 in the pilot areas, but this effect has some lag.

Parallel trend test of CE 1 ( a ) and CE 2 ( b ).

Robustness test

Exclusion of contemporaneous policies.

The smart city construction policy began with the “Notice on Carrying out the National Smart City Pilot Work” issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development in 2012, with smart city pilots being established in 2012, 2013, and 2014 61 . This paper excludes all smart pilot cities and re-runs the regression, with results shown in columns (1) and (2) of Table 4 . The results indicate that contemporaneous policies during the sample period caused some interference with the estimated coefficients, but the extent is very limited. The implementation of ECER policies still has statistically and economically significant effects on promoting CE 1 reduction and CE 2 in pilot cities.

We employs the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method to process the data, aiming to reduce data bias and the impact of confounding factors 62 , 63 . Through PSM-DID analysis, the results show that after matching, the absolute bias (|bias|) of all variables decreases by more than 70%, and the p -values are not statistically significant. This comparative analysis reveals the effectiveness of PSM in reducing the initial bias between the treatment and control groups. Therefore, the matching process successfully achieves balance in characteristics between the two groups across key indicators, making the assessment of the treatment effect more accurate and reliable.

Table 4 reports the results of the PSM. The propensity score matching results show a substantial decrease in |bias| for variables, highlighting an enhanced balance between treated and control groups post-matching. For instance, the absolute bias for “lnur” dropped from 86.0% to just 3.3%, showcasing a 96.2% reduction in bias, which underscores the effectiveness of the matching process. Similarly, other variables like “lnfdi”, “lnis”, and “lnsst” experienced significant reductions in bias. The p >|t| values, mostly above 0.05 post-matching, indicate that the differences between groups are not statistically significant, affirming the success of the matching in minimizing discrepancies and improving comparability.

Figure 7 displays the matching results of PSM. The results indicate that after the matching process, the percentage bias (%bias) for the control variables all remain below 10%. This finding fully confirms the effectiveness of the PSM method in balancing key characteristics between the experimental and control groups, thereby ensuring the accuracy and reliability of subsequent analyses.

Balance test.

This paper conducts an empirical analysis using matched data, with the results shown in columns (3) and (4) of Table 5 . The results indicate that ECER policy still has a significant CE 1 reduction effect and also significantly promotes CE 2 . This suggests that there is no significant impact of self-selection bias on the regression results in this study.

To reduce the impact of outliers on regression analysis, this paper adopts a winsorization process 39 , 64 , which involves replacing observations below a certain threshold with the 1st percentile and those above the threshold with the 99th percentile before conducting the regression. Columns (5) and (6) of Table 5 display the analysis results after this treatment, showing that the impact of outliers on the regression results is not significant.

Replacement sample time

Considering the potential unique impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CE 1 and CE 2 in 2019, this paper decided to exclude data from 2019 to ensure the robustness of the research results, thus avoiding the interference of pandemic-related outliers in the analysis. Subsequently, the paper conducted an empirical analysis based on the updated dataset, with the analysis results presented in columns (7) and (8) of Table 5 . The analysis results indicate that after excluding the special impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CE 1 reduction effect of the green fiscal policy remains significant, and there is still a significant promotional effect on CE 2 .

Placebo test

The DID model is based on the common trends assumption, which posits that, in the absence of an intervention, the trends of the treatment and control groups would have been similar 65 . By conducting a placebo test on data from before the intervention, this assumption can be tested for validity. If significant ‘intervention effects’ are also found during the placebo test conducted before the intervention or at irrelevant time points, this indicates that the effects estimated by DID are actually caused by other unobserved factors, rather than the intervention itself 66 . Referencing the placebo practices in existing literature 59 , this paper tests for the impact of unobservable factors on the estimation results. The study randomizes the impact of ECER policies across cities, selecting treatment groups randomly from 248 cities, with the remaining cities serving as control groups. This randomization process is repeated 500 times to generate a distribution graph of the regression coefficients, where the dashed line in the graph represents the actual regression coefficient, as specifically shown in Fig. 8 . Figure 8 a represents the placebo test for CE 1 , and Fig. 8 b for CE 2 . From Fig. 8 , it is evident that after randomizing the core explanatory variables, the mean of the coefficients is close to 0, and the mean of the coefficients after randomization significantly deviates from their true values. This indicates that, excluding the interference of other random factors on the empirical results, the green fiscal policy has a significant effect on CE 1 reduction and significantly promotes CE 2 .

