Why the Significance of the Study is Important in a Research Paper?

The Importance of the Significance of the Study in a Research Paper

You have already defined the theme for your research paper, the research problem, and the objectives, very well. The first steps have already been taken. Now, even before you move on to introducing the work, you need to start thinking about the significance of the study.

Yes, that part confuses many people. You must know that a research paper consists of many steps. Think of it as a puzzle, where each piece when correctly fitted will reveal, little by little, the face of your work.

The piece, in this case, the significance of justification, must be fitted right after the introduction of the work. There, succinctly, you will describe to the examining board why your work deserves their attention and why it is relevant to society.

Still, confused? Do not worry. We elaborate a step-by-step guide to help you to write a perfect significance of the study. Check it out below:

What is the significance of the study?

First, let’s understand better what the justification for your research is and what it is for. As its name suggests, the Justification is intended to justify something. Or, in another way, it is to explain the cause, motive, reason, and circumstance that made the researcher defend this theme.

The justification is the reason your work exists. It is through justification that you will convince your supervisor and the board of examiners about the relevance of your study and its importance for your field of research. It is in this space that you will defend your idea. The justification is presented in the first pages of your work and is just as important for the general understanding of the topic as the other items such as the problem, the hypotheses, and the objective.

The purpose of the Justification is to sift relevant themes from absurd ones. When a student justifies his work, he is obliged to reflect on its importance. This stage of the work has become a very effective tool for controlling clueless themes. So, if you are having a hard time justifying your work, your topic may need to be re-evaluated, as there are not enough arguments to justify it.

Tips for writing the significance of the research study

1. Investigate the research theme

Behave like you’re a detective and need to solve a mystery. To do this, you will need to ask the right questions. The answers you discover, in the end, will be your justification. And what are the right questions? Check some questions below:

Why: Why does my study exist? Why should people read it? Why is the work relevant? Why write about this topic? And keep asking the why of your work. The questions may vary depending on the topic.

What: What does my study do? What defines my work? What does it bring with concepts, tools, research, interviews, data?.

Who: Who was my research made for? Who is my target audience?

After answering all of these questions, structure the text in an essay format that does not necessarily have to be in the same order as the questions above – this is just a template to guide you. From the answers, you will most likely already be able to glimpse the justification of the study.

2. Search for references

It is not mandatory to present references to authors or other works in the field in the justification. However, as this is the time for you to defend your topic and say how important it is, getting some data out of your sleeve can be a good strategy to create convincing arguments.

You can cite authors, research and academic papers, statistical data, and what else contributes to supporting your proposal. Furthermore, by using references you add credibility to your research and validate its importance, after all, it is not only you who is saying this particular idea needs to be studied, other authors have already commented on it. Understood?

3. Invite the reader to reflect

The justification of your research should call the reader for a reflection and make him understand, from the information you have presented, the importance of your topic. That understanding must come from the significance you have presented. For this reason, at no time write phrases like “this topic is important because…” Your arguments should convince you and your audience, always remember that.

4. Review your goals

When writing the justification for your work, look for your goals, and mention the importance of achieving them. In other words, ensure that the significance you are arguing for matches the objectives of your study.

5. Be clear and objective

A good justification goes straight to the point. No more going around and around and not saying what you need. The justification of the work should not have more than three paragraphs. That is, it is a short text. Hence the importance of being clear and objective.

6. Visualize the impacts of your work

Imagine the future consequences that your research can cause, whether in a company, in society, or in the academic environment itself. With this information in hand, you will have one more reason to say how important your work is to generate better results and create new realities. Also, reflect on what could happen if the research was not carried out. What are the negative points of this? How could the absence of work impact the lives of people, society, companies? The answers to these questions can also help you build a compelling case.

Example:

You already know what the significance of the study is and have already seen some tips on how to do it. But, even then, you still don’t feel safe to start writing, you can be inspired by some work already done. Below you will find a sample of how to justify a research work.

Let’s imagine you are working on a project titled “Indiscipline in School.” Having established the statement of the problem, objectives of the research, this is what the research significance will look like:

The proposed work aims to examine, exhibit, and raise issues related to the issue of school discipline. Indiscipline, in the school environment, is a great challenge to be faced by educators, since indiscipline is believed to be part of the school space. Thus, it is intended, in this work, to delimit some causes of school indiscipline, a controversial and complex theme, since they involve characteristics outside of school, such as social problems, family conflicts. In addition to aspects involved and developed in the school as an educator/student relationship, pedagogical practice, and practices of the school itself that can be exclusive.

Conclusion

As can be gleaned from the above, all parts of writing a research paper are important. Understanding how to justify the idea you want to work on goes a long way in helping to convince yourself, and your supervisor that your research will contribute something unique to knowledge. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask your supervisor for help when writing your research paper. In college, you can speak directly to your supervisor. He has a very important role in this work, as he is the one who helps you with the topic and suggests the references. But in addition to the supervisor, you can talk to other colleagues and ask for guidance. If you know a professional in the same field, ask them to review your work. That individual can provide you with valuable tips.