Thursday, 28 June 2018

Writing a Good Research Article


Writing research articles is one of the most important and unavoidable parts of a research process. A well written research paper when published in a scientific journal helps to present the research findings to the scientific community. However, even an interesting and innovative research can lose its charm if written inadequately. Although writing a research paper is perceived as a highly difficult task by many, it is very in fact simple and fascinating. It is an art which can be honed by practice, and can be further improved by training and skill development. This blog is focused to share some tips on writing a good research article for a peer‑reviewed scientific journal, which can help boost your research career.
Important Tips to Write a Good Research Article:
1.      Regularization of writing schedule
It is well known that “practice makes a man perfect”this holds true for manuscript writing as well. It is very important to practice writing on a daily basis to have a better grip over the skill. The most productive hours of one’s daily routine should be assigned to writing and this must be followed religiously.
2.      Building an outline and determining the flow of manuscript
Once you have set a goal to write a research article, start with building its outline. The outline should be such that it can serve as a template for your manuscript by elaborating the points mentioned in it. For a Level 1 outline, pen down all the important ideas related to the paper and arrange them in an order of their presentation in the manuscript. Enlist all the supporting points related to the topic and try to formulate a hypothesis. In this outline, the visuals related to the paper such as tables, figures, equations, formulas etc., should also be included. Thus, outline at Level 1 shall include the topic of paper, its importance, hypothesis, major results (tables, figures etc.) and important findings.
In the next step, Level 1 outline is further structured by adding context into it and grouping the already mentioned ideas into their respective sections. A research article contains five major sections, namely introduction, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion. The first section of the paper i.e., introduction should briefly explain the rationale and importance of research undertaken. The current concepts and knowledge gap related to the topic are also included in this section. The hypothesis and the aims and objective of the research are also mentioned here.
The methodology section contains the information about the materials and armamentarium used in the research. The information about the sample size, patient populations, exclusion and inclusion criteria should be incorporated in this section. It should also provide information about the study type (prospective/ retrospective/ observational/ controlled trial etc.), study setting (unicentric/ multicentric), study design (how the study was conducted). Further, variables studied, the end-points of the study, the methods of analysis and statistical tests used should also be specified in this section.
The results section of the research paper includes the significant findings and other supporting findings of the study. The implications of these results and their comparisons with the results of other similar research studies is mentioned in the discussion section of the paper. The highlights of the study undertaken, and its limitations can also be mentioned in this section. Finally, a concluding remark is given in conclusion of the paper. After this, all the ideas and important points which are enlisted should be rearranged in a sequence to determine an adequate flow of the manuscript.
3.      Target journal selection and discussion of ideas with mentors or peers
Now, when a detailed outline is in hand, it is wise to discuss the ideas with the mentors of peers whom one can rely upon. Their suggestions or opinions might prove to be beneficial in improvising the manuscript. Further, selecting a target journal for submission of the paper for publication is beneficial at this stage. Also, making a list of other journals, on the basis of priority, is a wise option at this stage. This helps to resubmit the paper upon rejection from target journal without unnecessary wastage of time.
4.      Developing first draft of research article
With the detailed outline and all the suggestions and list of journals in hand, next step towards production of final research article is the development of a first draft. One should start writing the paper by elaboration of the points mentioned in outline. Novice writers might find difficulty in writing afresh; therefore, to make the task easier, they can start with writing methodology section and then proceed with results, introduction, discussion and finally reach a conclusion. The writers should ensure that the paper is written in clear and concise manner. It should have adequate flow and readability. Further, the draft should be free from any duplication of information and plagiarism. The content of the paper should be fresh, original and interesting. Direct copying and pasting of any information is unethical and, therefore, should be avoided. The information mentioned in the draft should be adequately referenced.
5.      Revision of draft
The first draft should always be re-read by the writer. Further editing and revisions are done in draft. The individual words, sentences, grammatical errors, and spelling mistakes within the draft should be pointed out and corrected. Always focus on the flow of draft while revising it. The draft should be re‑read in several steps and should be edited adequately. Seeking help from another writer for editing after revising it yourself is always wiser.
6.      Submission of research article in target journal
After editing and revising the draft, it is time to submit it to the target journal already selected. The instructions for authors can be followed while submitting the paper. The draft shall then undergo a journal’s peer-review after which the draft can be revised by the writer as per the reviewer comments, if accepted by the journal, or else can be submitted to another journal if rejected.

These above-mentioned tips, if followed while writing a research paper, can make the difficult looking task very simple and easy.

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