Manuscript Preparation

Why Use In-Text Citations? When writing a journal article, literature review, convention paper, or any other academic document, authors must include in-text citations whenever they refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. In addition, every time a work is cited within a paper (in APA style, a parenthetical citation), a corresponding entry must […]

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 […]

Different style guides have different rules regarding the formatting of headings and subheadings in a paper, but what information you should actually put into your subheadings is a different question and often up to personal taste. Here we quickly summarize general guidelines, different approaches, and what not to do when choosing headings for a research […]

Junior researchers frequently wonder how many references should be included in their research papers. The common response? “As many as you need.” What exactly does that mean? While we admit there are very few hard-set rules regarding this issue, in this article, we will try to provide more concrete guidelines that will help you assess […]

Our journal manuscript series has covered the various sections of a scientific article according to the order in which we recommend you write them (Figures,Methods section,Results section,Discussion section, and Conclusion section). In this second-to-last installment, we’ll talk about the Introduction and how to draft it in a way that intrigues your readers and makes them […]

What are citation and citation styles? A citation style (or formatting style) is a holistic set of rules and guidelines for creating an academic paper. Different formatting styles give papers a slightly different appearance and structure. This article will discuss several commonly applied formatting styles: Formatting style includes information such as how to format the […]

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. 

What is Academic Writing? Academic writing communicates information and ideas to a narrow or wider academic readership.Academic writing can be descriptive (e.g., a results section), analytical (e.g., a comparison of different theories), persuasive (your own point of view), or critical (when you discuss other peoples’ points of view). This type of writing always has a […]

Acommon writing issue for many authors of essays and research papers is making sure to use parallel structure. In many ways, the English language operates like math. When we string words or phrases together, we must make sure that all parts are of “equal value.” That is, they must all be in the same form. […]

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 […]

We publish because we want to share our knowledge and because we want recognition for our work. We acknowledge people’s ideas and findings by providing citations. Unfortunately, however, the rules regarding this common practice are not always easy to decipher, even for the best of us! We have published a number of other articles that […]

If you are a PhD doctoral or Master’s student approaching graduation, then a large research project, dissertation, or thesis is in your future. These capstone research projects take months if not years of preparation, and the first step in this process is first writing a compelling, organized, and effective research proposal. Check out thekey differences […]