Writing research articles. IMRD. Format. Overview презентация

Writing Research Articles IMRD Format Overview

IMRD: Basic Structure

Central Parts of an Article

Possible Elements of a “M” Section Overview of the experiment (design) Population/Sample Location Restrictions/Limiting Conditions Sampling Technique Procedures (always included!) Materials (always included!) Variables Statistical Treatment

A Checklist for Writing the “Methods” When Describing Experimental Procedure… Include all information necessary for someone to replicate your procedure Describe the procedure chronologically Language Considerations… Use the past tense to describe procedure Use the passive voice to “depersonalize” procedural descriptions and to keep old information at the beginning of sentences. Use short forms of the passive voice to reduce compound sentences and which clauses.

A Note about Materials Materials can include… Laboratory equipment Field equipment Human or animal subjects Natural substances Fabricated substances Surveys and questionnaires Computer models Mathematical models

Methods & Materials The two are usually presented simultaneously… Example Aqueous sodium hydroxide (30g, 185mL) was cooled in ice in a 500-mL beaker, stirred magnetically while 5 g of nickel-aluminum alloy was added in several small portions, and gradually warmed to 100°C as required to maintain hydrogen evolution.

A Checklist for Materials Information… Integrate the materials description with the procedural description Briefly identify conventional materials Describe new and/or specifically designed materials in greater detail

Writing the Results: A Three Step Process Indicate where the reader can find the results (the table/graph) Highlight the most important findings Give a brief explanation of the findings

Indicating Results and Commenting There are many ways to present your results and commentary. Here are two patterns:

Making Comments in the “Results” Make generalizations about the results Explain possible reasons for the results Compare your results with results from another study

“Results” Section Checklist