Research Article Structure
The canonical structure that has developed for any academic text — from an article to a doctoral dissertation — is not a dogma. The composition and style depend on the type of article and the author’s approach. However, in any case, the work must include the following key elements:
1) justification of the topic;
2) a historiographic (bibliographic) review;
3) the main body (theses and argumentation);
4) the conclusion (findings).
Topic Justification
This section needs to show that the chosen topic deserves attention and that developing it is worthwhile. The rationale for working on the topic can be as follows:
1) insufficient study of the issue, outdated assessments that need revising, the presence of debatable viewpoints prompting a polemic;
2) the social or practical significance of the topic;
3) the need to cover it for educational or methodological purposes. One should avoid overly personal, «memoir-like» phrasing, but it is perfectly appropriate to express one’s own interest in the problem. The justification must be concise and precise, as it sets the tone for the entire work.
Background (Literature Review)
This is a mandatory and crucial section of any research paper. Its task is to demonstrate how the chosen problem has been considered from the moment it emerged in academic discourse up to the present. Therefore, while it is logical to begin getting acquainted with the literature from the most recent works, the review itself should be chronological, moving from earlier to later ones. It’s not enough to simply list sources. When analyzing the works of predecessors, one should group them to make one’s own research position clear. Basic grouping can be by publication type: monographs, then chapters in collective volumes, followed by journal and newspaper articles. If different scholarly schools or approaches exist, sources can be grouped by similarity of views. If the assessment of a phenomenon has changed over time, one can highlight key stages of this evolution.
There is no single template for this section. It is important to remember that it is not a formality: a high-quality literature review becomes part of the justification for the novelty of your work; it shows what new things you have managed to discover, clarify, or reinterpret.
Methodology (or «Materials and Methods»)
The aim of this section is to show the reader the path of your investigation. Your task is to make the course of the work so clear that its logic can be understood and, if desired, verified. This is not a list of methods but their justified narrative.
Before writing, answer four key questions:
- What? What specific material (data, texts, objects) did I analyze?
- From where? How and from where was this material obtained (sources, sample, field)?
- How? What specific actions and techniques did I use to study it?
- Why? Why was this particular approach and these specific methods chosen (their advantages for my task)?
Recommended structure:
For investigating [your topic], the following steps were undertaken in sequence:
- Material definition and collection. (What was studied and where did it come from?)
- Forming the research approach. (From what perspective was the material studied?)
- Description of the analysis procedure. (What specific actions were carried out with the material?)
- Indication of tools. (What aided the analysis — equipment, software, methods?)
- (Important) Limitations of the chosen path. (What does your method not allow you to see?)
The main principle: move away from impersonal formulations («the method… was applied») in favor of a clear narrative about your actions. The phrase «To do this, I…» is your best friend.
Main Body
There cannot be universal recipes for this section, as it is the core of the work for which the research is conducted. There are as many ways to present topics as there are topics themselves, and as many compositional solutions as there are problems. Regardless of the internal structure (chapters, paragraphs), the presentation must be logical, sequential, clear, and literate. The text of a research article is built around a clear research position, which the author consistently reveals and justifies. The first step is a clear formulation of the research problem. It will help structure the presentation and more clearly express the author’s hypothesis, which constitutes the novelty of the work. Define the key aspects for revealing the topic; they will become your anchors, preventing you from straying from the stated problem. Sometimes valuable material disrupts the logic or proportions of the presentation. The optimal solution in such a case is to put it into footnotes or appendices, giving only a brief reference in the main text. Each semantic block of the work must have internal unity and conclude with interim findings. If a finding cannot be made — it means the presentation has not fulfilled its task.
Conclusion (or Summary)
This section contains the condensed findings of the entire investigation. The main requirements for the conclusion are accuracy and clarity. It must be formulated in the clearest possible terms what exactly was identified, discovered, or substantiated during the work. By reading only the conclusion, the reader should understand the value and essence of the article. The conclusion may also briefly characterize the aims and objectives of the conducted research and, if applicable, point out its practical application.
Footnotes and Appendices
Footnotes can be placed at the bottom of the page (page footnotes) or at the end of the text. They are divided into two types.
The first are explanatory: extended comments or additional material, the inclusion of which in the main text would disrupt its integrity.
The second are bibliographic references to sources of quotes or paraphrased ideas. Any borrowing — be it a direct quote, a paraphrase, or an idea — must be accompanied by a reference; otherwise, it is considered plagiarism.
Example footnote structure: Surname I. O. Title of the article // Title of the book, collection, journal / ed. by I. O. Editor. City: Publisher, 2023. P. 123.
References can also be formatted in the text in square brackets by numerical code [source number in the bibliography, page].
Since footnotes are meant to document the research base, it is useful to distinguish the types of sources indicated in them.
Types of sources for page footnotes. Page footnotes may indicate various types of sources that form the informational and evidential base of the research but are not included in the main bibliography (list of references).
Published documents and materials:
- Reprints of classic works (e.g., from the mid-20th century).
- Legislative and regulatory acts (laws, decrees, building codes, state standards).
- Reference publications (encyclopedias, almanacs).
- Methodological manuals and recommendations.
- Fiction and non-fiction (when quoted or analyzed).
Unpublished and archival materials:
- Documents from state and private archives.
- Field research materials (surveys, observations, expedition reports).
Electronic resources:
- Official internet resources of state bodies.
- Open internet resources (online newspapers, websites of organizations, blogs, webinars). Important: for such links, the author of the material (if available) and its title must be specified.
Note: References to articles in peer-reviewed online journals are included in the main list of references and are not formatted solely as page footnotes. They belong to the second type of footnotes — bibliographic references.
Appendices
Supplementary or voluminous material mastered during the research is placed in the appendices. The appendices give an idea of the depth of the topic’s elaboration. Textual appendices include:
- A biographical note (e.g., about an artist or scientist).
- A glossary of terms on the topic.
- A catalog or annotated selection of objects of analysis.
- Excerpts from archival documents, books, and articles. If the material is published for the first time, this must be indicated