How to structure your manuscript

Neha A
Neha A
Aug 8, 2017 · 3 min read

Introduction/Background

What did you do and why did you do it?

In order to introduce the research, it is essential to provide the reader with a background of your study. The background explains your research and allows the reader to gain some context of the problem you are trying to solve. Important highlights of this section include a review of recent studies and developments about your research topic. Details of these highlights (or lack thereof) help answer the question as to why you decided to perform this study in the first place. This is also known as the hypothesis.

Methods

How did you do it?

This section is key in your manuscript because it helps gauge the validity of your research by explaining how exactly the experiment was completed. The methods section requires clear and accurate descriptions on how each step of the research was carried out. You as the author need to clarify why certain procedures may have been selected over others based on the hypothesis you are trying to prove. Basically, you should write this section with details of the materials used, which calculations were done, and how the experiment was measured.

Results

What did you find?

In the beginning of your research, you set a hypothesis that stated why you were performing this study in the first place. All of the procedures were selected based on the best way to test this hypothesis. The results section is where you can display the results of your findings and analyze them according to your initial hypothesis. Overall, the introductory section of your results should provide useful points from the background section in order to reorient the reader back to the problem at hand.

Results of your research can be displayed in various ways depending on the type of experiment you performed. Some research is best communicated by using visuals such as relevant tables and charts highlighting the data that was collected. Most authors include these non-textual aspects in this section to further display their key findings.

In order to conclude this section, you must highlight the important points that support your hypothesis that will properly transition into the discussion section of the research paper.

Discussion

What does it mean?

During the discussion section, you as the author must reintroduce the issue at hand and analyze the results and methods used in order to justify your result. A major aspect of the discussion section is adding your own interpretations of the research. Authors choose to write this section based on the best way for the reader to interpret the results. This can be done by breaking the discussion down section-by-section of your research or by simply displaying the results and leading into a lengthy discussion of the experiment.

Conclusion

The conclusion is quite similar to your introduction. In this section, you need to restate your hypothesis and summarize the main points of your research as clearly and concisely as possible. How will this study advance the current state of your field? The conclusion will be wrapping up all of your hard work and research. Although this section is similar to the introduction, the difference lies in applying your research to practical use or even proposing future studies. If it is not clearly refined, then acceptance into journals may be difficult based on inability to judge your manuscript.

How manuscript editing services can help:

Manuscript editing services often provide services that go beyond the basic level of grammar and punctuation corrections and in addition check for the overall flow and consistency of your research paper. Acknowledging the pain points in your manuscript’s structure at an early stage is key and manuscript editing services can identify areas of your manuscript that you have missed. Some manuscript editing services even hire subject-specific experts that are knowledgeable about the topic you are researching. Since these experts understand the research you are presenting, they can advise on the best way to structure your manuscript so your ideas are effectively communicated. A poorly structured manuscript can often be overlooked when it comes to publication and manuscript editing services can help your research stand out.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade