The goal of this presentation is to provide advice about how to properly structure your article.
Title
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Methods
Results and Discussion
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
Supporting Materials
Research articles contain many sections and each one has a definite purpose.
At the beginning are the Title, Abstract, and Keywords sections, which all play important roles in allowing the article to be easily found, indexed, and advertised to potential readers. Make these sections informative, attractive, and effective so that the article is easy to index and search.
The main text of the article is summarized by the IMRAD acronym: Introduction, Methods, Results, AND Discussion. This is where you must present your work and convey the main messages and findings effectively. Note that the reader’s time is not unlimited. Make your article as concise as possible.
The last group of sections brings up the end of the manuscript and includes Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References, and Supporting Materials. However, these are just artificial groupings and the order can change. Some journals request the Discussion section to be combined with the Conclusion or Results sections. Others need it to be an independent section.
There are also different arrangements of the order (e.g., Methods put after R & D…). You should read the Guide for Authors for the specific criteria of your target journal.
**Read the Guide for Authors for the specific criteria of your target journal. **
Let's' look at each section and what it contains, starting with Title. There are certain characteristics of effective titles. They should:
- Attract the reader’s attention
- Contain the fewest possible words
- Adequately describe content
- Be informative but concise
- Identify the main issue
- Not use technical jargon and abbreviations, but use formal language
It is advisable to discuss the title with your co-authors.
Remember: Editors and Reviewers don’t like titles that make no sense or fail to represent the subject matter adequately. And maybe even more important, you want the appropriate audience to read your paper. If the title isn’t accurate, the right people may not read it and the community might be unaware of your work. This could even lead to lower citations than the paper deserves.
- Good listing principle
~First author
~Corresponding author
- Poor listing procedure
~Ghost authorship
~Gift authorship
Gift authorship
Determining the order of authors on a paper can vary by discipline and culture, but the general rule is that the first author is the person who conducts or supervises the data collection, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of the results, and also puts together the paper for submission. The corresponding author can be the first author, or sometimes is a senior author from the institution.
You should always avoid ghost authorship, which means excluding authors who participated in the work, and gift authorship, which means including authors who did not contribute to the work. Also, always be consistent in how you write the authors’ names.
- Are the labels of the manuscript
- Are used by indexing and abstracting services
- Should be specific
- Should use only established abbreviations (e.g. DNA)
Keywords are the labels or tags for your manuscript and are used by indexing and abstracting services. Avoid words that have broad meaning. Keywords should be specific enough to give someone a very quick idea about the content of your paper. Only use abbreviations that are firmly established in the field of study, e.g. DNA. Check the Guide for Authors for specifics on which keywords should be used.
The table contains actual examples of keywords that are associated with an article taken from ScienceDirect.com.
Title: "An experimental study on evacuated tube solar collector using supercritical CO2" Keywords: Solar collector; supercritical CO2; solar energy; solar thermal utilization
Check the Guide for Authors for specifics on which keywords should be used.
Keywords should be specific enough to give someone a very quick idea about the content of your paper. You should avoid words that have broad meaning. You should also avoid uncommon abbreviations, and use only abbreviations that are firmly established in the field of study.
- Summarize the problem, methods, results, and conclusions in a single paragraph
- Make it interesting and understandable
- Make it accurate and specific
-- A clear abstract will strongly influence whether or not your work is considered
- Keep it as brief as possible
If the title catches a reader’s attention, the next thing they check is the Abstract. The Abstract is freely available in electronic abstracting and indexing services, such as Scopus, PubMed, Medline, and Embase.
The Abstract should be a single paragraph summarizing the problem, the methods, the results, and the conclusions. The Abstract acts as an advertisement for your article since it is freely available via online searching and indexing. You want to make it as catchy and accurate as possible to have the greatest impact. An Abstract written clearly will strongly encourage the reader to read the rest of your paper. The Abstract should be as brief as possible.
Take the time to write the Abstract very carefully. Many authors write the Abstract last so that it accurately reflects the content of the paper.
Title, Abstract, and Keywords ^
Conclusion, Introduction |
Methods, Results, Discussion |
Figures, Tables(your data) |
Next, let’s look at the process of building an article.
The sequence of writing the article is not the same as reading it. For most scientific fields, the most efficient way is to regard the manuscript as a wall and build it brick by brick. You start with producing your tables and figures, with captions/legends. Then describe the Methods used, the Results found, and the Discussion around these results. The Conclusion should flow on from this fairly easily. Then you write the Introduction, as to where your work fits into the field as a whole. Finally, you write the Title, Abstract and Keywords.
This process of building the article is easier, more logical, and more effective that trying to write an article in the sequence it is read.
