Anatomy of a Research Paper

and Getting Started

Why write a scientific paper?
To communicate results

To do so effectively a paper must

1) reach and
2) be understood by
your intended audience
 Clear Writing
The importance of clear writing cannot
be overstated. A well-written paper is:
• more likely to be accepted by the editor
• more likely to be read once its published
• and less likely to be misunderstood by those
who do read it.
 Clear writing is writing that is
incapable of being misunderstood
Quintilian, 1st Century A.D.
 Clear Writing
• Depends on :
– Word Choice (assiduously eschew obfuscation!)
– Sentence Structure (use active voice)
• “there is no evidence that …” vs. “few studies have shown …”
• “current smoking was defined as” vs. “we defined current …”
• Use of the first person (we) is permissable
– Paragraph Structure
• one thought per paragraph, logically developed
– Organization
– Supporting Information
 Poorly Prepared Manuscript
A poorly prepared manuscript can:
• lead reviewers and editors to
question the validity of your research
• cast your work in such a poor light
that it is rejected
• negate the hard work you put
into doing your study

Rogers AJR 2002

 Formula for a Paper
Almost all journals require that manuscripts
follow the same basic format.

• Title • Results
• Abstract • Discussion
• Introduction • References
• Methods • Tables and Figures
 Anatomy of a Paper
Telling the Story
Title: Accurate and grabs attention
Abstract: Synopsis of story; key words
Introduction: What is known, unknown, and the question
Methods: What did you do and how did you do it
Results: Tell what happened
Discussion: Give the answer to the question and
explain how it fits
References: Key previous work that supports the question,
methods or the explanation
 The Challenge

• To tell a clearly understandable

story while still presenting all the
necessary details

• Forest vs. trees

 The Story
4 main parts
• The question
• The method used to answer the question
• The results found to answer the question
• The answer
 Most Important Element
The Question
– The focus or objective of your paper
– Clearly stated as a question or hypothesis
– The rest of the paper should stay focused on
The Question and not digress to other topics
 Relationship of Paper Sections to
The Question
• Introduction: Lead-in to The Question
• Methods: Study design and materials used
to answer The Question
• Results: The results of your study that are used
to answer The Question
• Discussion: The answer to The Question; how this
answer fits with previous work; what
are the implications of the answer to
The Question
 Introduction
Purpose
• Introduce The Question
• Interest reader in reading the article

Structure
• What is known
• What is unknown
• What is The Question
 Methods
Purpose
• Describe and justify methods used
• Provide enough detail for the study to be replicated

Structure
• What you did and how you did it
• Typically presented in the order things were done
• Synopsis of you study protocol
 Results
Purpose
• Present findings relevant to The Question
• Provide an estimate of the magnitude of
effects as well as their statistical significance

Structure
• Most data belong in tables and figures
• Use text to interpret/describe meaning of data
• Present information in some logical progression
• Stay focused on The Question
 Discussion
Purpose
• Answer the question posed in the Introduction
• Explain how results support the answer
• Explain how the answer fits with existing knowledge

Structure
• Answer is a generalization based on Results
• Minimize restatement of actual results
• Finish with a strong summary/conclusion
 Getting Started
• Pick most important paper to you
• Clarify the question to be addressed and select a
working title
• Set aside 4+ hours uninterrupted time to start
• Set a schedule for completion
• Block out regular time to work on paper
• Where appropriate, enlist help of co-authors
• Only work on one paper at a time
 Getting Started
• Sections of the paper don’t have to be written in
sequence
• I typically work on Methods and Results, then move
to Introduction and finally Discussion.
• Work smart – recycle text where you can
– Methods shouldn’t vary much for multiple papers from
the same study; draft a detailed Methods first time and
save, adapting as needed for specific papers
– Use literature review from your grant proposal, or related
papers, to form basis for first pass at Introduction
– To the extent possible, use same figures/tables in your
papers as in your presentations
 Getting Started
• Consider the use of paragraph outlines for
first drafts of Introduction and Discussion
– Helps to organize thoughts
– Facilitates quick review by others of the
planned focus and direction of the paper
– Can be used to identify specific paragraphs that
you might assign to co-authors
• For collaborative papers, sort out authorship
issues right up front
 Getting Started
• Get readers early and often to review/critique
• Pick target journal early
• Format for that journal from the start
• Make sure that all submission rules are followed
• Use a spelling checker before submitting
• Eliminate all typos, etc.
• Get help with English if you want to publish in an
English language journal (MECOR can help!)