research paper sample using imrad

IMRaD Paper Example: A Guide to Understand Scientific Writing

Learn how to structure an IMRaD paper, explore an IMRaD paper example, and master the art of scientific writing.

Welcome to our guide on IMRaD papers, an essential format for scientific writing. In this article, we will explore what an IMRaD paper is, discuss its structure, and provide an IMRaD paper example to help you understand how to effectively organize and present your scientific research. Whether you are a student, researcher, or aspiring scientist, mastering the IMRaD format will enhance your ability to communicate your findings clearly and concisely.

What Is An IMRaD Paper?

IMRaD stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion . It is a widely used format for structuring scientific research papers. Following the IMRaD paper example below, you will see that the IMRaD format provides a logical flow of information, allowing readers to understand the context, methods, results, and interpretation of the study in a systematic manner.

The IMRaD structure follows the scientific method, where researchers propose a hypothesis, design and conduct experiments, analyze data, and draw conclusions. By adhering to the IMRaD format, researchers can present their work in a standardized way, enabling effective communication and facilitating the dissemination of scientific knowledge.

Structure Of An IMRaD Paper

• Introduction : The introduction section provides an overview of the research topic, presents the research question or hypothesis, and outlines the significance and rationale of the study. It should provide background information, a literature review, and clearly state the objectives and aims of the research.
• Methods : The methods section describes the experimental design, materials, and procedures used in the study. It should provide sufficient detail to allow other researchers to replicate the study. This section should include information on the sample or participants, data collection methods, measurements, and statistical analysis techniques employed.
• Results : The results section presents the findings of the study in a clear and concise manner. It should focus on reporting the empirical data obtained from the experiments or analyses conducted. Results are typically presented through tables, figures, or graphs and should be accompanied by relevant statistical analyses. Avoid interpretation or discussion of the results in this section.
• Discussion : The discussion section interprets the results, relates them to the research question or hypothesis, and places them within the context of existing knowledge. It provides an analysis of the findings, discusses their implications, and addresses any limitations or weaknesses of the study. The discussion section may also highlight areas for future research or propose alternative explanations for the results.

Follow This IMRaD Paper Example

“ The Effect of Exercise on Cognitive Function in Older Adults “

Introduction

The introduction section will begin by providing a comprehensive overview of the importance of cognitive function in aging populations. It would discuss the prevalence of cognitive decline and its impact on quality of life. Additionally, it would highlight the potential role of exercise in maintaining cognitive health and improving cognitive function. The introduction would present relevant theories or previous studies supporting the hypothesis that regular exercise can positively affect cognitive function in elderly adults. Finally, it would clearly state the research question: “Does regular exercise improve cognitive function in elderly adults?”

The methods section will describe in detail the study design, participant recruitment process, and intervention details. It would specify the inclusion and exclusion criteria for participants, such as age range and health status. Additionally, it would outline the cognitive assessments used to measure cognitive function, providing information on their reliability and validity. The section would provide a detailed description of the exercise program, including the type, duration, frequency, and intensity of the exercise sessions. It would also explain any control group or comparison conditions employed. Ethical considerations, such as obtaining informed consent and maintaining participant confidentiality, will be addressed in this section.

The results section will present the findings of the study in a clear and organized manner. It would include statistical analyses of the data collected, such as t-tests or ANOVA, to determine the significance of any observed effects. The results would be presented using tables, figures, or graphs, allowing for easy interpretation and comparison. The section will provide a summary of the main findings related to the effect of exercise on cognitive function, including any statistically significant improvements observed.

The discussion section would interpret the results in light of the research question and relevant literature. It would discuss the implications of the findings, considering both the strengths and limitations of the study. Any unexpected or contradictory results would be addressed, and potential explanations or alternative interpretations would be explored. The section would also highlight the theoretical and practical implications of the study’s findings, such as the potential for exercise interventions to be implemented in geriatric care settings. Finally, the discussion would conclude with suggestions for future research directions, such as investigating the long-term effects of exercise on cognitive function or examining the impact of different exercise modalities on specific cognitive domains.

Clear Communication Of Scientific Research

An IMRaD paper follows a standardized structure that enables clear communication of scientific research. By understanding the purpose and content of each section— introduction, methods, results, and discussion —you can effectively organize and present your own research findings. Remember that the example provided is a simplified representation, and actual IMRaD papers may vary in length and complexity depending on the study and the specific journal requirements.

