IMRAD format of writing

IMRAD is an acronym for Introduction, Method or material, Results and Discussion. This is a formula that is used when writing a scientific journal, healthcare papers relevant information should be included in the natural sciences or papers based on experimental studies. When writing this kind of paper it must be short and precise this is to mean that only the necessary information is required. You should also use simple and uncomplicated language for ease of reading for anyone interested in the paper or for people with different backgrounds of education. This type of writing also has no place for your personal views but requires facts and information that can be backed up with evidence. It also provides a strategic flow of scientific writing process. IMRAD is a four step format that must be followed in the sequence it occurs in as I will discuss below. Which is the; Introduction, Methods and Material, Results and finally the Discussion are part of.

I-Introduction

This is an area where you the writer have free reign and must use the space to show your mastery in your field of study or your specific area of research. You can do this by giving a summary of your research on the subject without referring to previously published papers. Give a brief background about the subject and state your objectives for conducting the study. This introduction should help you build up to your results by showing all the steps to how you arrived at your results. You are also to state your hypotheses, thesis statement and research statement or question. If it’s relevant you can state your theory. This helps introduce your topic of focus and argument to your audience.

M-Method and Material.

In this stage you state your methods of collecting data, materials you used and sources of information whether primary or secondary sources. Explain what you did and how you did your research that is your study design and materials and what actions were performed on the materials. Make sure to show how to arrive at your results by applying valid and reliable methods in your research.This stage also shows how you arrived at your results.

R-Results.

This simply means you show what came out of your research methods. This is the biggest and most important part of your paper and it is devoted to your findings. This will include your data and evidence. You should provide some natural order when giving the results. You are required to also interpret and explain your findings. Be sure to address any differences that my come up be sure to solve or address any conflicts that may arise from your results.

D-Discussion.

Here you get to discuss the results from your project. You have to explain your findings in detail from your area of study and also state whether it has any impact on anything closely related to your specific area of study. You are also at liberty to state whether more research into the topic is needed and whether there are weaknesses that need to be addressed or strengths worth recognizing in your paper. You can also compare your findings to those of research done before in your area of specialization to check for any similarities, changes or new information in the same field of study.

Conclusion

Make sure to state your research question and you should have answered it. Make sure to not include issues not mentioned earlier. You can choose to conclude with the discussion because you are simply giving a summary of what you have been writing or talking about.