STRUCTURE OF ACADEMIC TEXTS

• The most salient feature of an academic text is that, it is

organized in a specific way. Such text has a clear and well-
defined structure. These qualities of the structure make it
easier for the reader to explore the text so that one can fully
grasp the message it tries to convey. This particular structure
must be clear on all levels of the academic text such as the
whole text, each section of the text, every paragraph, and
even every sentence that makes up the text.
 STRUCTURE OF ACADEMIC TEXTS
• For example, most academic texts in science utilize the IMRAD model. The
acronym stands for Introduction, Methods and Materials, Results, and
Discussion. The illustration below explains the IMRAD structure.
 INTRODUCTION
• The introduction of the text must start with something much more
general than your research questions. It is often said that the
introduction should be shaped like a funnel (as it is in the imrad
model above) – that means that you should start in a broad and
general manner and then gradually zoom in on your own specific
and narrow topic. The text needs to start with something that your
reader can relate to, and something that shows what field your
research will contribute to, and how.
 INTRODUCTION
• Please note that the introduction may also be called background.
Sometimes the two terms are used for the exact same thing, but
sometimes there is a difference. There may be a short introduction
that raises interest which is followed by a more extensive
background section. Sometimes your instructions specify what
parts your thesis or assignment should include, and what should be
included in each part – but if not, you could ask your teacher. If
you are writing a thesis you can also examine previous theses from
your field in order to get an idea how they normally look.
 BODY

• The ideas, concepts and results are discussed in the

body of the academic text. The writer must make it a
point to develop and organize ideas that absolutely
support the article’s argument or stance. Keep in mind
to make your sentences unified, coherent and cohesive
so as to give a good, well-written article to the readers.
 Methods and Materials
• In this particular section, you don’t have to tell your reader exactly how
you have conducted your study. Instead, you have to discuss about
what you have done in order to accomplish your aim and to address
the research questions.
• Foremost, your reader must understand what did you do to get the
results, and that secondly, they will be given the opportunity to
conduct the same study, if the reader is interested in doing so. This
particular section focuses on what you actually did in your study as
well as the account for the choices you made, when needed.
 RESULTS
• In this particular part, it is relevant that you present the results in an
objective way. You do not make any interpretation here since
interpretation is done in the discussion part.
• Using graphical aids like tables, charts, and other illustrations can
definitely aid readers in understanding the result. These illustrations,
however, must be clearly linked to your text. Hence, your tables, charts
and other illustrations must be understood by the reader even without
reading the text.
 DISCUSSION
• This is now the interpretation of the results. This requires you, as the researcher,
your in-depth analysis, assessment, and explanation of the results obtained from the
study. That is, you just don’t write something about you have done; instead, you
write and analyze what you have researched. A common outline of the
discussion is the following:
• The first paragraph reminds your reader about the aim, preferably hinting at how
you will contribute to the field. Then you briefly account for the most important
parts of your results, perhaps linking them to your hypothesis if you have one.
• The rest of the discussion should analyze and discuss your results. It may be helpful
to keep the following questions in mind:
 DISCUSSION
• •What do your results mean?
• •How do they relate to previous research? What are the reasons for potential
differences between your study and previous research? What do potential similarities
indicate?
• •How may your method have affected your results?
• •What are the strengths and weaknesses of the study? How do they affect your
results?
• •How are your results important to future development? What are the clinical
implications, for example?
• •What kind of research is needed in the field in the future, and why?
 CONCLUSION
• This is an expression of the fulfillment of your aim and what you have found
in your study. This provides you the opportunity to assess whether all parts
of your academic writing are interrelated with one another. This is a
reassurance that you have done what you intended to do.
• Conclusion is not a brief repetition of your results; it is expressing the
implications of your study.
• However, accounting for what you have found in your study does not mean
that you can or even should say anything for sure – clear conclusions cannot
often be drawn from a small study, if ever. Focus instead on what your results
may imply – and it rarely hurts to note that more research is needed.