Prof. Dr.

Khalid
Mahmood
HOW TO WRITE A
JOURNAL ARTICLE
University of
the Punjab

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 ABOUT ME

 Professor of Information Management at University of the

Punjab
 Post-doctoral research fellow at University of California,
Los Angeles, USA
 160+ publications
 Supervised many Ph.D., M.Phil. and master theses
 Worked for many research journals as editor, reviewer
and editorial board member
 Conducted many trainings on research writing and
publishing

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I have prepared this presentation with the help

of many books, presentations and Websites.
I pay my sincere gratitude to all authors,
professors and experts for their efforts and
contributions.
Particular thanks to Professor Barbara Gastel
of Texas A&M University for allowing me to use
her presentations shared on

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 TODAY’S PRESENTATION

 Journal – a channel for research communication

 Preparing to write
 Sources to identify a topic
 Characteristics of a good topic
 Doing the writing
 Types of a journal article
 Structure of a journal article
 Order of reading and writing an article
 How to write:
 Title, authors, abstract, keywords, introduction, literature review,
methods, results, discussion, references, acknowledgement
 Guidelines for research writing
 Ethics in writing
 Revising your work
 Checklist for review of an article
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 JOURNAL – A CHANNEL FOR
RESEARCH COMMUNICATION

Writing up the findings of research into an

article to be published in a scholarly
journal is considered as “the most
common method of scholarly
communication”
34,000+ peer-reviewed journals in late
2014
Publishing 2.5 million articles per year
Growth at 3 percent per year
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 PREPARING TO WRITE

 Remember that you are writing to communicate, not

to impress
 Realize that journal editors and peer reviewers
reading your work want you to do well. The purpose
of their constructive criticism is to help you succeed
 Select a journal for publication
 Use published items as models
 Read journal’s instructions to authors
 Consult a style manual — for example, manuals
made by:
 American Medical Association
 American Psychological Association
 Modern Language Association
 University of Chicago
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 SOURCES TO IDENTIFY A TOPIC

From advisors, students, collaborators

Brainstorming with colleagues
Review papers, listen to research talks
Teach a course/Give a talk: forced to
understand the details and think hard to
prepare for tough questions
Hot emerging fields that could lead to
many publications or easier funding

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TOPIC

Interesting to you
Enhancement of previous research
Areas of weakness in current research
Current trends
Not too broad or too narrow
Workable
Acceptable to the journal editor

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 DOING THE WRITING

Make an outline for your paper

Break down the writing process into steps
Schedule specific times to write
Assign a due date for each step
Make weekly and daily priority lists
Start with whatever part you find easiest
Use word processing to write more
efficiently
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 T YPES OF A JOURNAL ARTICLE
American Medical
Association
 Reports of original data
 Review articles
 Descriptive articles
 Clinical practice guidelines and
consensus statements
 Articles of opinion
 Other – Correspondence, book
reviews, news articles,
conference reports, etc.
American Psychological
Association
 Empirical studies
 Literature reviews
 Theoretical articles
 Methodological articles
 Case studies
 Other – Brief reports,
comments, book reviews, etc.
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 STRUCTURE OF A JOURNAL ARTICLE

IMRaD Format
Introduction: What was the question?

Methods: How did you try to answer it?

Results: What did you find?

and
Discussion: What does it mean?

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 STRUCTURE OF A JOURNAL ARTICLE

Complete Format
Title Results
Authors Discussion
Abstract Conclusion
Keywords References
Introduction Acknowledgements
Literature review Biographical sketch
Methods Appendices

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 ORDER OF READING AND WRITING AN
ARTICLE

People read the sections of research articles

in various orders
You can write the sections in any order
A convenient order to write:
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 Introduction

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 TITLE

First thing which everybody reads

Important in literature searching
The fewest possible words that adequately
indicate the contents of the paper
Should not include extra words, such as “A
Study of” or “Observations on”
Should be specific enough
Generally should not include abbreviations

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 TITLE

Examples of Four Forms

 Nominal
 Relationship of interns’ working hours to medical errors
 Compound
 Treatment effect of dietary fiber on serum phosphorus and
quality of life in hemodialysis patients with constipation: A
randomized controlled trial
 Full sentence
 Full-face helmets provide greater protection in motorcycle
accidents than other helmet designs
 Question
 Do full-face helmets provide greater protection in motorcycle
accidents than other helmet designs?

