What are the top 5 steps in writing a research paper that you cannot omit? What should you keep in mind while writing a research paper that stands out?
Writing a research paper is often as time-consuming and challenging as organizing and conducting research. You may have a lot of ideas, but unless you are able to articulate them effectively, the point will be lost in translation. Being plagued by doubts about the process and the steps in writing a research paper for journal submission is quite common for authors, even if it’s not their first time doing so. In fact, the 2018 Global Survey Report by Editage reveals that 76% of authors find it difficult when writing a research paper for submission.1
Of course these fears aren’t completely without reason, because data clearly shows that 21% of manuscripts are desk rejected by journals, with another 30% rejected after peer review.1 While this is a large number by itself, top international journals with years of experience tend to have an even higher manuscript rejection rate.
The final decision may not be in your hands, but what you can do, is ensure you deliver top quality manuscripts for journal submission. To break it down for you, we have curated a simple yet effective ‘5 steps in writing a research paper’ guide to match the standards expected by most top journals, which will lend you an edge and help you take the quality of your submission to the next level.
Let’s jump right in!
#1 The Title – Because first impressions matter
The most important among the 5 steps in writing a research paper, is writing an impressive title. The title of your manuscript is the first thing your editor notices. It should be appealing without being too complicated and should clearly convey what the rest of the content is going to be about. Understand that even if your manuscript is published, the title is what will get people to the article via search engines and databases. When writing a research paper title, you may choose to explain with a header and a sub-header or go for brevity and keep it catchy. Here are some ideas on how you can achieve this.
- Simplicity rules: The title should attempt to draw people in, so keep it simple and easy to comprehend. Add the defining factor of your research in the title.
E.g., Studying the Geopolitics of the Eastern Border of the European Union
- Search engine optimization: You may have the best content with you, but unless it is smartly packaged, the reach will be poor. Writing a research paper title using search engine friendly keywords that are popularly used by readers will maximize your reach.
E.g., Digital Image Processing Technique for Breast Cancer Detection
- Declare your findings: If and when writing a research paper that has unearthed some new facts, feel free to put that in the title to catch people’s attention.
E.g., Blockchain is the Answer to Cybersecurity Issues: A Boon to Software Companies
- Use a subtitle: You could also add a subtitle to explain your title, so that potential readers have more information and know what they will be getting from your paper.
E.g., The Rise of Colonialism: An Anthology of 18th Century Colonized Communities
- No full-stops: Never insert a period at the end of your title.
WRONG: The Best Characters in William Shakespeare’s Plays.
RIGHT: The Best Characters in William Shakespeare’s Plays
#2 Journal Guidelines – Your Ultimate Benchmark for Manuscript Writing
The next among the steps in writing a research paper is to follow all journal guidelines while you write your research. Even though your study may potentially be a major breakthrough in your research domain, the fact remains that adherence to your target journal’s author instructions is imperative to increase the chances of manuscript acceptance.
Author guidelines have been drafted to create a semblance of uniformity so that manuscripts are presented in a standard way. One of the key steps in writing a research paper is ensuring that you’ve followed all guidelines advised by your target journal on artwork formatting (captions, size, captions, tables and figures), language (paper word count, keywords, and cover letter), and manuscript structure and style (font, footnotes, line spacing, margins, and hyphenation). Before you begin the key process of writing a research paper, create a checklist of the important guidelines you need to follow; some journals also offer templates that can help.
g on how you present it. Incorrect usage of words, grammar, spelling errors, and flaws in sentence construction create a poor impression and can hamper the acceptance of your paper. According to Peter Thrower, Editor-in-Chief of Carbon, one of the top reasons for rejection is poor language comprehension.1
Therefore, consider editing as a significant step in the list of 5 steps in writing a research paper. Read, edit, and re-edit your paper to ensure it is spotless. A good place to start is by trimming unnecessary words and sentences that don’t add any real value. For instance, the sentence “Brain injury incidence shows two peaks: the rates are the highest in the very young and the elderly” can be edited to simply read as “Brain injury incidence peaks in the very young and the elderly.”2
Moreover, to be considered submission-ready, good scientific writing that comprises of correct use of punctuation, fonts, abbreviations, and grammar among other language guidelines, is a must! In-depth review and checks are highly recommended to enhance the readability of the manuscript. A competent editor is one who has a sound knowledge of the journal requirements, an understanding of what makes a cohesive, well-written manuscript, and relevant subject-matter expertise to review the manuscript effectively.
