How to Write and Publish Your First Research Article

Scholars and academic researchers are well-acquainted with the process of writing a research article. Countless hours, days, and even years’ worth of experiments and data-gathering condensed in a few pages. So, now you wonder how do they do it? And if you’re looking to publish a research article but don’t know where to start? Let this article guide you on the 12 steps to writing and publishing your research paper.

1. Conduct Your Research

Don’t wait until your experiment or investigation is done. After all, certain variables or factors may change during this time. So, doing this simultaneously will help you assess if modifications are needed. Plus, by doing this, you also get a head start with all the ideas you need for writing the bulk of your research. Furthermore, by doing this, you can also gather information for your literature review, which is an integral part of your research article.

2. Find a Journal or Publication

Early on in the research article writing process, you already have to find a journal or publication. It might be overwhelming to do this alongside other tasks. But, determining where you can publish will help you in writing the content of your research article. Different journals may have different writing standards and formats. So, you should have your choices before writing the bulk of your paper. 

Other than that, Niamh Brennan wrote that your paper should be aligned with the journal’s standards. Not only that but the topics it discusses as well. You want to make sure you cite sources there, and your paper can become a source for others too.

3. Create Figures or Tables

Once your experiment or data gathering process is over, you should work on this before writing the other parts of your research. As most scholars and researchers point out, your data is the most vital part of your research article. So, it’s only logical you should work around the information you collected and gathered. As the University of Nebraska-London recommended, you should produce the figures and tables before outlining your research.

One other thing to note is you should prepare the methodology section at this time as well. It’s best that you jot down your whole methodology as the experiment is ongoing. This way, you won’t miss any step that led you to your results.

4. Produce an Outline for Your Research Article

You must have heard this acronym before: IMRAD. The acronym stands for:

• Introduction
• Method
• Results (And)
• Discussion

That’s the most basic structure of any research paper. Many scholars and academic research have relied on this format. Of course, other than that, you should have a reference page at the end. In some cases, you can also add a conclusion if the journal calls for you to write it.

5. Proceed with the First Draft

Once you prepared the figures for your research article and the outline, you can start writing your paper. Your preliminary research should already include most of the load of your research paper. This way, you and your research team can find other sources if needed.

The most logical step after writing your results would be the discussion. It’s in this section when you need to explain the results of your paper.

Some tips to remember when writing the first draft:

• Write for the audience – in writing, you should always keep your audience in mind at all times.
• Use active voice – it’s the best practice in most academic research papers, so this should be consistent at all times. Plus, it helps convey ideas better.
• Go straight to the point and make it clear – once again, citing Brennan, you should keep it concise and clear. Don’t beat around the bush or add fillers.

6. Craft a Title and Abstract and Provide Keywords

This one generates debate because you can write a title or an abstract either at the start of the writing process or at the end. Most would prefer writing it at the end since many have difficulty producing a title and abstract. After all, the most important aspects of your paper are the results and discussion. Plus, it’s much easier to create an abstract once you have most of your data and research.

Other than that, you should also provide keywords for your research article. Since most research articles are published digitally, keywords increase the chances of your research paper being found by fellow scholars and readers online. Make sure that the keywords are related to your paper. Springer recommends that you must be specific with keywords. So, readers and scholars can easily find your article.

7. Proofread Your Work

Before you publish your work in a journal, you must review and proofread it. After all, in most peer-reviewed journals, you will notice that most of them are well-written. Plus, most, if not all, are free from any typographical errors. You can hire an editing service to do the proofreading.

If you get the chance, ask another person to provide feedback on your work. It’s better to get a fresh set of eyes, someone who’s not involved in the writing process but knowledgeable about the topic. This prepares you to know what reviewers may point out.

8. Do Final Checks

Before submitting your article for initial submission, you should ensure that all the information needed is included in your article. While this checklist applies to the Journal of Young Investigators, you can model a list based on this and tailor it to where you’ll submit your publication.

9. Submit Your Research Article

It’s finally time to submit your research article. Make sure that you have all the complete information. After all, you don’t want to present something that would cost your approval. Once you submit your article, there’s no more turning back. At this time, all you can do is wait.

10. Wait for the Review

Your research article will undergo a review or a series of reviews in most peer-reviewed and reputable journals. It can be daunting that your manuscript may not pass an initial evaluation. But you don’t have to fret over rejection immediately. You might get another chance to submit your research article in another journal. In some instances, known publishers such as Nature Research or Elsevier have a transfer service where you can have an opportunity to publish it in a different journal.

11. Final Revision

If a journal accepts your paper, you might have to revise it one last time before publication. Elsevier says you may follow the advice of the reviewer, or you may write your reasons and justifications for disagreeing in some revision notes.

12. Promote Your Article

If your research article passes all standards and is published by the journal, go ahead and promote your article to fellow experts in the field. Be proud of what you accomplished, so don’t hold back in sharing your article. You (and your team, if you had any) poured your efforts into it, and it deserves to be noticed.