How to Write a Physics Research Paper: Tips from Experts

Unlike a dissertation for Ph.D., which is an independent scientific piece of research, a physics research paper is qualified as the research and development work based on the simulation of more or less known solutions. The scientific level should correspond to the educational-professional training program. Such an activity should not just solve scientific problems, but also certify that its author can conduct scientific research properly and recognize some issues and methods relevant to the field of study – Physics.

This physics research paper writing guide is helpful to plunge into the writing process and achieve great results in it. Read all the information given here attentively without switching over to the other ‘useful’ activities. Your Facebook page won’t run away from you and the high mark can melt away. Don’t risk of not finishing your research paper in Physics on time.

To provide you with expert physics assignment help, this guide on physics research paper writing sonsists of:

The choice of the topic;
The definition of the object, subject, purpose, and objectives of the study;
The selection and analysis of the sources and literature on the topic:
Drawing up a preliminary plan;
Writing an entry;
Establishment of facts and their coordination;
The formulation of conclusions and recommendations;
The registration of the list of used sources and applications;
Writing the basic text of the work;
The final preparation to submit the paper.

For rational use of time when writing a physics research paper, you should adhere to the given algorithm. Know why? When evaluating the final draft of the work, the qualifiers proceed from the fact that the student must be able to:

Formulate the purpose and tasks of the research;
Make a research plan;
Conduct a bibliographic search using modern information technologies;
Use current methods of scientific research, modify existing ones, and develop new techniques guided by the objectives of a particular study;
Process the received data, analyze and synthesize it based on the well-known literary sources;
Submit research results following the latest requirements.

The Topic Choice for a Physics Research Paper: What and Why?

The topics for physics research papers writing are usually developed by the supervisors who carry out the guidance on the student’s writing. It should correspond to the current stage of the physics science and provide an opportunity for theoretical analysis and experimental study of the problem; to expand the knowledge of students on the topic; to visualize the possibility of continuing the research within the framework of the thesis. The student also may propose the own topic while constructing the argument on the physics subject. When choosing the theme of the paper, the student must take into account his or her scientific and practical interest in the problem; the scope and the nature of the work to be performed; the ability to cooperate with the supervisor.

The subject of the paper is offered to the students at the beginning of the academic year so that they can select the topic of research in advance; to identify tasks, the fulfillment of which is necessary for achievement of the goal; to plan their activities and determine the scope of work subject to experimental verification and it’s inclusion into the individual research tasks; to arrange the results of work in a timely manner.

Good Topics Examples:

Analysis of Functional Dependencies of Physical Quantities: Dimension Method;
Visualization of Sound Vibrations;
Physical Vacuum Energy;
Laws of Conservation of Energy and Symmetry of Space-Time;
Linear Theory of Oscillations.

Bad Topics Examples:

The History of Physics as a Science;
The Physics Laws and Their Impacts;
The Gravitation and Its Specifics;
The Idea of Perpetual Motion.

Literature Sources: How and What to Search for?

Following the chosen topic, the student searches, systematizes, and retrospectively analyzes the sources of scientific and methodological information: monographs, abstracts of scholar papers, textbooks, manuals, publications in the professional journals, abstract reviews, and some data from the Internet. The research needs to determine the depth of the retrospective analysis of professional scientific and methodological sources. Particular attention should be paid to the data published in the periodicals, which provides information on the results of recent scientific studies in physics and its implementation in practice. An abstract and preliminary critical processing of information sources forms the basis for the preparation of the first section of scientific work. The origins of actual information are the results of experimental studies in physics, the results of sample observations, and the surveys of prominent scientists.

Examples of Suitable Sources for Your Physics Research Paper:

Binder, K., Heermann, D., Roelofs, L., Mallinckrodt, A. J., & McKay, S. (1993). Monte Carlo simulation in statistical physics. Computers in Physics, 7(2), 156-157.
Chi, M. T., Feltovich, P. J., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science, 5(2), 121-152.
McDermott, L. C., & Redish, E. F. (1999). Resource letter: PER-1: Physics education research. American Journal of Physics, 67(9), 755-767.
Peskin, M. E. (2018). An introduction to quantum field theory. CRC Press.
Serway, R. A., & Jewett, J. W. (2018). Physics for scientists and engineers with modern physics. Cengage Learning.

Compulsory Components of Physics Research Paper Writing

The content of the work contains a list of its structural elements with the indication of the pages. Introduction reveals the essence of the scientific problem, its significance, the bases, initial data for the development of the topic, and justification of the need for research.

The following is a step-by-step description of what goes in the paper’s introduction:

The urgency of the problem that determined the choice of the topic for research (formulation of expediency for the development of the relevant field of science through the critical analysis and comparison with the previous problem solving);
The object of research (process or phenomenon that generates a problem situation chosen for study);
The subject of research (contained within the object – it should focus on it since it defines the topic);
The purpose and tasks that need to be addressed to achieve the goal;
Research methods used to reach the goal;
Research material and its volume used to accomplish the goal;
The scientific relevance (a summary of the new provisions or decisions proposed by the author in person, with the required indication of the difference between these provisions and those already known);
The practical value;
The structure of work (for example introduction, sections, conclusions, the list of sources, and appendixes).

The main part consists of sections, subdivisions, and sub-clauses which provide:

A review of the specialized literature (with an emphasis on the recent researches) and the choice of the research areas (the total scope should not exceed 20% of the central part of the work);
An analysis and results of the research of the author with the obligatory coverage of the new openings that he or she makes in the process of the research.

