After you have finished your research, it can be stressful to start the process of compiling your work into an article or a paper for publication.
Few questions that you should ask yourself as you write your paper have been provided by us to help you get started.
Q: How do I organize my manuscript?
Answer: Do most journals in your field follow the IMRAD structure? (Introduction-> Materials and Methods-> Results-> Discussions and Conclusions.) The journals you publish do not follow this exact format, but many do follow a similar structure. Make sure that each section of the manuscript helps tell the story of your study.
Q: Is my title effective?
Answer: Make sure your title conveys the main themes of your research and emphasizes the importance of your research. It should contain enough information to attract the reader, while keeping it as concise as possible.
Q: What should be included in my abstract?
Answer: Some researchers may only read your abstract. It should stand out from your manuscript. Be clear about what happened, why you did the research, what you found, and why the results are important.
Q: Which keywords should I use?
Answer: Keywords are an important tool to help readers find your work. Choose them carefully, remembering that they should reflect the content of your manuscript and be specific to your field.
Q: What should be included in the introduction?
Answer: The purpose of your introduction is to help readers understand your research by highlighting why you did your research. Check the citations you wrote down as the background evidence is balanced, timely and relevant.
Q: How do I approach the Materials and Methods section?
Answer: Explain what you have done in the past tense and provide statistical tests and parameters in sufficient detail so that another researcher can reproduce your experiment.
Q: How do I need to present the results?
Answer: The results should be displayed in the most logical order. This is not necessarily the order in which the experiments were performed. Use this section to summarize the information and be careful not to duplicate the text from your main article.
Q: How do I represent the meaning of my results?
Answer: This question should be answered in the “Discussion and Conclusions” section of the manuscript. Interpret your results by looking at comparable studies, the limits of your study, the importance of the results to researchers and others in your field, and the decisive results.
Q: Do I need to represent some of my data in figures or tables?
Answer: Figures and tables are great ways to convey large amounts of complex information. Some readers only see these items, so it’s important that they convey a well-designed, engaging and professional look and feel. Elements that you might use include tables, images, data charts, maps, and schemas.
Q: Should I thank people who helped me with my research but are not qualified authors?
Answer: This is usually done in the Thanks section. Be sure to read the notes to the authors of the journal to determine who should be considered as an author.
Q: Have I cited all the necessary references that I need?
Answer: All statements of fact, and publications whose findings differ from your own, should be cited. It is important to provide enough citations to prevent your work from being rejected for publication or referred back for corrections.
In our tutorial on submitting an article for publishing and writing a paper, you can find more information on these queries as well as many others. You should also consider doing a thorough grammar check on your article or paper before sending it for publishing. You may use free tools such as AJE grammar check for that.
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