How To Write A Journal Article

As said before, the structure of your journal paper matters a lot. You need to know the correct format for the journal before you start the writing process. Certain journals will have specific formatting requirements. Several journal templates can also be found on the internet. Downloading a template to apply to your paper will save you the time you would have used on formatting. Some sites allow authors to submit format-free articles as long as they meet specific requirements. Here is a general format guide for an academic journal paper.

• Title: The article’s title is an indicator of your concept and research to the readers. It should be concise, informative, captivating, and accurate. Do not forget to include relevant keywords in the title and avoid formulas and abbreviations.
• Keywords: An essential part of producing a good journal article is keywords. When writing the paper, you must choose keywords that you would like to be included in the article. Prospective readers will discover your journal paper with the help of keywords when they research search engines.
• Abstract: An abstract aims to explain the main points of your study clearly and concisely. It should be well-thought and considered since it is the basic element that readers will access. The abstract paragraph should have approximately 300 words summarizing the findings of your article. It should be composed of the following; what the research entails, the methods used, and the main findings.
• Acknowledgments An acknowledgment is another essential section of your journal. It is where you recognize people who contributed to your article’s success financially, intellectually, or in other ways, but they are not co-authors. Acknowledging people in your work shows your integrity as a writer because it shows you are not claiming other people’s ideas as your intellectual property. Furthermore, it will aid your audience when they embark on their research journeys.
• Introduction: This is the pivotal part of the writing process of a journal paper. An introduction introduces your topic, and its stance and contextualizes your argument in the wider academic field.
• Theoretical framework: Also referred to as a literature review, this part accounts for what other researchers did on your topic. Through this section, you should make your readers see gaps in the previous literature.
• Main body: The main body should contain the journal’s main argument and relevant evidence. The section should be linking several paragraphs, with each paragraph encapsulating a different idea related to the subject. Make sure you have a detailed discussion of your arguments.
• Conclusion: You should have a concluding paragraph that interprets your findings. It should also contain a summary of all the concepts you introduced in your main body, starting with the most important ones. Do not introduce new ideas in this paragraph.
• References and Citations: The references and citations you use in the journal paper should be relevant, well-balanced, and current. If possible, consider citing references that are less than ten years old. It is also necessary to use references that strongly relate to the article’s research question.