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    Anatomy of A Research Paper

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    Manish Chandra Prabhakar
    The document provides guidance on writing a scientific research paper, emphasizing the importance of clear writing to effectively communicate results to the intended audience, and outlines the typical structure of a research paper including key sections like the introduction, methods, results, and discussion that tell the story and answer the research question. It also offers tips for getting started on a research paper, such as clarifying the research question, outlining sections, and getting feedback from others.

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    Anatomy of A Research Paper

    Uploaded by

    Manish Chandra Prabhakar
    361 views20 pages
    The document provides guidance on writing a scientific research paper, emphasizing the importance of clear writing to effectively communicate results to the intended audience, and outlines the typical structure of a research paper including key sections like the introduction, methods, results, and discussion that tell the story and answer the research question. It also offers tips for getting started on a research paper, such as clarifying the research question, outlining sections, and getting feedback from others.

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    The document provides guidance on writing a scientific research paper, emphasizing the importance of clear writing to effectively communicate results to the intended audience, and outlines the typical structure of a research paper including key sections like the introduction, methods, results, and discussion that tell the story and answer the research question. It also offers tips for getting started on a research paper, such as clarifying the research question, outlining sections, and getting feedback from others.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    361 views20 pages

    Anatomy of A Research Paper

    Uploaded by

    Manish Chandra Prabhakar
    The document provides guidance on writing a scientific research paper, emphasizing the importance of clear writing to effectively communicate results to the intended audience, and outlines the typical structure of a research paper including key sections like the introduction, methods, results, and discussion that tell the story and answer the research question. It also offers tips for getting started on a research paper, such as clarifying the research question, outlining sections, and getting feedback from others.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 20

    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!)

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