Discussion
Started 11 July 2019

What are the major parts of a research paper?

It’s very urgent for writing a research paper in good style and with all the essential sections. But sometime we forget to write all the major sections. So please refer or write from your own experiences.

Most recent answer

Munira Nasiruddin
University of Chittagong
For most of the journals, the major sections are: (1) Title of the article followed by author' address indicating main and corresponding authors, (2) Abstract including the main finding of the work, (3) Introduction along with brief survey, aim and objective of the work, (4) Materials and methodologies used, (5) Results obtained being illustrated and presented in the form of tables, graphs and photographs, (6) Discussion- comparison of the results obtained made with those of related researchers, (7) Recommendation along withe the scope of the work, (8) Acknowledgement, and (9) References cited in the text according to journal style.

Popular replies (1)

Jaspreet Kaur
Pearl Academy
The major parts of a research paper are abstract,Introduction,review of literature,research methods,findings and analysis,discussion,limitations,future scope and references.
8 Recommendations

All replies (12)

Andrew Paul McKenzie Pegman
University of Auckland
The abstract is the most important section
Jaspreet Kaur
Pearl Academy
The major parts of a research paper are abstract,Introduction,review of literature,research methods,findings and analysis,discussion,limitations,future scope and references.
8 Recommendations
Dean Whitehead
Federation University
Bir - Jaspreet has highlighted the main components that journals usually ask for - depending on the nature of the paper. The headings may vary depending on say conceptual/theory manuscripts versus primary research articles. The main consideration is to choose your target journals for your research manuscript and carefully study their author guidelines and house-style of already published recent articles. They will act as a clear indicator of the main focus and parts that journal is seeking.
6 Recommendations
"Skeletal parts" of a standard research paper are already included by Jaspreet, and importance of a clear understanding of the authors' guidelines by Dean. I think "meat part" of the paper is the quality of presentation and interpretation of the major findings through a clear and concise discussion. A research paper can be used by a prospective employer to know the researcher's writing skill as well. Whether we are new or established, we all, are learning to be a better researcher and better writer simultaneously! Thanks for the good question.
Bir Jahangir Shirazy
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
Thanks to all for your nice contributio. What criteria should have in each section from abstract to conclusion for a research paper?
Kenneth Lui-ming Ngie
University of Newcastle Australia
The guidance/guidelines as per the following publications in relation to writing of each section should be helpful.
  • Branson, R. D. (2004) Anatomy of a research paper, Respiratory care, 49, 10, pp. 1222-1228.
  • Day, R. A. (1998) How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. 5th edn. Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press.
  • Derntl, M. (2014) Basics of research paper writing and publishing, International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 6, 2, pp. 105-123.
  • Gustavii, B. (2008) How to Write and Illustrate Scientific Papers. 2nd edn. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hengl, T. and Gould, M. (2002) Rules of thumb for writing research articles, International Institute for Geo-information science and Earth Observation (ITC), Enschede, pp. 1-9.
  • Kallestinova, E. D. (2011) How to write your first research paper, The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 84, 3, pp. 181-190.
  • Perneger, T. V. and Hudelson, P. M. (2004) Editorial - Writing a research article: advice to beginners, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 16, 3, pp. 191-192.
  • Rosenfeldt, F. L., Dowling, J. T., Pepe, S. and Fullerton, M. J. (2000) How to write a paper for publication, Heart, Lung and Circulation, 9, 2, pp. 82-87.
  • Vitse, C. L. and Poland, G. A. (2017) Writing a scientific paper - A brief guide for new investigators, Vaccine, 35, 5, pp. 722-728.
  • Wu, J. (2011) Improving the writing of research papers: IMRAD and beyond, Landscape Ecology, 26, 10, pp. 1345-1349.
4 Recommendations
Bir Jahangir Shirazy
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
Thank you very much @kenneth
Michael W. Marek
Wayne State College
Here is my recommended structure for a research article.
1 Recommendation
Bir Jahangir Shirazy
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
Great work and thanks a lot @Marek
Srihari Mandava
Vellore Institute of Technology University
What ever we write, it should be clear and should concentrate on the work only. Some of the writers fill introduction part with out relation to work.
Mohammed Mohammed Nassar Hassen
Independent Researcher
These steps are the building blocks of constructing a good research paper. This section outline how to lay out the parts of a research paper, including the various experimental methods and designs.
The principles for literature review and essays of all types follow the same basic principles.
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Method
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Reference List
Munira Nasiruddin
University of Chittagong
For most of the journals, the major sections are: (1) Title of the article followed by author' address indicating main and corresponding authors, (2) Abstract including the main finding of the work, (3) Introduction along with brief survey, aim and objective of the work, (4) Materials and methodologies used, (5) Results obtained being illustrated and presented in the form of tables, graphs and photographs, (6) Discussion- comparison of the results obtained made with those of related researchers, (7) Recommendation along withe the scope of the work, (8) Acknowledgement, and (9) References cited in the text according to journal style.

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