Placebo test of CE 1 ( a ) and CE 2 ( b ).

Mechanism test

The analysis results presented earlier indicate that the ECER policy has significantly promoted CE 1 reduction and the improvement of CE 2 in pilot cities. Accordingly, this study will further explore the mechanism of action of ECER policy and has constructed the following model:

GI refers to green innovation. Following existing literature, this study uses the number of green invention patent grants ( lngi_invention ) and the total number of green patents per 10,000 people ( lnpgi_total ) as proxy variables for green innovation 67 , 68 . Due to the evident causal inference flaws in the three-stage mediation mechanism test 69 , this study refers to the mediation effect test model by Niu et al. 70 and employs the Sobel test to further evaluate the regression results, thereby enhancing the completeness and credibility of the mechanism test 71 . The regression results are shown in Table 6 . Columns (1) and (4) report the impact of the ECER policy on green innovation, with significant results. This confirms hypothesis H2: green fiscal policies can promote CE 1 reduction effects and CE 2 by fostering green innovation. Moreover, the Sobel Z coefficients are greater than 2.58, indicating that the mediating variable has a sufficiently strong explanatory power for the total effect.

Heterogeneity analysis

By city grade.

In the process of urbanization and industrialization, a city’s level often reflects its level of economic development, capacity for technological innovation, infrastructure completeness, and the comprehensiveness of its public services. This paper categorizes the sample cities based on their tier into higher-level cities (provincial capitals, sub-provincial cities, and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and general cities, and conducts regression analysis. The regression results shown in Table 7 , specifically in columns (1), (2), (6), and (7), indicate that in higher-tier cities, the coefficients of the ECER policy on CE 1 and CE 2 for pilot cities are -0.098 and 0.118, respectively, significant at the 1% level. However, in general cities, the absolute values of the coefficients are smaller and not significant. From this, we can conclude that the ECER policy’s effect on CE 1 reduction and the enhancement of CE 2 is more significant in higher-tier cities compared to general cities. Higher-level cities, with their advanced economic structures, abundant fiscal resources, high levels of technological innovation, and strong policy enforcement capabilities, make the green fiscal policy more effective in these areas in terms of CE 1 reduction and the promotion of CE 2 . Firstly, economically developed higher-tier cities have more sufficient fiscal funds and investment capacity, which can support large-scale green infrastructure construction and green technology R&D, thereby directly reducing urban CE 1 and improving energy use efficiency. Secondly, technological innovation is a key factor in improving CE 2 . As centers of technological innovation and information exchange, higher-level cities are more likely to attract and gather high-tech companies and research institutions, promoting the development and application of green technologies, and effectively reducing CE 1 . Additionally, higher-tier cities usually have more comprehensive laws, regulations, and policy enforcement mechanisms, ensuring the effective implementation and regulation of green fiscal policies. Also, residents in these cities often have higher environmental awareness and a preference for green consumption, which helps to create a favorable social atmosphere for the implementation of green fiscal policies. Finally, due to their strong regional influence and exemplary role, higher-tier cities can promote green transformation and low-carbon development in surrounding areas and even the entire country through policy guidance and market incentives, further amplifying the CE 1 reduction effect and enhancing the impact on CE 2 of green fiscal policies.

By geographic location

Given the significant differences in economic development levels, resource endowments, and institutional environments across regions in China, the implementation effects of the ECER policy may exhibit heterogeneity. Therefore, this paper divides the sample into eastern, central, and western regions for analysis and conducts regressions separately. The regression results are presented in Table 7 . Columns (3) to (5) and (8) to (9) of Table 7 show the regression results for CE1s and CE 2 , respectively, with columns (3) and (8) representing the results for the eastern region. The analysis indicates that, in the eastern region, the ECER policy significantly promotes carbon reduction and CE 2 . Although the policy’s effects in the central region are less than those in the eastern region, they still exhibit a positive impact. In contrast, in the western region, the ECER policy’s promotional effects on carbon reduction and CE 2 are not significant.

