Kipling's guide to writing a scientific paper.

The generally accepted structure of a scientific paper is four sections, an introduction, a methods section, the results, and a discussion, but the so-called IMRaD format is far from complete, and should be considered a guide for someone writing up research data for the first time.

Abstract

The generally accepted structure of a scientific paper is four sections, an introduction, a methods section, the results, and a discussion. This so-called IMRaD format is, with a few small variations, found in most research articles in biomedical journals. However, as a guide for someone writing up research data for the first time, it is far from complete for example, there is no T for title or even S for summary. Nor does IMRaD explain what belongs in which section and how much should be included in or excluded from any section. As a supplement to, but not a replacement for, IMRaD research-workers could bear in mind the six honest serving-men of the poet Rudyard Kipling. These writer's servants are called What, Why, When, How, Where, and Who, and they can be applied to all parts of the paper from its title down to the tables.