The Secret to Narrating in IMRaD – Scientific Storytelling Part 3

Writing is tough! And writing research papers can be even more challenging if you do not approach it the right way. However, using a storytelling narrative in academic writing can often be helpful. This article will take you through how to structure different parts of research papers while incorporating elements of storytelling. 

Read the first part of the series here: Importance of Storytelling in Research Writing 

Read the second part of the series here: 3 Best Techniques for Effective Storytelling 

Role of Storytelling in Research 

Writing the Title and Abstract 

Writing the Introduction Section 

Writing the Methods and Results 

Writing the Discussion Section 

Role of Storytelling in Research

Because academic writing differs significantly from informal writing—such as writing a creative blogpost—you might be wondering where exactly the storytelling aspect comes into picture. Keep in mind that the basic IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) should not be modified. Instead, narrative elements must be woven into different sections of the manuscript to maintain the logical connectivity between ideas. 

Writing the Title and Abstract

Before the IMRaD structure begins in a research article, your paper should include the title and abstract to introduce the study topic to the readers. And these need to incorporate storytelling elements as well. 

Title

The title is the first thing that any reader views, and it should hook them into clicking on it to read your paper. Crafting a title should be aimed at conveying the core aspects of your study while maintaining readability and brevity¹. A simple way of achieving this is to answer the following questions: 

• What is the main topic of the study?  
• What methods were used for the analysis? 
• Who or what was studied? 
• What were the key findings of the research? 

Getting the answers to these questions will help you identify the essential keywords that should go in the research paper title. Watch this video to learn how to write a research paper title in 4 simple steps, explained using an example of an actual research paper title.

Tip: It is completely normal to write the title after you have written your research paper. So, do not worry if you are unable to answer these four questions at the beginning of the research. 

Abstract

An abstract is a summary of your research that, in a way, follows its own IMRaD format. It starts with the background, defines the objectives, highlights the methods used, specifies the key study findings, and ends with the conclusions or study implications. All this information must be typically packed within 150 to 200 words, but the length can vary depending on journal guidelines. 

So, how do storytelling elements play a role here? Naturally, the writing style should incorporate the techniques used for the IMRaD, which we will explore later in this blog. But the secret lies in how much information is presented without giving everything away. Think of the abstract as a movie trailer. The trailer only highlights enough of the storyline to get the audience interested to watch the movie without disclosing the entire plotline. Similarly, a research paper abstract (structured or unstructured²) should provide the gist of your research, helping you gain the reader’s trust such that they feel compelled to read your paper. 

Writing the Introduction Section

The Introduction section³ sets the opening scene for your audience—in this case, your readers. Start by providing context and background information to help them understand the journey on which they’re about to embark! Think of an inverted pyramid that begins with a general background, narrows the focus of the readers to the research problem, and then clarifies the study’s rationale and aims, thereby drawing the reader’s attention to the focus of the study. 

• Introduce the topic of the study and explain why you chose that particular topic. Establish the area of your research and explain the significance of your study. Pose the main research questions and clarify how they address existing gaps in literature. 
• State the study objectives and justify how your paper will answer the research questions. Here, your identified problem should be described with as much detail as possible. Highlight the impact of the problem to make the readers realize why it needs to be addressed. 
• From here, move on to convincing the readers as to why your research is the solution to the research problem. There could be existing studies that have previously proposed solutions. So, highlight the novelty of your work, explain how it differs from existing research, and clarify how it contributes to the research field. Mention what’s to come in the paper. Include a paragraph outlining the structure of your paper, describing what the readers can expect to learn from each of the subsequent sections. 
• Throughout this section, you will use both present and past tenses when structuring your sentences. The present tense is used to state facts and explain practices that are commonly accepted in the field. The past tense is useful to summarize previously reported findings (e.g., Richard & David [3] reported that…) or when you are describing finished/completed events (e.g., Their decision-making framework confirmed that an optimal process improved the quality of the characteristics significantly.). 

Writing the Methods and Results

This is where the plot gets interesting! These two sections form the body of your paper and must take the readers through your research journey to help them arrive at the same conclusions you did. 

Methods

This is where the characters of your story are introduced⁴. They can be variables, data points, or participants in a study—make sure that you highlight the role of your characters in such a way that the readers relate to them easily. 

• Start by explaining “what” was used for your analysis: Materials, experimental techniques, statistical approaches, study protocols, and study methodologies. 
• Explain “why” you chose them: Why was this experimental technique better than another? How does the approach (qualitative or quantitative or mixed) suit your study? 
• Clarify “how” the study was conducted: How was the study administered? What were the participants asked to do? If your study was purely quantitative, how were the variables measured? How did you test the hypotheses? 

This section is likely to be divided into sub-sections with appropriate sub-headings, if needed. And the past tense is more commonly used in this section since you are primarily describing your actions during the study, which is a completed event. The present tense is used only when you are referring to how the information is presented in the paper (e.g., The data are summarized in Table 1.) Both active and passive voices can be used in this section to maintain varying sentence structures for the purpose of narrating the research story. 

Results

Now that your readers have discovered your characters, they want to know how these characters provided the outcome⁵. 

• Divide this section into sub-sections to ensure a clear and logical presentation. The sub-headings also help readers gauge what key findings are reported at a glance. These sub-sections can be parallel to what was described in your Methods section. 
• Make sure all major findings are covered. Even if the results were NOT what you expected, include them—these negative results can help you present the premise for future research. 
• Include figures, graphs, illustrations, and tables—these can help your readers understand the findings better. However, do not duplicate information! 
  For instance, if a graph compares the performance of two different datasets, the same details need not be provided in a table. Similarly, if the details of how the study participants were divided into groups and what aspects were considered for this division can be explained in text, do not include a figure simply to reiterate the same information. This type of redundancy should be avoided in research papers at all costs. 

Writing the Discussion Section

All stories need a good ending that ties up loose ends, leaving the audience with a sense of closure. Your Discussion section⁶ (or the Conclusion section in some papers) should give your readers the correct insight, underscoring the implications of your research findings. 

• It begins with a specific statement of your findings, clarifying how they relate to your research questions or hypotheses. Summarize the key findings of your study and discuss their implications. Justify your conclusions with accurate reasoning. In a way, the Discussion section is the opposite of the Introduction section, with the pyramid being upright and moving from the specifics to the general idea. 
• This section essentially explains what the results mean and justifies why they are important. How do your results compare to previously reported research findings? Did the results match your own research’s expectations? If not, explain why. Specify that these negative results are something you wish to analyze further in a future study. Be careful not to over-speculate your findings; stick to what can be directly implied from the results and avoid exaggeration. 
• All studies have limitations, and it is important to highlight them in the Discussion section. In fact, a sub-section with the heading “Limitations of the study” and a short paragraph briefly outlining the challenges faced can be immensely helpful for readers. Based on these limitations, you can recommend potential lines of investigation that the readers can explore. 

Key Takeaway

Storytelling matters in academic writing just as much as it does in informal writing. Now that you know how storytelling can be used in research writing, make the content of your next paper shine through a story! 

References

1. Write the perfect research paper title in 4 simple steps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLZZcQvCu10

2. Structured vs. unstructured abstracts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_YVA-EfkLw

3. Tips to write the perfect introduction for your research paper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux6Z5RGM1T8 

4. How to write the methods section in research papers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq5oQYpJdRg 

5. How to write the results section in research papers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv1Bpmauac4 

6. Bestway to write discussion and conclusion sections in research papers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOyCpwsEJUA 

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