Abstract
The introduction and discussion sections play pivotal roles in peer-reviewed manuscripts, yet many authors struggle with these sections. This commentary describes the significance of the introduction and discussion sections for successful publishing, identifies essential components of these sections, and provides recommendations for writing quality introductions and discussions. The introduction defines the problem to be addressed, identifies what is known and unknown about the problem, and states the study purpose. It begins broadly by introducing the area of interest, narrows to identify the specific focus and gap in knowledge, and finally ends with the aim of the present study, seamlessly leading to the methods and results sections. Discussion sections restate the study purpose, interpret the most compelling findings, situate them within the context of existing literature and frameworks, describe study limitations, and provide recommendations for future research and practice. The discussion ends with a brief conclusion paragraph explaining the study’s relevance and implications to the field. The introduction and discussion sections are the “bookends” of the scientific manuscript. Successful bookends increase the chances of framing science, getting manuscripts published, and contributing to scientific literature.
Author ORCID Identifier
Justine S. Sefcik, PhD, RN
ORCID: 0000-0003-1691-7836
Amy Glasofer, PhD, DrNP, RN, NE-BC
ORCID: 0000-0002-7379-2235
Matthew Lee Smith, PhD, MPH, CHES
ORCID: 0000-0002-8232-9285
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Sefcik, Justine S.; Glasofer, Amy; and Smith, Matthew Lee
(2024)
"Writing Manuscript "Bookends": Strategies to Effectively Frame Science,"
Health Behavior Research:
Vol. 7:
No.
4.
https://doi.org/10.4148/2572-1836.1258
