How to write a scientific paper

If you find the idea of publishing an academic paper in a peer-reviewed journal a little intimidating, you're not alone. What (exactly) should, and should not, be included in the various sections of a paper isn't entirely obvious.

I've been the Editor-in-Chief of a peer-reviewed journal for about 15 years, and here are my tips for writing an excellent academic paper:

The title and abstract

Your title needs to be about 15 words or less. That's not a lot of space for you to make a first impression (so use it wisely). Make sure that you include the purpose and scope of your study; you might include something about the methods used, if that's relevant. Keep it factual and professional. Do not use acronyms or abbreviations in the title.

The abstract should be about 300 words. The most common type of abstract is the "informative" abstract, which includes information about the purpose, methods, findings and conclusions. Don't include speculation, evaluation, interpretation or discussion. Write in the past tense and keep it factual.

The introduction and background

With reference to existing literature, tell the reader about what it is that we know, and what we don't know, in the area that you're writing about. And in the context of what we don't know, you can introduce your research question (the purpose of your study).

Methods

If you want your research to be taken seriously, you need the reader to understand exactly how it is that you undertook the research. They should be able to use your method section and duplicate your research process (and hopefully, your results).

Methods sections in qualitative research look very different to methods sections in quantitative research. I compare and contrast the methods sections that I've written for qualitative and quantitate research in a short video that is available in a course on "How to write a scientific paper" that is available at www.learnmore365.com.

In quantitative research, you must include your study question, your study design, you must describe your data (including how you collected or acquired it), how your analysed the data, any methodological limitations, and include whether or not you received ethical approval for your study.

Results

Make sure that you make explicit reference in the text to any tables or graphics that you include. Place the tables and figures as close as possible to the first time that they are referred to in the text. Report the facts; don't discuss the results; don't provide any opinions or explanations (that should for part of the discussion).

Its a good idea to use "reporting guidelines" when writing up your methods and results. These are checklists that have been developed for different study types. Editors and peer-reviewers will often use these reporting guidelines to ensure that your paper includes relevant information. For more information about reporting guidelines, take a look at my course at LearnMore365.com

Discussion

This is your opportunity to explain and interpret your findings. You can speculate and hypothesise; this is where you put your thoughts and ideas. The discussion section should however have some structure to it. Firstly, reiterate your research question and then point out how it is that your research addressed and answered that question. Don't introduce any new findings and results in your discussion section. Explain and interpret your results in the context of the literature that you identified in your "introduction and background". Are your findings consistent with the findings of other researchers? Do your findings fill one of the gaps in knowledge that you identified in your "introduction and background"? Reflect on the implications of your findings. Acknowledge the limitations of your study. Consider alternative explanations for your findings. Highlight any negative findings and discuss the implications thereof. Finally make suggestions for future research.

Conclusions and recommendations

Help the reader understand why it is that your findings matter. State the answer to the research question that you asked and state any recommendation that can be derived from your findings.

What next?

If you'd like to learn more about how to write a scientific paper including understanding the peer review process, how to create a bibliography using reference management software, where to find reporting guidelines, and much more... then... (and here is the shameless sales pitch), do my course at LearnMore365.com use the coupon code "link123" to get 50% off the price of the course.

I'd love to hear about your experience (and possible frustrations) with regard to writing scientific papers. Write your comments, thoughts and questions below. And please consider sharing this article with others who might find it useful. Good luck and happy writing!!