Templates / Research paper
Research paper
A paper frame ordered the way a reviewer reads it, with slots left open for footnotes and references.
How to use it
A paper written in the order the research happened does not read well. Research starts from curiosity, but a reviewer starts by checking whether the conclusion holds. So the sections need to follow the reader, not the work. This frame lays out abstract, introduction, related work, method, results, discussion and conclusion.
The writing order is not the section order. Fill in method and results first, since you already have them, and write the introduction and abstract once the findings are settled. Starting with the introduction means announcing a conclusion you do not have yet. Add each citation as a footnote the moment you open the source, then build the reference list from those footnotes.
How it opens in the editor
Open the template and this skeleton lands in the editor, with Cite, Paper and File ready in the toolbar.
Paper title: what you established, in one line
Authors, affiliation, target venue, date
Abstract
Keep it to five lines: one on background, one on method, two on results, one on implication.
Introduction
- Territory: two sentences placing this work in its line of research.
- Gap: one sentence on what that line still leaves unanswered.
- Claim: one sentence on what this paper shows in that spot.
Related work
Group prior work into strands rather than listing it, and say why each strand leaves the gap open.
Method
Write enough that someone else could repeat the procedure and land on the same result. Sample, procedure, instruments, analysis, in that order.
Results
State only what came out. Why it came out belongs to the next section.
Discussion
- How far the results support the claim from the introduction.
- State up front what this design cannot tell you.
Conclusion
Do not repeat the abstract; close on the question this result leaves next.
References
Add sources by DOI or title from Cite in the toolbar and press Insert reference list. The list lands right under this heading; delete this paragraph afterwards.
Editor features that go with it
Citation generator
Find a paper by DOI or title and format it in APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE or Harvard.
RIS and BibTeX converter
Turn RIS or BibTeX exports from Zotero or a library database into APA, MLA and other styles.
Table of contents maker
Build a table of contents from your headings and place it after the cover page.
Report cover page
Enter your school, course and name to get a cover page as a PDF.