This analysis reveals that, within the regional development pattern of China, the eastern regions exhibit more significant outcomes in terms of the CE 1 reduction effect and the enhancement of CE 2 under green fiscal policies compared to the central and western regions. Firstly, as the most economically developed area in China, the eastern region, with its leading total economic output, industrialization, and urbanization levels, provides a solid fiscal support and technological foundation for the implementation of green fiscal policies. This economic advantage enables the eastern region to allocate more resources to the research, development, and application of green technologies, as well as related infrastructure construction, thereby effectively promoting CE 1 reduction and energy efficiency improvement. Secondly, environmental policies and regulations in the eastern region are generally stricter and more advanced. Coupled with a higher public awareness of environmental protection, this creates a favorable social environment and policy atmosphere for the implementation of green fiscal policies and carbon reduction. Additionally, the industrial structure in the eastern region is more optimized and high-end compared to the central and western regions, with a larger proportion of the service industry and high-tech industries, which typically have lower energy consumption intensity and CE 1 , facilitating the improvement of overall CE 2 . Furthermore, as an important gateway for international trade and investment, the eastern region is more open to adopting and introducing advanced green technologies and management practices from abroad, accelerating the pace of green transformation. Lastly, the dense urban network and well-developed transportation and logistics systems in the eastern region provide convenient conditions for the effective implementation of green fiscal policies. Therefore, due to comprehensive advantages in economic development level, industrial structure, policy environment, technological innovation capability, and infrastructure, the eastern region demonstrates more significant performance in the CE 1 reduction effect and the promotion of CE 2 under green fiscal policies.

Figure 9 reports the main regression coefficients and error bars from the heterogeneity analysis, clearly illustrating the distribution of coefficients.

Results of heterogeneity analysis.

Classification by resource-based city

Resource-based cities center on industries involved in the extraction and processing of local natural resources, including minerals and forests 72 , 73 , 74 . Due to their unique urban characteristics, these cities may have a specific impact on the efficacy of ECEP policy. Consequently, this paper follows the guidelines set forth by the State Council in the “National Plan for Sustainable Development of Resource-based Cities (2013–2020),” dividing the sample into resource-based and non-resource-based cities for separate regression analyses, the results of which are presented in Table 8 . Columns (1) and (2) detail the regression outcomes for CE 1 , while columns (3) and (4) address CE 2 . The findings reveal that, compared to resource-based cities, the effect of ECEP policies on carbon reduction is more pronounced in non-resource-based cities, with a similarly more substantial impact on the promotion of CE 2 .

Upon conducting a thorough analysis of the disparities in how non-resource-based cities and resource-based cities respond to ECER policies, a significant finding emerges: non-resource-based cities, due to their diversified industrial structures and lower reliance on highly polluting and energy-intensive heavy industries and mineral resource extraction, demonstrate a stronger capacity to adopt and promote new energy, clean energy, and energy-efficient technologies. This characteristic of their industrial structure not only facilitates effective carbon reduction efforts but also propels a shift in economic growth models towards services, high-tech industries, and innovation-driven sectors, which are associated with lower energy consumption and carbon intensities. Therefore, the potential for ECER policies to enhance CE 2 and reduce CE 1 is greater in these cities. In contrast, resource-based cities, due to their long-standing dependence on resource extraction, exhibit significant inertia in their economic structure, technological levels, and employment opportunities. This inertia not only complicates their transition and industrial restructuring but also increases the associated costs. Against this backdrop, non-resource-based cities are more likely to achieve notable successes in implementing ECER policies compared to their resource-based counterparts.

Conclusions and policy recommendations

Conclusions.

Based on the city-level dataset from 2003 to 2019, this paper employs a multi-time point difference-in-differences model to thoroughly explore the impact of the ECER policy on CE 1 reduction and CE 2 , reaching the following conclusions:

The ECER policy is confirmed to play a significant role in promoting the reduction of CE 1 and enhancing CE 2 . This conclusion remains robust even after controlling for factors that might affect the accuracy of the assessment, such as contemporaneous policy interferences, sample selection biases, extreme value treatments, and other random factors. This indicates that the ECER policy has important practical implications in mitigating climate change impacts, and its effects are not significantly influenced by the aforementioned potential interferences. The ECER policy effectively promotes CE 1 reduction and CE 2 improvements by incentivizing the research and application of green technologies. This finding underscores the mediating role of green innovation in environmental policies, highlighting that fiscal incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies are crucial for promoting technological innovation and application, and further achieving environmental benefits. The CE 1 reduction effect and CE 2 enhancement of the ECER policy are more pronounced in economically developed, higher-tier cities and in the eastern regions. This may be due to these areas having better infrastructure, higher technological innovation capabilities, more abundant fiscal resources, and stronger public environmental awareness, which all provide strong support for the effective implementation of the ECER policy. Moreover, this variation also suggests that policymakers need to consider regional characteristics when implementing relevant policies to maximize policy effectiveness.

