IMRAD

Structure and Format

Introduction
Materials/Methods
Results
and
Discussions
 This is the structure of papers in
scientific journals
 This format is used in technical
disciplines and social sciences
 There are just slight differences in the
presentation of sub-sections under each
major section
 The INTRODUCTION
1. The nature and scope of the research
problem
2. The review of pertinent literature
3. The method of investigation used in the
literature with the rationale
4. The key results and conclusions of
these literature
 Sub-Sections of the
Introduction (USL Format)
1. Background/Rationale of the Study
2. Statement of the Problem
3. Objectives of the Study
4. Research Questions and Hypotheses (if any)
5. Literature Review
6. Research Framework that leads to the
Research Paradigm
7. Significance of the Study (to the body of
discipline and to practice)
 Tips in Writing the
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1. How can you grab the reader’s attention?
(Why is this research topic important? Of
interest?)
2. What work has been done on the topic so far?
(Cite most relevant literature)
3. What is the gap in literature/problem of
previous research?
4. What solution (or step toward a solution) do
you propose? (Briefly describe research
question(s), hypothesis, general research
method
 Tips in Writing the
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
This section should be brief and get right to the
point. A useful guide is the following:
Paragraph one: general introductory statements
on the topical area
Paragraph two: specific background pertinent to
the conduct of the study
Paragraph three: the reason for this study; the
hypothesis to be tested
Note: In the end, the discussion of the background of
the study should logically lead to the Statement of the
Problem.
 Research Case
Influences of Psychological Well-being,
Quality of Caregiver-patient Relationship,
and Family Support on the Health of
Family Caregivers for Cancer Patients in
Taiwan

By:
Pi-Ming Yeh et. al
Asian Nursing Research, December 2009, Volume 3, No. 4
 Background of the Study
In 2007 alone, 1.4 million patients were newly
diagnosed with cancer in the United States (American
Cancer Society, 2007). Cancer is also a prevalent disease
in Taiwan, where it was the leading cause of death from
1982 to 2006. For instance, the number of deaths
resulting from malignant neoplasm increased from 16,
559 in 1986 to 37, 998 in 2006 (DOH in Taiwan, 2008).

The disease process of cancer causes changes in

patients that affect not only the patient himself/herself,
but also his/her family caregivers. Cancer can cause
changes in patient’s functional ability, bodily functions,
appearance, employment status, family and social role,
and self-image (Kim & Kwon, 2007; Miaskowski et al.,
2006). All these changes have an impact on the lives of
family caregivers, as the patient may become
dependent on them for daily activities.

Furthermore, the role of family care-giving for

terminally ill patients has become an increasing
concern in populations worldwide as these
populations age (Miaskowski et. al, 2006). Thus,
understanding the factors (psychological well-being,
quality of caregiver-patient relationship, and family
support) that influence family caregivers’ health has
become critical in addressing this concern.
 Statement of the Problem
How does family caregivers’ psychological
well-being, quality of the caregiver-patient
relationship, and family support influence
their health when providing care to a
hospitalized family member with cancer ?
 Objective of the Study
The purpose of this study is to examine
the influences of family caregivers’
psychological well-being, quality of the
caregiver-patient relationship, and
family support on their health when
providing care to a hospitalized family
member with cancer.
 Research Questions
1. What is the relationship between the family
caregivers’ psychological well-being and
their health?
2. What is the relationship between the
quality of family caregivers’ personal
relationship with the cancer patient and
their health
3. What is the relationship between the family
caregivers’ family support and their health?
4. How much can the above three factors
predict the family caregivers’ health?
 Significance of the Study
This study will shed light on factors
influencing the health of family
caregivers, and provide useful
information for nurses and family
members caring for cancer patients. It
will serve as basis in developing a
systematic approach or policies to help
alleviate the burden of care-giving.
 Brief Review of Literature
presented in themes
 Care-givers’ psychological well-being
and impact on health
 Quality of care-givers’ relationship
and impact on health
 Family support and impact on health

(from research literature, that is, from journals

and other refereed research publications)
 Synthesis of Review
(Research Framework)
Existing literatures indicate that psychological well-being, quality
of caregiver-patient relationship and family support have an
impact in family caregivers’ health.

