Common Elements of a Research Journal Article
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This list provides a framework for empirical research articles, which report research based on data. It can be used with various methods. For a cohort beginning with focus groups, pay attention to the additions marked with specific labels.

• No label: common elements to use according to the needs of the study.
• [Qualitative]: additions or adjustments for qualitative research, including interviews and focus groups.
• [Focus groups]: specific additions when data are collected through focus group discussions.

This list identifies content to cover, rather than subheadings that must all be used. Several elements can be explained in one paragraph. Adapt section names, order, length, and formatting to the target journal’s instructions. Conceptual articles, literature reviews, and methodological articles may use different structures.

Opening Elements

The opening elements help readers identify the topic, authors, and main content of the article.

• Title: state the research focus clearly and with sufficient specificity. Include the context or method if it helps readers understand the study.
• Author information: names, affiliations, and the corresponding author’s email address. Include ORCID identifiers as required by the journal. Follow anonymisation requirements if the journal requests a manuscript without author identities.
• Abstract: summarise the problem or purpose, methods, main findings, and conclusion or contribution of the study. Report the results actually obtained. The abstract is usually written after the main article is complete.
• Keywords: terms that help readers find the article. Select terms relevant to the topic, main concepts, and methods, using the number specified by the journal.

1. Introduction

The introduction shows why the study is needed and what question it will answer.

1. Problem and rationale: explain the problem, need, or issue being investigated and why it matters.
2. Relevant context and group: provide the information needed to understand the problem. Place detailed descriptions of participants in the methods section.
3. What is already known: summarise the previous research most relevant to the problem.
4. Gap or unanswered issue: show what remains unclear, disputed, or insufficiently understood. Explain why the issue needs to be investigated.
5. Purpose of the study: state what the study aims to achieve.
6. Research question: state the main question and any necessary subquestions. Use hypotheses if appropriate to the research design; exploratory qualitative studies usually do not require them.
7. Intended contribution: briefly explain how the study can improve understanding of the issue.

2. Literature Review and Conceptual Framework

This section provides the scholarly basis for understanding the problem and interpreting the findings. Some journals combine it with the introduction.

1. Main concepts and terms: explain the meanings used where necessary to understand the study.
2. Previous research: organise the discussion around themes or issues, rather than simply summarising sources one by one.
3. Patterns in the literature: explain similarities, differences, trends, changes, weaknesses, or neglected contexts, insofar as they are relevant to the study.
4. Theory or conceptual framework: explain the framework used and its role in the study, if any.
5. Connection to this study: show how the literature informs the questions, design, or interpretation of results. Avoid repeating the explanation of the gap at length.

3. Research Methods

Report what was actually done, including important changes from the original plan and the reasons for them. Provide enough information for readers to assess the suitability of the methods and understand the research process.

1. Design and rationale for selecting the methods: explain the research approach, data collection methods, and why they suit the research question. [Qualitative] Distinguish the research approach, the method of collecting data, and the method of analysing data. Focus groups are a method of collecting data.
2. Context and timing: describe the location, institution or setting, and relevant timing of the study. Protect the institution’s identity where necessary.
3. Unit of analysis: explain what is analysed, such as individual experiences, group interactions, or organisational practices. [Focus groups] Do not automatically equate the number of groups with the unit of analysis; align the unit with the question and analytical approach.
4. Participants and criteria: explain who could participate, relevant characteristics, and inclusion or exclusion criteria. [Qualitative] Explain the relevance of participants’ experiences; do not claim statistical representativeness without justification.
5. Selection and recruitment: explain the sampling strategy, how potential participants were contacted, and who recruited them. Report known refusals or withdrawals where relevant, without guessing the reasons.
6. Numbers and adequacy of data: report the number of participants and the basis for judging that the data were sufficient to answer the question. [Qualitative] If data saturation is used as a justification, explain how it was assessed. [Focus groups] Report the number of groups, participants in each group, total number of distinct individuals, and the basis for forming the groups.
7. Instruments or guides: explain the data collection tools, how they were developed, and any pilot testing or revisions. [Qualitative] Describe the question guide and follow-up questions; the full guide can be included in an appendix.
8. Conduct of data collection: explain the procedures, location or platform, duration, and note-taking or recording. [Focus groups] Explain the roles of the moderator and note-taker, who was present, and how opportunities to speak were provided and dominant participants were managed.
9. Ethics and permissions: report ethics approval or an exemption determination where applicable, organisational permission where necessary, participant consent, freedom to decline, identity protection, and data security. [Focus groups] Explain that researchers cannot fully guarantee confidentiality because other participants hear the discussion, and describe the steps taken to reduce this risk.
10. Data processing and analysis: explain the analytical steps and the reasons for choosing them. For quantitative research, explain the relevant measurements and statistical analyses. [Qualitative] Explain transcription, checks on transcript accuracy, translation where necessary, coding, theme development, who conducted the analysis, and any software used. [Focus groups] Explain how responses between participants and comparisons across groups were considered, in line with the study’s purpose.
11. Quality checks: explain the steps actually taken to check the quality of the data and interpretations. [Qualitative] Examples include examining contradictory evidence, keeping records of analytical decisions, or seeking peer review. Choose steps that suit the approach; do not claim checks that were not carried out.
12. [Qualitative] Researcher position and reflexivity: explain the researcher’s relationship with participants and any experiences, assumptions, or position that might influence data collection and interpretation. Report how these influences were addressed, especially if the researcher also teaches or leads the participants.

