Library Instruction
Structure of Typical Research Article
The basic structure of a typical research paper includes Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Each section addresses a different objective.
- the problem they intend to address -- in other words, the research question -- in the Introduction;
- what they did to answer the question in Methodology;
- what they observed in Results; and
- what they think the results mean in Discussion.
A substantial study will sometimes include a literature review section which discusses previous works on the topic. The basic structure is outlined below:
- Author and author's professional affiliation is identified
- Introduction
- Literature review section (a discussion about what other scholars have written on the topic)
- Methodology section (methods of data gathering are explained)
- Results
- Discussion section
- Conclusions
- Reference list with citations (sources of information used in the article)