How to Organize a Paper: The IMRaD Format

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What is the IMRaD Format?

The IMRaD (often pronounced “im-rad”) format is a scientific writing structure

that includes four or five major sections: introduction (I); research methods (M);
results (R); analysis (a); and discussion (D). The IMRaD format is the most
commonly used format in scientific article and journal writing and is used widely
across most scientific and research fields.

When Do I Use the IMRaD Format?

The IMRaD format is especially useful if you are conducting primary research
(such as experimentation, questionnaires, focus groups, observations, interviews,
and so forth), but it can be applied even if you only conduct secondary research
(which is research you gather from reading sources like books, magazines, journal
articles, and so forth.)
The goal of using the IMRaD format is to present facts objectively, demonstrating
a genuine interest and care in developing new understanding about a topic; when
using this format, you don’t explicitly state an argument or opinion, but rather, you
rely on collected data and previously researched information in order to make a
claim.

How Does the IMRaD Format Work?

 Below, we’ll review the five major sections, with “a” given equal weight to the
other sections.
Note that these five sections should always go in the order listed below:

Introduction: The introduction states the research problem or the question(s) you

intend to address through research. Your introduction would typically include
some variation of the following:

1. Statement of the topic you are about to address

2. Current state of the field of understanding (often, we call this a literature review
and it may even merit having its own section)
3. Problem or gap in knowledge (what we don’t know yet or need to know? what
does the field still need to understand? what’s been left out of previous research?
is this a new issue that needs some direction?)
4. Forecast statement that explains, very briefly, what the rest of the paper will
entail, including a possible quick explanation of the type of research that needs to
be conducted.

The introduction explains why this research is important or necessaryt. Begin by

describing the problem or situation that motivates the researchers. Move to
discussing the current state of research in the field; then reveal a “gap” or
problem in the field. Finally, explain how the present research is a solution to that
problem or gap. If the study has hypotheses, they are presented at the end of the
introduction.

Methods: The research methods section can go any number of different

directions, depending on the type of research you conducted. State the type of
research (Historical Research) and the method (interview method). This section
needs to be very clear, very specific, very detailed, and only focused
on research.  A few tips to make your methods section work well:

1. Discuss about the interview method for clarity and organization.

2. Be very detailed about your process. If you interviewed people, for example,
we need to know how many people you interviewed, what you asked them, what
you hoped to learn by interviewing them, why chose interview over other
 methods, why you interviewed those people specifically (including providing
they demographic information if it’s relevant), and so forth.
3. To stay organized, simply discuss your research method that you used
(interview).

The methods section tells readers how you conducted your study. It includes
information about your population, sample, methods, and equipment. The
“gold standard” of the methods section is that it should enable readers to
duplicate your study. Methods sections typically use subheadings; they are
written in past tense, and they use a lot of passive voice.

Results: The results section is critical for your audience to understand what the
research showed. Use this section to show tables, charts, graphs, quotes, etc. from
your research. At this point, you are building your reader towards drawn
conclusions, but you are not yet providing a full analysis. You’re simply showing
what the data says. (“Table 1: Interview Results“) and that you introduce them
in the body of your text (“As you can see in Figure 1 Table 1, two out of 3
interviewees said that….”)

In this section, you present your findings. Typically, the Results section
contains only the findings, not any explanation of or commentary on the findings
(see below). Results sections are usually written in the past tense. Make sure all
tables and figures are labeled and numbered separately. Captions go above
tables and beneath figures.

Analysis: The analysis section details what you and others may learn from the
data. While some researchers like to combine this section with the Discussion
section, many writers and researchers find it useful to analyze the data separately.
In the analysis section, spend time connecting the dots for the reader. What do the
interviews say about the way employers think about their employees? What do the
observations say about how employees respond to workplace criticism? Can any
connections be made between the two research types? It’s important in the
Analysis section that you don’t draw conclusions that the research findings don’t
suggest. Always stick to what the research says.
Discussion: Finally, you conclude this paper by suggesting what new knowledge
this provides to the field. You’ll often want to note the limitations of your study
and what further research still needs to be done. If something alarming or
important was discovered, this is where you highlight that information. If you use
the IMRaD format to write other types of papers (like a recommendation report or
a plan), this is where you put the recommendations or the detailed plan.

In this section, you summarize your main findings, comment on those

findings, and connect them to other research. You also discuss limitations of
your study, and use these limitations as reasons to suggest additional, future
research.