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Health Research Guide

                                            

Sections of a Scientific Paper

Basics

  • Clear scientific writing generally follows a specific format with key sections:
    • 1: an abstract to give a summary of your research and findings
    • 2: an introduction to a particular topic
    • 3: hypotheses to be tested
    • 4: a description of methods
    • 5: key results
    • 6: a discussion that ties these results to our broader knowledge of the topic

       (Day, R., and B. Gastel. 2012. How to write and publish a scientific paper. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.)

  • Try to be a clear, precise and brief as possible. 

Need help writing your scientific report? Your librarian made it easy for you! Download the template and follow instructions. 

**DISCLAIMER: Ask your instructor if it is alright to use it.**

What to include: 

  • Catch the reader's attention with a good title. A good title is short and incisive. It contains essential keywords and states the main finding of the study, using a verb in the active form.
  • Familiarize the reader with the background. Write a brief introduction providing essential information for the reader to understand what the general topic is and what was known so far.
  • Explain what you set out to investigate. Clearly and concisely identify the gap in knowledge that you aim to fill.
  • Report the main findings. Only state the main results and briefly mention the techniques used to obtain them. Make sure to make a clear distinction between what was known and what is your specific finding.
  • Draw a conclusion. Indicate what your findings mean and the implications they may have in the field.

(Ruffell, D. (2019), Writing a great abstract: tips from an editor. FEBS Lett, 593: 141-143. https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.13304)

What to include:

  • 1. Contextualization. General context/topic and the importance of the study; what is the problem?
  • 2. Existing solutions. What literature is currently available?
  • 3. Knowledge gap. What limitations are present in current literature? This aims to justify the aim of your study.
  • 4. Research hypothesis or question. The next logical step in a line of investigations.
  • 5. Aim of study and methodological approach. What methods did you use to examine the research hypothesis?

(Bahadoran, Z., Jeddi, S., Mirmiran, P., & Ghasemi, A. (2018). The Principles of Biomedical Scientific Writing: Introduction. International journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 16​​​​​​​(4), e84795. https://doi.org/10.5812/ijem.84795)

What to include: 

  • Outline the design of the experiment. Study designs may include meta-analysis, systematic review, randomized controlled trial, observational studies, case series, or case report.
  • Describe setting and materials/subjects. Include characteristics of each; describe recruitment of subjects, participation, withdrawal, etc. 
  • Describe the data collected. Identify the variables within your study (independent, dependent, and controlled).
  • Analyze the data collected. The goal of data analysis is to find actionable insights that can form decision-making.

*Key note: this section is to be written in past tense because you have written your proposal and either started or have conducted the study!

(Eldawlatly, A.A., & Meo, S.A. (2019). Writing the methods section. Saudi journal of anaesthesia, 13(Suppl 1), S20-S22. https://doi.org/10.4103/sja.SJA_80518)

What to include:

  • Includes both results and data.
    • Data may be presented in tables and figures when appropriate
  • Results are general statements in the main text that summarize or explain what the data show
  • There are different ways of organizing the results section including:
    • 1. chronological order
    • 2. general to specific
    • 3. most to least important
    • 4. grouping results by topic/study groups or experiment/measured parameters

(Bahadoran, Z., Mirmiran, P., Zadeh-Vakili, A., Hosseinpanah, F., & Ghasemi, A. (2019). The Principles of Biomedical Scientific Writing: Results. International journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 17(2), 392113. https://doi.org/10.5812/iJEM.92113)

What to include: 

  • The discussion section opens withs a narrow focus (your findings) and ends with a broad focus (contextualizing your findings to the field at large). 
  • Try using the following structure that opens with specific information and closes with generalized statements:
    • 1. Statement of principal findings
    • 2. Strengths and weaknesses of the study
    • 3. Strengths and weaknesses in relation to other studies, discussing any differences in results
    • 4. Meaning of the study: possible mechanisms and implications
    • 5. Unanswered questions and future research

(Rogerio, F.V., Renan Cardoso, d.L., & Eduardo Seiti, G.M. (2019). How to write the discussion section of a scientific article. Acta Scientarium.Agronomy, 41. https://doi.org/10.4025/actasciagron.v41i1.42621)

Suggested Books for Scientific Writing