Question

2) Identify the major structural components of a research article.

Answer 1

Because the Research Article reports both methods as well as results of a new and original study that has been performed by the author(s), it is a primary source of data and information. A research article is published in the peer-reviewed article section of a website or journal. The study may include a survey, an experiment, or an interview, among other research areas. But the commonality in all cases of the research articles is that raw data or first-hand information is collected by the researchers or authors and analyzed. Subsequently, results are also drawn on the basis of analysis.

The Major Structural Components of a Research Article

The major structural components of parts of a research article and briefly described as follows.

Introduction- The introduction of a research article may be brief and will include the review of the existing information and literature on the subject and topic that have been studied by the author. The structural component includes the rationale behind the study as well. The Introduction section further indicates that the author is well aware of the existing work on the topic and is also doing something new and meaningful that will contribute positively to the existing topic and research. Apart from telling the readers why the study was undertaken, the Introduction section also tells the readers why the study was undertaken, and what was the state of the problem at the end of the study.

Method- The component includes the ways, methods, or procedures they have been chosen for both collecting as well as analyzing the data and may be also called as “Methods and Materials.”. All of the Statistical analysis done is reported in this section as well. The section is also important for other researchers and authors and they can get to know about the new or innovative methods of data collection or analysis used by the author, which can also be replicated henceforth.

Result- This component and section of the research article bring to fore the outcomes of the analysis of data. Apart from text and images, graphs and charts can also be used for displaying the results accurately and in an appealing way.

Discussion- The component throws light on the author’s views. In this section, the authors write down their own interpretation of the results and also show how important the findings are for existing as well as future researches. The structural component includes:

1. Summary of the conclusions.
2. Relations to the results of the other and previous findings.
3. Aberrant (exceptions or abnormalities) along with the reasons/explanations of their occurrence, if possible.
4. Practical or theoretical implications of the work.
5. A grand summary that includes the conclusions and the summary.

Acknowledgments- The purpose of the component is to thank organizations and individuals who have made a significant contribution to the research work. The funding source is also thanked here.

References- All the work is properly cited here. The component includes information about the books and articles that the authors have used for carrying out the research or to get more information. References include the name of the authors, the title or article/books, name of the journal, the page and volume numbers, and date/year of publication.

Table and Figure Legends-The readers are provided the reference tables that can be used for understanding the data, tables, figures, or information given in the article.

Because the Research Article reports both methods as well as results of a new and original study that has been performed by the author(s), it is a primary source of data and information. A research article is published in the peer-reviewed article section of a website or journal. The study may include a survey, an experiment, or an interview, among other research areas. But the commonality in all cases of a research article is that raw data or first-hand information is collected by the researchers or authors and analyzed. Subsequently, results are also drawn on the basis of analysis.

The Major Structural Components of a Research Article

The major structural components of parts of a research article and briefly described as follows.

Introduction- The introduction of a research article may be brief and will include the review of the existing information and literature on the subject and topic that have been studied by the author. The structural component includes the rationale behind the study as well. The Introduction section further indicates that the author is well aware of the existing work on the topic and is also doing something new and meaningful that will contribute positively to the existing topic and research. Apart from telling the readers why the study was undertaken, the Introduction section also tells the readers why the study was undertaken, and what was the state of the problem at the end of the study.

Method- The component includes the ways, methods, or procedures they have been chosen for both collecting as well as analyzing the data and may be also called as “Methods and Materials.”. All of the Statistical analysis done is reported in this section as well. The section is also important for other researchers and authors and they can get to know about the new or innovative methods of data collection or analysis used by the author, which can also be replicated henceforth.

Result- This component and section of the research article bring to fore the outcomes of the analysis of data. Apart from text and images, graphs and charts can also be used for displaying the results accurately and in an appealing way.

Discussion- The component throws light on the author’s views. In this section, the authors write down their own interpretation of the results and also show how important the findings are for existing as well as future researches. The structural component includes:

1. Summary of the conclusions.
2. Relations to the results of the other and previous findings.
3. Aberrant (exceptions or abnormalities) along with the reasons/explanations of their occurrence, if possible.
4. Practical or theoretical implications of the work.
5. A grand summary that includes the conclusions and the summary.

Acknowledgments- The purpose of the component is to thank organizations and individuals who have made a significant contribution to the research work. The funding source is also thanked here.

References- All the work is properly cited here. The component includes information about the books and articles that the authors have used for carrying out the research or to get more information. References include the name of the authors, the title or article/books, name of the journal, the page and volume numbers, and date/year of publication.

Table and Figure Legends-The readers are provided the reference tables that can be used for understanding the data, tables, figures, or information given in the article.