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 AUTHORS

Criteria for Authorship

 Substantial contributions to the conception or design of
the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of
data for the work; AND
 Drafting the work or revising it critically for important
intellectual content; AND
 Final approval of the version to be published; AND
 Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work
in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or
integrity of any part of the work are appropriately
investigated and resolved.
(International Committee of Medical Journal Editors – ICMJE)
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 AUTHORS

 Often listed from greatest contributions to least, irrespective

of academic status
 Order of the author should be a joint decision of the authors
 A supervisor should be co -author, with the student as first
author, in a paper based on thesis
 Mere possession of an institutional position on its own, such
as Head of the Research team, does not justify authorship
 Field workers, language editors and statisticians are not co -
authors
 Important to list one’s name the same way on every paper
 Also mention institutional af filiation of each author
 Some journals also mention designation and academic
degrees
 Give contact detail of the corresponding author
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 ABSTRACT

 An important part of the paper

 Relatively widely read
 Used to decide whether to read the rest of the paper
 Gives editors, reviewers, others a first impression
 Briefly summarizes the paper
 Usually a single paragraph
 Should be organized like the paper (for example, in sort of a mini-
IMRaD format)
 Some journals use structured abstracts (with standardized
headings)
 Word limit varies from journal to journal (usually 150 – 200 words
for unstructured and 250 words for structured abstracts)

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 KEYWORDS

 3 to 10 keywords
 Selected from the title and abstract
 Can be selected from a standard list
(e.g., Medical Subject Headings –
MeSH)

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 INTRODUCTION

Purposes
To provide background of the study
 In order to help readers understand the paper
 In order to help readers appreciate the importance of
the research
To identify the question(s) the research
addressed
 Sometimes stated as a thesis or hypothesis

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 INTRODUCTION

Contents
Information on importance of topic
Highlights of relevant previous research
Identification of what is lacking in the current
knowledge
Approach you used to fill the gap in knowledge
In some cases, the main findings

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 INTRODUCTION

First paragraph Topic of paper

Literature
Middle paragraphs review

Final paragraph Justification &

road map

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

 Usually a part of ‘Introduction’ but sometimes, a

separate section
 Not a comprehensive review of literature; Only a few
major papers
 Try to use primary sources
 Mostly use past tense
 Arrange mostly in chronological order
 Make logical connections between studies
 Sometime, summary table is useful for comparing
studies

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 METHODS

Purposes
To allow others to replicate what you did
 In order to test it
 In order to do further research
To allow others to evaluate what you did
 To determine whether the conclusions seem valid
 To determine whether the findings seem applicable to
other situations

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 METHODS

Contents
 Describe the context and setting of the study
 Specify the study design
 Describe the ‘population’ (patients, doctors,
hospitals, etc.)
 Describe the sampling strategy
 Describe the intervention, if applicable
 Identify the main study variables
 Describe data collection instruments and procedures
 Outline data analysis methods

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 METHODS

Amount of Detail to Use

For well-known methods
Name of method, citation of reference
For methods previously described but not well
known
Brief description of method, citation of reference
For methods that you yourself devise
Relatively detailed description

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 METHODS

Guidelines
Should be written in past tense
Some journals use subheads
May include tables and figures — for example:
 Flowcharts
 Diagrams of apparatus
 Tables of experimental conditions

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 RESULTS

 The core of the paper

 Report on data collection and recruitment (response rate,
etc.)
 Describe participants (demographic, clinical condition, etc.)
 Present key findings with respect to the central research
question
 Present secondary findings (secondary outcomes, subgroup
analyses, etc.)
 Often include tables and figures
 Should present results but not comment on them
 Some journals, however, combine the Results and the
Discussion

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 RESULTS

Verb Tense: Past

Examples:
 A total of 417 samples were analyzed.
 _____ increased, but _____ decreased.
 The median salary of these surgeons was _____.
 Three of the mixtures exploded.
 This difference was not statistically significant.

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 RESULTS

Tables and Figures

 How much should the information in the text overlap
that in the tables and figures?
 Not extensive overlap
 In general, text should present only the main points from the
tables and figures
 Also include a few of the most important data
 Detail should be clear from the table or figure
 Remember to mention every table and figure in the
text.
 Example: Researchers who attended the workshop published
twice as many papers per year (Table 3).

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 RESULTS

Common Mistakes
 Illogical sequence of data presentation
 Inaccurate data
 Repetition of data
 Misplaced information between the methods and
results sections
 Inappropriate presentation of data – overuse and
abuse of tables and figures
 Attempts to draw conclusions – this should be
covered in the discussion section

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 DISCUSSION

One of the most difficult parts to write,

because have more choice of what to say
Often should begin with a brief summary of
the main findings
Should answer the question(s) stated in the
introduction (or address the hypotheses stated
in the introduction

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 DISCUSSION

Possible Contents
Strengths of the study
 For example, superior methods, extensive data
Limitations of the study
 Small sample size, short follow-up, incomplete data,
possible sources of bias, problems with experimental
procedures
 If the limitations seem unlikely to affect the
conclusions, can explain why

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 DISCUSSION

Possible Contents (cont…)

Relationship to findings of other research —
for example:
 Similarities to previous findings (your own and
others’)
 Differences from previous findings
 Possible reasons for similarities and differences

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 DISCUSSION

Possible Contents (cont…)

Applications and implications — for example:
 Possible uses of the findings in policy and practice
 Relationship of the findings to theories or models:
 Do the findings support them?
 Do they refute them?
 Do they suggest modifications?

