How to Write and Publish Research Articles in Journals: Start writing your papers faster!

Summary

Dr. Alana Rister's video outlines four crucial steps for writing research articles: crafting a compelling story, selecting the appropriate journal with its formatting guidelines, writing the article with a focus on introduction and results/discussion sections, and preparing for submission. She offers a scientific research paper checklist to streamline the process.

Takeaways

• 📝 **Create Your Story**: Draft a clear narrative with conclusions and a logical flow of research development.
• 🔍 **Identify the Journal**: Determine the target journal and understand its formatting guidelines to align your paper accordingly.
• 📐 **Follow Formatting Guidelines**: Adhere to citation styles, section headers, and other specific requirements of the chosen journal to avoid unnecessary revisions.
• 📊 **Use Figure Outlines**: Utilize figure outlines to organize results and develop a compelling story that can guide the writing process.
• ✅ **Check Submission Requirements**: Ensure you meet all submission criteria, including word count and supplementary material, to streamline the submission process.
• ✍️ **Write with Purpose**: Craft each section, especially the introduction, with a clear purpose that guides the reader towards understanding and valuing your research.
• 📚 **Lead with the Introduction**: Write an introduction that provides necessary background and context, leading the reader to the significance of your study.
• 📈 **Illustrate Your Story**: Use the results and discussion sections to reinforce the narrative established in your initial story outline.
• 🖋️ **Prepare for Submission**: Edit your article, ensure correct formatting, and prepare all necessary documents like cover letters and figure files before submission.
• 🔎 **Double Check Citations**: Verify all citations are accurate and properly formatted to avoid rejections or requests for revisions.

Q & A

What is the first step Dr. Alana Rister suggests for writing a research article?

The first step is to create your story, which involves having clear conclusions and knowing exactly what you're trying to convey about how the research developed.

How does Dr. Rister recommend creating a story for a research article?

She suggests creating the story through figure outlines, where you lay out different figures of your results and talk through what you're doing based on the figures alone.

What is the purpose of knowing your story before writing a research article?

Knowing your story makes it easier to write the paper and helps in determining where the research fits best in terms of journal submission.

Why is it important to identify the target journal before writing a research article?

Identifying the target journal helps in understanding the formatting guidelines, citation style, section headers, and other specific requirements that can save time and effort in the long run.

What are some of the formatting guidelines Dr. Rister mentions to consider when choosing a journal?

Formatting guidelines include citation style, section headers, whether results and discussion should be combined or separate, and regulations on figures and paper length.

What is the second key point Dr. Rister emphasizes when writing a research article?

The second key point is that the results and discussion sections should illustrate the story created in the first step, guiding the reader through the research findings and their relevance to existing literature.

How does Dr. Rister suggest writing the introduction of a research article?

The introduction should lead the reader to the results, providing background information and reasons why the reader should be interested in the paper, with every sentence serving a purpose.

What is the third step in writing a research article according to Dr. Rister?

The third step is the actual writing of the research article, following the sections outlined by the journal and adhering to their formatting preferences.

What should be included in the preparation stage before submitting a research article?

The preparation stage includes editing the article, ensuring correct format, preparing extra documents like a cover letter, figures as separate files, and checking all citations.

Why is it beneficial to have a scientific research paper checklist according to the video?

A scientific research paper checklist helps in walking through the steps of preparing and submitting a research article, ensuring nothing is missed and increasing the chances of acceptance.

How can viewers obtain Dr. Rister's scientific research paper checklist?

Viewers can obtain the scientific research paper checklist by downloading it from the link provided in the video description.