This is the third in a four-part series. Use the links below to view the rest of the series:

• Part 1: How to Find Journals for Publishing Your Research
• Part 2: How to Evaluate and Select the Right Journal for Publishing Your Research
• Part 3: How to Prepare a Successful Manuscript for Publication
• Part 4: Helpful Tips for Publishing Your Manuscript

To successfully develop a manuscript, you should strictly follow the structure suggested by your target journal. If a structure is not suggested, the following structure should be used to develop your research based manuscript.

Structure of a Research Based Manuscript

• Title:
  • A descriptive, clear, informative, and inviting title
• Abstract:
  • Research context, problem, method, sample, results, and implications
• Section1: Introduction:
  • Introduction sets the research context
  • Statement of problem, research questions/Hypotheses
  • Significance of the study
  • Literature review, including theoretical/conceptual framework
• Section2: Method:
  • Method, design
  • Setting, population, sample size, and sampling method
  • Materials and instruments, validity and reliability of instrument, treatment
  • Data collection and analysis procedure
• Section3: Results and Conclusions:
  • Findings
  • Discussions; compare and contrast with the literature and theoretical framework, implications, limitations, future recommendations
  • Conclusions and a powerful take home message  

Tips for Making a Successful Manuscript

• Tailor your manuscript for your target journal
  • Follow journal objectives and preferred language
• Strictly follow your target journal guideline
  • Organization, paper format, and their listed style guide (if there isn’t one listed default to APA 6th Edition)
  • For length, follow the journal suggestions; if not suggested, it should be about 3000-5000 words
• Ensure your manuscript is not dissertation-like
• Use tables and figures only if necessary
  • Tables and figures interrupt the reading of the text, use only if necessary. Justify and explain your tables and figures in your text
  • Third party work needs permission
• Make proportional lengths for the manuscript sections
  • In order of lowest to highest length: results, method, and introduction
• Show your targeted literature
  • Use purposeful and analytical style when presenting the literature
  • Use recent literature and reports
  • Avoid using direct quotes, instead paraphrase with your own words
  • Avoid using secondary sources 
• State the significance of your manuscript
  • Why your manuscript is important
• State your contribution and audience
  • What your unique contributions are to the literature and field
  • Who would benefit from your manuscript
• Avoid reporting in-progress research
  • Report your preliminary findings instead
• Use appropriate language
  • Use correct grammar, be concise and clear
• Wrap up with take-home messages
  • State the implications and powerful messages useful for the readers
• Pass “So what?” test
  • Evaluate each paragraph and see if it is really necessary to include in the paragraph. Does it pass the “so what?” test; if not, remove it from your manuscript  
  • Be purposeful, brief, and to the point
• Research components’ alignment
  • Make sure your research components, including research purpose, problem, method, and results are aligned.
• Review before submission
  • Proofread your manuscript
  • Use a peer review procedure, have a friend review your manuscript
• Run your submission through Turnitin
• Do not submit to more than one journal at a time