TIPS TO WRITE A SURVEY RESEARCH PAPER

                                   TIPS TO WRITE A SURVEY RESEARCH PAPER

 

I. Introduction

Research serves as the backbone for advancement of knowledge as well as for the solution of real life problems. For an entry researcher, be it PhD student, is to know as much as one can on how much has already been written and studied on a specific topic area. A good research survey paper forms part of the necessary steps towards successful attainment of this aim. Synthesizing extant literature and summarizing the previous work helps identify gaps and suggests possible directions for further research.

A survey paper in a research paper gives a general understanding of a particular field by gathering relevant studies and trends in an organized manner. Unlike original research, which actually addresses a specific problem, the objective of a survey paper is to walk the reader through the landscape of the research domain. For example, a survey on deep learning for medical image analysis can classify methods according to architecture, applications, or datasets.

This paper will, therefore, provide an experiential guide for novice researchers on how to write a research survey paper under five major headings. The survey is structured well, informative, and very easy to follow under these headings. Successive sections include overview of the literature, current trends and challenges, research gaps and future directions, and a conclusion that ties everything together. In that way, by following this kind of framework, new researchers could contribute valuable insight to their respective fields while making a good footing for their individual research journey.

II. Literature Review

Any survey paper starts with the backbone, which is literature review. In this section, you collect, critically read existing work in a field you may have chosen for your research paper. This will be daunting if you are just starting to write; however, something or another about breaking down a task into very manageable steps eases the work.

Steps for Conducting a Literature Review

1. Focus Area: Narrow your focus down to a particular area of study. Instead of machine learning, narrow it down to applications in natural language processing or computer vision.

2. Right Papers: Use some good quality databases like IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Springer, and Google Scholar. Then filter recent, good quality papers using tools such as Zotero or End.

3. Categorize the Papers: Categorize papers according to the theme, methodology, or domain of application. For instance, for a survey on energy optimization literature, one may categorize the papers into renewable energy sources, optimization algorithms, or simulation techniques under the general heading of energy optimization.

III. Literature Review

Summary and discussion of the primary contributions of the studies are in order; listing the papers is not recommended. State what it is instead. For instance:

Describe the methodologies used (neural networks, SVM, etc.) and how they perform

Compare various research studies in tabular form and graph representation, pointing out the various performance metrics.

Criticism: Highlights the weaknesses of the assumptions made by the previous research

"Deep CNNs have recently been used for image classification. The accuracy achieved on the MNIST dataset with a 10-layer CNN is already 95%, according to a paper published in 2020 by Smith et al. Computations are so extensive that such application cannot be envisaged for resource-constrained hardware. Conversely, Jones et al. in the paper of 2021 reduced computation by a further 30% at some cost to slightly reduced accuracy.

This approach uses critical analysis instead of mere summation.

IV. Current Trends and Challenges

The current trends and challenges section gives an overview of very recent developments and ongoing issues in your field of research. For new researchers, knowing these aspects is very important in making sense of where their contributions can make the greatest impact.

Current Trends

Mention advanced work underway in your area. For instance:

Novel Techniques: Talk about new algorithms, frameworks, or tools. The transformer-based model BERT made a huge shift in natural language processing.

Applications: Identify where these techniques are actually being applied. For example, self-driving cars, medical diagnostics, finance fraud detection, etc.

Hybrid Approach: Discuss areas where inter-disciplinary integration is actually happening. Perhaps something like AI with IoT is actually driving innovation forward.

Identification of Challenges

Every discipline presents unsolved problems and, therefore, does not open the way to progress. Identify and comment on such a problem to create space for subsequent work by further research:

Data: There are insufficient annotated sets of data, datasets are mostly biased, or have privacy-related issues.

Scaling: Models cannot be scalable towards a real-world scene.

Interpreting: No transparency in complex models; the model itself cannot even believe the conclusions drawn.

Ethics: Concerns of equity, discrimination, or abuse of technologies.

Example

The federated learning approach is the path that medical image analysis has taken to protect the privacy of patient information. Problems related to communication overhead and model degradation of performance have not been considered yet (Wang et al., 2022).

