Anatomy of a Research Article

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As mentioned previously, we will be focusing here on empirical research articles, which are quite different in structure from other genres such as state-of-the art reviews, letters, or brief notes. Apart from the humanities and some social sciences disciplines, the anatomy of a typical empirical paper is similar across fields. Most articles will contain an Abstract, Introduction with a combined or separate Literature Review, a Methods section, Results with a combined or separate Discussion, and an optional Conclusion.

In most cases, the structure is associated with an hourglass shape, meaning that the content progresses from general to specific and then specific to general. There is variability, however, from article to article and journal to journal. Let’s take a look at some of your section options.

• • Introductions begin with a broad focus to gain your readers’ attention by expressing interest or value in your topic. Here, you also begin your research argument by expressing the problem, gap, or lingering questions or hypotheses in the field. You should also include information about your present work, like your purpose statement.
  • Methods, or its equivalent, establish credibility for the results by illustrating the rigor of your research design. In some disciplines, the Methods section comes at the end of the Discussion. Oftentimes, the section is renamed Procedures or Experimental Design.
  • Results, in their simplest form, provide an objective report of the findings. A pure Results section is most common when outcomes are straightforward or short in length.
  • Results and Discussions are often combined. This combination is most typical when the Results are complex and require immediate discussion to assist the reader with comprehension. In other cases, one set of results may need to be discussed before the next set of results can be understood. Sometimes, combining these sections is the norm in the field and done regardless of the nature of the study. Although it’s common to see Results and Discussions sections together, there are some instances when each result is followed immediately by the relevant discussion, making up multiple Results and Discussion subsections.
  • Discussions, often combined with the Conclusion, start with a similar breath and focus as your results but then broadens its emphasis to address wider issues beyond the study. This is the bigger picture, and it should tie back to the starting point in the paper—the Introduction.
  • Conclusions, when written as an isolated section, not only provide a summary of key take-home messages but may offer statements of value (e.g., general contributions, implications, applications), study limitations, and future suggestions.

To determine the structure of your paper, it’s important to analyze articles in your field. Take some time to find several model articles in your target journal. Model articles may be representative of a similar research topic, or it may be a model because of the quality of writing or the quality of the research as a whole. You may also determine that different models hold different purposes. Maybe one article is a model for your Methods while another is a great model for your Results. Complete the activity on the next page to get started.