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Guidelines for Writing an IMRaD Scientific Article

Based on international standards and best practices outlined in academic writing manuals, such as the Manual of Reported Discourse, the following are the essential guidelines for writing a scientific article.

General Structure (IMRaD)

A scientific article typically follows the IMRaD structure, widely accepted in the scientific community:

- Title

- Abstract

- Introduction

- Methodology

- Results

- Discussion

- Conclusions

- Acknowledgments (optional)

- References

- Appendices (optional)

Content and Style Guidelines

a) Title
- It should be clear, concise, and informative.

- Reflect the main content of the study.

- Include relevant keywords for indexing.

- Generally, it should not exceed 15 words.

b) Abstract
- Written in the third person.

- Includes: objective, methodology, main results, and conclusion.

- Length: between 150 and 300 words.

- In English and Spanish (in bilingual journals).

c) Introduction
- Presents the research problem and its relevance.

- Briefly reviews the state of the art (background).

- Identifies the knowledge gap or the research question.

- Formulates the study's objectives or hypotheses.

d) Methodology
- Describes the research design in a reproducible manner.

- Includes: participants, materials, procedures, and analysis techniques.

- Must be detailed enough to allow for replication.

- In quantitative studies: specify the statistical tests used.

e) Results
- Presents the findings objectively and in an organized manner.

- Uses tables, graphs, and figures to support the presentation.

- Does not include interpretation or discussion (only data).

- Tables and figures must be numbered and titled.

f) Discussion
- Interpret the results in relation to the objectives and hypotheses.

- Compare with previous studies (similarities and differences).

- Explain the theoretical or practical implications.

- Acknowledge limitations of the study.

- Suggest future lines of research.

g) Conclusions
- Directly address the stated objectives.

- Be concise and derived directly from the results.

- Avoid introducing new information.

- May include recommendations if the study justifies them.

Citation and Reference Guidelines

a) In-text citations
- Must follow APA style.

- All sources consulted must be acknowledged.

- Plagiarism and self-plagiarism are prohibited.

- Long quotations (more than 40 words) should be in a separate paragraph, indented, and without quotation marks.

- Short quotations should be enclosed in quotation marks.

b) Bibliographic References
- Complete and up-to-date list.

- Ordered alphabetically or numerically according to style.

- Include all the necessary information to locate the source.

- Common errors should be checked: misspelled authors, incorrect years, incomplete titles.

Writing and Language Guidelines
- Clarity and precision over literary elegance.

- Objective tone, avoiding emotive or subjective language.

- Use of specialized terminology from the discipline.

- Third person (it is recommended to avoid "I" or "we").

- Short and cohesive paragraphs.

- Avoid repetitions and redundancies.

- Thorough proofreading for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Ethical Considerations

- Originality: the article must not have been previously published.

- Proper attribution: cite all sources.

- Conflict of interest: declare any existing conflicts.

- Authorship: Include only those who made significant contributions.

- Consent and confidentiality in studies with humans or animals.

- Data integrity: Do not falsify or manipulate results.

Format and Final Presentation
- Follow the author guidelines of the target journal.

- Review requirements for maximum length, font, margins, and spacing.

- Include keywords (typically 6).

- Ensure tables and figures are of publication quality.

- Peer review before submission (if possible).

Final Review and Editing
- Review the text for coherence and cohesion.

- Verify that all citations are included in the references and vice versa.

- Correct typographical and stylistic errors.

- Request feedback from colleagues or mentors before submission.

In-depth Study of Scientific Article Writing

Below, we detail key aspects of each section of a scientific article, with examples, recommendations, and strategies for effective and academically rigorous writing.

Title: More Than Just a Name
Functions:

- Attract the reader.

- Accurately reflect the content.

- Facilitate indexing and searching.

Types of Titles:

- Declarative: “The use of artificial intelligence reduces diagnostic error in radiology”

- Descriptive: “Analysis d

Artículo de divulgación

1. Fundamental Structure

Most editorial guides, such as that of the Universidad Veracruzana, suggest this order:
Attractive Title: It should be short, suggestive, and capable of capturing the attention of a non-specialist reader.
Introduction (The "Hook"): Presents the topic dynamically. You can begin with a provocative question, a striking statistic, or an anecdote.
Body or Development: Explains the concepts in an organized manner. This is the core where the "how" and "why" of the topic are detailed.
Conclusion: Summarizes the key points and underscores the importance of the topic for society or the future of research.
Bibliographic References: List of reliable sources that support the information.

2. Style and Content Requirements
Accessible Language: Avoid unnecessary technical jargon. If you must use a complex term, define it with analogies or everyday examples.

