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In scientific writing, IMRAD or IMRaD (/ ˈ ɪ m r æ d /) (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) [1] is a common organizational structure for the format of a document. IMRaD is the most prominent norm for the structure of a scientific journal article of the original research type.
The appendix provides specific requirements on the formatting of research papers as well as theses and dissertations. General formatting requirements include recommendations on paper and margin sizes, options as to the choice of typeface, the spacing and indentation of text, pagination, and the use of titles.
In "Results," writers who follow the IMRaD format share, with neutrality, the experimental results, which in "Discussion," are compared with prior information to end with a conclusion about the research, which should be 3 to 5 paragraphs long and consist of statements that reflect the outcomes of the entire publication. [34]
The document includes a succinct set of practical guidelines explaining how to write complete, concise and clear manuscripts. [5] It is supplemented with a list for further reading as well as several short appendices (Abstracts; Ambiguity; Cohesion; Ethics; Plurals; Simplicity; Spelling; Text-tables) that present selected issues in greater detail or provide more examples.
Although the IMRAD structure emphasizes the organization of content, and in scientific journal articles, each section (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) has unique conventions for scientific writing style. [8] The following are key guidelines for formatting, although each journal etc will to some extent have its own house style:
Outlines can be presented as a work's table of contents, but they can also be used as the body of a work. The Outline of Knowledge from the 15th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica is an example of this. Wikipedia includes outlines that summarize subjects (for example, see Outline of chess, Outline of Mars, and Outline of knowledge).
A less common alternative is placing the table of contents on the right, using the template {}. If you look at the wikitext for Figure 13-13, you see the {} template at the top of the edit box. No text should ever be in the lead section above this template. Figure 13-13. This article has the table of contents on the right.
Body sections appear after the lead and table of contents (click on image for larger view). Headings introduce sections and subsections, clarify articles by breaking up text, organize content, and populate the table of contents. Very short sections and subsections clutter an article with headings and inhibit the flow of the prose.