- Provide a brief context to the readers
- Address the problem
- Identify the solutions and limitations
- Identify what the work is trying to achieve
- Provide a perspective consistent with the nature of the journal
Write a unique introduction for every article. DO NOT reuse introductions.
The Introduction is used to provide context for your manuscript and convince readers why your work advances a field of study.
Be concise in the introduction but give the reader enough information to understand why the work is important. Introductions of Letters can be shorter, sometimes only one paragraph. This section shouldn’t be a history lesson but you do need to introduce the main research publications on which your work is based. Cite a couple of original and important works, including recent review articles, to give the reader a sense of how your work fits into the literature. However, take care to not make citations to irrelevant references, including your own.
Make sure you clearly address the following: What is the problem you are ultimately trying to solve? Identify the solutions and limitations: Are there any solutions? If so, what is the best solution and what are its limitations? What is your work trying to achieve? Provide a perspective that is consistent with the journal where you are submitting.
Although it can be tempting to re-use introductions from your previous papers on similar studies, every paper should present a new result and the work should be specifically motivated. This requires a unique introduction every time.
You are sending a paper to a publisher. The paper is on the effects of coffee on sleep patterns of women in the age group 25-35 years. You had earlier written a paper on the effects of coffee on sleep patterns of men across age groups. You reuse the Introduction section from your previous article. Is this acceptable?
A. Yes
B. No
- Choice A
That’s incorrect.
- Choice B
That’s correct!
Although it can be tempting to re-use introductions from your previous papers on similar studies, every paper should present a new result and the work should be specifically motivated. This requires a unique introduction every time.
- Describe how the problem was studied
- Include detailed information
- Do not describe previously published procedures
- Identify the equipment and materials used
The Methods section describes how you studied the problem.
It is important to be detailed – a knowledgeable reader should be able to reproduce the experiment. Any previously published procedures should not be re-written in detail. Those can be noted in the References or described in the Supporting Materials sections. The equipment and materials used in experiments should be identified, along with their sources if there is the chance for variability of quality of these items. If the work is computational or theoretical, code, computational, or analytical methods should be described.
- Experiments on humans or animals must follow applicable ethics standards
- Approval of the local ethics committee is required and should be specified in the manuscript, covering letter, or the online submission system
- Editors can make their own decisions on ethics
If your work involves experiments on humans or animals, it must follow applicable ethics standards, such as the most recent version of the Helsinki Declaration and/or relevant (local, national, and international) animal experimentation guidelines.
Approval of a local ethics committee is required and should always be specified at this point in the manuscript, covering letter, or the online submission system. However, even approval of a local ethics committee does not guarantee that the editors will also agree that the work was done in an acceptable manner.
- Include only data of primary importance
- Use sub-headings to keep results of the same type together
- Be clear and easy to understand
- Highlight the main findings
- Feature unexpected findings
- Provide statistical analysis
- Include illustrations and figures
Moving on to the Results section. This is where you describe the important results of your research.
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You should present the results that are essential to the discussion, which means that only data of primary importance should be shared. Data of secondary importance should be put in the Supporting or Supplementary Materials section. However, do not attempt to “hide” data in the hope of saving it for a later paper, or split the results of one project into many papers. This dilutes the effect of the work and results in lower quality papers. You may also lose evidence that re-enforces your conclusions.
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Use sub-headings to keep results of the same type together – This will make the results easier to review and read. Number these sub-sections for the convenience of internal cross-referencing. Decide on a logical order of the data that tells a clear story.
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Highlight findings that further understanding in the field, or those that differ from previous findings and explain any unexpected results.
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Illustrations, including figures and tables, are the most efficient way to present the results. Your data are the “driving force of the paper.” Therefore, your figures and illustrations are critical and they should be used for ESSENTIAL data only. The legend of a figure should be brief and it should contain sufficient explanatory details to explain the figure without the need to refer to the text. Use color ONLY when necessary. If different line styles can clarify the meaning, don’t use colors or other effects that can distract from the content and may not appear when printed in black and white.
A. Graphs are often used to compare experimental results with those of previous works, or with calculated/theoretical values. Graphs should not appear crowded; try to present at most 3 to 4 data sets per figure. Use well-selected scales, label the axes clearly, and use different symbols so that one can quickly discriminate between the data sets.
B. Often, tables give the actual experimental results. Do not include long boring tables unless absolutely necessary (otherwise put them in the Supplementary Materials section), and make them as easy to read as possible.
C. Every photograph or image should be presented with a scale marker and the resolution should be clear.
- Interpretation of results
- Most important section
- Make the discussion correspond to the results and complement them
- Compare published results with your own
The Discussion section is where you interpret what your results mean.
