Research paper structure
PRELIMINARY SECTIONS
The final research
paper, worth 80% of the overall unit result, needs to be of approximately 5.500–6.000
words (excluding the abstract, footnotes, any appendices and bibliography),
Abstract or summary
(1/2 – max. 1 page)
The abstract
is designed to give the reader an indication of what the thesis is about. A
handy way of compiling it is to include a sentence about its aim, the question(s)
that have been pursued and the results that have emerged from the project.
Table of contents
Glossary / Index
A glossary is
a list of technical terms, special names and abbreviations used throughout the
thesis. If abbreviations or special terminology is used in the body of the
thesis, a glossary is mandatory.
An index is an
alphabetized list of names, places, and subjects treated in your paper, that
serves to guide and to facilitate reference. Optional.
SUBSTANTIVE MATERIAL
(5–6.000
words max. – word limit refers to the substantive materials only, and excludes footnotes)
Introduction
The
introduction should outline for the reader the purpose of the paper, the
research question(s) addressed, the relevance of the research, any background
information needed to make the paper understandable for a non-specialist reader
(unless this forms an inseparable part of the body of the paper), and give an
overview of what to expect.
Research methodology and literature review
A discussion
of the research conducted for the paper and of the current knowledge in the
field. It should help explain how your research adds to, contradicts, or
augments this existing knowledge. This could be a separate chapter, or
alternatively, the research methodology could be described in the introduction,
while the literature review could take place progressively throughout the paper.
Other chapters / Body of the thesis
The chapters
of the paper present the 'story' of your project. They contain the main content
of your research from the beginning to its end. Chapters may cover aims, methodology,
results and discussion and should be structured in a logical, easy-to-read
manner with the use of headings and sub-headings (numbered, to assist
identifying the level of each section, and reflected in the Table of contents).
Conclusion
The conclusion
needs to complement your introduction by restating the research question(s),
summarizing the arguments, and stating the conclusions and recommendations
answering the research question(s). The conclusion should be naturally reached
through and should be supported by the analysis made in the body of the paper.
FINAL SECTIONS
Bibliography
This is a
complete list of every item you have read in the preparation of and mentioned
in the paper. This is often divided into sections such as manuscript sources,
primary sources, secondary sources, or monographs, journal articles, reports
and so on. All references throughout the paper and the bibliography should
observe the rules of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (available on
Moodle).
Appendices (optional)
Appendices are
used to present extra material, which is not considered of central importance,
in support of your paper. For example, an appendix might be a list of the
questions that were asked of interviewees for your project. Appendices should
be numbered and you should refer to them in the body of your thesis by that
number.
Note: footnotes should be used for reference only, and not as a way
of squeezing in text that does not fit within the word limit provided.
