Path to An Impactful Paper: Common Manuscript Writing Patterns and Structure

English academic papers usually have a standard article structure that must be followed when preparing journal submissions. Elsevier Author Services has compiled a list of sentence structures and patterns to help you with manuscript writing and to increase your chances of publication.

In this issue of “Writing Skills Improvement”, we discuss common sentence patterns to help you write manuscripts that stand a better chance of being published. 

Why are patterns important in manuscript writing?

There are certain standard patterns that appear impressive and crisp while still being easily understood. Using these could increase your chances of publication in a journal of repute, helping your work to reach a larger audience!

But writing a manuscript that is professional yet easy to understand is a nuanced art. It can, however, be simplified by considering two factors:

1. The overall structure of your article—maintaining a standard structure makes your article flow logically.
2. The structure of individual sentences—concise sentences make the paper easier to understand.

The basic structure and language of a manuscript^1–3

Most journals have strict guidelines regarding the structure of an article. The most common format for academic papers is Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (or IMRAD). According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), “this so-called IMRAD structure is not an arbitrary publication format but rather a direct reflection of the process of scientific discovery”. The following flowchart expands upon this structure:

The primary goal of a research paper is to report your work and its findings concisely and directly. Therefore, a good article uses direct, not flowery, language. Here are some examples of common sentence structures:

Title^4–6

• Evaluation of…using…
• Risk Factors for Oral Cancer in Adults…
• Development of Deep Learning Models to…

Abstract^7–9

• Y is the most common complication among patients post-surgery…
• Artificial intelligence models can perform XYZ function, but they need more training data to be accurate.
• In this study, we assess the safety and efficacy of ABC.

Introduction^10–12

• 1 in 5 adults suffers from…
• The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident with time.
• However, we need more evidence to support this claim.
• The aim of this study was to…

Materials and methods^13–15

• The training data sets included images of…
• Data was analyzed using Python/SPSS/XYZ software…
• FADS1/2 knockout mice were used as test animals, while C5BL6 mice with intact FADS1/2 were used as controls.

Results^16–18

• We found that XYZ negatively regulated…
• The silencing of PQRS led to an increase in XYZ in normal mice…
• The DNN model was accurately able to identify voids in the material and…

Discussion^19,20

• Therefore, this work suggests that…
• In vivo studies are necessary to confirm the effect of ABC in animals and humans…
• This DNN model can be used to accurately perform XYZ function.

Apart from following these patters, researchers may benefit from using a professional English language editing service for their manuscripts. 

At Elsevier Author Services, experienced editors offer personalized recommendations for your manuscript, while ensuring zero ethical and data privacy issues. Our Language Editing Services could help simplify your publication journey. 

References

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