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 DISCUSSION

Possible Contents (cont…)

Other research needed — for example:
 To address questions still unanswered
 To address new questions raised by the findings
Sometimes, summary of findings and
recommendations form a separate section as
‘Conclusion’

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 DISCUSSION

Common Mistakes
 Repetition of data presented in the results section
 Incorrect interpretation of the findings
 Importance of results inadequately discussed or
omitted
 Conclusions not supported by findings
 Irrelevant and faulty discussion points
 Failure to identify any weakness
 Omission of key and relevant references
 Explanations are too long or verbose
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 REFERENCES

Purposes
To give credit to others for their work
To add credibility to your work by showing that
you used valid information sources
To help show how your work is related to
previous work
To help readers find further information

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 REFERENCES

Formats
Various formats exist for citation in text — for
example:
 Accuracy of references is important (Day & Gastel, 2011).
 Accuracy of references is important.3
Various formats exist for items in reference lists —
for example:
 Pineda D. 2003. Communication of science in Colombia.
Sci. Ed. 26:91-92.
 Pineda D. Communication of science in Colombia. Sci Ed
2003;26:91-2.

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 REFERENCES

Citation Management Software

Examples: EndNote, Reference Manager,
RefWorks, Zotero
Allows you to keep a database of references
In many cases, provides the citations and
references in the proper format for your target
journal

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A place to thank people who helped with the

work but did not make contributions deserving
authorship
Sometimes the place where sources of
financial support are stated

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GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WRITING

“The preparation of a scientific

paper has less to do with
literary skill than with
organization”
Robert Day

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 GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH WRITING

 Write simply, clearly and concisely

 Use common words
 Follow instructions (and conventions) regarding structure
 Use subheadings to guide readers
 Organize information carefully at all levels
 Provide overviews before details
 Avoid very long paragraphs
 Avoid very long sentences
 Define terms that might be unfamiliar to readers
 Remember to define acronyms
 Avoid the use of passive voice
 Write in the first person (“i,” “we”)

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 ETHICS IN WRITING

 Authenticity (not fabrication)

 Accuracy
 Providing complete data (not only those supporting your
hypothesis)
 Using appropriate statistical procedures
 Originality (Not republishing the same findings)
 Credit
 Citing sources of information and ideas
 Avoiding excessive use of others’ words
 Observing copyright and obtaining needed permissions
 Good treatment of humans and animals
 Disclosure of conflicts of interest 44
 REVISING YOUR WORK

Good writing is largely a matter of good

revising
First revise your writing yourself. Then get
feedback from others and revise more
Consider having a mentor or
volunteer/commercial editor for help
Avoid the temptation to keep revising your
writing forever

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CHECKLIST FOR REVIEW OF AN ARTICLE

1. Does the title reflect accurately the content of the paper?

2. Are the significant words in the title near the beginning to
catch a reader’s attention?
3. Does the Introduction begin with the big issue of
topical/scientific interest and then narrow down to the
specific topic of the paper?
4. Does the Introduction locate the study effectively within
the recent international literature in the field?
5. Does the Introduction highlight a gap that the research
fills, or present a need to extend knowledge in a particular
area? (Does it say why the work was done?)

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 CHECKLIST FOR REVIEW OF AN ARTICLE

6. Does the Introduction end with a clear statement of the

aim/hypothesis of the research or summarize the main
activity of the paper (depending on the field and relevant
journal conventions)?
7. Are the methods, including statistical analysis, appropriate
for the questions addressed and the study conducted?
8. Are the methods given in enough detail to convince a reader
of the credibility of the results ?
9. Do the results provide answers to the questions raised in
the Introduction, or fulfill the objectives given?
10. Are the results presented in a logical order (either similar to
the order of presenting the aims or methods, or similar to
the order in which the Discussion is presented)?

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 CHECKLIST FOR REVIEW OF AN ARTICLE

11. Are all the tables and figures needed to tell the stor y of the paper?
Could any be combined or deleted?
12. Do all the tables and figures stand alone? (i.e., can reader s
understand them without going back to read the text of the paper?)
13. Does the Discussion begin with a reference to the original aim/
hypothesis/ question?
14. Are the results compared with other relevant findings from the
literature? Are you aware of any other comparisons that could be
made? Are appropriate explanations/ speculations included about
reasons for obser ved similarities, dif ferences, and other outcomes?
15. Are appropriate statements made about the wider significance of the
results, their limitations, and/or their implications for practice
and/or future research directions?
16. Does the paper end with an appropriate concluding paragraph or
section that emphasizes the key message(s) and their significance to
the field?
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 CHECKLIST FOR REVIEW OF AN ARTICLE

17.Is the list of references complete (all the works in the list are
referred to in the paper, and all the works referred to in the
paper are in the list)?
18.Are the reference list and in-text references formatted
accurately and in the right style for the target journal?
19.Does the Abstract include all the information required by the
journal, and does it highlight appropriately the key results and
their significance?
20.Does the Abstract adhere to the word limit and follow the
prescribed format of the target journal?
21.Are the selected keywords those that will best allow the article
to be located by the full range of its prospective readers?
22.What additional comments do you have for strengthening the
paper?

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Good
luck
for
your
writing
career!

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