How I published 3 IEEE Research papers and also presented one at IIT Bombay

This article is a comprehensive guide to help you choose the right research topic, write impactful papers, get accepted at top conferences, and boost your citation count.

💭 Common Myths About Research

When I began my bachelor’s degree, I had some big misconceptions about research—turns out, they were all wrong:

• Myth: You have to invent something groundbreaking to write a research paper.
  Truth: Most research builds on existing ideas—either improving them or applying them in new ways. If your project has even one unique feature and works well, it’s paper-worthy!

• Myth: You need a professor or PhD guide.
  Truth: Not true. You can absolutely write a paper on your own or collaborate with friends.

• Myth: It takes 6–12 months to publish.
  Truth: I submitted my paper and got selected for an IEEE conference in just 3 months.

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🧠 How to Choose a Research Topic

Choosing the right research topic is half the battle. Many students struggle here — not because they lack ideas, but because they don’t know which ideas are worth pursuing in a research context. Here’s what worked for me:

✅ Start With a Real Project — Then Convert It Into a Paper

Always select a topic that has the potential to become a minor or major academic project. The best research papers are often written after you’ve built something practical — not before. If you’ve already implemented the project, you’ll have:

• Test results

• Relevant datasets

• A clear methodology

• An "X factor" — a tweak or enhancement that improves upon existing solutions (like higher accuracy, better latency, new functionality, or real-time response)

✅ Align With Trending Topics & Buzzwords in IEEE

If you want to increase your chances of getting published or selected in a conference, make sure your topic is relevant to current industry and research trends.

• Search Google Scholar or IEEE Xplore with keywords like “IEEE + your topic”

• Look at the most recent 1–2 years of papers in that domain, and try to find gaps/limitations which you could solve using your research.

• Identify commonly used buzzwords: e.g., “Edge Computing,” “Low Power IoT,” “Federated Learning,” “Zero-Shot Learning,” “LLMs,” etc.

• Use those keywords in your abstract and title to increase visibility during the review stage.

✅ Focus on Solving a Real-World Problem

Your topic should address a clear pain point, preferably one that impacts society, health, education, mobility, etc.

🌟 My Example: One of my IEEE papers was based on my major project: “Smart Blind Stick for the Visually Impaired.” While the base idea was common in the IoT domain in 2017, we enhanced it by adding OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and NLP (Natural Language Processing) capabilities. This allowed the stick not just to detect obstacles, but to read and describe text in the environment — helping visually impaired users understand their surroundings contextually. This practical enhancement helped us stand out at the conference!

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🛠️ Tools That Helped Me

These tools made my life 10x easier while writing and formatting my papers:

1. Google Scholar – For literature review

This tool can be used to choose good topics based on keywords, find inspiration from the existing work, and also collect citations.

2. Overleaf (LaTeX) – For formatting your paper in IEEE format

Don’t waste time formatting in Word. Overleaf gives you IEEE templates, automatic citations, and is collaborative too.

3. Grammarly – For grammar, tone, clarity

Back in 2018, we relied on Grammarly mainly to fix grammar mistakes. But now, tools like ChatGPT, ClaudAI, Perplexity go beyond just grammar—they can help you refine your problem statement, simplify complex technical jargon, and adjust the tone to suit your audience.

⚠️ Important: Never fake results or copy content. Use AI only to improve what you’ve already created. Plagairism is extremely strict in all the top conferences, and hence try to present your research as authentically as possible.

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📄How to Structure the Research Paper

📝 Abstract (150–250 words)

Your abstract is the first impression — make it count. It should include:

• Problem: What is the issue you're addressing?

• Method: How did you approach solving it?

• Results: What did your implementation achieve?

• Contribution: What’s new or better in your solution?

✅ Tip: Write this last, after completing your paper. That way you’ll summarize the actual content, not just your intention.

📘 Introduction (¾ to 1 page)

Introduce your topic in a way that's simple, structured, and engaging.

