Therapist

Research papers—including medical ones—have a common structure, which makes it easier for editors, referees, and readers to follow and understand your research work. The most commonly used format is the IMRAD structure, which includes an Introduction (why did you do this?), a Methods section (what and how did you do it?), a Results section (what did you observe/find?), and a Discussion section (what do your findings mean?). Your paper should also include a brief paragraph —the conclusion— restating the project proposal and its value, but this does not have to be a separate section and can be added to the discussion. The manuscript should also have the following information: i) a clear, informative, and concise title; ii) author affiliations; iii) a well-written abstract that highlights the purpose, main findings, significance, and implications of your work; iv) a few relevant keywords; v) an acknowledgments section; and vi) up-to-date references. Many editors pay particular attention to the abstract, figures, and tables when deciding whether a paper should be sent out for peer review or not, so check these parts very carefully before submitting your manuscript to any journal.