How to write a scientific article for a master’s student, a graduate student, a teacher? Tips from an expert

When a young researcher has his first scientific results to share with the scientific community, he wonders, “How do I write a research paper?”

But you don’t have to be a scientist to write a research paper. Masters, graduate students, assistant professors, and professors all write scientific articles. For some, it is a need to share their scientific developments. Still, it is a prerequisite for many to pass the competitive election to a position, and get a promotion.

It turns out that while many people are required to produce scientific publications, only a few enjoy doing so. And it’s all because you need to know how to create scientific articles and where to begin and discover inspiration for her work. In this essay, we shall respond to these questions.

1. How to write a good research paper?

What is a “good research paper”? It covers some topics with the justification of its position, supported by authoritative sources, the results of experiments, measurements, observations, modeling, and other research methods. The article should be constructed according to a particular structure and possess novelty. Knowing what we should get in the end, we can start writing a scientific essay. The only thing left to do is to begin.

2. Where do I start to write a master’s paper?

Start by choosing a research area.

First, you can be guided by the teacher, who will be your supervisor in the future. Nobody canceled the human factor: his field of scientific research can become the direction of your research.

Second. Choose topics where research has already been conducted, where there is data for analysis.

Third. Register in scientific article databases. E-library is an excellent place to start for the more advanced – Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar. Look at what articles are written about.

Fourth. Look not only at what articles are written about but also how they are written. For this purpose, services such as Paperhelp or any other database of essays and articles will do.

When you understand the direction, you need to start reading. Being “well-read” will help you a lot. Have you already registered in science databases? Read two to three dozen articles on your chosen topic. This will help build vocabulary on the selected topic, understanding the basics of scientific writing style.

Have you read the articles? Choose the journal where you want to publish! You can choose a bulletin on the supervisor’s recommendation, consider participating in conferences to publish articles in scientific collections, or choose yourself, guided by the database e-library (how to do it, read the following paragraphs, for graduate students and teachers).

Now that there is a journal, carefully study its requirements for authors. And you will have the structure of the article, its volume, requirements for design, and the number of literature sources. So your “article writing” project takes some shape. You know how much text you need to write and how many references to cite, at least.

Now it’s a small thing – start writing the text. Start with a description of the sources you have studied on your topic. Be sure to make references throughout the text. This will be the introduction.

You must outline the hypothesis and explain why the problem is essential in the beginning. Remember to include information on what is already known about your topic (references to authors who have already studied the issue).

The main body of the article follows the introduction. There you give the results obtained. It is good if there are graphs and tables: they help you to perceive the information better. You describe the charts and tables, and you analyze the results.

Finally, you state whether your hypothesis was proven correct, the relevance of the findings,, and how they might be used in practice.

When the document is finished, you show it to your boss and ask for his approval. Journals frequently request an article evaluation from a university professor. Take the supervisor’s criticisms into consideration (assuming there are any, which there may not be) and submit the article to the journal of your choosing.

Be sure to write a cover letter that specifies who you are and what your article is about (briefly). Wait for a response. If there is no response within 3-5 days, write again or call to ensure the editorial board has received your letter.

A third party will review your article. You can expect the study to take several weeks. Then you’ll have to go over the reviewer’s suggestions.

And then, when the article is corrected, it finally goes to print.

If the journal is simpler or a collection of articles, the procedure is much easier. The support of the supervisor is not required, and the paper no one is likely to review. You pay for the publication and get your work in print or electronic form. For the novice author with no plans for a research career, this is a good option.

If academic career interests you, and you want a solid line about the publication on your resume, read the next section.

3. Where to start writing an article for a graduate student?

A graduate student who has not yet published scientific articles can read the section for masters if the “tryout of the pen” has already taken place that read here.

• Then go to the e-library, discover this journal there, and read the articles carefully. The format and style are adopted.
• Examine the requirements for writers of the chosen publication and decide on the article’s volume, a number of sources, and design.
• Study the articles on your topic on e-library, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, type the material.
• We formulate the topic of the article and the primary hypothesis that we will confirm or refute.
• We write the article according to the structure “introduction – main text – conclusion.” In the introduction, as in the dissertation: relevance and review of the available literature on the problem under study. In the main text – the results obtained and their analysis. Tables and figures are very welcome in conclusion – the practical relevance, the significance of the results, and the answer to whether the hypothesis was proven.
• We write a letter to the editorial board of a scientific journal. We introduce ourselves and say what our article is about. Do not forget to attach the piece itself.
• Get a response from the editorial board (if you haven’t heard from them in a long time, send another email). Perhaps the letter was not delivered or was misplaced). The reviewer’s comments may be included in the response. Work on your vocabulary. Do not be irritated in the least. This is a common occurrence.
• Resubmit the article, receive a positive response, and wait for the journal to respond!

