This form of dissertation often requires an in-depth exploration of the research topic, so a clear and well-defined structure can make its content more readable, as well as enhance the logic and integrity of the essay. In the following, I will discuss the characteristics and use of each structural element one by one.
Part I: Abstract
In such an academic paper, the summary information is usually defined as a small, representative paragraph that sums up the main idea and the core point of the whole paper. We recommend that the length of the abstract be around 200-300 words, which is about 2-3% of the total word count of the paper.
When writing the abstract, please make sure to clarify the research significance, research gaps, and challenges of the paper; mention the main ideas, key points, and eventual findings; and emphasise the originality and contribution of the paper, as well as its impact on the academic community. In addition, if possible, anticipate and elaborate on possible future research directions.
The following is the content of a model abstract:
With the central theme of exploring the changes brought about by digital transformation to businesses, this study conducts an empirical study by collecting a large amount of data so as to explore how digitalisation affects business performance and the efficiency of its internal processes. The findings suggest that digital transformation not only improves operational efficiency but also enhances customer experience. The value of this study is that it fills the gap between strategic management and IT in theory and practice.
Part II: Introduction
The introduction section needs to detail the background and motivation of the study and depict the purpose and overall structure of the study. The context of the study reveals the social phenomenon and related implications of the topic to be discussed. The motivation of the study, on the other hand, explains why you have chosen a particular field of study and adopted such a research methodology. Within this, it is important to intentionally highlight existing limitations in order to better convey the practical value and theoretical promise of your own research.
The following is a broad framework for a sample introduction:
This study aims to decipher the process of digital transformation and upgrading in a specific industry, to explore its effective impact on market performance, and to work towards revealing the specific patterns of digital transformation. From a societal perspective, with the rapid development of Internet technology, more and more enterprises have begun to pay attention to the use of Internet tools to achieve their own transformation and upgrading. However, many existing studies focus only on case descriptions of individual industries or enterprises, staying at the surface level and lacking systematic empirical tests. Therefore, we put forward some important hypotheses and hope to test them empirically through this study.
Part III: Problem Statement and Formulation of Research Questions (Research Questions/Statements)
The problem statement refers to the hypotheses you want to test. For quantitative research papers, it focuses on addressing questions that have long been explored in academia but have not yet been fully resolved. This section focuses on the questions “What”, “Why” and “How”. A good problem statement should be clear, scientific, original and answerable. In addition, we should set specific, actionable research questions that support the previously formulated problem statement and are expected to lead to an effective solution to the problem.
Part IV: Aim and Purpose Explanation (Aim and Purpose Explanation)
For the definition of the purpose and significance of the research, we must ensure that it is in-depth and authentic. It should include the intentions and expectations of the researcher to further explain the significance and value of the study. This section needs to avoid generalisations and present as many specific points and diverse root causes as possible to provide strong support for the study as a whole.
At this stage, we ask the researcher to describe each specific objective of the study in detail. At the same time, work on the theoretical framework, representing the proposed hypotheses and constructing a theoretical model that can argue for them. Based on the speculative results, we also have to explicitly organise the key concepts of the hypotheses to be tested, while taking into account the studies related to them.
Part V: Research Methodology and Strategy Introduction (Methodology Introduction)
In this section, we need to detail the methodology used in the research. This methodology includes the specific implementation steps of the research strategy, such as how to design the experiment, how to select the subjects, but also includes data collection, cleaning and how to measure and analyse the experimental data, and so on. All of these need to complete a detailed description in this part.
Finally, we must prepare a detailed implementation plan for all the steps involved, especially for the process of data collection and analysis, which should be given precise and strict regulations. This part will form the knowledge base and structure of the whole paper and is essential to ensure the quality of the product.
Part 6: Paper Structure Description
It is necessary to clearly list the titles and specific contents of each part of the article, as well as the definition of relevant concepts and the exploration of related research. If it is a complicated literature review, appropriate comments and analyses should also be made in the text to better demonstrate the progress of existing research. In addition, explanations of theoretical frameworks and models should also be included to give the reader a clearer understanding and grasp of the structure of the article and its logical rigour.
To summarise, writing a good quantitative research paper needs to include (but not limited to) the above points. Mastering good essay structure and layout skills is the key to exploring academic issues, so let’s start from now, keep learning and accumulating, and make more contributions to the scientific research of our country!
