How To Write Background Research Paper

Crafting a compelling background research paper is essential for setting the stage for any serious academic inquiry. This foundational document provides context, establishes relevance, and demonstrates your understanding of existing scholarship in your field. It's more than just a summary; it's a critical analysis and synthesis of the current state of knowledge surrounding your topic. Whether you're a student embarking on a thesis or a seasoned researcher preparing a grant proposal, a well-constructed background research paper is the bedrock of a successful project.

Introduction

A background research paper, sometimes also called a literature review, is a comprehensive overview of existing research on a particular topic. It surveys scholarly articles, books, and other relevant sources to identify trends, debates, gaps, and seminal works in the field. Unlike a simple summary, a background research paper critically evaluates these sources, synthesizes their findings, and positions your own research within the larger scholarly conversation. The primary goal is to demonstrate what is already known about your topic, highlighting why your research question is important and how it will contribute new knowledge or insights.

Why is Background Research Important?

Conducting thorough background research is essential for several reasons:

• Contextualization: It places your research within the broader academic landscape, showing how your work relates to existing knowledge.
• Justification: It explains why your research question is important and worth investigating, highlighting the gaps or inconsistencies in current research.
• Methodological Guidance: It helps you identify appropriate research methods, designs, and data analysis techniques used by other researchers in your field.
• Avoiding Redundancy: It prevents you from unknowingly replicating previous research, ensuring that your work is original and contributes new insights.
• Credibility: It demonstrates your understanding of the topic and establishes your credibility as a researcher in the field.

Steps to Writing an Effective Background Research Paper

Writing a strong background research paper involves several key steps, from selecting a topic to synthesizing your findings. Here's a detailed guide to help you navigate the process:

1. Choosing a Topic and Defining Your Research Question

The first step is to select a research topic that genuinely interests you and aligns with your academic goals. Once you have a general topic, narrow it down to a specific research question. A well-defined research question is focused, answerable, and relevant to your field.

• Example:
  • Broad Topic: Climate Change
  • Specific Research Question: How do urban green spaces mitigate the urban heat island effect in major metropolitan areas?

2. Conducting a Literature Search

Once you have a research question, it's time to conduct a thorough literature search. This involves identifying and accessing relevant scholarly sources, such as journal articles, books, conference papers, and dissertations.

• Databases and Search Engines:
  • Academic Databases: Use academic databases like JSTOR, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar to find scholarly articles in your field.
  • Keyword Strategies: Develop effective keyword strategies to refine your search results. Use a combination of broad and specific terms related to your research question.
  • Boolean Operators: Utilize Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine your search and narrow down relevant sources.
• Reference Mining:
  • Citation Tracking: Examine the reference lists of key articles to identify additional sources that may be relevant to your research.
  • Forward Citation Search: Use tools like Google Scholar or Web of Science to find articles that cite seminal works in your field.

3. Evaluating and Selecting Sources

Not all sources are created equal. It's essential to critically evaluate the quality and relevance of each source before including it in your background research paper.

• Credibility:
  • Peer Review: Prioritize peer-reviewed articles from reputable academic journals, as they have undergone rigorous scrutiny by experts in the field.
  • Author Expertise: Consider the author's credentials, affiliations, and publications to assess their expertise and credibility.
• Relevance:
  • Alignment with Research Question: Select sources that directly address your research question or provide relevant background information.
  • Scope and Focus: Choose sources that align with the scope and focus of your research project.
• Bias:
  • Objectivity: Evaluate sources for potential bias, such as funding sources, conflicts of interest, or ideological perspectives.
  • Multiple Perspectives: Seek out diverse perspectives and viewpoints to ensure a balanced and comprehensive overview of the literature.

4. Organizing and Synthesizing Information

As you gather sources, it's crucial to organize and synthesize the information to identify key themes, trends, and debates in the field.

• Note-Taking:
  • Systematic Notes: Take detailed notes on each source, including key findings, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks.
  • Categorization: Organize your notes by theme, concept, or research question to facilitate synthesis and analysis.
• Thematic Analysis:
  • Identifying Patterns: Look for recurring themes, patterns, and relationships across multiple sources.
  • Developing Categories: Group your notes into categories based on these themes to create a coherent framework for your background research paper.
• Synthesis:
  • Connecting Ideas: Integrate information from multiple sources to create a cohesive narrative that addresses your research question.
  • Identifying Gaps: Highlight areas where existing research is lacking or inconsistent, emphasizing the need for your own research.

5. Structuring Your Background Research Paper

A well-structured background research paper is essential for clarity and coherence. Here's a common structure to follow:

• Introduction:
  • Overview: Provide a brief overview of the topic and its significance.
  • Research Question: Clearly state your research question and its relevance to the field.
  • Scope: Define the scope of your background research paper, outlining the key themes and areas that will be covered.
  • Organization: Briefly describe how the paper will be organized.
• Body:
  • Thematic Sections: Organize the body into thematic sections based on the key themes and concepts identified during your literature search.
  • Critical Analysis: Critically analyze and synthesize the findings of each source, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and potential biases.
  • Logical Flow: Ensure a logical flow of ideas within each section, connecting each source to the overall theme.
  • Evidence-Based Arguments: Support your arguments with evidence from the literature, using citations to properly attribute sources.
• Conclusion:
  • Summary of Findings: Summarize the key findings of your background research, highlighting the major trends and debates in the field.
  • Gaps in Research: Identify gaps or inconsistencies in existing research, emphasizing the need for further investigation.
  • Significance: Explain how your research will contribute to the field, addressing the gaps and building upon existing knowledge.
  • Future Directions: Suggest potential directions for future research based on your findings.
• References:
  • Complete List: Provide a complete list of all sources cited in your background research paper, following a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
  • Accuracy: Ensure the accuracy of your citations to avoid plagiarism and maintain academic integrity.

