THE RESEARCH PAPER

After doing all the procedures in data gathering and analyzing the collected data, a research write-up or a research
paper must be written. A research paper is composed of five chapters, namely Introduction, Review of Related
Literature, Methodology, Results and Discussion, and Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations.

INTRODUCTION

The first part of a research paper is called the Introduction or Chapter 1. It consists of the following parts: (I)
background of the study, (II) statement of the problem, (III) hypotheses, (IV) theoretical and conceptual framework, (V)
significance of the study, (VI) scope and delimitations, and (VII) definition of terms.

Background of the Study

The background of the study gives the readers important information about the research being conducted. The
following are its features:

1. It cites the reason why the researcher chooses to study a particular topic. The researcher writes about his/her
personal observations, difficulties, issues, and other relevant experiences that led him/her to conduct a study about
the topic at hand. He/She may cite relevant studies that might have caught his/her interest to pursue such study.
2. It describes the setting or the place where the research will take place. Different localities have different needs to
be addressed. Thus, it is important to note where the study will be conducted. This gives special consideration to
the needs of that particular locality.
3. It presents bases that may support or negate claims of the researcher. A researcher may present relevant literatures
related to the study he/she is conducting.
4. It gives justification for the need for the research study. The researcher may cite benefits and other advantages
that the research study might present after it has been done. The researcher must establish the importance to
conduct the research study. Once this has been established, he/she may push to start working on the problem.

In summary, the background of the study provides a brief explanation on how the study was conceived, how will
it be conducted, and the possible contribution it may give to the society.

Statement of the Problem

The statement of the problem is where the general and specific problems or objectives are presented. The
introductory statement in this selection is usually the general problem or goal based from the research title. This is
followed by specific problems or objectives that will be thoroughly studied in the course of the research. More often,
specific problems are stated in interrogative form, while research objectives are stated in declarative form. Specific
problems need to be answered by statements of hypotheses, while research objectives may not be followed by a
hypothesis.

Hypotheses

In the context of research, hypothesis is defined as a contemporary answer to a research problem. It serves as
guide as to what processes are needed in answering the research questions and what research design is to be undertaken in
the study.

In qualitative research, hypotheses may not be needed or may emerge as the study progresses, depending on the
purpose of the study. For instance, in doing descriptive research, you may not need hypotheses for you to be able to
describe what is going on or to describe a certain phenomenon or idea.

Theoretical or Conceptual Framework

Framework is described as the abstract, logical structure of meaning that guides the development of the study. All
frameworks are based on the identification of and relationships among key concepts.

The theoretical and conceptual framework discusses the different principles from where the study is anchored on.
A theoretical framework is adopted when a particular theory is enough to provide theoretical basis for the conduct of the
study. On the other hand, a conceptual framework is used when the concepts from different theories are barrowed to
provide bases for an investigation, because one theory does not cover all the concerns of the study. Despite their
differences, either one can be developed from reading and/or experiences that are part of the related literature. From the
ideas that the researcher have gathered, he/she needs to give the readers an overview of what the current situation is and
how the present study would be able to bridge the gap from what is current to what should it be. Here, a number of
concepts or ideas are presented from where the study was based. A theory that suggests the importance and the need for
the conduct of the present study should also be developed and written. The researcher also needs to include a graphical
representation of these concepts, the research paradigm, which will encapsulate the entire research idea.

Significance of the Study

The significance of the study explains how the study will be beneficial to the different stakeholders of the society.
It identifies the target beneficiaries or target users of the current study. It should be clear to the beneficiaries the
advantages and significance of the research results.

Scope and Limitations

The scope and limitations presents the variables or subjects of the study, the extent to which the research will
cover, the possible factors or nuances that will be given focus on the course of the study, the possible challenges that the
researcher might encounter, and other things that might be related to the topic but are beyond the control of the researcher.
This section is divided into two: the scope, which covers the explanation as to up to what extent the researcher would
want to explore or interpret in his/her research, and the limitations or delimitations, which is a justification as to the limits
or boundaries of the research.

Limitations are conditions beyond the control of the researcher that may cause restrictions and make the
conclusions to be generalizable only to the conditions set by the researcher. Due to these factors, the research conclusions
might not hold true for other situations or context.

Delimitations, on the other hand, are the conditions that the researcher purposely controlled. These are the limits
beyond the concern of the study.

The scope and limitations section will be helpful for the researcher in keeping things and situations under his/her
control. This will also support the researcher to be economical since he/she will be guided on the things that is of concern
of the research or not.

Definition of Terms

The definition of terms presents the key terms used in the study. There are two possible ways on how a key term
can be defined – conceptually or operationally.

Conceptual definition explains the meaning of a particular term using the dictionary. These are based on
established concepts and ideas that has been already defined and is commonly used and understood by readers. On the
other hand, operational definition describes a term by how the researcher used it in his/her study. The use of both types of
definition is encouraged to make the meaning clear to the readers. Usually, technical terms are defined using operational
definition to help the laymen understand the terms easily.

In constructing this section, it is recommended to start with a simple introductory paragraph followed by the
alphabetical list of terms and their corresponding definitions.