Manuscript Preparation

What is the research paper Results section and what does it do? The Results section of a scientific research paper represents the core findings of a study derived from the methods applied to gather and analyze information. It presents these findings in a logical sequence without bias or interpretation from the author, setting up the […]

With the ever-increasing volume of information available digitally, finding relevant sources has become quite the challenge! To hunt down the articles we want, we use search engines and type in keywords that narrow down results. Keywords, therefore, are essential for filtering the overwhelming amount of resources available. When we use these parameters in a database […]

Research paper abstracts have alwaysplayed a crucial role in explaining your study quickly and succinctly to journal editors and researchers and prompting them to read further. But with the ubiquity of online publication databases, writing a compelling abstract is even more important today than it was in the days of bound paper manuscripts. Abstractsexist to […]

It’s rare that an article is authored by only one or two people anymore. In fact, the average original research paper has five authors these days. The growing list of collaborative research projects raises important questions regarding the author order for research manuscripts and the impact an author list has on readers’ perceptions. With a […]

Steps for Answering Questions in Q&A Sessions Dealing with questions from audience members can be one of the most difficult aspects ofpresenting your research. In addition to the pressure of speaking in front of a crowd of your academic peers, questions can often be difficult to answer for a number of reasons: communication difficulties, lack […]

The Subtle Importance of Voice Construction in Research Writing One decision thatgives pause to thousands of beginning researchers is whether to use the active or passive voice in their research papers. You may have been taught in school that you should always use the active voice, especially when giving speeches and when writing fiction or […]

The abstract is perhaps the most important section of your research paper. Apart from the title, it may be the only part of the paper anyone reads. Whetherthey read furtherdepends in part on how good an impression your abstract makes. The abstract may also be the only part of your paper that has a word […]

What is a Medical Case Report Abstract Used For? Medical and clinical case reports (or “clinical vignettes”) are integral inrecording unusual and rare cases of diseases, disorders, and injuries. They provide not only the details of a given case, but also briefly include background and establish the wider significance of a case in the medical […]

Why Does the Research Title Matter? How to title a research paper is perhaps the most important question when writing an article for publication. The research title is the first thing that journal editors and reviewers see when they look at your paper and the only piece of information that fellow researchers will see in […]

What is a Hypothesis? A hypothesis is an attempt at explaining a phenomenon or the relationships between phenomena/variables in the real world. Hypotheses are sometimes called “educated guesses”, but they are in fact (or let’s say they should be) based on previous observations, existing theories, scientific evidence, and logic. A hypothesis is also not a […]

Have you ever been confused about which words to capitalize in the title of your manuscript? You have probably seen titles where only the first word is capitalized (so-called “sentence case”), titles where all words seem to be capitalized (“title case”), and also titles that look like combinations of the two. And you might have […]

A research paper is usually more concise and succinct than an essay, because, if it is written well, it focuses on one specific question, describes the method that was used to answer that one question, describes and explains the results, and guides the reader in a logical way from the introduction to the discussion without going on tangents or digging into not absolutely relevant topics. The conclusion section at the end of a research manuscript should therefore not start with a long-winded repetition of what was done and why and how, but rather get to the point in as few words as possible. Instead of beginning with “In conclusion, in this study, we investigated the effect of stress on the brain using fMRI…”, you should try to find a way to incorporate the repetition of the essential (and only the essential) details into the summary of the key points. “The findings of this fMRI study on the effect of stress on the brain suggest that…” or “While it has been known for a long time that stress has an effect on the brain, the findings of this fMRI study show that, surprisingly…” would be better ways to start a conclusion.