Each section begins with a new page. The sections of the main part are:

A review of the literature on the topic (the name of the content may vary depending on the subject and objectives of the study);
Analysis of the situation behind the problem;
Description of the research, development, and applied methods;
Information on the local research and development; summary of the problem’s solutions, suggestions, and recommendations;
Generalization of the research results.

In the beginning of the work, the author investigates historical sources on the problem, the causes of its existence, analyzes the possible negative consequences of the non-solution of the problem, the experience of solving similar problems in other countries. The literary sources, press reviews, preliminary research results, statistical and additional information are involved for this purpose. The analysis of the literature should be non-descriptive, revealing, critical, and focused on finding the ways to solve the problem and present its author’s position in the light of other researchers settings. The references to the used literature that follow the applicable rules are obligatory to prevent plagiarism. The work cannot be evaluated positively in the case of detecting plagiarism.

It is necessary to pay attention to the logical relationship between sections and subdivisions of the main part, in particular, the use of the results of analysis and research in developments and proposals. The presentation of the material is subject to the leading idea identified by the author, which follows from the subject of the study and the objectives of the work. The student must strive for each section to be completed as part of the study. It is desirable, if possible, to evenly distribute the primary material over the sections and subdivisions of the central segment of the paper.

The final structure of the core part of the text largely depends on its specificity, which may not fit into the requirements of these recommendations. Besides, it should be born in mind that the rules of scientific communication regulate the nature of the presentation of scientific information, restricting the expression of one’s own opinion in its pure form. In this regard, the authors try to resort to linguistic constructions that exclude the use of the pronoun “I.” The author acts in plural and uses the pronoun “we” instead of “I,” and this is justified because any research is a consequence of the work of the group of people and represents collective creativity.

Conclusions come in two types – to the sections and the general ones. The conclusions to the sections may contain a numbered statement of the research results obtained in the relevant part. The general conclusions should include a summary of the theoretical and practical results obtained by the author of the study, as well as substantiation of the prospects for further research in a particular field. There should be no further reasoning in the conclusions, but the student needs to emphasize the achievements based on the goals and objectives. It summarizes the most significant findings, the results of the work and its practical testing, the unresolved issues, possibilities, and prospects of the actual implementation and expansion of the received scientific, methodological, educational, and functional results. To follow the desired style of conclusions, it is useful to use the following words and expressions: analyzed, established, discovered, proved, demonstrated, researched, developed, received, proposed, recommended, it is considered expedient and so on.

The list of used literature provides only the sources for which the references are made. It is given in alphabetical order following the established standards. The list of sources for the illustrative materials is also compiled alphabetically following the rules.

Appendixes are given at the end of the work after the list of literature. These include the supporting materials necessary for the comprehension of the physics research paper (tables, graphs, glossaries, illustrations, recommendations), and are not indicated by numbers, but by letters (Appendix A, B, C) in the upper right corner.

Our Writers’ Warning: Typical Drawbacks and Mistakes in Physics Research Paper

All the online resources state what to do, but few resources highlight the points that you should avoid in your research paper writing. But still, there are few points not recommended to do when writing the research paper on physics:

The content of the paper does not correspond to the plan or does not reveal the topic entirely or in its central part.
The formulated sections (subdivisions) do not reflect the real problem situation or the state of the object.
The purpose of the study is not related to the problem, formulated abstract, and does not reflect the specifics of the object and subject of the investigation.
The author did not achieve independent view; the work is a compilation or plagiarism.
An in-depth and comprehensive analysis of current official documents and new literature on the subject of research (last 2-10 years) has not been made.
An analytical review of publications on the topic of work has the form of an annotated list and does not reflect the level of the research problem.
The content and organization of personal experimental research (its essence, duration, place of conducting, amount of surveyed, their characteristics) are not disclosed; the state of practice is highlighted.
The result does not correspond to the purpose of the study; the conclusions do not correspond to the tasks.
There are no references to the sources.
A bibliographic description of the sources in the list of used literature is given arbitrarily, without complying with the requirements of the state standard.
The illustrative material – tables and diagrams – are not original but copied from a textbook, tutorial, monograph, or scientific article.
The volume and design of the work do not meet the requirements; the work is done sloppy, with errors.

The next is a list of actions that students can involve in the preparation and writing of physics research paper based on an experiment:

To work out the literature on the research problem.
To write a technical section of research paper following the outline agreed with the supervisor.
To develop a model of an experimental installation for research.
To pick up the equipment to create an experimental installation designed for research.
To make a device to study the relationship between the objects.
To create a program of conducting the dependency studies with application of the developed equipment.
To conduct an experimental study of the phenomenon or the relationship between the values and to make the necessary calculations.
To analyze the results and present the conclusions.
To perform the statistical processing of the experiment results (if necessary).
To describe the experimental and statistical material in the second section following the plan agreed with the scientific supervisor.
To prepare a paper for the submitting.

In case of the correct application of all these points, the final result will be in line with the basic requirements for the scientific work. However, this physics research paper writing guide does not pretend to be the only true path and the main way you should follow during the research paper writing process. Don’t be afraid of looking for your own recipe of a perfect academic text. Just rely on our experience and broaden your own one or ask our research paper writing service to help you!

The Sufficient Guide on Writing a Physics Research Paper with Ease