This is the most important section of the article. This is where you get the chance to SELL your data! A huge number of manuscripts are rejected because the Discussion is weak or only includes mere description of the results.
Make sure the Discussion corresponds to and complements the Results, but do not simply repeat the results here.
Compare other published results with your own, and DO NOT ignore work in disagreement with yours – confront it and convince the reader that you are correct or better.
Be careful not to use the following: - Statements that go beyond what the results can support - Non-specific expressions such as “higher temperature” or “at a lower rate”; use quantitative descriptions instead - New terms not already defined or mentioned in your paper - Speculations on possible interpretations that are based on imagination, rather than rooted in fact and carefully explained in the article
If you need to revise the Results or Discussion, this may involve a lot of work and require further experiments, derivations, or simulations. Sometimes, you may not be able to clarify your idea just in words because some critical items have not been studied substantially – make sure your message is complete before you start writing or submit your article.
- Be clear
- Provide justification for the work
- Explain how your work advances the present state of knowledge
- Suggest future experiments
The Conclusion is used to show how your work advances the field of study.
Be clear in the Conclusion to help the reviewers and editors judge your work and its impact.
Provide clear justification for how your work advances the field. This can be achieved by indicating uses, extensions, or applications of the work. Do not just repeat the Abstract here. The Abstract and Conclusion serve different purposes, although some of the same messages may be mentioned. Also, don’t list the experimental results here – trivial restatements of your results are unacceptable in this section.
Suggest future experiments that build on your work and point out any relevant experiments that may already be underway.
- Advisors
- Financial supporters and funders
- Proof readers and typists
- Suppliers who may have donated materials
The Acknowledgements section includes the names of the important entities you want to acknowledge such as advisors, financial supporters, and proof readers.
- Do not use too many references
- Always ensure you have fully absorbed the material you are referencing
- Avoid excessive self citations
- Avoid excessive citations of publications from the same region or institute
- Conform strictly to the style given in the Guide for Authors
The reference list is where you cite the main scientific publications on which you based your work. Take note that there are now some society published journals that also require a “Conflict of Interest” statement to be placed before the References section.
Some tips for having a proper reference list are:
Do not include too many references, especially if they are only tangentially related to your work.
Always ensure that you have fully absorbed and understood the material you are referencing. Do not just rely on reading excerpts or isolated sentences. Know what you’re referencing!
Avoid excessive self-citations of your own work or from a single region or institute.
Check the Guide for Authors to ensure the proper format. Presentation in the correct format is the responsibility of the author, not the editor. Make the editors’ work easier and they will appreciate the effort.
- Writing an article is hard work – finding and sorting research, preparing references, sourcing feedback...
- You can get help from Mendeley (www.mendeley.com), a free reference manager and academic social network.
- The Mendeley Reference Manager generates citations and bibliographies in Word, OpenOffice, and LaTeX.
- You can also use Mendeley:
- To connect with colleagues and securely share papers, notes, and annotations.
- As a social network to identify potential collaborators.
Developing an article can often be labor-intensive because it involves finding and sorting other relevant articles and correctly preparing the more formal sections, such as References. Similarly, making contact with the right colleagues to help contextualize results, pool resources, or clarify language may also be challenging.
You can get help from Mendeley, a free reference manager and academic social network tool.
The Mendeley Reference Manager generates citations and bibliographies in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, and LaTeX. You can search an open catalog of 30M+ papers, import and organize references from other online databases, and add files from your hard drive.
You can also use Mendeley to connect with colleagues and securely share papers, notes, and annotations. You can write collaboratively without having to constantly e-mail back and forth, or use Mendeley’s social network to identify potential collaborators.
Title Abstract
Keywords IMRAD
To summarize, structuring your article properly will make the work clearer and it will have a greater impact in the field. Make sure that each section of the paper fulfills its purpose clearly and concisely. Your Title and Abstract advertise your work and attract people to read the full article. Keywords are the labels or tags for your article that give someone a very quick idea about the content of your article and are used by indexing and abstracting services. Keywords also have impact on search engine optimization, which supports readers to find your article more quickly. So pay close attention to each word you use.
The main text of the article includes Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion or IMRAD. The Discussion is where you can really showcase the importance of your results and explain how they advance understanding in your field.
Conclusions Acknowledgement
References Supporting materials
The Conclusion section is used to show how your work advances the field of study. The Acknowledgements section includes the names of the important entities you want to acknowledge such as advisors, financial supporters, and proof readers. The References section is where you cite the main scientific publications on which you based your work, and the Supporting Materials section includes additional information such as previously published procedures and secondary data.