Existing literature has explored the role of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies in environmental protection, such as green credit 37 , ESG performance 75 , green total factor carbon efficiency 36 , and sustainable urban development 38 . These studies report the positive impact of such policies on the environment. However, they do not directly examine the impact of these policies on pollutants. Our study extends the existing literature by investigating the relationship between these policies and carbon emissions. Green fiscal policies significantly promote the reduction of carbon emissions (CE1) and the improvement of carbon efficiency (CE2) through economic incentives, price mechanisms, infrastructure support, and increasing public environmental awareness. Specifically, these policies encourage the research and application of green technologies, change consumer and producer behavior, optimize energy consumption structures, support related infrastructure construction, and increase public participation in low-carbon living. Additionally, green fiscal policies promote sustainable economic growth by directing funds towards low-carbon and green industries, fostering the development of green technologies and industries. Overall, green fiscal policies have not only achieved significant environmental protection results but also played a crucial role in realizing the dual goals of economic growth and environmental protection.

Despite the significant findings, our study has some limitations. Firstly, the data is limited to 248 cities from 2003 to 2019, which may not fully capture the long-term impact of ECER policies. Secondly, reliance on existing data may introduce biases, as not all relevant factors could be considered. Future research could address these limitations by expanding the dataset, including more diverse regions, and employing alternative methods to validate these findings.

Policy recommendations

Based on the above analysis, the policy recommendations of this paper are as follows:

Continue to increase fiscal support. The government should continue to enhance fiscal support for the ECER policy, including expanding the scope of tax reductions and increasing the level of fiscal subsidies, especially for those projects and technologies that can significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce CE 1 . This will further stimulate the innovation motivation of enterprises and research institutions, accelerating the research and development (R&D) and application of low-carbon technologies.

Optimize policy design and implementation mechanisms. Considering the robustness of the ECER policy effects, the government should further refine the policy design to ensure that measures precisely target sectors and aspects with high CE 1 . Concurrently, it is crucial to establish and enhance the supervision mechanism for policy execution, ensuring effective implementation of policy measures. This approach also necessitates timely adjustments and optimizations of the policy to tackle new challenges effectively.

Establish a dedicated Green Technology Innovation Fund. This fund aims to provide financial support specifically for R&D and promotion of green technologies with high CE 2 . By offering startup capital, R&D subsidies, and rewards for the successful commercialization of green technologies, the fund can not only stimulate the innovation drive of enterprises and research institutions but also accelerate the transformation of green technologies from theory to practice. Consequently, this will promote CE 1 reduction and CE 2 enhancement on a broader scale. This initiative directly responds to the importance of fiscal incentive measures for promoting technological innovation and application emphasized in the research, ensuring the ECER policy maximizes its benefits in promoting green development.

Differentiated policy design. Given the variations in the effects of the ECER policy across different regions, policymakers should design and implement differentiated energy-saving and emission reduction policies based on regional factors such as economic development level, industrial structure, and resource endowment. For economically more developed areas with a stronger technological foundation, CE 1 reduction can be promoted by introducing higher standards for environmental protection and mechanisms for rewarding technological innovation. For regions that are relatively less economically developed, the focus should be on providing technical support and financial assistance to enhance their capacity for CE 1 reduction.

Green fiscal policies play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable economic growth, but their impact on social and income inequality needs careful consideration. Firstly, while policies like carbon taxes are effective in reducing emissions, they may place a significant burden on low-income households, as a larger proportion of their income goes towards energy and basic necessities. To mitigate this inequality, governments can implement redistributive measures, such as using carbon tax revenues for direct subsidies or tax reductions for low-income families, ensuring social equity while achieving emission reductions. Secondly, green fiscal policies encourage investment in green technologies and the implementation of green projects. However, these incentives often favor businesses and wealthy families capable of making such investments, potentially widening income disparities. Therefore, policy design should consider inclusive growth by providing green job training and encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in green projects, ensuring that various social strata benefit from the green economy. Furthermore, in terms of public investment, governments should prioritize low-income and marginalized communities, ensuring they also benefit from the construction of green infrastructure. This includes prioritizing the development of public transportation and renewable energy projects in these areas, thereby reducing living costs and improving the quality of life for these communities. By adopting these redistributive measures and inclusive policy designs, green fiscal policies can achieve the goals of environmental protection and economic growth while effectively mitigating their negative impacts on social and income inequality, promoting sustainable and inclusive development.

