Paper definition "KYP", Know Your Paper

Hi everyone, and welcome to our MOOC on writing an academic paper. My name is Mathias, and in this video we’ll talk about one of the first question we’ll ask yourself when writing an academic paper

What is my paper about?

To find an answer to this question, you first have to consider the following question as well.

First and foremost, is what I want to write about worth it? In other words, you have to ask yourself the so what test.

What will be the contribution of the paper to this field you’re interested in

If I write this paper, what will change in the way academics see the field?

What will I bring to the table that hasn’t been said before in those terms?

To answer this question you have to build your literature review, the core elements in an academic paper. It will be tantamount to know what your contribution may be to your field of interest.

The second question is, with whom should I discuss in order to make sure that I pass the so what test?

How do I ensure that I pass the so what test? This part is as scientific as it is political and dialectic.

You have to be sure that the vocabulary that you use in the frame of your proposition will be coherent with the way the reviewer will make sense of the issue you’re raising.

To ensure that, identify colleagues and member of your network that can help you position the paper in the terms that you have chosen.

We tried to explain that in the previous section and you have to use it at this first work. Finally the third question you have to ask yourself is, what kind of paper do you want to write?

Academics paper can have different goals. Whether your goal is theoretical, empirical, or a methodological one, the design of the paper will be different.

As the contributions and aim of these papers are different, so will be the setting, the methodologies, and the research question.

Your contribution will marginally impacted by this orientation.

For instance, if you’re looking to publish in management journal, for example like the Harvard Business Review, which is oriented toward industry professional as well as academics.

The journal will not be looking for the same contribution as a pure academic oriented journal, for example Industrial and Corporate Change. However, the subject of the publication can be the same.

Henry Chesbrough, for instance, published in both paper of the idea open innovation.

All these questions and elements are linked to your research question.

The research question is the main question raised in your paper, and the one you bring elements of answer to in the paper.

The so what test is passed only conditionally to your research question. Deliberation of the research question will be the focus of this section and will be elaborated through the building of the literature review.

The three questions we just discussed have to be kept in mind through the building of your literature review, to ensure that what you write is still coherent with what you set out to do.

The goal you pursue is twofold in delimiting your paper. First, you aim at building your coherent reasoning through the paper.

Second, you have to position your paper so that the community of researchers you are specialized in the theme you have chosen will accept it.

Therefore, to conclude, you have to understand this field.

Know what you can contribute to it, and know how to communicate your contribution to this academic community.

Thank you for watching, and see you on the next video.