4. Results or Findings

This section presents the results of the analysis that answer the research question, together with supporting evidence.

1. Overview of participants or data: present the characteristics needed to understand the results, without revealing identities or repeating the entire methods section.
2. Main findings: organise the results by research question, theme, or another logical sequence. Use tables or figures where helpful.
3. Supporting evidence: connect each finding to the data. [Qualitative] Explain what the themes mean and use selected quotations with anonymous identifiers. Quotations support the explanation rather than replace it.
4. Variation and differing findings: report important differences, unexpected results, or evidence that challenges the main pattern.
5. [Focus groups] Interaction during discussions: present relevant agreement, disagreement, or changes in views. Do not treat silence as agreement or convert the frequency of comments into population percentages.

5. Discussion

The discussion explains the meaning of the findings, their relationship to existing knowledge, and the limits of their interpretation.

1. Answer to the research question: explain what the findings show, rather than simply repeating the results.
2. Comparison with previous research: explain similarities, differences, and possible reasons supported by evidence.
3. Connection to concepts or theory: explain whether the findings support, extend, or challenge existing understanding, where relevant.
4. Contribution and implications: explain the additional knowledge and implications for practice or policy insofar as the results support them. Any recommendations should follow from the findings.

6. Conclusion

1. Briefly state the main answer to the research question and the most important contribution.
2. Limitations: explain the limits of the design, data, analysis, and conclusions. [Qualitative] Explain other contexts that may share similarities and the limits of applying the findings. [Focus groups] Consider the influence of group dynamics, pressure to agree with others, and views that may not have been expressed.
3. Further research: suggest questions arising from the findings or limitations, if necessary. [Qualitative] Many qualitative studies recommend further research with a greater number or variety of respondents.

⚠ Avoid introducing new data or making claims broader than the research supports.

Closing Elements

Include the following as appropriate to the study and the journal’s requirements.

• References: list all sources cited, using the required details and style. Ensure that in-text citations and the reference list match.
• Acknowledgements: acknowledge relevant assistance without revealing the identities of protected participants.
• Funding, conflicts of interest, and author contributions: provide the information required by the journal.
• Statement on AI use: disclose the use of AI in research or writing according to the journal’s requirements, where applicable.
• Data availability statement: explain whether and how the data can be accessed, including ethical restrictions. Transcripts must not simply be made public if this could reveal identities or violate participants’ consent.
• Appendices or supplementary materials: include material that helps readers but is too detailed for the main text, such as the question guide, analytical details, or a reporting checklist, if the journal permits it.

How to Use This List

For a first focus group article, use a simple sequence: introduction, literature review if separate, methods, findings, discussion, conclusion, and references. Cover the relevant elements within these sections; not every item needs its own subheading. Results and discussion can be combined if this suits the journal’s requirements and the distinction between findings from the data and their interpretation remains clear.

Check the following connections: problem → research question → participants and data collection → analysis → findings → answer to the research question. Each section should help readers follow these connections.

Further reading for checking reporting: COREQ is a reporting checklist for research using interviews and focus groups. Use it to check the completeness of the report, rather than as a requirement to create 32 subheadings or use every technique mentioned. The list in this document is not a complete reproduction of COREQ.