Abstract

Introduction and Objectives: Research competencies refer to a set of theoretical and practical knowledge that facilitates the application of scientific research methods to produce new scientific knowledge (the products of which are research projects, reports, and scientific articles published in journals indexed in academic databases). Research skills are fundamental and essential in innovation processes because they lead to the achievement of sustainable development in countries, enable individuals to uncover hidden truths, and analyze evidence to reach accurate conclusions. At the university teaching level, the importance of developing research skills lies in their contribution to the continuous improvement of professional teaching activities, enhancing the quality of university education in human, scientific, and technological dimensions, and their role in promoting scientific production and technological development. In the research domain, genre serves as a 'framework for learning writing rules' for articles, theses, dissertations, etc., to support authors in their writing. Genre analysis is an approach to discourse analysis and the examination of texts related to a specific genre to analyze their similarities and differences in terms of purpose, macrostructure, language selection, and specific aspects of spoken or written texts. In research genre analysis, three structural components are observed: genre (e.g., title, introduction, abstract), move or stage, and step. The objective of this research was to develop writing strategies for quantitative research articles based on the research genre.
Method: In the present study, an Emerging synthesis research approach and the Scoping review method were used to develop writing strategies for quantitative research articles. Emerging synthesis research designs are approaches that synthesize various texts including quantitative, qualitative, and grey literature (studies that are not classified as quantitative or qualitative research and do not undergo peer review, but contain reliable information from associations, organizations, and credible websites). Scoping reviews are used to address broad topics that may include various types of study designs and methodologies. This type of review can be conducted as part of an ongoing comprehensive review or as an independent research summary. The purpose of a Scoping review is to examine the extent, scope, and nature of research activities in a field. This method identifies existing evidence, evaluates research gaps, and determines key foundational concepts in a study area by interpreting and analyzing related quantitative, mixed-methods, and grey literature. The methodological framework of the domain review, based on Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) model, consists of five stages:Stage 1: Identifying the research objective: What are the writing strategies for quantitative research in education? Stage 2: Identifying relevant studies: Based on the search queries and keywords were searched in Persian and English databasessuch as Scopus, Emerald, Science Direct, Springer, ProQuest, Embase, Web of Science and Persian Data bases such as Magiran, Noormags and SID, Keywords "Genre Analysis" combined with "AND/OR" and article-specific terms (Research Title, Research Abstract, Research Introduction, Research Problem Statement, Significance of Study, Research Objectives and Questions, Research Literature, Research Results/Findings, Research Discussion) were searched. Initially, relevant articles, thesis, and university sites were considered. Studies specifically addressing at least one component of articles through genre analysis were selected, and abstracts of chosen articles were reviewed. In total, 248 qualitative, mixed-methods, and grey literature studies were identified. A methodology expert and a synthesis research specialist evaluated the validity of the classification methods. Stage 3: Data extraction: The study selection process followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines (Sarkis-Onofre et al., 2021). Screening was based on title, abstract, and full text, resulting in 32 final studies selected for analysis. Inclusion criteria were database credibility (Table 1), relevance to the topic (article components only, excluding theses), and English language.Stage 4: Data charting: Finalized studies from Stage 3 were reviewed and prepared for analysis. Stage 5: Data analysis: To identify distinct content-based findings, researchers independently reviewed selected articles multiple times and extracted relevant themes. The main research question guided theme extraction.
Findings: Based on the analyzed genres, a final model for quantitative research articles was designed. This model includes:Title Writing (5 moves): 1- Study scope and main hypothesis, 2- Keywords and dependent/independent variables, 3- Study components (objective, type, methodology, population/problem, intervention, control/comparison, time), 4- Impactful phrasing for reader engagement and 5-Title organization. Abstract (5 moves): 1- Context-setting introduction; 2- Objective; 3- Method; 4-Results; 5-Conclusion. Introduction (3 moves): 1- Establishing research scope and problem statement; 2- Identifying research gap (a) gap in prior research, b) contribution to existing knowledge); 3- Presenting the study (a) detailed introduction and objectives, b) research questions/hypotheses). Methodology (3 moves): 1- Data collection methods (a) sample description, b) procedures, c) justification); 2- Variable measurement (a) research design, b) methods, c) justification); 3- Data analysis (a) methods, b) justification). Results (3 moves): 1- Section structure; 2- Reiterating questions/methodology; 3- Reporting results. Discussion/Conclusion (3 moves): 1- Interpreting results (a) restating problem/objectives, b) key findings, c) expected findings, d) unexpected findings, e) alignment/non-alignment with prior research, f) reasons for alignment/non-alignment); 2- Limitations; 3- Recommendations/applications.
Discussion and Conclusions: Overall, the final model presented in this study provides a systematic and step-by-step structure for writing various sections of a quantitative research article, including the title, abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and discussion/conclusion. By presenting an evidence-based and structured model, this research has taken an important step toward standardizing the writing of quantitative research articles in the field of education. Using these strategies not only helps improve the quality of published articles but also creates opportunities for developing research skills at various educational levels. This model can serve as a practical tool for researchers, professors, and students, playing an effective role in advancing future research. The model helps graduate students become familiar with the standard structure of research articles and improve their academic writing. Students can use these strategies to better organize their theses and dissertations, reducing academic writing challenges and enhancing the quality of their submissions. Additionally, professors can use this model as an instructional framework in research methodology courses. Providing concrete examples based on this model enhances students' understanding of article structures and facilitates the process of guiding students in scientific writing. For curriculum planners, this model can be incorporated into research methodology and academic writing courses, and workshops based on these strategies can be organized to enhance the research skills of students and researchers. Another application of this model is revising syllabi to reflect principles of genre-based research writing. Novice researchers can use this model as a practical guide for initiating research article writing, and journals and reviewers can adopt this framework as a criterion for evaluating the quality of quantitative research articles.