Seven Important Components to Consider when Writing a Research Paper

When writing a research paper or manuscript, there are several important components to keep in mind. A well-written research paper should be easy to follow and understand by your readers. These seven components will make this easier for you to do. This is especially useful if you plan to submit your research article for publication in a journal. Peer reviewers will always check these components to asses whether your article qualifies for publication, so keep them in mind when writing, and also be sure to check them one by one after your first draft.

Structured

Academic writing should follow a structured format. Often, the structure is determined by the type of writing, such as a report (Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion) or an essay (introduction including a thesis statement, bodyparagraphs, and a conclusion). Prior to writing, it is critical to prepare carefully to ensure that the final output is effectively structured, with a distinct emphasis and a logical succession of ideas.

Evidenced

Academic writing requires the backing of evidence for opinions and arguments. Often, the writing will be based on knowledge from subject specialists; as such, it will be necessary to properly reference the material via in-text citations and a reference section/works cited list.

Critical

Academic work does more than simply conveying information. An academic writer must analyse and assess the knowledge they are writing about, or make judgments about it, before deciding whether and how to include it into their own work.

Balanced

Academic writing should take all sides of an issue into account and be free of bias. It is critical for the academic writer to show their viewpoint on a subject, in other words, the validity of their arguments. This can be accomplished by the use of hedges, such as phases such as the data demonstrates… or this could be influenced by…, or with the use of boosters, such as phrases such as plainly or the study indicates.

Academic writing should be precise in order to ensure that the reader gets the message. This involves the use of scientific (i.e. subject-specific) terminology when it expresses the concept more precisely than a comparable non-technical phrase.

Objective

Academic writing is objective; it puts a great focus on the arguments and data than on the writer. As a result, academic writing frequently makes more use of nouns and noun phrases than it does of verbs and adverbs. Furthermore, it tends to favour passive structures over active ones, as in The water was heated rather than I heated the water.

Formal

Finally, academic writing is formal in nature in comparison to informal writing. It regularly uses longer words and more complex phrases, while avoiding colloquial or informal words or idioms that may be used in spoken English. There are some terms and collocations that are more frequently used in academic writing than in non-academic writing, and scholars have established lists to support learners of academic English, including the Academic Word List, Academic Vocabulary List, and Academic Collocation List.