Mary Westervelt, Director, Technical Communication Program
Not all published papers are research papers. Research papers describe specific work (research, experimentation, or development of theory) done by the author or authors. Survey papers (also called review papers) summarize the current state of work in a particular field. While experts find survey papers useful for keeping up on their field, such papers are particularly useful for those who are not experts. This is because they provide an overview of the main issues, results, and open questions in that field.
A survey paper, like a research paper, may be written by an expert in the field, or by a relative novice in the field. (How can you determine the authority of the author of a survey paper, or of any paper?)
A research paper usually consists of the following sections, in this order:
Readers hardly ever sit down with a paper and read it from beginning to end, straight through. A reader might read the Abstract, flip to the Discussion to learn more about the results, and then decide whether or not to read the entire paper.
A survey paper differs from a research paper in that no new results are being presented for the first time. For this reason, there is no Materials and Methods section in a survey paper. The paper will have an Abstract, and it may have a section called Introduction. However, the rest of the paper will be an overview of the topic, perhaps organized historically, perhaps organized by different treatments of the problems connected with the topic.
Both research papers and survey papers begin with an Abstract. Readers expect the Abstract of a paper to summarize the main points of the paper in 200 words or less. A simple way to see the difference between a survey paper and a research paper is to note the differences between the Abstracts. The chart below summarizes these differences.
Each of the following items will get one or two sentences in the Abstract:
Abstract: Research Paper |
Abstract: Survey Paper |
Summary of Introduction: Statement of broad problem/background (usually without citations) (In some journals, this part of the Abstract is missing.) |
|
Scientific hypothesis or goal of this experiment stated in general terms (Full treatment usually concludes the Introduction ) |
Focus on an issue related to the broad topic. Issue stated in general terms. |
Summary of Methods: Specific numbers if it’s possible to state them briefly |
Statement of how this paper addresses the issue: Survey of relevant experiments and results? Summary of what is known in the field? |
Summary of Results: Specific data if possible, with some analysis |
|
Summary of Discussion: Hypothesis/hypotheses proven? Disproven? Generalizations? |
Statement of how the paper concludes: Summary of issues, suggestions for further research. |
Other parts of a survey paper. The survey paper, like the research paper, begins with an Introduction detailing the broad problem. The Introduction contains background information, and the motivation for the current study or analysis (or experiment, in the case of a research paper). Frequently, the Introduction ends with an explicit description of how the rest of the paper is organized. Introductions always contain frequent citations of other sources.
After the Introduction, the structure of a survey paper diverges from that of a research paper. Survey papers do the following:
How to use a survey paper. The survey paper is particularly useful to a novice in the field, because it provides a foundation for further research and experimentation. Even an old survey paper can be useful in helping a person understand how a field has developed.
Make good use of a survey paper, not just by carefully reading the paper itself, but by following the links provided by the sources cited in the paper. Make note of any open questions mentioned in the paper, and see if those questions have been answered in later work. Keep track of open questions that might guide your own research.
As you read the paper, note important terms if they are new or unusual. If these terms are not defined, but seem to be commonly used in this field, look them up.
Reading to improve your writing. A skillful writer carefully chooses words and grammatical structure to guide the reader through what may be difficult material. For example, the skillful writer keeps in mind that the reader does not necessarily see the logical connections between sentences within a section. The writer takes pains to make sure that these connections are clear. Whenever you read a paper, take note of ways that the authors enable you to follow the logic of the paper, so you can employ the same techniques in your own writing. If you find that you can’t follow the logic of a paper, ask yourself whether the difficulty is the technical content, or the quality of the writing. If the style of writing puts a heavy burden on the reader, note what could have been done to make the reading easier.