Research Paper Structure: A Complete Guide

The IMRaD structure

IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) is the standard structure for empirical research papers in most scientific disciplines. First adopted in the medical literature, it has spread to virtually all natural and social sciences.

• Introduction: Background, literature gap, research question

• Methods: Study design, participants/data, measures, analysis approach

• Results: Findings presented without interpretation

• Discussion: Interpretation, comparison to prior work, limitations, implications

Abstract (before the body)

The abstract is a self-contained 150–300 word summary covering all five elements: background, objective, methods, results, and conclusions. It appears before the main text but is usually written last. The abstract is what editors read first for desk rejection decisions.

Introduction: what to include

A strong Introduction moves from broad to specific: start with the research area and its importance, narrow to the specific problem or gap in knowledge, then state your research question and approach. End with a brief overview of the paper's structure. The Introduction should not include results, save those for Results and Discussion.

• Research area and significance (1–3 paragraphs)

• Current knowledge and the gap (2–3 paragraphs)

• Your research question and why it matters (1 paragraph)

• Brief overview of the paper's approach (1–2 sentences)

Methods: how to write it

The Methods section must be detailed enough for another researcher to replicate your study. Describe: study design, participants or data sources, measures and instruments, procedures, and analysis methods. Past tense throughout. Methods is not the place for results or justifications of your approach (those go in Discussion).

Results: presenting your findings

Results presents what you found, raw data, analyzed data, statistical tests, without interpretation. Use figures and tables to present complex data. All figures and tables must be referenced in the text. Report results for all research questions stated in the Introduction. Present results in logical order (often mirroring the Methods order).

Discussion: interpreting your findings

Discussion is where you interpret your results and situate them in the broader literature. Start with your main finding, compare it to prior work, explain unexpected results, discuss limitations explicitly, and state implications for the field. Don't introduce new results in Discussion. End with a forward-looking conclusion statement.

Common structure errors

The most common structure issues we detect in manuscripts:

• Missing Discussion or Conclusion section

• Results in the Methods section

• New data introduced in the Discussion

• Introduction that's basically a literature review without a clear research question

• Methods that omit analysis procedures

• Discussion that's just a list of results without interpretation