A research article is a writing piece that provides analysis, clarification, and argument based on a comprehensive independent study. This piece of writing is almost similar to an academic essay, but it’s, in most cases, longer and more detailed. Writing a research article requires you to prove and demonstrate a strong topic knowledge and understanding, engage with different sources, and make a unique contribution.

If you’re new to writing a research article, you’ll find the process of moving from your idea to publication of the manuscript challenging. But this comprehensive guide will break that complex process into smaller and easy steps making the entire task manageable. With that in mind, here are the steps you need to create a perfect research article.

Identify a Unique Idea

You must identify a unique topic or idea and convert it into a series of research questions. This important stage of the research process includes linking your research idea to extant theory, empirical, or literature work to enable you to provide an array of clear objectives.

The research activity should review your conventional wisdom and contemporary thinking, contribute to the theory and knowledge of the study field, and, where necessary, have an impact on practice and policy.

Determine the Authors

Once you have identified a unique idea, the second most important step is to determine the authors. Based on established guidelines, the list should provide the estimated contribution of every individual to the entire project. Every research group should establish and make public to its members the authorship criteria on all papers involved in the work to be completed.

A list of authors ensures that all individuals involved in the research understand from the start whether they can be an author or not, and if yes, what will be their contributions? This list is simply a tentative one since the final version will reflect real contributions to the project.

Choose the Journal

Several factors are available to keep in mind when picking a journal. It’s unlikely that one journal will feature everything you’re looking for. But there is one vital feature you shouldn’t compromise on – for manuscripts to be considered research articles, they need to be peer-reviewed for publication.

Write the Draft

You’ll have to write the first and final drafts of the whole manuscript. You can assign different parts of the manuscript to your co-authors if you have them. Start with the introduction and proceed through each part of the article, as this ensures a smooth flow.

But you can start from any section. You can edit or assign the authors to complete the editing process as you write. After that, be sure to revise the manuscript in order to make major alterations, polish the style, and format the document.

Get Feedback on Your Manuscript, Revise and Submit to the Editor

Your co-authors should go through the manuscript and provide honest feedback regarding the style, language, logic, or science. Once you receive their comments, be sure to revise the manuscript and address all the concerns.

Don’t submit it until you feel it’s ready for publication. Follow the instructions to know which items you need to submit to the editor and send the manuscript. After that, deal with the reviewers’ comments. If you’re requested to resubmit a refined manuscript, be sure to do that.

Check the Proofs and Celebrate

Once your manuscript is accepted and ready for print, the publisher will send matching author page proofs of your article, which may be accompanied by some queries or final edits that you need to make, which can be factual errors or typos.

After correcting all typos and errors, make the final submission and wait for your work to be published. Once published, enjoy the moment!