Category: 04 – Research Skills

  • What is an Academic Paper?

    Document that presents research work to the world. Formal document – conforms to style and structure guidelines. Published in credible domain or forum i.e. conference or journal.

  • Hierarchy of Credibility

    Hierarchy of credibility: Journals Conferences Academic books Manufacturer’s white papers & internally published papers Wikipedia/Webpodia Web blogs Manufacturer’s white papers may not be considered as credible as journals or conference papers as there will be a degree of bias toward their own service or product. The white paper will also likely not have gone through…

  • Conferences

    Academic conference papers and presentations represent current position – point research has reached. Not usually completed work but tentative conclusions are drawn based on results obtained so far, Level of review not necessarily as high as journal.

  • Journals

    Peer-reviewed periodical. Publishes work related to particular academic discipline. Editor normally has other professional responsibilities such as teaching at university. They collate substantial pieces of research work, present large bodies of evidence and represent significant contributions to knowledge.

  • Peer review

    Peer review is the fundamental principle governing credibility and publication of a scientific paper. Peers will be experts in the field. Submitted papers are sent for critical evaluation and review by these experts. They check that published work has been reviewed properly and that current state of knowledge has been taken into account. Peers check the…

  • Who will publish it?

    Need to find suitable academic journal or conference covering topic we are discussing. Both issue calls for papers and list topics they are interested in. Some focused, others have a broader range of topics. Best way to find publishers is to review list of who published papers in literature review.  

  • Academic Credibility and How to Establish It

    Information has to stand up to scrutiny and examination under due processes of scientific method. Need to look at how research gets published. Consider what an academic paper actually is and what it looks like. After carrying out some research and having written it up, how do we get it published?

  • Research Activity 01

    Credible Sources Rate each following source in terms of credibility and justify view. Wikipedia Not very credible. This is a crowd-based knowledge website which anyone can update without having any qualification in the subject area. References to support information can be included but it is not mandatory. RDI notes More credible. As they are written…

  • Introduction

    Not everything online or in print is factually correct. Articles, essays & blog posts can be erroneous through: ignorance of author(s) misinterpretations invalid conclusions drawn from source data To determine whether source is valid or rubbish, we need to evaluate the academic credibility.

  • Aspects of the Literature Review

    Should be well-argued & critical evaluation of particular subject. Should show width and depth of reading relevant and appropriate literature. Not sufficient to read two or three papers. Remember triangulation. Should focus clearly on particular issue being looked at. Should learn a lot about subject and will help give clearer focus on questions to ask.…