37.3 Article structure

Many scientific papers have these (or similar) sections, though it varies a lot by discipline:

Title and authors.
Abstract: A summary of the whole paper, without details.
Introduction: Why was the study done, and what was hoping to be achieved?
Materials and method: How was the study done?
Results: What was found?
Discussion (or Summary, or Conclusions): What does it mean?
References (or Bibliography).

Often the acronym AIMRaD or IMRaD is used to help recall these sections. These components capture certain parts of the six-step research process in this book (Fig. 37.1).

The connection between the paper and the steps we have studied. The Abstract briefly covers all aspects of the study, and the Discussion combines elements from all areas also.

FIGURE 37.1: The connection between the paper and the steps we have studied. The Abstract briefly covers all aspects of the study, and the Discussion combines elements from all areas also.