How to write a scientific article for a student - tips from teachers

A scientific article is a work reflecting the results of the research activities of the author (s). Scientific articles are characterized by complex and complex sentences. The information is stated clearly, specifically, in detail.

Writing a scientific article on the humanities, economics, pedagogy, philosophy or sociology is no different from each other.

In any scientific article, it is necessary to describe the relevance and novelty of the study, the purpose and objectives, conclusions.

Relevance - a description of the existing problems of the topic to which the scientific article is devoted.

Novelty  is the difference between your scientific article and the works of other authors. In most cases, authors write scientific articles on popular topics. The author’s task is to study the scientific works of other authors, determine the aspect of the problem that they did not reveal and try to reveal it in your scientific article (in the main part of the work).

The goal is the answer to the question: “what do we want to do?”. Setting goals must be done after determining the novelty. For example, other authors did not use mathematical methods of analysis when studying the problem of small business and therefore their forecasts cannot be considered adequate. In this case, you can set a goal - to identify problems using economic and mathematical methods, which will allow you to build a reliable forecast for several years ahead.

Tasks  - actions necessary to achieve the goal. Based on the previous example, you can formulate the following tasks:

1. updating statistics for a period such-and-such;
2. building a mathematical model;
3. assessment of the adequacy of the mat. models using various evaluation criteria;
4. building a forecast for 2 periods ahead.

In general, the tasks answer the question: “what needs to be done to achieve the goal?”.

Conclusions  - a description of the results of the study, a summary of everything that was written in the main part. Conclusions need to be formed in such a way as to prove that the goals and objectives were achieved, that the result was obtained, and it has value (economic, social, industry, etc.).

Attention! This was basic knowledge of writing a scientific article. Further, you will become acquainted in detail with the structure of a scientific article, learn how to write an introductory, main and final part, as well as no less useful knowledge, without which writing a scientific article is impossible.

Where to start writing a scientific article

To write an article succinctly and in a logical sequence, the work needs to be structured.

The structure of the scientific article

There is a traditional approach to structuring an article . It is best to stick with it to increase the chances of publication.

The structure of the scientific article is as follows:

• article title
• Information about authors;
• annotation ;
• keywords;
• introduction ;
• main part;
• conclusion, conclusions;
• list of used literature.

The content of the article depends on the chosen topic.

Choose a topic for a scientific article

Choosing a topic for research is a very crucial moment. The topic should be relevant, consistent with new trends. Viewing articles on the Internet is the most common and convenient way to analyze information and select a topic.

Any research process is a creative process. Therefore, the topic should be interesting and fascinating for you. Typically, the volume of a scientific article is 8–10 pages , so the selected topic should be narrowly focused, affecting a specific problem.

When using materials from the Internet, remember that the information presented on the network is often of an advertising nature. For a general study of the issue you are interested in, expanding your own horizons and choosing the direction of research, this method is quite suitable. However, to write the text of the article, use only specialized literature.

Having decided on the topic, make a rough outline of the article.

Write and agree on a plan (summary) of a scientific article with a supervisor

Briefly outline the main points of your work. This will help to build information in a logical sequence, not to miss important points, will make it easier to structure the text, highlight sections.

Coordination of the plan is necessary in order not to rewrite the scientific article several times. A plan is a kind of task. The task should be set clearly and clearly.

Write a plan, indicate what will be in the main part (for example, relevance and a few words about it), describe how you see the main part (for example, which authors you will investigate, which research you will conduct), write the structure of conclusions (for example, what is most important must be emphasized at the end of the scientific article).

After agreeing on a plan, proceed to the next step - finding a scientific journal for publishing a scientific article.

See an example of an ideal plan for a scientific article that we have been developing for several years. Suitable for many scientific topics. Includes analytical content (without numbers and mathematical calculations).

Scientific journal for the publication of a scientific article - types of journals, we determine the suitable for our work

There are several types of scientific journals. For students, it is enough for the publication to be included in the list of. Graduate students need to be published in the Higher Attestation Commission.

Authoritative publications are those included in the list of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC). A list of such publications (domestic and foreign) is available on the official website of the Higher Attestation Commission. We devoted an entire article dedicated to the 2016 VAK journals.

You can publish an article in one of the collections of scientific papers that are published independently or as a result of scientific and technical conferences (NTC), these include International scientific conferences. They take place quite often and the cost of publishing an average of 100-150 rubles per page, but there are also free conferences.

For a wider circle of readers, periodicals (magazines) are intended.

It should be remembered that scientific articles published in scientific journals are intended for specialists. Therefore, such publications are subject to mandatory review, and the review may be negative. In this case, the article will be returned for correction and revision.

How to choose a scientific journal for publishing a scientific article - some useful tips

To choose the right scientific journal, determine the goals of the publication (score points for credit or defend a dissertation), and objectively evaluate your level of preparation.

Students should not immediately apply for publication in a prestigious magazine. There is a high probability of receiving a negative review, comments on which you cannot quickly fix. As a result, you only lose time.

