Your abstract is a one-paragraph summary of the entire paper (between 150-250 words, or 4-6 sentences). This is not the place to start writing - if anything, this should be the final piece!

Questions that need to be answered in the abstract include...

1. What was being studied? (Research questions)
2. How was it studied? (Methods)
3. What were the key findings? (Discussion)

For a more detailed breakdown, check out this video by Dr. Amina Yonis:

How to Write a Strong Abstract

The introduction is a short, but significant part of the research paper. Generally, it will be 3-4 paragraphs long, and must include an overview of the literature already published on your topic, the gap (and why it matters) in that research you will explore through your 4 research questions, and your hypothesis.

Questions your introduction should address:

• What context or information does my audience need right now to help them understand my paper? Avoid the temptation to to include everything your paper includes. Rather, provide only the background information that your readers need.
• What topics haven't been addressed on my topic? Explain any angles that haven't been explored, and prepare to show how your research questions address them.
• What am I investigating? These should be your central research question and 3 follow up research questions.
• What do I think the outcome will be? Include your hypothesis, which should be specific and testable (remember, we're testing it in the Methods section).

Your introduction generally should not include information about your methods. This is an example of context/information your audience doesn't need right now - they can read about it when they get to it. Keep it short and sweet!

Databases to Help With Background Research

A good study is one that is replicable. By detailing the methods of your research (the survey), you increase the credibility of your research by transparently sharing your process. This section should answer:

• What are you investigating (research question) and how (survey)?
• Why is your data collection method (survey) the best way to get answers to your questions?
• What kind of data (quantitative, qualitative, or both) will you be collecting? Why?
• What limitations might affect your research (e.g., sample size, demographic, etc.)?

For further information, check out this video on writing the methodology section from Marek Kiczkowiak.

Your results section is a plain report of what the data says. Think of this section as the cold, hard facts, and little else. Since your survey questions should have a mix of response types (multiple choice, open ended, Likert scale, check all that apply, etc.), your results will likely include a mix of quanitiative data, including whole numbers, percentages, means/medians/modes, and qualitative information from the open-ended responses. In short, your results section should establish:

• A brief introduction, such as how many participants there were in the survey
• Each of the major findings of the survey (anything that is significant or surprising).
  • Hint: These should help answer your research questions; don't speculate or talk about the implications until the discussion section.
• Charts, graphs, and/or tables from the survey results
• A brief summary of the key findings

Wait until the discussion section to further interpret the data, establish patterns, or otherwise suggest what the key findings mean for the bigger picture. 

The discussion is where you explain what your results mean. Think of this section as answering "So what?" Avoid simply repeating the data from the results section or introducing new information or results. Instead, focus on interpreting what was already shared in the results section and their significance. 

In your discussion, be sure to:

• Share the patterns in the data: This means transforming the raw data from the results section into a narrative. 

• Discuss what the implications are: Do the findings support or challenge your hypothesis? What does it mean for the future, knowing what we know through your research?

• Compare with existing research: How do your findings agree with (or disagree with) the literature you reviewed in your introduction and background research?

How Does This Research Fit In With Other Research?

Now that there's been time to sit with the data and point out the statistically significant parts in the Results and Discussion section, we can move onto the conclusion. The main goal of a conclusion is to share whether your research questions were answered, how your contributions help close the literature gap, and what further research could be studied. It's also an opportunity to disclose any limitations to your study. For instance, if you only received 10 survey responses, it would be very difficult to draw conclusions about WMU students based on such a small sample size.

Remember: your conclusion is not a place to restate everything you’ve already written, nor to introduce brand-new information. Instead, it should tie together your research questions and answers, and show how your findings build on or challenge other literature.

Your reference section should involve a lot of formatting. According to the general IEEE format style guide, here is generally how a journal article would be cited:

A. B. Author, “Name of paper,” Abbrev. Title of Periodical/Journal, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Abbrev. Month, year, doi: xxx.

For other sources, be sure to consult the IEEE Format Style Guide for specific guidance on different types of sources.

For your assignment, you have been asked to include your survey questions, as well as the contributions of each group member. Consult your instructor for their preferred format, which could entail something as simple as a numbered list of the questions or a writeup or categorization of them.

Make sure to mind the format guidelines for the appendices. Note the small caps; you may use either Roman numerals or letters, but not both:

APPENDIX

APPENDIX I
PROOF OF THEOREM

APPENDIX A
PROOF OF THEOREM