Writing Scientific Research Article

A summary of the book Cargill, M., & O'Connor, P. (2013). Writing scientific research
articles: Strategy and steps. John Wiley & Sons.

Questions included on Referees Evaluation Forms of science journals

1. Is the contribution new?
2. Is the contribution significant?
Content of the paper
3. Is it suitable for publication in the Journal?
4. Is the organization acceptable?
5. Do the methods and the treatment of results conform to acceptable scientific
standards?
6. Are all conclusions firmly based in the data presented?
7. Is the length of the paper satisfactory?
8. Are all illustrations required?
How well the content is said
9. Are all the figures and tables necessary?
10. Are figure legends and table titles adequate?
11. Do the title and Abstract clearly indicate the content of the paper?
12. Are the references up to date, complete, and the journal titles correctly
abbreviated?
13. Is the paper excellent, good, or poor?

Structure of a scientific article-AIMRaD

Starts broad to attract readers
statement of the aim or
purpose of the work
presented in the paper
everything in the article must
relate to and be connected
with the data and analysis
presented in the Results
section

logically connect the

problem with the approach
taken in the work to be
presented

Establish the credibility for the

Results by showing how they
were obtained

The Discussion begins with

the same breadth of focus as
the Results but it ends
at the same breadth as the
starting point of the
Introduction

Other common structure of a scientific article-AIM(RaD)C

The Results and Discussion are

presented together in a single
combined section; each result is
presented, followed immediately
by the relevant discussion
bring the different pieces of
discussion together; it is often
headed Conclusions

Order of Writing a Paper

Results
Methods
Introduction
Discussion
Abstract

Before your start writing..

Answer these three question before you start writing
i.

which data should be included?

ii.

what are the important points that form the story of the paper?

iii. what is/are the take-home message or messages?

Results: the key driver of an article
i.

What do my results say? (two sentences maximum, a very brief summary of

the main points, no background!)

ii.

What do these results mean in their context? (i.e. what conclusions can be
drawn from these results?)

iii. Who needs to know about these results? (i.e. who specifically forms the
audience for this paper you are going to write?)
iv. Why do they need to know? (i.e. what contribution will the results make to
ongoing work in the field? Or, what will other researchers be missing if they
havent read your paper?)

Now, refine your tables and figures so that they present, as clearly and
forcefully as possible, the data that support the components of your story

Presentation of Result
The first reference for style of data presentation is the Instructions to
Contributors/ Author Guidelines provided by the journal
The next best source of information on data presentation style is
articles in recent issues of the journal
Figure or Table or Text
Most Useful

Table

Figure

When working with

number

shape

When concentrating on

individual data values

overall pattern

When accurate or precise

actual values are

more important

less important

Tips for making Figure

maintain 3:2 proportions

boxed when there is relatively little ink in the figure
unboxed if there are numerous lines, bars or columns

Wrong

Right

Checklist for making Figure

Examining data display

Is the overall picture or trend obvious in the way the data are presented?
Could it have been made more prominent?
What comparisons between elements interest you, and does the presentation
type and style make these comparisons easy?
Are the necessary details of datasets presented to allow you to make
calculations from the data?
Does the figure have any of the weaknesses described above and how do
these detract from the telling of the story?

Tips for tables

keep tables free of clutter, define abbreviations in the title or by
using footnotes
dont box tables
Use horizontal lines as separators and space to separate columns

Checklist for tables

Examining data display

Are all data necessary, and are they sorted to make the main results most
prominent?
Is the title descriptive or story-telling? Could a story-telling title be written
for the table?
Are all numbers calculated to the correct number of significant figures and
rounded to show appropriate precision?
Does the table have any of the weaknesses described above and how do
these detract from the telling of the story?

Result sentences
Typical Result sentence should inform
1. highlights the important findings
2. locates the figure(s) or table(s) where the results can be found
3. comments on (but does not discuss) the results
Example of combined highlight and location styles
Measurements of root length density (Figure 3) revealed that the
majority of roots of both cultivars were found in the upper substrate
layers. The response of lucerne root growth to manganese rate and
depth treatments was similar to that of shoots (Figure 2).
Tense to be used in Result description1. Past tense (either active or passive voice) - what was done and
found
2. Present tense - to describe an always true situation

Methods section
Goals
1. Credibility of the result
2. For fellow researchers to replicate the study
Steps
1.Use identical or similar subheadings in the Methods and the Results
sections.
2. use the first sentence of a new paragraph to introduce what you will be
talking about and relate it to what has gone before.
Checklist for writing Methods section
What subheadings are used in the section and How do the
subheadings relate to
1.the end of the Introduction?
2.the subheadings in the Results section?
Is the section easy for you to follow? Why? Or why not?

