RESEARCH FORMAT & SEQUENCE FOR THE WRITE-UPS

RESEARCH FORMAT

First and foremost, there is no standard format in making a scientific paper here in the Philippines, others used the MLA style, Chicago Style or APA Stye of writing, but what is most common among the  scientific community is the APA Style of writing. It doesn't matter as to what type of writing is to be used, what matters most is the content of the research paper and its internal and external validity (this is all about the validity of the data to claim a certain conclusion and as to how this relates to the real conditions. 

The following is the prescribed format for the research proposal (School based);

TEXT GUIDELINES

a.       FONT – NEW TIMES ROMAN

b.      FONT SIZE – 12

c.       DOUBLED SPACE

d.      TITLE PAGE – Please see the attachment

e.      Scientific names should be italic in which the first letter of the genus should be in UPPER CASE and the species should be in lower case. Example: Staphylococcus aureus

In this example, Staphylococcus is the genus and aureus is the species.

                SEQUENCE FOR THE WRITE-UPS (POST-LAB)

a.       Abstract

       Abstract is the concise summary of the research paper, it consist of maximum of 250 words. The nature of the problem being investigated, the methods employed in the conduct of the study should also be mentioned, the summarized form of result discussion and conclusion. Browse the internet for more information. 

b.      Chapter 1: Problems and its Settings

               a.       Background of the Study - discuss the situation, the degree how the existing problem     affects somebody or something. You need statistical data to present the urgency of conducting the investigation. Don't forget to cite published references. This should also be found in your bibliography.

               b.      Significance of the Study - discuss as to how promising the out put of your research is.

               c.       Statement of the Problem- this section should start like "This research was conducted to ........ Specifically it will answer the following questions:
                                 1. Question 1
                                 2. Question 2
                                 3. Question 3 and soon...

               d.      Objectives

               e.      Hypothesis

               f.        Scope and Delimitation

               g.       Review of Related Literature and Studies

c.       Chapter 2: Methods and Procedure (the thickness of this chapter depends on type of methods you used in your experiments)

a.       Methodology Flow Chart

b.      Preparation of the Sample

c.       Specifics of the Methods

d.      Chapter 3: Results and Discussion (the organization of the data should be in accordance to the contextual flow of your study,  example: If Test A requires Test B to fully understand the meaning of the data, then the result of Test A should be presented first followed by Test B results. )

a.       Series of data with discussion, no inferential analysis yet in this stage.

b.      Statistical Analysis with discussion, inferential analysis must be shown in this stage. The table of statistical results must be shown.

e.      Chapter 4: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

a.       Summary

b.      Conclusion

c.       Recommendations

d.      Bibliography

e.      Plates

f.        Acknowledgement

g.       Research Plan

h.      Forms and Certificates of Laboratory Test

In order to come up with the best paper, you should have started on something you are interested in, something that ignites your curiosity, then make all things enumerated and specify things you want to know. Making a Question and Answer Series is a good help to address information you need, start asking questions that are general in aspects, then try to make a concept map of related terms that has something to do or with connection to the main idea. Just start like that, then organize the information in accordance to its value or degree of effect to the dependent variable. Once categorized, start making an outline for your paper, deductive type of reasoning is usually employed in developing a paper. It is something about starting talking on the general terms and gradually going deeply into the specifics. Or you may find it necessary to reverse the manner of presentation, as long as it go with the main frame of your goals.

Standard Versus Reality

Standard as the labeling term for Best Practices

Standard is the term used to refer into the set of rules prescribed to be followed in a certain implementation. It is a set of rules enumerated to provide guideline on the implementation of something. Deviating away from the set of rules implies low grades of actions, and following the every detail of this rules guarantee an effective implementations. 

Standard are relative over time

The standards implemented at the moment are regarded to be the best known procedure of implementation known so far, but this set of rules might change over time as the new information surface over it which suggests that the set of rules should be rewritten. Standards therefore cannot be constant at all times. Moreover, group of thinkers all over the world is working to know something not known so far and upon knowing it triggers reevaluation of the standard and if found obsolete, revisions must be done. 

Does the norms of the society considered as the standard?

The norms of the society are considered standards only when majority of the people followed the set of rules in their community, but when all of the rules were not properly followed then these norms will evolve into another form. Specifically the set of rules will change over time as the way of thinking and belief of the people will change. 

The Cause and Effect Phenomena

What is the cause and effect phenomena?

The universe is governed by many factors, one of those is the cause and effect phenomena. The physical world where we found our self follows this sequence. This belief therefore counterfeit the idea of chances because it is not in this case that something happened by chance. The ignorance of not knowing what affects the physical process should not be covered by accepting the occurrence of something without reason, there is always a reason on everything, in which understanding all the reason is greatly a big challenge. The physical world is governed by a concerted events of cause and effect which the effect affects another and results to the occurrence of another effect. The cause and effect phenomena is the reactive sequence of the most specific occurrence of something. The universe is huge for us to provide all the specifics of everything. Cause is the factor that is regarded to be the initiator for something to occur, and to affect something within the range of the working system. Cause is anything that makes the occurrence of something. Cause and effect phenomena can be analogized to input and output series.

