From Idea to Publication: A Clear Research Writing Roadmap

This visual neatly captures the complete structure of a strong research paper or project, from selecting a meaningful topic to concluding with solid references. Whether you’re a PhD scholar, early-career researcher, or academic writer, this framework is a powerful checklist to keep your work focused, coherent, and journal-ready.

Key takeaways:

• Start with a clear and novel topic (ACRID)
• Let the abstract tell the whole story—briefly
• Use the introduction to define what, why, and how
• Turn the literature review into an opportunity, not a summary
• Make your methodology transparent and reproducible
• Ensure results and discussion answer the research questions
• Be honest about limitations and strong in your conclusion

I often remind my students and collaborators:
Good research is not just about results—it’s about structure, clarity, and contribution.

Feel free to save or share this roadmap with your research network.

What stage of this journey are you currently working on? 👇