Language choice in Methods section

Passive Voice- reader has to know who or what carried out the action
Ex. The researchers collected data from all sites weekly
Sound repetitive (or immodest) to use a personal pronoun subject?
For example:
We calculated least significant differences (l.s.d) to compare means.
This may sound more appropriate in the passive:
Least significant differences (l.s.d) were calculated to compare means.

Writing Introduction section

The Writing order for Introduction

1. Begin with Stage 4. Write an aim statement. It is usually the easiest
part of the Introduction to write.
2. Draft Stage 3 next: the gap or need for further work. Stage 3
sentences with words such as however or although, and incorporating
words indicating a need for more research, such as little information,
few studies, unclear, or needs further investigation.
3. Then think about how to begin Stage 1, the setting. Think about your
intended audience and their interests and background knowledge, and
the ideas you have highlighted in your title. Try to begin with words
and concepts that will immediately grab the attention of your
intended readers.
4. Next arrange the information you have collected from the literature
into Stage 2. This is a very important part , do best possible job of
finding the relevant work

Using references in Stages 2 and 3

Information prominent citation The default style
Shrinking markets are also evident in other areas. The wool industry is experiencing
difficulties related to falling demand worldwide since the development of highquality synthetic fibres (Smith 2000).
Author prominent citation style 1
Shrinking markets are also evident in other areas. As Smith (2000) pointed out, the
wool industry is experiencing difficulties related to falling demand worldwide since
the development of high-quality synthetic fibres.
Author prominent citation style 2
Shrinking markets are also evident in other areas. Smith (2000) argued that the
wool industry was experiencing difficulties related to falling demand worldwide
since the development of high-quality synthetic fibres. However, Jones et al.
(2004) found that industry difficulties were more related to quality of supply
than to demand issues. It is clear that considerable disagreement exists about
the underlying sources of these problems.

The Discussion Section

Structure of the Discussion
- Refer journal guidance regarding length, structure allowed
Relating the Discussion closely to the Introduction
- Discussion connects clearly with the issues you raised in your
Introduction
- Stage 3 gap or research niche, and your statement of purpose or main
activity. When the first draft
- go back to the Introduction and check for a close fit.
However, it is not necessary to include in the Introduction all the
literature that will be referred to in the Discussion. It is important not
to repeat information unnecessarily in the two sections.

Checklist of information in Discussion section

A reference to the main purpose or hypothesis of the study, or a summary of
the main activity of the study
A restatement or review of the most important findings, generally in order of
their significance
Whether they agree with the findings of other researchers
Explanations for the findings, supported by references to relevant literature,
and/or speculations about the findings, also supported by literature citation
Limitations of the study that restrict the extent to which the findings can be
generalized beyond the study conditions
Implications of the study (generalizations from the results: what the results
mean in the context of the broader field)
Recommendations for future research and/or practical applications

The Title
Strategy 1: Provide as much relevant information as possible, but be
concise
Strategy 2: Use keywords prominently
Disturbance, invasion, and reinvasion: managing the weed-shaped
hole in disturbed ecosystems
Strategy 3: Choose strategically: noun phrase, statement, or question?
Effects of added calcium on salinity tolerance of tomato
Calcium addition improves salinity tolerance of tomato
Strategy 4: Avoid ambiguity in phrases

Abstract (350 to 500 words)

Why Abstracts are so important
Convince busy readers to take the time to read the whole paper!
Keywords
1. think about your audience and their interests, and try to predict what
keywords they might use to search under
2. similar papers in your field to see which additional keywords they
use
typical information elements in an abstract
1. Some background information
2. The principal activity (or purpose) of the study and its scope
3. Some information about the methods used in the study
4. The most important results of the study
5. A statement of conclusion or recommendation

Analyzing potential target journals

Has the journal published similar work with a similar level of novelty to yours in the last
3 years? Record a yes or no (if no, think carefully before submitting your manuscript
to this journal)
Does the journals scope and the content of recent articles match the main components of
your manuscript, i.e. subject, methods, results? (Write down the main type of papers, e.g.
plant physiology: non-molecular studies)
What is the measure of relative journal quality/impact which is most important to you
and your field of research? Record the score or measure for each journal (e.g. Journal
Impact Factor or Journal Cited Half-Life)
What is the journals time to publication? (This may be on the journals website or
recorded for each article in the journal.) Record the time or a score for fast or slow (e.g.
less than 3 months from acceptance - fast; more than 1 year - slow)
Does the journal have page charges or provide Open Access if you want it
(and can you pay if payment is required)?