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IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion)

Academic research papers in STEM disciplines typically follow a well-defined I-M-R-A-D structure: Introduction, Methods, Results And Discussion (Wu, 2011). Although not included in the IMRAD name, these papers often include a Conclusion.

Introduction

The Introduction typically provides everything your reader needs to know in order to understand the scope and purpose of your research. This section should provide:

• Context for your research (for example, the nature and scope of your topic)
• A summary of how relevant scholars have approached your research topic to date, and a description of how your research makes a contribution to the scholarly conversation
• An argument or hypothesis that relates to the scholarly conversation
• A brief explanation of your methodological approach and a justification for this approach (in other words, a brief discussion of how you gather your data and why this is an appropriate choice for your contribution)
• The main conclusions of your paper (or the “so what”)
• A roadmap, or a brief description of how the rest of your paper proceeds

The Methods section describes exactly what you did to gather the data that you use in your paper. This should expand on the brief methodology discussion in the introduction and provide readers with enough detail to, if necessary, reproduce your experiment, design, or method for obtaining data; it should also help readers to anticipate your results. The more specific, the better!  These details might include:

• An overview of the methodology at the beginning of the section
• A chronological description of what you did in the order you did it
• Descriptions of the materials used, the time taken, and the precise step-by-step process you followed
• An explanation of software used for statistical calculations (if necessary)
• Justifications for any choices or decisions made when designing your methods

Because the methods section describes what was done to gather data, there are two things to consider when writing. First, this section is usually written in the past tense (for example, we poured 250ml of distilled water into the 1000ml glass beaker). Second, this section should not be written as a set of instructions or commands but as descriptions of actions taken. This usually involves writing in the active voice (for example, we poured 250ml of distilled water into the 1000ml glass beaker), but some readers prefer the passive voice (for example, 250ml of distilled water was poured into the 1000ml beaker). It’s important to consider the audience when making this choice, so be sure to ask your instructor which they prefer.

The Results section outlines the data gathered through the methods described above and explains what the data show. This usually involves a combination of tables and/or figures and prose. In other words, the results section gives your reader context for interpreting the data. The results section usually includes:

• A presentation of the data obtained through the means described in the methods section in the form of tables and/or figures
• Statements that summarize or explain what the data show
• Highlights of the most important results

Tables should be as succinct as possible, including only vital information (often summarized) and figures should be easy to interpret and be visually engaging. When adding your written explanation to accompany these visual aids, try to refer your readers to these in such a way that they provide an additional descriptive element, rather than simply telling people to look at them. This can be especially helpful for readers who find it hard to see patterns in data.

The Discussion section explains why the results described in the previous section are meaningful in relation to previous scholarly work and the specific research question your paper explores. This section usually includes:

• Engagement with sources that are relevant to your work (you should compare and contrast your results to those of similar researchers)
• An explanation of the results that you found, and why these results are important and/or interesting

Some papers have separate Results and Discussion sections, while others combine them into one section, Results and Discussion. There are benefits to both. By presenting these as separate sections, you’re able to discuss all of your results before moving onto the implications. By presenting these as one section, you’re able to discuss specific results and move onto their significance before introducing another set of results.

The Conclusion section of a paper should include a brief summary of the main ideas or key takeaways of the paper and their implications for future research. This section usually includes:

• A brief overview of the main claims and/or key ideas put forth in the paper
• A brief discussion of potential limitations of the study (if relevant)
• Some suggestions for future research (these should be clearly related to the content of your paper)

Sample Research Article

Resource Download

Wu, Jianguo. “Improving the writing of research papers: IMRAD and beyond.” Landscape Ecology 26, no. 10 (November 2011): 1345–1349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10980-011-9674-3.

Further reading:

• Organization of a Research Paper: The IMRAD Format by P. K. Ramachandran Nair and Vimala D. Nair
• George Mason University Writing Centre’s guide on Writing a Scientific Research Report (IMRAD)
• University of Wisconsin Writing Centre’s guide on Formatting Science Reports

Scientific reports

• Title and Abstract
• Introduction
• Discussion and Conclusion

Learning objectives

This resource will help you to:

• Recognise the importance, purpose, and general structure of scientific report writing. 
• Describe the main points to be covered in each part of the IMRaD structure ( I ntroduction, M ethods, R esults, and D iscussion). 
• Identify the IMRaD structure in research papers.  
• Plan a scientific report by adapting this structure to your assignment or discipline.

