Guide
Research paper structure
Research paper structure is the standard arrangement of an empirical paper — title and abstract, the IMRaD body, and references — that organises a study into expected sections.
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Title, abstract and keywords
A research paper opens with three framing elements. The title concisely names the topic and main variables, helping readers and search engines find the work. The abstract is a short, self-contained summary — typically 150 to 250 words — that states the purpose, methods, key results and main conclusion, often structured along IMRaD lines so a reader can grasp the whole study at a glance; many readers decide whether to read on from the abstract alone. Keywords, a handful of indexing terms, follow the abstract to aid discovery. Together these elements let a paper be found, screened and understood before the full text is read.
The IMRaD body
The core of an empirical paper is the IMRaD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The Introduction states the problem, reviews relevant work and gives the research question or hypothesis. The Methods describe how the study was carried out in enough detail to reproduce it. The Results report the findings, usually with tables and figures and without interpretation. The Discussion interprets those findings, relates them to existing knowledge, acknowledges limitations and draws conclusions. This sequence mirrors the logic of empirical enquiry — why, how, what, and what it means — and is the backbone around which the rest of the paper is built. See the dedicated IMRaD page for a fuller treatment.
References and back matter
After the body comes the apparatus that supports and documents the work. The reference list records every source cited, formatted to the required citation style so readers can locate them — the formatting itself is a citation task covered elsewhere. Acknowledgements credit contributions that do not warrant authorship, and a funding statement names financial support. Many papers add appendices or supplementary material for instruments, full datasets or detailed tables that would interrupt the main text. Some journals also require declarations of competing interests, data-availability statements and, in line with contributorship standards, a description of each author’s role.
Variations across disciplines
IMRaD dominates the sciences, but research papers vary. Some journals merge Results and Discussion, or add a separate Conclusion after the Discussion; many require a structured abstract with fixed headings. Humanities and some social-science papers often use a thematic structure organised around an argument rather than IMRaD, with sections named for their content. Theses and dissertations expand the structure into chapters, typically adding a dedicated literature review and sometimes separate results and discussion chapters. The constant across these variations is that a paper moves in an orderly way from question, through method and evidence, to interpretation — the structure serves that logic rather than the other way around.
Key facts
At a glance
- Opens with: title, abstract and keywords
- Abstract: a standalone summary, typically 150–250 words
- Body: IMRaD — Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion
- Closes with: references, acknowledgements and any appendices
- Often adds: funding, competing-interest and data-availability statements
- Varies by: discipline — humanities papers may use a thematic structure
Common questions
FAQ
What are the main sections of a research paper?+
A research paper opens with a title and abstract, then follows the IMRaD body — Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion — and closes with a reference list. It usually also includes keywords, and often acknowledgements, a funding statement and appendices. Each element has a defined role, from the abstract’s standalone summary to the references that document every source cited.
What is the difference between an abstract and an introduction?+
The abstract is a short, self-contained summary of the whole paper — purpose, methods, results and conclusion — written so it can be read on its own. The introduction is part of the body: it sets up the problem, reviews prior work and states the research question, but it does not reveal the results. The abstract summarises everything; the introduction only opens the argument.
Does every research paper use IMRaD?+
No. IMRaD is the dominant structure for empirical papers in the sciences, but it is a convention rather than a rule. Some journals merge Results and Discussion or add a Conclusion, and many humanities papers use a thematic structure built around an argument instead. Theses expand the format into chapters. The logic — question, method, evidence, interpretation — stays constant.
Going deeper
