The Structure of Research Articles

Manuscript Tips – The Structure and Content of a Well-Written Research Article

An important – and sometimes daunting – step in the research process is writing a quality manuscript. Here, we will explore some helpful tips to ensure the manuscript you deliver for academic review is organized, clear, and accurate.

As you write your manuscript, it is important to ensure that your information is clearly defined, accurately described, and direct. Keeping this in mind, you can now focus on structure. Scientific manuscripts generally contain the same sections outlined below.

Title (mandatory)

An eye-catching title is arguably one of the most important parts of your manuscript as it grabs the reader’s attention and determines whether your research will be read. The title should be brief and precise. It should accurately reflect the purpose of your research, its methods/materials, as well as the research’s scope and objectives. Avoid using very general and misleading (irrelevant) titles.

Abstract (mandatory)

A well-written abstract is critical to your manuscript as it summarizes your research. To allow for quick reading, keep your abstract focused, concise, and free of acronyms or citations. It is highly recommended to briefly discuss the importance of your work, its most important contributions and specific results, as well as its novelty and originality. The readers need to be able to quickly understand the significance and specific results of your research in the abstract.

Introduction (mandatory)

Introduce your manuscript’s subjects and objectives. You need to elaborate on the results of your literature review and survey in the introduction section. The available knowledge, currently used methods, and known approaches in the area of your study should be discussed in this section. Therefore, you can address the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of the available approaches and practices in the field. Based on this, the gap-in-the-knowledge and your contributions are further discussed accordingly.

Materials and Methods (mandatory)

Reproducibility of research is crucial to attaining publication; ensure your manuscript includes clear and detailed methods, applicable ethical information, inclusion and exclusion details, and any statistical analyses.

Results (can be included in the previous section)

Discuss your research findings here, but take care not to make definitive statements. Even if your research supports your hypothesis, portray your results as suggestive. Include all relevant figures and tables; these should be stand-alone materials with a brief caption and defined acronyms and abbreviations.

Discussion (optional)

Elaborate on the meaning and implications of your results.

Limitations (optional, can be included in the discussion section)

Explain any limitations within your research and suggest additional studies.

Conclusions (mandatory)

The major findings and results are summarized in the conclusions section. All claimed results, findings, and conclusions must be accurately supported by the rest of your article (i.e., methods and materials, results, etc.). In addition, depending on the study, the most significant practical implications and limitations of the findings might be briefly discussed here. Keep the conclusions section brief and to the point, and include only the most important validated findings. If you need to further elaborate on any part of the study, add a separate discussion section before the conclusions.

Acknowledgments (optional, add this section if necessary)

Include all research contributors.

References (mandatory)

Ensure all in-text citations have a corresponding reference, and that all references are written in the appropriate style.

Additional tips:

- Utilize keywords to allow for maximum online searchability.
- Focus on the central contribution of the research throughout your manuscript.
- Write for those unfamiliar with your work and topic.
- Make a strong argument by providing information in the order of: context, content, and conclusion.
- Briefly include any relevant contextual background information.
- Guide your paper from previously established ideas to new ideas and findings.
- Acknowledge preceding studies, especially when presenting controversial findings.
- Ensure your conclusion brings your paper full circle; reiterate influential findings using thought-provoking language and supplementary quotes.