Seven Major Divisions of a research Paper Title Abstract or Summary Material and Methods Introduction (Optional) Results Discussion References

Title Short Comprehensive without being belaboring Focus on the central theme of the paper Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition require that the title be a take-home of the major findings

Abstract A brief synopsis of the paper’s content One-fourth: Statement of the problem and objective One-half: Results One-fourth: Conclusions The purpose of an abstract is for the benefit of the would-be reader. It lets the reader decide if the paper fits his/her interests and whether a reading of the full paper is justified

Introduction Background of the problem (what is known) citing references Justification for the current research Questions addressed in the present study Brief intimation of the findings (optional) Gaps in current knowledge

Materials and Methods Analytical protocols Special techniques Materials Laboratory animals, cultured cells or human subjects, in essence the system that was used to collect the data Sources of chemicals and other supplies Methods Statistical applications Experimental design Materials and Methods provides comprehensive information relevant to how the data in the study reported were obtained. Analytical procedures should give precise detail as to setup, quantification, and data expression. This section of the paper allows a would-be follower sufficient information receipt- style to reproduce the experiments that were preformed. How the above were treated in preparation for data collection

Results Tables, figures, supporting comments. Results has the greatest impact for the paper. Results provides the evidence that underlies all statements alluding to discovery. Generally, a brief mention is given to protocol to hold the focus before the data are discussed. Results should avoid interpretation of the data and stay with “just the facts”. What was found. A gradual unfolding in step-by step fashion

Tables and Figures Tables should have titles and numbered in succession. They should show only relevant information. If necessary, legends can be used to clarify the meaning of the numbers. Figures should avoid excess detail, with each line and data point clearly shown. The Y-axis of the figure should be used for the dependent variable. Figure legends should be informative but short avoiding when possible complete sentences in the description. Brief mention as to the setup and relevance to the as to statistical significance are also found in figure legends.

Discussion A brief reiteration of the results Linking new data with previous data Interpretation based on previous findings and findings reported here

References Key papers that were cited to justify the statements made If a statement or observation is not cited by the author, the author is give tacit credit for the discovery or statement. This is a form of academic plagiarism.