Parts of a Journal Article

Once you go through the process of conducting a research project, it is critical that you share your findings with others through submission of your work to a scholarly journal.  The following video, “Understanding Scholarly Journal Articles”, provides an introduction to the process of writing a journal article for submission.  The video discusses the purpose of publication, how scholarly journals differ from other publications, the steps in the publication process, the parts of basic journal article, and tips on writing.

 While academic disciplines vary on the exact format and style of journal articles in their field, most articles contain similar content and are divided in parts that typically follow the same logical flow.   Research papers are organized so that the information flow resembles an hourglass in that it goes from general  to specific and then back to general again.  The introduction and literature review section will introduce the problem and provide general information. The methods and results will provide specific, detailed information about this research project and the discussion/conclusion will discuss the findings in a larger context. The following section will describe each of these parts in more detail:

Title

The title should be specific and indicate the problem the research project addresses using keywords that will be helpful in literature reviews in the future.

Abstract

The abstract is used by readers to quickly review the overall content of the paper.  Journals typically place strict word limits on abstracts, such as 200 words, making them a challenge to write.  The abstract should provide a complete synopsis of the research paper and should introduce the topic and the specific research question, provide a statement regarding methodology and should provide a general statement about the results and the findings.  Because it is really a summary of the entire research paper, it is often written last.

Introduction

The introduction begins by introducing the broad overall topic and providing basic background information.  It then narrows down to the specific research question relating to this topic.  It provides the purpose and focus for the rest of the paper and sets up the justification for the research.

Methods

The methods section will describe the research design and methodology used to complete to the study.  The general rule of thumb is that readers should be provided with enough detail to replicate the study.

Results

In this section, the results of the analysis are presented.  How the results are presented will depend upon whether the research study was quantitative or qualitative in nature.  This section should focus only on results that are directly related to the research or the problem. Graphs and tables should only be used when there is too much data to efficiently include it within the text.  This section should present the results, but not discuss their significance.

Discussion/Conclusion

This section should be a discussion of the results and the implications on the field, as well as other fields. The hypothesis should be answered and validated by the interpretation of the results.  This section should also discuss how the results relate to previous research mentioned in the literature review, any cautions about the findings, and potential for future research.

References/Bibliography

The research paper is not complete without the list of references. This section should be an alphabetized list of all the academic sources of information utilized in the paper.  The format of the references will match the format and style used in the paper.  Common formats include APA, MLA, Harvard and so forth.

Following is a list of several resources that will provide additional information:

• Parts of a Research Paper
• Sample Research Paper  - APA Style
  
• How to Avoid Plagiarism Tutorial
  

Writing the Introduction

The Introduction is your opportunity to make a good first impression.  It should make the readers want to read the rest of your article.  The Introduction should begin by presenting the research question or problem.  It should then move one to establish the context for the research by describing the significance of the research and  where it fits within the existing body of knowledge. Finally, the introduction should provide a summary or overview of your position or argument.  You will rely heavily on the literature you reviewed in Week 2 and your outline to guide you as a you write a draft of your introduction.

Following are several sources that provide more information about writing an effective introduction.  Use these resources, along with your outline from your literature review to begin drafting your Introduction using the "Background of the Problem and Gap" section of the Literature Review Outline..

• Structuring the Research Paper (includes sample introduction)
• Sections of a Paper - Writing the Introduction
• Strategies for Writing an Effective Introduction

*A note about the feedback you will receive in this program:  Starting with this module, the next several weeks will contain writing assignments as you begin to draft your manuscript.  Keep in mind that every discipline and journal has its own guidelines and nuances regarding specific writing guidelines.  Therefore, your feedback in this program will be general in nature and designed to make sure you are on the right.  The feedback here also will not comment on research methodology or details of  your project because that is best left to others in your field.  In week 7, you will be asked to find a colleague in your field to critically review a draft of your manuscript and provide that level of discipline-specific feedback.