The examples below are from 72,017 full-text PubMed research papers that I analyzed in order to explore common ways to start writing the Discussion section. Research papers included in this analysis were selected at random from those uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021. Note that I used the BioC API to …
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The examples below are from 76,350 full-text PubMed research papers that I analyzed in order to explore common ways to start the Materials and Methods section. Research papers included in this analysis were selected at random from those uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021. I used the BioC API to download …
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The examples below are from 94,745 full-text PubMed research papers that I analyzed in order to explore common ways to start writing the Abstract. Research papers included in this analysis were selected at random from those uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021. Note that I used the BioC API to download …
How to Start an Abstract? Examples from 94,745 Research Papers Read More »
The examples below are from 98,093 full-text PubMed research papers that I analyzed in order to explore common ways to start the Introduction section. The research papers included in this analysis were selected at random from those uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021. Note that I used the BioC API to …
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The examples below are from 47,803 full-text PubMed research papers that I analyzed in order to explore common ways to start a Conclusion section. The research papers included in this analysis were selected at random from those uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021. Note that I used the BioC API to …
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I analyzed a random sample of 105,975 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to explore common ways to start a research title. I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Common ways to start a title The most common 3-word …
How to Start a Research Title? Examples from 105,975 Titles Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 1,957 meta-analysis full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to check the popularity packages of meta-analysis software among medical researchers. (I used the BioC API to download the articles — see the References section below). Out of these 1,957 meta-analysis papers, …
Meta-Analysis Software Popularity in 1,321 Research Papers Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 101,580 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to explore the influence of the number of authors of a research paper on its quality. I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s a summary …
Does the Number of Authors Matter? Data from 101,580 Research Papers Read More »
This guide is far more than a list of instructions on what to include in each section of your research paper. In fact, we will: Use a research paper I wrote specifically as an example to illustrate the key ideas in this guide (link to the full-text PDF of the research paper). Use real-world data …
How to Write & Publish a Research Paper: Step-by-Step Guide Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 9,830 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to explore whether first-person pronouns are used in the scientific literature, and how? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Popularity of first-person pronouns in the …
“I” & “We” in Academic Writing: Examples from 9,830 Studies Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 9,830 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, to answer the question: How long should a paragraph be in a research paper? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Paragraph length Our sample of 9,830 research …
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I analyzed a random sample of 9,830 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, to answer the questions: Can a research title be a question? And do questions make good titles? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Popularity of question titles …
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I analyzed a random sample of 104,161 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, to learn more about title length. I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s a summary of the key findings 1. The median title was 14 words long …
How Long Should a Research Title Be? Data from 104,161 Examples Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 61,429 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the questions: What is the typical length of an abstract? and which factors influence it? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s a …
How Long Should the Abstract Be? Data 61,429 from Examples Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 61,517 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the questions: What is the typical length of a discussion section? and which factors influence it? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s …
How Long Should the Discussion Section Be? Data from 61,517 Examples Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 61,458 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the questions: What is the typical length of a results section? and which factors influence it? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s …
How Long Should the Results Section Be? Data from 61,458 Examples Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 61,514 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the questions: What is the typical length of a methods section? and which factors influence it? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s …
How Long Should the Methods Section Be? Data from 61,514 Examples Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 61,518 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the questions: What is the typical length of an introduction section? and which factors influence it? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s …
How Long Should the Introduction of a Research Paper Be? Data from 61,518 Examples Read More »
I analyzed the content of 98,709 randomly chosen research papers from PubMed to learn more about bias. Specifically, I wanted to do 2 things: Rank 64 types of biases by popularity, in order to determine on which ones professional researchers focus the most in practice. Test the hypothesis that addressing bias issues is a sign …
List of All Biases [Sorted by Popularity in Research Papers] Read More »
I analyzed the content of 43,110 randomly chosen research papers from PubMed to learn more about R-squared. Specifically, I wanted to answer the following questions: What is a good value for R-squared? What is a low value for R-squared? Is a higher R-squared always better? Is a low R-squared necessarily bad? Let’s start with a …
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I analyzed the methods sections of 43,110 randomly chosen research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to check the popularity of 125 statistical methods in medical research. I used the BioC API to download the articles (see the References section below). Here’s a summary of the key findings …
Checking the Popularity of 125 Statistical Tests and Models Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 61,519 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the questions: What is the typical overall length of a research paper? and how long should each section be? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References …
How Long Should a Research Paper Be? Data from 61,519 Examples Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 47,810 conclusion sections found in 98,778 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the questions: When to include a conclusion section in a research paper? and how long should it be? I used the BioC API to download the …
Length of a Conclusion Section: Analysis of 47,810 Examples Read More »
I analyzed 3,823,919 references cited in 96,685 research papers, chosen at random from those uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the question: How to determine if a reference is too old to be included in a research article? I used the BioC API to download the data …
How Old Should Your Article References Be? Based on 3,823,919 Examples Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 96,685 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to answer the question: How many references should you cite when writing a research article? I used the BioC API to download the data (see the References section below). Here’s a summary of …
How Many References Should a Research Paper Have? Study of 96,685 Articles Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 76,147 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to check the popularity of programming languages among medical researchers. I used the BioC API to download the articles (see the References section below) of which only 12,086 mentioned the use of at …
Programming Languages Popularity in 12,086 Research Papers Read More »
I analyzed a random sample of 76,147 full-text research papers, uploaded to PubMed Central between the years 2016 and 2021, in order to check the popularity of statistical software among medical researchers. (I used the BioC API to download the articles — see the References section below). Out of these 76,147 research papers, only 40,582 …
Statistical Software Popularity in 40,582 Research Papers Read More »