Structure

How to Structure a Research Paper

Most research papers follow a recognizable structure regardless of discipline. Understanding what each section does — and what readers expect within it — reduces revision time and makes it easier to meet the requirements set out by Canadian universities and colleges.

The sections described below reflect the IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) widely used in scientific and social-science writing, with additions for humanities-style papers that do not always separate methodology as a standalone section.

Abstract

The abstract is a standalone summary, typically between 150 and 250 words, placed at the beginning of the paper after the title page. It answers four questions: what the research examines, how it was conducted, what was found and why it matters. Most Canadian university style guides specify that the abstract should not include citations or undefined abbreviations.

In APA 7th edition format — required by many psychology, education and social-work programs at Canadian institutions — the abstract appears on its own page with the label "Abstract" centred at the top, followed by the text in a single block paragraph without indentation.

Introduction

The introduction moves from the broad context of the topic down to the specific research question or thesis. This funnel structure — general to specific — is standard across disciplines. A well-constructed introduction covers: the general topic and its relevance, a summary of existing knowledge, the gap the paper addresses and the paper's specific purpose or argument.

In social-science papers, the introduction typically ends with an explicit statement of the research question or hypothesis. In humanities essays, it often ends with the thesis — a claim that the rest of the paper will support with evidence and analysis.

Literature Review

A literature review summarizes and evaluates published research relevant to your topic. It is not a list of summaries. Its purpose is to show how existing work relates to each other and to the current paper — identifying agreements, contradictions and gaps that justify the present study.

Canadian graduate programs frequently require standalone literature reviews as course assignments. At the undergraduate level, the review is often embedded in the introduction or forms the first major section after it. Key sources should be peer-reviewed, drawn from databases such as ProQuest, JSTOR or discipline-specific repositories accessible through your university library.

Methodology

The methodology section describes what was done and why those methods were appropriate for the research question. In quantitative work, this typically covers the research design, sample or participants, instruments (surveys, tests), procedures and analytical methods. In qualitative work, it explains the approach (interviews, discourse analysis, ethnography), sampling rationale and how data was analyzed.

Humanities papers rarely have a standalone methodology section, but they do contain an implicit methodological position — the critical framework or theoretical lens being applied. Making this explicit, even briefly, strengthens the argument and satisfies many grading rubrics at Canadian universities.

Results

In empirical papers, the results section reports findings without interpretation. Data appears in the order needed to answer the research question, supported by tables or figures where they add clarity. Each table or figure requires a caption and should be referenced in the body text before it appears.

According to APA Style guidelines, figures should be numbered consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.) with a brief descriptive title placed below the figure. Table numbers and titles appear above the table.

Discussion

The discussion interprets the results in relation to the research question and existing literature. It explains what the findings mean, whether they align with or contradict previous research, and what limitations affected the study. Strong discussion sections acknowledge what the findings cannot establish — not just what they show.

Avoid restating results verbatim in the discussion. The transition from "what happened" to "what this means" is where the analytical depth of a paper becomes visible to readers and evaluators.

Conclusion

The conclusion synthesizes the argument without introducing new evidence. In empirical papers, it restates the main finding and its implications. In essay-format papers, it returns to the thesis and shows how each section of the paper has developed and supported it.

Some Canadian instructors require a "limitations and future directions" paragraph at the end of the conclusion, particularly in research-methods courses. If your assignment guidelines include this, address it directly rather than weaving it into the discussion section, unless instructed otherwise.

References

The reference list appears on a new page at the end of the paper. In APA 7th, all entries use a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches) and are ordered alphabetically by the first author's last name. In MLA 9th, the equivalent section is called "Works Cited." Chicago 17th uses either footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography, depending on whether the humanities or author-date system is specified.

Detailed formatting rules for each style are available through Purdue OWL and the style-specific manuals held by most university libraries.