When evaluating various policy tools for achieving carbon reduction goals, it is evident that carbon taxes, renewable energy subsidies, ECER policies, emissions trading systems, and energy efficiency standards each have their unique advantages (see Table 9 ). Carbon taxes leverage price mechanisms to encourage emissions reduction and provide redistribution opportunities, while renewable energy subsidies promote technological advancement and market development. ECER policies offer direct incentives and support for infrastructure, resulting in long-term environmental benefits. Emissions trading systems combine cap-and-trade controls with market flexibility, and energy efficiency standards provide direct pathways to emissions reduction. In practical applications, the integrated use of multiple policy tools, fully utilizing their respective advantages, can more effectively achieve carbon reduction goals and drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. Policymakers must consider equity, economic impact, and public acceptance when designing these policies to balance environmental protection with economic growth. Through careful integration and balanced implementation, green fiscal policies can significantly reduce carbon emissions while promoting sustainable and inclusive economic development.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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This study is supported by the National Social Science Fund Major Project: “Research on the Policy System and Implementation Path to Accelerate the Formation of New Productive Forces,” Project Number: 23&ZD069.

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How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

Search for relevant literature
Evaluate sources
Identify themes, debates, and gaps
Outline the structure
Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

Quick Run-through
Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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See an example

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

Your university’s library catalogue
Google Scholar
Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
EconLit (economics)
Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

What question or problem is the author addressing?
What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
What are the key theories, models, and methods?
Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
What are the results and conclusions of the study?
How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

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To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

Most research has focused on young women.
There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Sampling methods
Simple random sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling
Likert scales
Reproducibility

Statistics

Null hypothesis
Statistical power
Probability distribution
Effect size
Poisson distribution

Research bias

Optimism bias
Cognitive bias
Implicit bias
Hawthorne effect
Anchoring bias
Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An annotated bibliography is a list of source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a paper .

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McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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Unveiling the deterioration formation process of the rammed earth city wall site of the Ancient City of Pingyao, a World Heritage Site: occurrence, characterizations, and historic environmental implications

Published: 02 September 2024
Volume 16 , article number 156 , ( 2024 )

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Xiangling Bai 1 ,
Bin He 1 , 2 ,
Diyue Zhang 1 ,
Yingxin Wang 1 ,
Xiaohong Bai 1 ,
Fuli Ma 1 &
Pengju Han 1

Large, immovable rammed earth buildings in UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites are at serious risk of disaster due to environmental changes. In this study, the rammed earth city walls (REWs) located in the Ancient City of Ping Yao, a World Cultural Heritage site, affected by heavy precipitation in early October 2021, were used as the research object. The study aimed to specify the details of deterioration through multiple indicator data collection, semi-quantitatively evaluate the degree of deterioration of REWs, and investigate the causes of typical deterioration in REWs with different spatial distributions under the influence of heavy precipitation. Based on the current research and experimental data, and considering the mode of action and form of deterioration, a classification system for the landslide-like collapses of REWs under the influence of precipitation was constructed. Factors such as the influence of heavy precipitation and the REWs' intrinsic features resulted in significant variations in structural properties and deterioration development of REWs with different spatial distribution characteristics. Finally, based on the research in this paper and the conservation ideology of cultural relics that respects the original and minimizes intervention, we propose protection recommendations for the daily management and conservation of the REWs to provide guidance for future research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Jinzhong City for its assistance in assembling the historical data of the rammed earth walls in this study. We thank the Shanxi Key Laboratory of Civil Engineering Disaster Prevention and Control (202104010910025, Shanxi Key Laboratory Project) and the Geotechnical Engineering Research Centre of the Ancient City of Pingyao (Technology Development Service Project) for the assistance in this study.

The research was supported by the Shanxi Key Laboratory of Civil Engineering Disaster Prevention and Control (202104010910025, Shanxi Key Laboratory Project) and the Geotechnical Engineering Research Centre of the Ancient City of Pingyao (Technology Development Service Project).

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Xiangling Bai designed the research in close collaboration with Pengju Han and with support from Xiaohong Bai, Bin He and Fuli Ma. Xiangling Bai conducted the analysis and analysed the results in collaboration with Diyue Zhang and Hao Li. Xiangling Bai wrote the manuscript with contributions from Pengju Han, Bin He. and Yingxin Wang. All authors reviewed and edited the manuscript.

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Bai, X., He, B., Zhang, D. et al. Unveiling the deterioration formation process of the rammed earth city wall site of the Ancient City of Pingyao, a World Heritage Site: occurrence, characterizations, and historic environmental implications. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 16 , 156 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-024-02058-6

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