4. How to write articles for professors quickly and with pleasure?

An associate professor or a professor has written dozens of articles, but they need more and better. It would help if you had international publications and a high Hirsch (citation) index. There are a lot of materials, but there is no time to compile them into an article.

If there is a precise algorithm of work, it is easy to write an article.

The primary rule here is to ensure continuity of work on the article, “immerse yourself” in the material.

So take advantage of a “window” when you are relatively available for an extended period of time (one or two weeks are usually enough to arrange the existing materials and even write a new article, the experience of scientific work is already there).

Plan your work on the article in advance. Think of the article as a project with a beginning and an end. Designate a date for submission of the material (deadline) and rely on it. To “force” yourself to sit down and start writing, find a research paper writing marathon. It helps a lot. By the way, for master’s and graduate students, it’s also the best advice to start writing a paper.

So, the deadline is set. Let’s get started. And don’t get distracted.

We choose a journal in the scientometric databases (e-library, Scopus, Web of Science), estimate its impact factor, the frequency of publication per year, the number of articles published.

We study the requirements of the authors. Formatting, the number of references, the structure of the article – clearly follow the recommendations.

If we are used to writing an article in a monologue of the author expressing his own opinion, now it is better to be guided by the generally accepted structure of international journals IMRAD.

IMRAD – Introduction – Methods – Results – and – Discussion: Introduction – Methods – Results – Discussion. In the Introduction – relevance and hypothesis, what has already been studied on the topic, and what is to be studied. In the Methods, simple and straightforward about how we conducted the research. So clear that you can repeat it if you want in “Results,” graphs, and tables show what we got. In the “Discussion,” their analysis, theoretical or practical application possibilities, whether the hypothesis is confirmed, and directions for further research. The conclusion answers the question about the hypothesis (confirmed or not), the significance of the results and their practical significance, the possibilities of further study of the topic.

It is essential to pay attention to the article’s title, keywords,, and abstract for further citation. If they are done at a reasonable level and cause interest in your article, its citation will increase, and, accordingly, the Hirsch index will grow.

In the abstract, we specify: why the research was conducted (relevance), how it was conducted (methods), what results were obtained, and what they mean (usefulness). Once these four questions have been answered, write the keywords.

Keywords should not repeat words from the title of the article. They are needed to help find your article. If the title of the article is “Logistics in industrial enterprises,” then “logistics” and “industrial enterprises” are not included in the keywords. Look for synonyms or something related (metallurgy, operations management). This way, we will increase the number of hits on our stats and, therefore, the likelihood of citations.

Sending to the journal and waiting (no reply for a long time – we write again). Correspondence.

Working on the feedback from the reviewers and submitting the piece for publication.

The essential thing is not to blow a fuse now that you have this knowledge and incentive to produce an essay. In the next paragraph, you’ll find inspiration.

5. How do you finally start writing?

Answer the question “why?” What do you want to write an article for? There is intrinsic motivation, and there is extrinsic motivation. You have been intrinsically motivated since you are reading this article. This is the most powerful motivation. The ambition is to be first, best, to defend a master’s thesis on “outstanding,” to find the finest job, to obtain a Ph.D. or doctoral degree (underline as appropriate). However, this is a global issue. You’re aware of why you’re doing it. Unfortunately, it’s a little abstract.

That’s why you need external motivation for tangible things.

It’s learning – going to graduate school, graduate school, doctoral school (as a start, an investment).

It is a specific date – a deadline (as a loss) – the date of the conference, the date of the end of acceptance of articles, the date of the report on the work done.

It is a prize, money (as an acquisition) – for example, you will receive a grant for a business trip and research, get a degree, the desired degree.

And if intrinsic motivation is strong, you know what to do and use extrinsic motivation to help with specific steps.

Conclusion

We have sorted out how to write a research paper for a master’s student, a graduate student, a young faculty member. A rule that works for everyone: if there is intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, you will succeed! So,

• choose a subject (this way we make the goal concrete),
• choose a magazine (we specify the task in terms of timing and volume),
• collect the data (we study the topic more deeply),
• analyze the data (we make an increase in scientific knowledge),
• we format it as a text according to the adopted structure (a scientific article is also a specific genre),
• we send it to the journal (we receive the reviewers’ appraisal: a view from the outside),
• publish it (achieve the goal)!