The Research Paper, in the case of retrospective and prospective studies, grows from your Research Protocol which:

• Addresses the Introduction and Background of your study and relies upon citations and references from the peer reviewed literature to justify the value of the proposed research project; and
• Describes the methodology for the study, which defines how and what data will be gathered.

The standard format for a Research Paper includes:

• Introduction / Literature Review
• Methodology
• Results
• Conclusion
• References

The Results and Conclusion from your study cannot be written until data collection and analysis is complete.

The CORE Research Office suggests that you view the entire research project as a continuum, rather than a successive series of discrete benchmarks.  In this way, the first step in the process – the research protocol – becomes the foundation for each step in the project, including the eventual dissemination of your research findings.

With this continuum in mind, the initial sections of your finished document – the Introduction and Background, the Methodology, and the References – will be ready to accept the addition of your Results and Conclusions. With assistance from the CORE Research Editor, your finished manuscript can be finished in short order following the end of data collection.

Remember, the finished document is the foundation for the other two recommended research outcomes – the Research Poster and the Research Presentation.