The document discusses common mistakes students make when writing research papers, including not writing a literature review, placing content in the wrong sections, making probabilistic claims without evidence, improper use of singular/plural verbs and helping verbs, incorrect use of "either" vs "both", saying "comprised of" instead of just "comprised", omitting hyphens in compounds like "internet-based", using uncommon words unnecessarily, incorrect pluralization of words like "equipment", and using tautologies. The author provides examples of each mistake and recommends best practices to avoid these issues.

1. Research Paper Writing 101:
Mistakes to Avoid (Part-II)
Rafey Iqbal Rahman
Gold Medal Recipient, 33rd IEEEP Multi-Topic International Symposium 2018

2. Foreword
I never intended to come up with a second part of the “Research Paper Writing 101: Mistakes to Avoid” but
here I am. Actually, the reason behind the second part is that I’m seeing some undergrad students writing
their very first research paper and sending it to the journal’s review committee for it to get published,
which is appreciated. But ...
The sad part is the negligence of some of the so-called (double-blind) peer-reviewed journals accepting their
very first paper, full of mistakes (that I’ll discuss later), in one go. This results in either these students sticking
to shortcuts and not improving their mistakes, or getting hit hard when they encounter a journal with a
rigorous review process that ends up rejecting their paper, hurting their self-esteem.

4. Not Writing the Literature Review
● It is highly likely that your new research stems from the prior researches of others.
● Writing the lit review is a hectic job, but avoiding it is not an option.
● Lit review is where you draw a line between your work and the research of others. In short, it’s
“What’s new versus what’s already done”, or “Theirs is good but mine is better”.

5. Content not Belonging to the Right Section
Some students get confused what content to place in the “Methodology” and the “Results” section and end
up placing the content of methodology in the latter.
“Methodology” versus “Results”
● “Methodology”, as the name implies, is where you describe the mechanism of your original work,
inclusive of the material/components used.
● On the other hand, the “Results” section is used to describe the outcome of your research and
discuss the limitations or recommendations for future research.

6. Probabilistic Thinking
● Probabilistic thinking refers to assuming possibilities instead of stating the obvious.
● A research paper demands the inclusion of existing, evident facts rather than personal views.
● Example: “In the years to come, the Internet could get faster than the speed of light”.

7. Singularity, Plurality, and the Helping Verb
● If you are referring to something that is singular/plural in nature, the helping verb should also be
singular/plural. Failing to do so creates disengagement among your readers.
● A bunch of wires refers to a singular group of wires, so instead of writing “A group of wires are placed
…”, you should write “A group of wires is placed …”.

8. “Either” versus “Both”
Some students interchangeably use “Either” and “Both” in a sentence, however, this is a wrong practice.
Suppose that your research outcome is going to benefit two separate groups of individuals. Let’s explore
the use case of “either” and “both:
● “Either” is to be used when the benefit of your research outcome cannot be shared by both the
parties, i.e., if one group benefits, the other group remains deprived.
● “Both” is to be used when the benefit will be shared, i.e., both groups will be able to enjoy the
benefit simultaneously, or without being deprived.

9. There is no such thing as “comprised of”
● It’s “comprised”. Comprised itself means “a part of”. There’s no need to add an extra “of”.
● Many valuable resources on the Internet have “comprised of “ written on them. But that doesn’t
make this practice right.
● However, since the bad practice prevails on the Internet, you are most likely to commit the same
mistake over and over again, so here are a few alternatives: [They are] composed of, [They] constitute,
[They are] made up of.

10. Is It “...Based” or “...-Based”?
● Notice the small hyphen in the last word above.
● Many students, especially from the engineering background, don’t consider placing a hyphen in
phrases, such as, Internet-based, tech-based.
● Not placing a hyphen in the above phrases and their likes is a bad practice and raises grammatical
errors.

11. Choosing the Uncommon
● Some students tend to write the most uncommon word out there in lieu of a common word with
which most readers can connect with.
● The above practice is usually to drop the plagiarism. However, this results in disengagement among
the readers.
● Writing “Residential delivery” in lieu of “Home delivery” serves as an example.

12. “Equipments” and “Materials”
● There are no such words as written above.
● Words like “equipment” and “material” don’t have a plural companion, hence they don’t require an
“-s” at the end.
● Instead of “electronic equipments” and “organic materials”, write “electronic equipment” and “organic
material”.

13. Tautologies
● Tautology refers to say the same thing twice in the form of a successive word.
● This practice results in your readers rolling eyes over the text. 👀
● Examples are “their own”, “sufficient enough”, etc.

14. Queries?
Rafey Iqbal Rahman
rafey.iqbal16@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/rafeyirahman