• Start with background: What’s the larger context?

• Explain the problem statement clearly.

• Justify its significance: Why does this matter? Who does it help?

• Mention your objectives: What does your paper aim to do?

• End with a brief summary of your approach.

📚 Literature Review / Related Work

This section shows that you’ve done your research and that your work is positioned within the existing body of knowledge.

• Cite 10–12 recent and relevant papers (preferably from IEEE, Springer, Elsevier).

• Mention what each paper attempted and what it lacked.

• Clearly state how your work builds upon or differs from these papers.

⚙️ Methodology (Core of your paper)

Explain what you did, how you did it, and why you chose that method. Break it into sub-sections if needed:

• Architecture / System Design

• Algorithms or Models used

• Tools & Technologies (e.g., Python, TensorFlow, Arduino, etc.)

• Dataset description (public or custom)

• Flow diagrams or block diagrams (create in draw.io or PowerPoint)

📊 Results & Discussion

This is where you prove that your method works.

• Include tables, graphs, and screenshots of outputs or evaluations

• Use real metrics like:

  • Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F1 Score (for ML models)

  • Latency, Throughput, Bandwidth (for network-based systems)

  • Power consumption, Response time (for IoT devices)

• Provide a comparison with previous work if available

• Discuss anomalies or patterns in your results

🔚 Conclusion

Summarize the key takeaways:

• What did your work achieve?

• What problem did it solve?

• What is the real-world application or benefit?

🎯 Future Work

Then mention what can be improved or scaled in the future:

• Larger datasets

• Better hardware

• AI model tuning

• User studies or field testing

📚 References

IEEE papers follow a very specific citation style that you must stick to. Reviewers may reject your paper if the references are improperly formatted or incomplete. Each reference entry must include:

• Author(s)

• Title of the paper or book (in quotes for articles, italics for books)

• Journal or conference name (italicized)

• Volume, issue, page numbers (if applicable)

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🧭 How to Find Upcoming Conferences

1. Go to: IEEE Official Website

2. Search the conference by its name or its topic.

3. Filter by:

   • Keyword (e.g., "Machine Learning", "IoT", "Cybersecurity")

   • Location (e.g., India, USA, Singapore)

   • Time (month or year)

4. Each paper will have several deadlines:

   1. Abstract deadline: Just to submit the initial title and abstract. Only for some conferences (not always mandatory).

   2. Full paper submission: Submit your actual research paper for peer review. You submit the complete manuscript (typically 4–6 pages in IEEE format).

   3. Notification date: You find out whether your paper is accepted or rejected.

   4. Camera-ready date: Submit the final, polished version of your paper.

      This is the version that will be published in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library. Incorporate any changes requested by reviewers.

5. Any past papers can be seen on IEEE Xplore

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📈 How to Increase Your Research Citations

• Upload your paper to Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Academia.edu for greater visibility.

• Share your paper on LinkedIn both as a featured link on your profile and as a post. This helps other students discover your work, get inspired, and potentially cite it in their own research.

• Present your research on YouTube or Instagram Reels. You can also create carousel posts breaking down your paper or use your research to explain a specific concept in your domain.

• Write a blog on platforms like Medium or Substack. Add the link to your portfolio (via Wix, Linktree, etc.) to make it easily accessible.

“I shared my paper on LinkedIn, Google Scholar and also included the link in my resume. Over time, that helped me get citations organically.”

My Google Scholar Account

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🙌 Final Thoughts

Research can seem intimidating at first, but trust me — all it takes is consistency, curiosity, and the courage to start small.

Thanks for reading till the end! If this article helped you in any way, you can connect with me on:

📌Instagram(50K+),
📌LinkedIn(20K+) and
📌Youtube(19K+)

Feel free to DM, comment, or reach out — I regularly share tips on tech, career, mindset, and study abroad guidance.

Best of luck with your research journey — you’ve got this! 🚀