V. Open Research Gaps and Future Directions

It will be the section of research gaps and future directions in which you, a researcher, indicate areas needing more research. For the new researcher, this section would be a good place to see which interests they have that might best fit future research.

Identifying Research Gaps

Identify the gaps of the literature review and challenges sections. Analyze what has been discussed and search for patterns which are under-explored or underrepresented. For instance:

Unused Methods: Are there good methods that yet have not adequately been explored to your domain?

Domain-Centric Gaps: Are there applications, geographical regions, or data for which more work must be done?

Hybrid Potential: Are there places to hybridize methods by combining deep learning and nature-inspired algorithms?

VI. Future Research Directions

In the light of these shortcomings, give a concrete direction for future work using bullets or enumeration. For example:

-Lightweight approaches for edge computing applications.

Explainable AI models in high-stake domains like health care and finance.

-To design mitigations for the biases in the training data

Extend earlier work to consider multilingual or multimodal data

Example:

Future research should focus on designing hybrid architectures that bridge the gap between the interpretability of the traditional machine learning methods and accuracy of deep learning models. Other challenges include making AI deployment safe in sensitive application areas such as recruitment and law enforcement.

VII. Conclusion

The conclusion draws the results from the survey together and summarises, at the end, the most important points, as well as your contribution overall in the paper. As noted, again, this will serve as another chance for the new researcher to be able to illustrate that he/she is adding value to the field in his/her work.

Key Components

1. Restate the Objectives: Summary in concise language on why the survey was done

2. Key Findings: State trends, challenges and gaps that are repeated.

3. Value Addition: Explain why your work matters to the research community and what they should take away from this.

4. Call to Action: Motivation challenge the researchers to fill those gaps and, therefore, the proposed directions.

Example

"This paper outlined the recent development on optimization in renewable energy. Much growth was made in the design of algorithms, but much still remains as open issues to computation and real-time adaptability. It is our hope that such identified gaps will inspire further research and new solutions towards furthering progress in this area."

Additional Writing Requirements

l Abstract: Abstract of the objective, approach, and key findings of the papers in 150-250 words

l Citations: Citation in proper citation style such as IEEE or APA, with sources appropriately cited.

l Figures and Tables: Changes or trends can be visualized better by using figures and tables.

l Critical Thinking: Discuss beyond just summarizing the papers regarding its contribution, limitations, and relevance.

 

300 important points to consider when selecting a good Scopus journal for publishing your research paper

I. Understanding Scopus and Journal Indexing (1–15)

1. Scopus Indexing: Ensure the journal is indexed in Scopus by checking the official Scopus source list.

2. Journal Metrics: Check CiteScore, SJR (SCImago Journal Rank), and SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper).

3. Quartile Ranking: Prefer Q1 and Q2 journals for high impact; Q3 and Q4 are acceptable for specific fields.

4. Publisher Reputation: Choose journals from reputable publishers like Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, IEEE, Taylor & Francis, etc.