Scientific Rigor: Although the tone may be simple, the information must be truthful and based on previous research or verified data.
Visual Aids: Whenever possible, include images, graphs, or tables that facilitate the visual understanding of the data.
Length: These are generally short texts. For example, some journals require a maximum of four pages.

3. Author Information
It is common to request specific information to validate the text:
Full name and institutional affiliation.
Brief curriculum vitae or author profile.
ORCID identifier if the publication is academic.

Dossier

Originality in the structure and content of the manuscript is required, adhering to the author guidelines. Present unpublished results or a novel perspective on an existing research topic.

Title: It should be brief and descriptive. Additionally, a short title of no more than 50 characters is recommended for the page header.

Author(s): Indicate the first and last name(s) and affiliation of each author. Also, include the email address of the corresponding author or the person responsible for communications with the publisher.

Abstract (two or three different languages: Spanish, English, and Portuguese): It should contain a maximum of 250 words, indicating the main results, findings, or discoveries presented in the manuscript. Avoid the use of abbreviations, bibliographic citations, and figures.

Keywords in two or three languages ​​(Spanish, English, and Portuguese): Include 5 to 7 relevant terms that highlight the main themes addressed in the article and facilitate its search and retrieval in databases or search engines.

Clear and relevant thematic proposal:
It must address a relevant and current topic within the journal's field.
Justification of the approach and its contribution to the scientific debate.
Academic coordination:
The dossier must be coordinated by one or more recognized specialists in the area.
A cover letter outlining the coordinators' profiles and experience is required.
Dossier content:
Generally includes between 4 and 8 original articles.
All texts must be unpublished and not under review by other journals.
Institutional and geographic diversity among the authors is recommended.
Evaluation process:
Each article will undergo double-blind peer review.
The complete dossier may be reviewed by the editorial committee before the review process begins.
Editorial guidelines:
Articles must adhere to the journal's guidelines (format, citation, length).
Thematic and methodological coherence among the texts in the dossier is required. Dates and planning:
The proposal must include a timeline for submission, review, and publication.
Some journals require that the dossier be complete with all texts before evaluation.
Ethical commitment:
Declaration of originality and copyright transfer by the authors.
Transparency regarding conflicts of interest and funding.

Academic Article

Academic Article (9 elements)
Compliance with specific standards is required, as well as originality in both its overall structure and content. These standards are determined by the text's subject matter, the intended audience, and the publication medium.

Sections of the first page of the manuscript

Title: It should be brief and descriptive. Additionally, a short title of no more than 50 characters is recommended for the page header.

Author(s): Indicate the first and last name(s) and affiliation of each author. Also, include the email address of the corresponding author or the person responsible for communications with the publisher.

Abstract: It should contain a maximum of 250 words, indicating the main results, findings, or discoveries presented in the manuscript. The use of abbreviations and bibliographic citations, figures, or other visual elements should be avoided.

Keywords: Add 5 to 10 relevant terms that highlight the main topics covered in the article and facilitate its search and retrieval in databases or search engines. Main sections of the manuscript

Introduction: This should be concise and, if possible, brief, explaining the background of the topic, its relationship to similar previous work, the main objectives, and the purpose of the study. It should be strongly suggested that the work includes a hypothesis, if possible.

Introduction
Sections
Conclusions: This should highlight the novel aspects of the study, the implications of any biases and limitations encountered, its relationship to other cited studies, and the main conclusions, which can be included in the final paragraph or in a separate section. No data should appear that was not described in the Acknowledgments and Financial Support section.

Acknowledgments and Financial Support: Authors should be required to include all information related to individuals or entities that contributed directly to the research or project funding in a section titled Acknowledgments and/or Financial Support. This section should be brief and specific, detailing institutions, names, and the number of contributions.
Abbreviations: If abbreviations are used, it is recommended to request the inclusion of the most common abbreviations used in the field, or to include abbreviations specific to the journal.

Citations:

The citation style for references should be included, preferably using APA format both in the body of the manuscript and in the references section.

The references section should contain only the articles cited or mentioned in the text.

Below are some examples of how to cite in the text of the manuscript, in the references section, and in the formats commonly used by journals today.

In the body of the manuscript:

The modern conception of representation can be traced back to a pivotal figure in science who used the power of reason to move Western culture from a state of skepticism to one of scientific optimism (Gilson, 1950, p. 126; Koyré, 1963).

APA Bibliography:

Rosenkranz, F., Cabrol, L., Carballa, M., Donoso-Bravo, A., Cruz, L., Ruiz-Filippi, G., … Lema, J. M. (2013). Relationship between phenol degradation efficiency and microbial community structure in an anaerobic SBR. Water Research, 47(17), 6739–6749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2013.09.004