Research papers prepared for scholarly publication generally do the following:
- Pose a question that is answerable and worth exploring - constituting new research or filling a gap in the literature
- Have a clear focus on a topic - the main point of the paper will be an answer to the central question posed
- Review and synthesize existing evidence that is well documented and credited
- Draw conclusions and provide a discussion
- Provide suggestions for further research endeavours
Structure
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) provides guidance on Preparing a Manuscript for Submission to a Medical Journal, including detailed information on structuring your manuscript. As ICMJE notes, articles reporting original research tend to follow the same general "IMRAD" structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
Reporting guidelines
Most study designs have reporting guidelines that will affect the content and structure of your article. For example, PRISMA for systematic reviews and CONSORT for randomised controlled trials. Ensure that your article addresses all items on the relevant reporting checklist. You can find reporting guidelines for various study designs on the EQUATOR Network website.
Impact of article type
The type of article also influences its format, e.g. a meta-analysis will be structured differently to a case report.
Journal requirements
You will also need to consider the individual requirements of the journal that you will be submitting your manuscript to. Check author guidelines for the publications you are submitting to.