A complete guide to the key components of a research article

What will you learn?

1. The importance of a good title and abstract for your research paper
2. How to create concise, engaging, and SEO-friendly title for your paper
3. The criteria for inclusion in, and the order of, authorship in a manuscript
4. How to create an author list with a focus on consistency and author affiliations
5. The importance of including keywords in your paper for better visibility
6. How to use the Keyword Kit to select and use the right keywords for your research
7. Importance of and ways to optimize the introduction, method, discussion, and conclusion
8. How to communicate and structure your research results effectively
9. The importance of graphs, figures, illustrations to communicate your research
10. How to format your artwork to meet the journal requirements
11. Appropriate citation styles for different types of information
12. An overview of gray literature and what to keep in mind when citing it in your paper
13. How to create the most effective acknowledgement and cover letter

Course Description:

You’ve done the research and now it’s time to draft a manuscript while keeping in mind the various sections and their objectives. If you’re experiencing a block right now, you’re not alone. Many researchers find writing and structuring the manuscript extremely daunting. In this course, you will learn about the different aspects that go into the making of a good research manuscript.

You will understand the purpose of different sections in the IMRAD structure and the key elements to cover in each section; this includes expert tips to create a clear, concise title and a compelling abstract that showcases your research. The course also has detailed advice on authorship, including who you should add as an author and in which order and who you should acknowledge. You will also be able to select and use the right keywords in your research paper to make it more visible to a wider audience. The course wraps up with guidelines on the use of tables and figures to convey your findings, compiling bibliographical references and citations correctly, and writing a convincing cover letter that makes your paper stand out.

This video-based course has 14 modules, with additional reading resources, quizzes and an overall exam to test your understanding. By the end of this comprehensive course, you will have mastered the skills needed to create a publication-ready manuscript.

Course author:

Aditi Nadkarni

Aditi Nadkarni created this course when she was part of the Strategic Insights team at Wiley, where she worked for more than 5 years. She is currently the Scientific Director at Havas Health & You, a health and wellness network. Aditi has a PhD in biomedical science, with significant experience in cancer research. She was the Developmental Editor for Current Protocols, a gold standard among methods journals and most recently held the position of Director, Science & Strategy, Neuroscience at Clinical Care Options.

This course is created with major contributions from: Andrew Moore, Gwen Taylor, Kerstin Brachhold, Francesca Novara, Matteo Cavalleri, Jennifer Mahoney, Conor Doss, Ying Jia, and Hilary Crichton