Psychological
well-being

Quality of
Family caregiver
caregiver-patient
health
relationship

Family support

Figure 1. A conceptual model of factors influencing a family caregiver’s health

 Research Hypotheses
Better psychological well-being, better
quality of caregiver-patient
relationship and family support are
associated with better health in family
caregivers
(Materials and) Methods
 How was the data generated/collected?
 Were results generated/collected
consistent with acceptable practice?
 Were methods appropriate with the
objectives of the study?
 What analytical methods (methods of data
analysis) were applied
 Tips in Writing the
Methods Section
• You expect readers to be those in your field so
avoid unnecessary explanation of common
procedures
• For experiments, provide all materials and
procedures which the reader can do on his/her
own to replicate the study for the purpose of
validating your findings.
• This section is supposed to be a narrative
description not a recipe.
• For experiments, use natural chronology.
 Sub-Sections under “Design
and Methods (USL format)
 Methods: What method/s is/were used?
How? Why these methods? For experimental
method, specific design should be discussed.
 Activities and procedures that were
undertaken to answer the research questions
and to attain the objectives?
 Population/sample: Where? Who is/are
included? Why? How were they selected?
 Materials: What materials were utilized?
 Data analysis: How were the data analyzed?
METHOD (Research Case)
Research Design
The descriptive - correlational design will be used to examine the
relationships between family caregivers’ psychological well-
being, quality of caregiver-patient relationship, family support,
and their health in caring hospitalized cancer patients.

Participants
A sample of primary caregivers of hospitalized cancer patients
will be recruited in the oncology room, the general medical and
surgical rooms at a medical university hospital in Taiwan. They
will be selected based on the following criteria: aged over 18;
ability to read and write Chinese; assumption of primary
responsibility for providing care to the patient in the hospital for
at least 5 day per week and at least 6 hours per day; ability to
provide care for the patient with at least one of the ADLs.
Research Instrument
The Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS; Ryff, 1989) will
be used to measure caregivers’ psychological well-being.
The questionnaire will assess the six concepts which
include autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life,
personal growth, positive relations with others, and self-
acceptance. The items will be scored on a 6-point Likert
scale ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (6) strongly
agree. Higher scores indicate better psychological well-
being.

The Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA; Given et al.,

1992) will be used to measure the quality of caregiver-
patient relationship, family support, and impact on health.
It is a 24-item questionnaire consisting of five subscales:
caregiver’s esteem, lack of family support, impact on
health, impact on schedule, and impact on finances …
Procedure
Approval from the Institutional Review Board of the
Chung Shan Medical University and the Chung Shan
Medical University Hospital in Taiwan will be
sought. Once approved, the investigators will
identify and contact caregivers in the hospital who
met the study criteria, explain the purpose of the
study, and request their consent to complete the
questionnaires. Data on the psychological well-being,
quality of caregiver-patient relationship, family
support, and health of family caregivers will be
collected. All information in this study will be kept
anonymous and confidential.
Data Analysis
Data analyses will be conducted using
SPSS version 19. Descriptive statistics
will be used to describe the study
sample. Pearson’s product moment
correlation and multiple regression
analysis will be used to analyze the
predictor variables and impact on
health.
The APA Format
 What is APA?
It stands for American Psychological
Association
It is the most commonly used formats for
journal manuscripts (especially in the
social sciences and technical disciplines
APA regulates stylistics, in-text citations,
references (list of all sources used in the
paper)
 APA Stylistics – Basics
1. Use 3rd person point of view rather than
using the first person point of view
Example:
The study showed that ….
NOT
I found out that…
 APA Stylistics – Basics
2. Use the active voice rather than the
passive voice
Example:
The participants responded…
NOT
The participants have been asked…
APA Stylistics –
Language
1. CLEAR: Be specific in descriptions and
explanations
2. CONCISE: Condense information when
you can
3. PLAIN (CLARITY): Use simple,
descriptive adjectives and minimize the
figurative language
 APA General Format
1. Be typed, double spaced
2. On standard sized paper (8.5”x11”)
3. With 1” margin on all sides
4. In 10-12 pt. Times New Roman or a
similar font
5. Include page header (short title & page
number) in the upper right hand of
every page
Manuscript Major Sections
1. Title Page
2. Abstract
3. Main Body (IMRAD)
4. References
5. Appendices (USL Faculty
Research and Thesis &
Dissertation)
GENERAL TIPS
• Is your problem not having a problem to
research on? You do not know what
disciplinal or discipline-based research is all
about?
Answer? Read research journals in your
discipline. At the last part of the “D”
portion are recommended researches. If
you read the latest versions of these
journals you are even sure these researches
shall be NOVEL
GENERAL TIPS
• For a start, read locally published research
journals of top Universities in the country
(UP, DLSU, ADMU, UST, Miriam, etc) and
online journals (http://philjol.org)
• Browse foreign research journals
• Use EBSCO online journal as it contains
varied research articles across disciplines and
you are sure these were refereed.