Anatomy of a Research Paper

The IMRaD structure: Title and Abstract — Your first filter. The title tells you the topic and often the study design. The abstract is a miniature version of the entire paper (typically 250-300 words) with background, methods, results, and conclusion. Many readers decide whether to read the full paper based solely on the abstract. Introduction — Answers: 'Why was this study done?' The introduction provides background context, identifies the gap in existing knowledge (the research gap), and states the research question or hypothesis. Read this to understand what problem the authors are trying to solve. Methods — Answers: 'How was the study done?' This is the most important section for critical appraisal. It describes the study design, participants, interventions, measurements, and statistical analysis. A well-written methods section should be detailed enough for another researcher to replicate the study. Results — Answers: 'What did the study find?' Presents the data, typically using text, tables, and figures. Results should present findings without interpretation. Look here for the actual numbers: effect sizes, confidence intervals, and p-values. Discussion — Answers: 'What does it mean?' The authors interpret their findings, compare with previous research, discuss limitations, and suggest implications. This is the most subjective section — authors may overstate or understate findings. Other sections you will encounter: - Acknowledgments and Conflicts of Interest: Important for assessing bias - References: Source for backward citation chasing - Supplementary Materials: Often contains full data, additional analyses, and detailed methods Variations: Systematic reviews use Introduction/Methods/Results/Discussion but with different subsections (search strategy, inclusion criteria, risk of bias assessment). Case reports may use Introduction/Case Presentation/Discussion. Qualitative studies may use Introduction/Methods/Findings/Discussion.