Writing research papers is an art that each researcher and academic needs to master. In this article, I share the “why, what and how” of writing papers!

Reading research papers is the bread and butter of each researcher and academic, regardless of the field of study. And why is this? Well, that’s because papers published in academic journals are the primary source of NEW and ORIGINAL knowledge that we, as researchers, use to share our key findings with others. 

Before I started my PhD, I knew that academic papers exist and, more or less, knew where to find them. But I had no idea how to write a paper and publish it in a peer-reviewed journal.

My first couple of months as a PhD researchers were really painful. With the pressure to write scientific papers we all experience, my work was initially rejected by the journals, even though I thought the major findings in my work advance my scientific field. 

It wasn’t until my 2nd year as a PhD student when I got a grasp of academic writing and the publication process, after several rejections and major revisions of my work. But this helped me to appreciate the work that one needs to put into the writing process and paper development process. I don’t intend to brag, but this understanding helped me publish 43 research papers in prestigious journals and achieve the h-index of 22 over the past 5 years. Want to read my research on technologies that enable green energy transition? Here’s my Google Scholar profile.

Today, I want to help those at the very beginning of their academic journey by sharing my reflections on the fundamentals behind writing high-quality scientific papers. Let’s get started! 

Why is writing a research paper important?

Regardless of the topic of your research project, you must have heard that you should share your findings in the form of research papers. I’m not saying about the peer pressure or the “publish or perish” culture here. Just genuine need to share your results with others. But do you know what is the significance of a research paper and why we need to write it in the first place? 

We write scientific papers to share our findings and new knowledge that we created in our research. By sharing your work in this form, you obtain external validation. A kind of quality stamp. It’s because your work has been peer-reviewed by experts in your research field and you’ve undertaken a revision process to further enhance the quality of your work. 

Publishing your work in academic journals is also seen as the “golden” standard in academia. It’s usually used as a significant part of your track record when you apply for grants, positions or promotions. 

What is the purpose of a research paper?

Although many would have thought that we write papers for the sake of writing papers and academic progression, I still believe the true purpose of each scholarly paper is to advance the understanding of the world we live in and push the boundaries of our knowledge. 

Each article must present novel and original research. That’s usually different from other types of content, such as white paper or policy briefing paper. That is why I always start writing my papers by specifying a clear purpose of that piece of work. I ask myself my work advances and builds on previous knowledge and how I can clearly demonstrate this in my paper – try this when writing your next paper!

What are the basic parts of a research paper?

Regardless of the research area you work in, there are 5 parts in a research paper. The paper format may differ slightly at different journals and publishers, but by large, each academic research paper will comprise an introduction, methods and materials, results, discussion and conclusion sections. 

Each of these sections has a specific purpose and once you understand what to include in each section, writing research papers will become much easier. So what’s the purpose of each part? Here’s an overview: 

• introduction – this section aims to provide the relevant background and rationale for your work, as well as specify its novelty and contribution;
• methods and materials – this section aims to provided details of your methodological approach to your research and data analysis;
• results – this section aims to present the key results you produced in due course of your research 
• discussion – this section aims to share your reflections on your results and benchmark the new knowledge with the previous knowledge, and define any practical application of your work
• conclusion – this section aims to present a concise summary of the main findings of your work

How do you write a research paper?

I encourage you to start writing academic papers as early in your research as possible. Scientific writing is a crucial skill that you need to polish throughout your academic career. So how do you actually write a research paper? 

Most of us already possess good writing skills and writing ethics. What does this entail?

I noticed in my work and the work of my students that our papers are much better if we have a clear idea of what each paper is about and what its novelty is. So before you start writing, make sure you clarify these, as it will help you maintain focus. 

Then, write the paper outline, using the generic paper format above. By doing this you’d make sure that you include all relevant information, but also ensure a logical flow of information. Remember, a logical sequence of results and discussion is important to make sure readability of your work. 

How do I write a good research paper? 

This will definitely vary from area to area, but if I were to give a piece of universal advice that will be broadly applicable on how to write a good research paper, I’d say that all parts of your research article should revolve around and support the novelty and originality of your work. If you structure your manuscript around a single idea reflecting the novelty of your work, the message that you present will make much more impact. This is because your paper will be much easier to understand by your readers and they’ll be more likely to use your work.

So regardless if you convert your undergrad or postgrad dissertation into a research paper, or if you’re writing research papers as a part of your PhD or postdoc, your work needs to be original and novel to be published in a scholarly journal. 

Having said that, I want to emphasise the importance of ethics in publishing. Ensure that you avoid any plagiarism, including accidental plagiarism and mosaic plagiarism, and present work that you and the team of your co-authors contributed to.  Also, do not submit your work for consideration to more than one journals at once or do not try to publish the same paper in several different journals. 

A final word…

Writing scientific articles is an art that each researcher and academic needs to master to share their research with the academic community. It’s important to understand the importance and purpose of academic publishing early in the academic career. That’s why in this article, I decided to share my reflections on the key questions that early-career researchers often ask me. 

Have you recently published a research article? Share it with us on LinkedIn (@MotivatedAcademic) – we’ll repost it to our network of >10,000 professionals and academics! Use this opportunity to get your research the visibility it deserves!