5. Scopus Website Verification: Confirm indexing through the Scopus Journal Search (https://www.scopus.com/sources).

6. SCImago Ranking: Use SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) (https://www.scimagojr.com).

7. Journal Website Authenticity: Verify details from the official publisher’s website.

8. Checking DOI Assignments: Ensure the journal assigns a valid DOI (Digital Object Identifier).

9. ISSN Verification: Cross-check ISSN details on Scopus and official regulatory bodies.

10. Impact Factor vs. CiteScore: CiteScore is Scopus-based, while Impact Factor (IF) is Clarivate-based.

11. Avoid Predatory Journals: Check on Beall’s List or Cabell’s Predatory Reports.

12. Check UGC-CARE List (for India): See if the journal is recognized by UGC-CARE.

13. Ensure No Blacklisted Journals: Check if the journal was removed from Scopus due to poor publishing ethics.

14. Confirm Continuous Indexing: Some journals get discontinued from Scopus, so ensure it is currently indexed.

15. Check Open-Access Policy: Decide if you prefer open-access or subscription-based journals.

II. Scope and Relevance to Your Research (16–35)

1. Journal Aims and Scope: Ensure alignment with your research area.

2. Subject-Specific Journals: Choose a journal focused on your field rather than multidisciplinary ones.

3. Interdisciplinary Research Fit: If your work spans multiple domains, ensure it fits the journal’s scope.

4. Recent Papers Check: Read recently published papers to understand journal trends.

5. Topic Keywords Matching: Ensure your research keywords match the journal’s focus.

6. Editor-in-Chief’s Expertise: Check if the editorial board members have expertise in your area.

7. Publication Theme Alignment: Look for special issues or thematic focuses relevant to your work.

8. Journal Conferences and Workshops: Some journals collaborate with academic conferences.

9. Paper Submission Type: Identify if the journal accepts original research, review papers, case studies, etc.

10. Journal Review Type: Prefer double-blind peer review for unbiased evaluations.

11. Check Past Special Issues: See if the journal has special issues related to your topic.

12. Theoretical vs. Experimental Fit: Ensure the journal accommodates your research methodology.

13. Consider Engineering, Medical, or Business Focus: Some journals specialize in specific disciplines.

14. Citations in Your Field: Check if researchers in your domain cite papers from the journal.

15. Industry vs. Academic Journal: Select based on whether you need a practical or theoretical audience.

16. Emerging vs. Established Journals: Established journals have higher credibility, but new journals may have faster processing times.

17. Check for Multidisciplinary Suitability: Some journals cover broad areas, while others focus on niche topics.

18. Collaboration with Research Societies: Journals associated with scientific societies are more credible.

19. Journal Mission and Ethics: Ensure the journal promotes scientific integrity.

20. Identify Journals Citing Your Work: Check which journals have cited similar research.

III. Editorial and Review Process (36–60)

1. Review Process Type: Opt for journals with rigorous peer review.

2. Review Timeline: Avoid journals with unrealistically fast or slow review processes.

3. Acceptance Rate: Low acceptance rates usually mean high-quality selection.

4. Turnaround Time: Check average time for first decision and final acceptance.

5. Resubmission Policy: See if the journal allows revised resubmissions.

6. Reviewer Comments Quality: High-quality journals provide constructive feedback.

7. Transparency in Peer Review: Look for clear editorial and review guidelines.

8. Handling of Ethical Concerns: Check how journals handle plagiarism and research misconduct.

9. Review Panel Expertise: Ensure reviewers are experts in your domain.

10. Editorial Board Diversity: A diverse and reputed editorial board increases credibility.

11. Time from Acceptance to Publication: Check the time taken for final publication.

12. Plagiarism Checks: Reputed journals use tools like Turnitin or iThenticate.

13. Revision Cycles: Understand how many revision rounds are allowed.

14. Rejection Rate: Higher rejection rates indicate quality control.

15. Fast-Track Options: Some journals offer expedited reviews for an extra fee.

16. Proofreading and Formatting Support: See if the journal assists in manuscript polishing.

17. Preprint Policy: Some journals allow preprints on ArXiv, SSRN, etc.

18. Check Online First Policy: Some journals publish papers before print versions.

19. Handling of Author Queries: Responsive editors indicate better management.

20. Special Issues Review Process: Sometimes different from regular submissions.

21. Handling Ethical Misconduct: Strong policies indicate trustworthiness.

22. Double-Blind Review Preference: This ensures fair evaluations.

23. Clarification of Authorship Issues: Ensure clear policies for authorship disputes.

24. Journal Retraction Policy: Strong retraction guidelines indicate integrity.

25. Multiple Submission Handling: Avoid journals with conflicts of interest.

IV. Fees and Open Access Considerations (61–80)

1. Article Processing Charges (APCs): Open-access journals often charge APCs.

2. Hybrid Journals: Some offer both open-access and subscription options.

3. Waiver Policies: Check if fee waivers are available for developing countries.

4. Subscription vs. Open-Access: Choose based on your funding availability.

5. Hidden Fees: Ensure no hidden publication charges.

6. Institutional Funding Support: Some universities cover APCs for authors.

7. Check for Creative Commons Licensing: Open-access journals use CC licenses.

8. Predatory Open-Access Journals: Avoid journals with low credibility but high fees.

9. APC Refund Policy: Understand policies if your paper is rejected post-payment.

10. Repository Archiving Policy: Some journals allow self-archiving.

Prepared by

Dr Balajee Maram