It is better to start with the publication of abstracts in the collection of materials of student scientific and technical conferences (SNTK). The requirements for such publications are low, that is, you can practice, fill your hand.

Another option is to choose the publication of your own university (as a rule, these are “Bulletins”). You can also take part in an online conference and publish an article in the electronic collection of materials of this conference.

Publication in the above-mentioned publications does not require deep scientific knowledge, as a rule, conferences put forth equally simple requirements for authors:

1. the uniqueness of the work is not less than 70%;
2. the amount of work in pages of 3 or 5 sheets of typewritten text (Times New Romans 14, one and a half);
3. the amount of the list of used sources and links in the text is from 5;
4. number of co-authors - no more than 3.

After you have selected a magazine, proceed directly to the work on the article.

Requirements for the design of a scientific article - what should be the size of the font, indentation, etc.

Do not forget about such an important aspect as the requirements for the design of a scientific article . Works that do not meet the requirements of a scientific publication will be denied publication, it may take time to correct the work, and you may be late with the publication.

As a rule, authors can draw up work in accordance with GOST from 2008, however, some publications expose their design requirements.

The standard font used in the scientific article is Timew New Romans, size 14, line spacing one and a half (1.5), paragraph indent 1.5 cm. Lists can be arranged in numbers and dots.

The tables are aligned in the middle of the sheet, the table title is aligned to the right and placed above the table. At the beginning of the title is the word “Table” with the serial number of the attachment.

Another thing is with the drawings, they are aligned in the middle, but the captions for the pictures are placed under them and also aligned in the middle. Captions begin with the word “Image” and the serial number of the image.

Schemes, charts and graphs are best designed in the form of drawings, so you definitely won’t be mistaken.

Thus, almost any scientific article can be written. In any case, scientific publications stipulate the requirements for the design of scientific papers on their website or write them in an information letter to the conference.

How to write a good student scientific article - writing secrets

Several aspects can be distinguished, the knowledge of which will help to write a good scientific article and successfully publish it. For students, this is a consultation of specialists, involvement of co-authors, knowledge of terminology and strict adherence to the requirements of a scientific publication.

Consult a teacher

If this is your first experience in writing an article, then it is advisable to consult with teachers at your university and choose a leader. No one will refuse to help you. The student's desire to engage in scientific activities and write an article is always welcome.

A consultant or manager will not only help you with research and writing an article, but will also advise a scientific publication for publication.

Engage collaborators

Quite promising is the option of writing an article in collaboration. Teamwork, firstly, is interesting for the authors themselves, and secondly, it usually turns out to be of higher quality. You can take a teacher, graduate student or student as a co-author.

Remember to use terms and definitions.

Fluency in terminology is a very important aspect. All terms must comply with applicable laws and regulations. Definitions need to be given only for those concepts that you propose to introduce for the first time, or if definitions of these concepts are absent in the domestic regulatory framework.

Track the design of a scientific article

If the design rules are not followed, the article will not be published.

Always carefully read the rules for writing articles, as in different publications the requirements are very different. Pay attention to the page format (usually A4 or A5), margins, type and size of the font, line spacing, paragraph indentation, layout of tables and figure captions. Sometimes in tables, the font may differ from the font of the main text. Pay attention to this.

Check the article for literacy and uniqueness. Sure!

Read the article several times. Correct grammar and stylistic mistakes. If you are not sure that you can do it yourself, ask for help from others or use online resources. After editing, re-read the article again. There are also special resources for this, for example https://cite4me.org/writing-help/

Uniqueness is the most significant criterion. Works with uniqueness below 80% are not accepted for publication. Some magazines set more stringent requirements and do not accept works whose uniqueness is below 90%. Check the scientific article for uniqueness using online services: anti-plagiarism.ru and text.ru - they are the most accurate.

Remember!  In the place where you make a link to any author or his work (in the form of square brackets), plagiarism is allowed.

Do not forget about the deadline for submitting an application for publication of an article

Strictly observe the deadlines for submitting articles to the editorial board. Dates are set based on the assumption that, firstly, your article must be reviewed, and secondly, in the case of a negative review, you must have time to correct the comments.

And some more tips to write a good science article.

• Choose a relevant topic for research;
• Choose a manager or consultant who is a specialist in this field;
• substantiate the relevance of research by critical analysis of the work of other authors;
• make references to authoritative sources;
• Before writing an article, make an approximate plan for the main part;
• structure the article according to generally accepted standards;
• write text in a competent language, using the correct terminology;
• Do not overload the article with unnecessary general information (do not “pour water”);
• emphasize the scientific novelty of the results;
• Show the advantages of your development in comparison with existing analogues;
• in conclusion, note the practical significance of the development and the economic effect of its application;
• Recruit collaborators
• Choose a scientific publication to publish based on the level of your research;
• strictly comply with the requirements for the design of the article;
• re-read the finished article several times, correct errors and inaccuracies;
• submit materials to the editorial board no later than the deadline;
• eliminate all comments of the reviewer;
• check the work for uniqueness before sending for publication.