We are limited by nature, considering the number of years we have in this world and its corresponding obstacles along the way. We are being disturbed by vast variety of attention-stealing factors which in turn makes us unfocused to what we ought to learn. This is where we become limited, but despite of these, we strive hard to refocus our attention to gain the benefit of knowing something. 

Research is our tool to understand the complexity of the universe, it is also needed to understand the interconnection of events in a given period of time.

Guide Questions:

1. Why cause and effect idea counterfeit the notion of chances?
2. The physical world is governed by a concerted series of cause and effect phenomena, in what way it provides variations among the physical entities to establish uniqueness among things?
3. In what way we are limited?
4. In what way the universe become complex?
5. What is the purpose of research over this complexity?

How Research Important?

The rule of the thumb is to determine the probability of possible occurrences in every aspects in which where our concerns directed to. It is about knowing what is most likely to happen when something is employed in the system of process. It is also about knowing the process itself to better understand every factors that may contribute to the nature of the process and its characteristics. Research is the tool to understand the more complex system of process which all of us is interested to understand. Research is a manner of thinking in which we tried to determine the specifics of the whole thing and understanding how these specifics work together as one.   (Illustration)

As responsible citizen of the world, it is our utmost duty to understand how the system works. Helping others to understand it, and providing answers that is brought out upon the curiosity on it. Research provides the best for everything as long as it is properly done. It allow us to:

1. clarify the ambiguous,
2. specify the general thoughts, and most important of all is
3. it allow us to move forward more inline and relevant with our goals,

which in return provide us the best decision to be made. This is why every single organization in the world should have the group of researcher that should work around the clock to help the organization keep on track with high relevance with the main objective of the organization's existence.

Exploring the Unknown: Sensitivity, Creativity and the Art of Delivery

The Adviser of the Youth for Environment in School Organization

Sensitivity, Creativity and the Art of delivery are the  main pillars of the organization which I implemented in the school. These three pillars will provide an avenue to establish a system of in-and-out transmissions of ideas among others. Looking at everybody as the vital components to accomplish the task with the utmost determination to carry out every single step of the plan. The community is the best place to find something interesting for the organization. Transforming the every detail into a workable system of actions which is designed to benefit everybody. Direct and indirect observations to the community provide good ideas for something to be implemented. The main goal of the organization will serve as the catalyst to degrade and create. Degrade in a way that the ongoing or non-working systems, active and inactive system should be degraded properly and transform the governing principles into the new and workable system. In other words, creating a system which will be in accordance to the philosophy of the organization.

Actions, gestures, symbols, direction of events and many other indicators perfectly provide an information for a keen observer. Information may come to the knowledge of the observer depending on the manner it is being acquired. Connecting the dots is the most challenging task. The community is like a big puzzle in which there you can find different information growing from different conditions in time. The person involved, the group of people involved, the culture and the norms of the community, the availability of resources, the varying capabilities of individual or the different inclinations. These variation can be organized and can be assembled together to perform a certain task. A huge concert of different things working together to accomplish something not yet known to mankind. What I'm saying is, the community is like a broken pieces of machine that when a good machinist come, connect its part and repair some parts that is worn out, will come alive and could have the capability of transforming the place where it is found.

Current situation, and the available tools and resources are the vital factors to create or formulate something in which that something to create is in line with the philosophy of the maker. Creativity is a big term to understand because we need to understand indicators of necessity and availability.  The thrust of the organization will serve as the checklist as the standard to create something good. Good if it is in line with the philosophy of the organization. To create something better is to understand the problems currently existing around us. Problems need to be chunked into different pieces to understand the entirety of the whole thing. The assumption would be, " If you fail to understand the problem, then the solution to the problem would also be wrong." It reminds me to a saying that "It is better to have a wrong answer to a right question than to have a right answer to the wrong question." In that sense, we always have the chance to change our answer to address the right question, but no possibility of having a correct answer to a wrong question, because even how many times the answer appealed to be correct in your view but still the answer remains wrong since the question being considered is incorrect.

It is not appropriate to lay down something for implementation without looking into the clients where those products is intended to. There is always a way to implement correctly the plan of actions by looking into the type of clients we have in the organization. A small thing can be huge one when the delivery is good enough to make such illusion. It is just like making the mice into an elephant to the eyes of the expectant. But this kind of thinking is unethical in the sense that we are not showing the real thing. But this can also be applicable to anyone who wish to make an impression. The art of delivery requires a careful understanding of the client, the place where they are located and the culture/norms which they are following.

There is always an art of everything. The beauty of singularity invades the world of differences. The perspective is limited when it comes into your senses that somebody is always different from the other and cannot be linked to everybody to establish oneness of actions and thoughts. These differences is just an indicator that something need to be assembled. Freedom and limitation of perspective is fatal. There is always the possibility of committing mistakes when a limited one always have to seek its freedom because they might mismanage the actions, in other words, the running of implementation would be dark. In singularity there is always light, because aside from your self as a system, you see other things perfectly, and there you can have a chance of recognizing whether it threatens your system or not.

 

Jerico D. Catipay

YES-O Adviser