Research Guides
Step-by-step guides to help you master every aspect of academic research.
Paper Design
Paper Discovery
Paper Writing
Paper Proofreading
Phase 1Paper Design
How to Choose a Research Topic
A strong research topic meets five criteria — interest, feasibility, originality, significance, and appropriate scope. Following a five-step process of...
How to Analyze Advisor Research
To understand your advisor's research, focus on four dimensions — research trajectory, key publications, methodological patterns, and co-author network....
How to Write Research Questions
A research question is the compass of your paper. Evaluate its quality with the FINER criteria (Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant), then...
How to Write a Research Proposal
A research proposal is the official first step of a thesis. It follows the structure of title → abstract → introduction → literature review → research...
Phase 2Paper Discovery
How to Speed Read Academic Papers
You do not need to read every paper from cover to cover. Apply the three-pass method (skim → comprehend → analyze in depth) and you will filter out 80...
How to Conduct a Literature Review
A literature review proceeds in six steps: clarify the research question → develop a search strategy → collect and screen papers → assess quality →...
How to Identify Research Trends
There are four ways to identify research trends: keyword frequency analysis, conference and journal monitoring, bibliometric analysis, and preprint and...
How to Find Research Gaps
Research gaps fall into four types — empirical gaps (lack of evidence), theoretical gaps (insufficient explanatory power), methodological gaps...
Phase 3Paper Writing
How to Start a Research Project
The success of a research project is largely determined in the first five weeks. Follow a three-phase approach: Foundation (weeks 1-2) → Planning (weeks...
How to Analyze Research Papers in Depth
"Reading" a paper and "analyzing" it are fundamentally different. Use the three-pass method (strategic reading → deep reading → critical evaluation) and...
How to Organize Research Papers
Paper management comes down to three things — pick one reference management tool and stick with it, combine folders and tags, and take notes the moment...
Phase 4Paper Proofreading
How to Write an Academic Paper
Academic papers follow the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). The most efficient writing order is Methods → Results →...
How to Submit to Journals and Respond to Peer Review
The keys to journal submission are choosing the right journal, strictly following submission guidelines, and responding systematically to peer review...