6. Writing Style and Tone

The writing style and tone of your background research paper should be clear, concise, and objective.

• Clarity:
  • Precise Language: Use precise language and avoid jargon or overly technical terms that may confuse readers.
  • Clear Sentences: Write clear and concise sentences that convey your ideas effectively.
• Objectivity:
  • Impartial Tone: Maintain an impartial tone, presenting the findings of each source fairly and objectively.
  • Avoid Personal Opinions: Avoid expressing personal opinions or biases, focusing instead on the evidence from the literature.
• Academic Tone:
  • Formal Language: Use formal language appropriate for academic writing, avoiding slang or informal expressions.
  • Third-Person Perspective: Write from a third-person perspective, avoiding the use of "I" or "we" unless necessary.

7. Citing Sources Correctly

Properly citing your sources is essential for avoiding plagiarism and giving credit to the original authors.

• Citation Styles:
  • APA, MLA, Chicago: Choose a citation style appropriate for your field and follow its guidelines consistently throughout your paper.
  • In-Text Citations: Use in-text citations to indicate the source of each piece of information, including direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries.
  • Reference List: Create a complete list of all sources cited in your paper, following the formatting guidelines of your chosen citation style.
• Avoiding Plagiarism:
  • Original Work: Ensure that all work submitted is original and properly attributed to its source.
  • Paraphrasing: When paraphrasing, rewrite the original text in your own words while still giving credit to the author.
  • Quoting: Use direct quotes sparingly, and always enclose them in quotation marks and provide a citation.

8. Revising and Editing

After completing your background research paper, it's essential to revise and edit it thoroughly to ensure clarity, coherence, and accuracy.

• Content Review:
  • Completeness: Check that your paper covers all relevant aspects of your research question and provides a comprehensive overview of the literature.
  • Accuracy: Verify the accuracy of your information and citations, correcting any errors or omissions.
• Structural Review:
  • Organization: Ensure that your paper is well-organized, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
  • Flow: Check that the ideas flow logically from one section to the next, with smooth transitions and connections between sources.
• Grammatical Review:
  • Proofreading: Proofread your paper carefully for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation errors.
  • Clarity: Ensure that your writing is clear and concise, with precise language and well-structured sentences.

Scientific Explanation

The principles underlying a strong background research paper are rooted in the scientific method and the process of knowledge accumulation. In science, new discoveries are built upon existing knowledge, and research is conducted within a framework of established theories and findings. A background research paper serves as a critical link in this process, connecting your research to the larger body of scientific knowledge.

• Epistemology: The study of knowledge and how it is acquired is central to understanding the role of background research. By reviewing existing literature, you are engaging with the epistemological foundations of your field, understanding how knowledge has been constructed and validated over time.
• Paradigm Shifts: Background research can also reveal paradigm shifts in a field, where fundamental assumptions and theories are challenged and replaced by new perspectives. Understanding these shifts can help you position your research within the current intellectual landscape and contribute to ongoing debates.
• Meta-Analysis: Some background research papers involve a meta-analysis, which is a statistical technique for combining the results of multiple studies to draw overall conclusions. Meta-analysis can provide a more comprehensive and objective assessment of the evidence on a particular topic.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Writing a background research paper can be challenging, and it's easy to make mistakes along the way. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

• Insufficient Research: Failing to conduct a thorough literature search can result in a superficial and incomplete background research paper.
• Lack of Critical Analysis: Simply summarizing sources without critically evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, and biases can undermine the credibility of your paper.
• Poor Organization: A poorly organized paper can be difficult to follow and may fail to effectively synthesize the information from multiple sources.
• Plagiarism: Failing to properly cite sources can result in plagiarism, which is a serious academic offense.
• Bias: Allowing personal biases to influence your interpretation of the literature can undermine the objectivity of your background research paper.

FAQ About Writing Background Research Paper

• How long should a background research paper be? The length of a background research paper depends on the scope of your research project and the requirements of your instructor or institution. However, a typical background research paper is between 10 and 20 pages.
• How many sources should I include? The number of sources you should include depends on the breadth and depth of your research question. However, it's generally recommended to include at least 20-30 sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature.
• Can I use online sources? Yes, you can use online sources in your background research paper, but you should carefully evaluate their credibility and relevance. Prioritize peer-reviewed articles from reputable academic journals.
• What if I can't find enough sources on my topic? If you're struggling to find enough sources on your topic, try broadening your search terms, consulting with your instructor or librarian, or narrowing down your research question.
• How do I know when I've done enough research? You've done enough research when you have a comprehensive understanding of the existing literature on your topic, including the key themes, debates, and gaps in knowledge.

Conclusion

Writing a background research paper is a critical step in the research process. It provides context, establishes relevance, and demonstrates your understanding of existing scholarship in your field. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can craft a compelling background research paper that sets the stage for a successful research project. Remember to choose a topic that genuinely interests you, conduct a thorough literature search, critically evaluate your sources, organize and synthesize your findings, and cite your sources correctly. With careful planning and attention to detail, you can produce a background research paper that not only meets the requirements of your assignment but also contributes to the advancement of knowledge in your field.