Science and the scientific method

Science is the investigation of physical and natural phenomena through observation, experimentation, and theoretical explanation. The knowledge produced by such investigation forms our scientific understanding of these phenomena – from how our immune system defends us to how the Earth stays in orbit! Although science covers a wide range of topics, all ‘good’ science starts with developing a systematic plan called the scientific method  (Gauch, 2003), as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The scientific method. Adapted from Wu, J. (2011). Improving the writing of research papers: IMRAD and beyond. Landscape Ecology, 26 (10), 1345-1349. https://10.1007/s10980-011-9674-3 .

In general, the scientific method involves identifying a problem, performing some research or experimentation to help explain that problem, and then reporting your findings to contribute to the collective understanding of that problem. This final step – reporting your results – is how we communicate our findings to other scientists and to the rest of the world, and is arguably the most important part of the scientific method. One way we communicate these results is through scientific report writing .

Scientific writing at university

“A scientific experiment, no matter how spectacular the results, is not completed until the results are published” (Day & Gastel, as cited in Wu, 2011).

In your training as scientists at university, it is important that you become effective communicators of science to a range of audiences and for a range of purposes. Perhaps you are developing your own research project or experiment, turning your thesis into a research paper, or maybe you are writing up a report from an undergraduate laboratory class. Regardless, scientific writing at university will generally follow the same structure, with slight differences depending on your discipline. For example, it is common to combine results and discussion for chemistry, but not for biology. 

General structure of a scientific report

Scientific reports generally follow the IMRaD structure: I ntroduction, M ethods, R esults, a nd D iscussion. The focus of the report should be shaped like an hourglass, as shown in Figure 2 (Wu, 2011):

• Start broad in the introduction (give background information beyond your study),
• Then narrow your focus through the methods and results (focusing only on your study),
• Then become broad again towards the end of your discussion (linking back to implications and literature beyond your study). 

Figure 2. The IMRaD structure. Adapted from Wu, J. (2011). Improving the writing of research papers: IMRAD and beyond. Landscape Ecology, 26 (10), 1345-1349. https://10.1007/s10980-011-9674-3 .

Each of these sections aims to answer one to two main questions, as summarised in Table 1.

Table 1. Questions to answer and main points to cover in each section of a scientific report. Adapted from Wu, J. (2011). Improving the writing of research papers: IMRAD and beyond. Landscape Ecology, 26 (10), 1345-1349. https://10.1007/s10980-011-9674-3 .

This video (10:18 min) from Steve Kirk (2020) provides a great walk-through of scientific report structure with annotated examples from real research papers. 

Additional resources

• Developing research questions (Monash University) Check out this interactive resource from Monash University (2024) if you would like to find out more about developing a research question.
• How do I write a scientific paper? (SciDev.Net) This scientific writing source provides some more detail on each of the main sections of a report (plus, it has been recommended by the highly reputable journal Nature!)
• Writing in the sciences (Stanford School of Medicine) This free online course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics include: principles of good writing, tricks for writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, and issues in publication and peer review.

This video (10:00 min) from the Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU Science Writing, 2020) provides an overview of IMRaD, advice on writing order and details what each section contains. 

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Your input matters: Shape the future of scientific writing support!

• Scientific report writing - Feedback (UniSC) Help us help you! Share your thoughts on our new Scientific Report Writing Guide and shape the resources that will support your academic success. It will take less than 5 minutes to complete this feedback form.

Gauch, H. G. (2003). Scientific method in practice . Cambridge University Press. 

Kirk, S. (2020, May 4). The structure of scientific research paper s [Video]. YouTube.

Monash University. (2024). Developing research questions .

SciDevNet. (2013, July 2). How do I write a scientific paper?.

SVSU Science Writing. (2020, September 26). The IMRaD format: an overview  [Video]. YouTube.

Wu, J. (2011). Improving the writing of research papers: IMRAD and beyond. Landscape Ecology , 26 (10), 1345-1349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-011-9674-3

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