#3 Manuscript structure – The backbone of your research paper
Before you begin, and often the first step to writing a research paper, is creating a proper outline that allows your ideas to flow well. This is one of the most important steps in writing a research paper, and presents two major advantages:
- It will give you clarity of thought and help you divide your paper and research time accordingly.
- Readers will be able to easily navigate a structured paper with clearly defined sections for abstract, introduction, results, discussion, references, acknowledgments, notes etc.
To sift through the clutter and make the process of writing a research paper simpler, consider using the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure to organize your research into information that can be read and understood easily.
- Introduction: This section is a window to the rest of your paper. Here you will emphasize the significance of your study against the research question you are solving for.
- Methods: In the interest of transparency, this section will highlight how you conducted your research; tools used, techniques applied, the data collection methods, and details about the research environment.
- Results: This section is your crowning glory, where you spell out what your research has unearthed. When writing a research paper results section, be sure to add all your findings, starting from the most significant ones and use visuals such as graphs, tables, and figures to simplify complex data for your readers and highlight the key findings.
- Discussion: After the results have been elaborated on, state what the study implies, disclose whether the hypothesis was supported, make data-based analyses, and share study limitations.
#4 Editing – Chiseling your masterpiece
When writing a research paper, language can be a boon or bane depending on how you present it. Incorrect usage of words, grammar, spelling errors, and flaws in sentence construction create a poor impression and can hamper the acceptance of your paper. According to Peter Thrower, Editor-in-Chief of Carbon, one of the top reasons for rejection is poor language comprehension.1
Therefore, consider editing as a significant step in the list of 5 steps in writing a research paper. Read, edit, and re-edit your paper to ensure it is spotless. A good place to start is by trimming unnecessary words and sentences that don’t add any real value. For instance, the sentence “Brain injury incidence shows two peaks: the rates are the highest in the very young and the elderly” can be edited to simply read as “Brain injury incidence peaks in the very young and the elderly.”2
Moreover, to be considered submission-ready, good scientific writing that comprises of correct use of punctuation, fonts, abbreviations, and grammar among other language guidelines, is a must! In-depth review and checks are highly recommended to enhance the readability of the manuscript. A competent editor is one who has a sound knowledge of the journal requirements, an understanding of what makes a cohesive, well-written manuscript, and relevant subject-matter expertise to review the manuscript effectively.
#5 Plagiarism – The writer’s kryptonite
“There is much difference between imitating a man and counterfeiting him.” Benjamin Franklin hit the nail on the head with this statement. As a last step in writing a research paper, make sure your research is plagiarism free. You may be inspired by a particular subject or author, but that’s where the similarity should end. There’s an ethical code all creators must follow and not stealing a fellow creator’s intellectual property becomes of utmost importance.
Plagiarism, though last in our list of steps in writing a research paper, is a serious crime that can leave a permanent blemish on your reputation as a writer. A statement by the US Office of Science and Technology Policy on research misconduct defines plagiarism as “the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit”.3 Even if it was done unintentionally (accidental plagiarism), not being aware, failing to cite sources, paraphrasing or quoting someone without credit when in the process of writing your research paper can not only lead to straight up rejection, but also spell a lot of legal trouble for you.
Another type of plagiarism is self-plagiarism or redundant publication (also known as duplicate publishing). This is when you quote your previous studies without attributing the original source. Any work that is presented as original, i.e., it is not properly cited is deemed unethical and considered a copyright infringement by the journal. To connect your current study with a previously published paper a clear distinction must be made between original research and data derived from previous studies when writing a research paper.4
Now that we’ve shared some of the most essential steps for writing a research paper, we wish you all the very best. Browse through our other resources to learn more about how to write a research paper. If you are writing a research paper or readying for submission, sign up for the Researcher.Life Essentials Pack, which includes free access to a range of smart tools and services. Use our AI writing assistant to refine the process of writing a research paper then boost your chance of publication success by checking your paper’s submission readiness.
References
- Thrower, P. Eight reasons I rejected your article. Elsevier, 2012. Retrieved from https://www.elsevier.com/connect/8-reasons-i-rejected-your-article
- On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition. NCBI, 2009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK214564/#:~:text=Falsification%20is%20%E2%80%9Cmanipulating%20research%20materials,words%20without%20giving%20appropriate%20credit.%E2%80%9D
