Outline for a Research Article (Empirical Study)

This a solid, discipline-agnostic outline for structuring a research article reporting an empirical study. It follows common academic conventions (APA, IMRaD format, and journal norms), but can be adapted to your field.

1. Title Page

• Title: Concise, specific, and informative.
• Author(s) and affiliations.
• Corresponding author contact details.
• Acknowledgments / funding disclosure (if required).

2. Abstract (150–300 words, depending on journal)

• Background / rationale (why the study matters).
• Objective(s) (what the study aimed to test or explore).
• Methods (design, participants, measures, analysis).
• Key results (concise summary of findings).
• Conclusions (implications and significance).
• Keywords (3–6 terms for indexing).

3. Introduction

• Context: Brief overview of the research problem or phenomenon.
• Literature review: What is already known, where gaps exist.
• Theoretical/conceptual framework (if applicable).
• Research question(s) and/or hypotheses clearly stated.

4. Methods

Written in enough detail for replication.

• Study design (e.g., experimental, survey, longitudinal, case study).
• Participants / sample: recruitment, inclusion/exclusion, demographics.
• Materials / instruments: measures, tools, questionnaires, equipment.
• Procedure: step-by-step process of data collection.
• Data analysis: statistical tests, software, coding frameworks, reliability checks.
• Ethics: approval details, consent, confidentiality.

5. Results

• Descriptive statistics: demographics, response rates, summary of data.
• Main findings: reported in relation to hypotheses/questions.
• Tables and figures: for clarity, following journal style.
• Significance tests / effect sizes (quantitative) or themes / patterns (qualitative).
• No interpretation here—just results.

6. Discussion

• Summary of key findings in relation to research questions.
• Interpretation: What the results mean theoretically and practically.
• Comparison with previous studies.
• Implications: for theory, practice, policy, or further research.
• Limitations: methodological, contextual, or analytical.
• Future directions: recommendations for continued study.

7. Conclusion (sometimes merged with Discussion)

• One or two concise paragraphs highlighting:
  • Main contribution of the study.
  • Broader significance.
  • Closing statement on impact or next steps.

8. References

• Complete and consistent with journal’s citation style (APA, Harvard, Vancouver, etc.).

9. Appendices (if needed)

• Survey instruments, detailed statistical outputs, coding frameworks, supplementary figures or tables.

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