Guideline for Drafting a Research Paper in One Week

This guideline serves as a structured roadmap for researchers to draft a research paper efficiently while ensuring thoroughness and quality. By following these steps, you can streamline your workflow and track the project's progress at a glance.

Step 1: Keyword Selection

  • Finalize the keywords relevant to your research area.
  • These keywords will guide your literature review and paper structure.

Step 2: Initial Literature Review

  • Search for the finalized keywords in Google Scholar.
  • Identify and collect 100 papers that seem relevant based on their titles.

Step 3: Abstract and Conclusion Screening

  • Read the abstracts and conclusions of the selected papers.
  • Narrow down the selection to 20-30 papers.

Step 4: Figures, Tables, and Captions Review

  • Examine the figures, tables, and captions of these papers.
  • Select the 10 most relevant papers.

Step 5: Fast Reading

  • Skim through these 10 papers to get a deeper understanding of their content.
  • Identify 2 base papers that align closely with your research direction.

Step 6: Deep Dive

  • Read the base papers thoroughly.
  • Understand their methodology, results, and relevance to your research.

Step 7: Journal Selection

  • Decide the journal for submission.
  • Copy the journal’s aims and scope into ChatGPT and verify that your research aligns with these guidelines.
  • Use this information to refine the paper title.

Step 8: Abstract and Conclusion Draft

  • Write the abstract and conclusion of your paper based on the base papers and your preliminary findings.
  • Reassess the title to ensure it reflects the paper's focus accurately.

Step 9: Literature Survey

  • Spend two days conducting a detailed literature survey.
  • Gather insights and organize references.

Step 10: Problem Statement Development

  • Identify four key problems your paper will address.
  • Clearly articulate:
    • Why these problems are significant.
    • How solving them supports the paper’s narrative.

Step 11: Problem Detailing

  • Write comprehensive details for each problem:
    • Material properties (including references and assumptions).
    • Support conditions and loading conditions.
    • Justifications for any assumptions or approximations.

Step 12: Figures and Graphs

  • Create high-quality figures and graphs.
    • Ensure they comply with journal guidelines.
    • Write detailed captions that are self-explanatory and informative.

Step 13: Results and Discussion

  • Conclude your results and initiate a discussion section.
  • Check for consistency between results and conclusions.

Step 14: Title Review

  • If necessary, suggest improvements to the title but consult with the expert team before making changes.

Step 15: Draft Approval

  • Share the draft with your team lead for approval.
  • The draft will then be forwarded to a researcher in your team to perform simulations and generate results.

Step 16: Results Validation

  • The researcher will check if the simulation results align with the conclusions.
  • Results and figures will be handed back to you for final review.

Step 17: Citation and Reference Check

  • Verify all citations and references for accuracy and completeness.

Step 18: Submission Review

  • Submit the draft to your team lead for a formal review.
  • Address any feedback or revisions provided.

Step 19: Final Submission

  • Once approved, organize a team meeting for final review and submission.
  • Submit the paper to the selected journal.

Tracking Project Status

To ensure clarity and progress, track the following statuses:

Step Task Status Notes
Keyword Finalization Selected and finalized keywords [Pending/Done]
Literature Review Papers reviewed and filtered [Pending/Done] Number of papers
Problem Detailing Problems identified and detailed [Pending/Done]
Figures and Graphs Figures and captions completed [Pending/Done]
Results Validation Simulations completed [Pending/Done]
Submission Review Approved by team lead [Pending/Done] Feedback summary
Final Submission Submitted to the journal [Pending/Done] Submission ID

This framework ensures clear accountability, systematic progress, and high-quality research outputs.