How to Write a Research Paper

Writing a research paper enables you with several core fundamentals, including gaining education, credibility, and publication. Developing a research paper allows you to hone a broader understanding of topics and fields of study, receive peer and expert review, and receive a unique publishing opportunity.

1. Abstract

   • Give the reader a "preview" of what's to come.

   • Your abstract should be one paragraph, of 100-250 words, which summarizes the purpose, methods, results and conclusions of the paper.

   • Start by writing a summary that includes whatever you think is important, and then gradually prune it down to size by removing unnecessary words, while still retaining the necessary concepts.

   • Don't use abbreviations or citations in the abstract. It should be able to stand alone without any footnotes.

2. Introduction

   • Why was the research conducted?

   • What research has already been done, and what have you sought to contribute?

   • What problems exist in the status quo that inspired you?

3. Materials and Methods

   • How did you answer your question? There should be en0ugh information here to allow any scientist to repeat your experiment.

   • If you had a complicated protocol, it may be useful to include a diagram, table, or flowchart to help explain the methods you used. Use sections!

   • Mention relevant ethical considerations. If you used human subjects, did they consent to participate? If you used animals, what measures did you take to minimize pain?

4. Results

   • This is where you present the results you have gotten, Use graphs and tables if appropriate, but also summarize your key findings in text. Do not discuss the results or speculate as to why something happened.

   • You don't necessarily need to include all the data you have collected, as this is not your lab notebook.

   • Use appropriate methods of displaying data, free of manipulation.

5. Discussion

   • Highlight the most significant results. Do not just repeat what you wrote in the Results Section.

   • Questions to ask yourself:

     1. How do these results relate to the original question? Does the data support your hypothesis?

     2. Are your results consistent with what other investigators have reported? If your results were unexpected, try to explain why.

     3. Is there another way to interpret your results? What further research would be necessary to answer the question raised by your results? How do your results fit into the big picture?

     4. End with your conclusion - a one to two-sentence summary, emphasizing why it is relevant.