This checklist covers all the essential points, both at the macro- and the micro-level, needed for you to draft a quality manuscript.

1. Research Paper Writing 101:
Checklist
Rafey Iqbal Rahman
Gold Medal Recipient, 33rd IEEEP Multi-Topic International Symposium 2018

2. Important Note
To the readers,
This checklist is not meant to be an exhaustive one in any way. Rest assured, that this checklist covers all
the essential points, both at the macro- and the micro-level, needed for you to draft a quality manuscript.
From the paper title to the sources cited, this checklist should act as a go-to tool while you’re creating
your manuscript or once you’ve created one.
Thanks for reading!

3. How This Checklist is Organized?
The checklist covers 02 aspects - “Concern” and “How to Deal?” of each constituent section* of the
manuscript.
● The Concern aspect raises questions that need to be addressed before ‘finalizing’ your manuscript.
● The How to Deal? aspect lists suggestions or sets of rules to address the particular concern.
* Constituent section refers to Title, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results, and References/Citations.

5. Title
Concern #1
Does the paper title shed light on the core research topic/work?
How to Deal?
The paper title should provide an idea of the core research.

6. Title
Concern #2
Is the title subjective (opinionated) or objective (referring to a purpose, goal)?
How to Deal?
The paper title should be free from personal opinions, assumptions, and forecasts. Rather it should be objective.

7. Title
Concern #3
Does the title contain filler words?
How to Deal?
Filler words (a, the, etc.) should be avoided in the title. However, grammar rules should not be violated when
removing filler words.

8. Title
Concern #4
Does the title exceed 10 words?
How to Deal?
A well-thought paper title of at least 11 words is capable of accumulating the whole idea of the research
topic/work.

9. Abstract
Concern #1
Does the abstract convey motivation, methodology, results, and recommendations?
How to Deal?
An abstract should mention the motivation/problem statement, the core technique/working mechanism
involved, the outcome of the research, and the limitations of the research in the form of future recommendations,
in a clear, concise manner.

10. Abstract
Concern #2
Does it meet the 250-word criterion?
How to Deal?
Although, the length of the abstract depends upon the individual journal, however, it is safe to write a minimum
of 250 words.

11. Abstract
Concern #3
Does the abstract follow a similar writing tone as followed in the entire manuscript?
How to Deal?
Usually, when writing an abstract after writing the manuscript, the tone of the abstract does not match with the
rest of the manuscript. It is recommended to keep a similar tone throughout the paper.

13. Introduction
Concern #1
Does it differ from the paper abstract?
How to Deal?
Out of confusion and feeling a dearth of content, some researchers often rephrase what’s written in the abstract
to fit the Introduction section. However, doing so is not recommended in any way. The Introduction section
should differ from the Abstract in terms of content.

14. Introduction
Concern #2
Does it describe the motivation/problem that the research aims to solve or deal with?
How to Deal?
The Introduction section serves as the background story of the research. It should describe what led to the
inception of the particular research.

15. Introduction
Concern #3
Does it revolve around facts or states the author’s assumptions that suit their narrative?
How to Deal?
In the Introduction section, the problem should not be exaggerated and overstated to reflect on the significance
of the research. Stats should be provided to complement the problem statement and no additional assumptions
should be made regarding the problem.

16. Introduction
Concern #3
Does the solution described is legitimate or the author has made false claims?
How to Deal?
Some authors, mostly in the case of highly-theoretical research, either deliberately or unintentionally, make loose
false claims. One of the signs of a false claim is the absence of a citation or the presence of a citation from a
non-reliable source. Be careful when claiming something in your manuscript.

17. Literature Review
Concern #1
Does the lit. review clearly differentiate between past and your research?
How to Deal?
A lit. review should be able to create a line between past and your research along with the clarity, transparency,
and legitimacy of the information provided. The lit. review should address the limitations, shortcomings of
previous research work that are to be dealt with in the particular research.

18. Literature Review
Concern #2
Are the sources that support the lit. review cited in order (number sequence)?
How to Deal?
The sources should be cited in such a way that the number sequence is followed. For e.g., reference #1 should be
cited first, followed by #2, #3, and so on.

19. Literature Review
Concern #3
Does the lit. review meet the 1000-word criterion?
How to Deal?
A lit. review is commonly the most detailed section of the manuscript. It is recommended to write a minimum of
1000 words. This almost equals a double-column, single-spaced, A4 page with font size 8-9, and Times New
Roman font style (Hint: single page of the IEEE paper format).

20. Literature Review
Concern #4
Does the lit. review include at least 17-20 citations?
How to Deal?
If you are at the undergrad level, a minimum of 17-20 citations is necessary to put emphasis on your research
work. The citations should be of legitimate sources.

21. Methodology
Concern #1
Are the material used in the research work listed along with their source of acquisition?
How to Deal?
The Methodology section should list the material used (hardware and software, whatever applicable), no matter
how small the scale of application of the particular material is, along with the source (vendor/laboratory) from it
was acquired. If applicable, the make and model should also be mentioned. This adds to the authenticity of the
research work.

22. Methodology
Concern #2
Is the entire methodology described that led to the particular research outcome?
How to Deal?
The complete methodology, including the environment in which the methodology was applied, should be
described without sugarcoating. Although, the secret sauce (such as a proprietary algorithm) could be kept
hidden in case your research is funded by an organization that doesn’t want to reveal that for commercial or any
other reasons.

23. Methodology
Concern #3
Are the figures included?
How to Deal?
The Methodology section should include original figures derived from the application of the methodology,
whether raw or finished. The figure could be a block diagram, a flowchart, or an illustration illustrating the
mechanism. This also adds to the authenticity of the research work.

24. Methodology
Concern #4
Can the methodology be reapplied to test results?
How to Deal?
The reproducibility of the methodology is a key factor. If your research cannot be reproduced for some reasons,
most commonly because rerunning the experiment in a particular country is not possible due to the lack of
infrastructure or doing so would result in the violation of governing law, the research is likely to be discarded if the
rest of the foundation is not laid well (i.e., if the theory also seems unconvincing).

25. Results
Concern #1
Are the results presented with clarity?
How to Deal?
The results should be presented accurately along with mentioning the margin of error (if applicable). NO
exaggeration should be made and the results should be presented as they are.

26. Results
Concern #2
Are the limitations of the research described?
How to Deal?
In most researches, there is some sort of limitation since research work only addresses an area within an area of
research. These are often modified into recommendations for other researchers.

27. Results
Concern #3
Are the research applications discussed?
How to Deal?
Many scientific pieces of research, although performed in a closed (for e.g., a laboratory) or sometimes in an ideal
environment, or assuming ideal conditions in a non-ideal environment, can be applied in practical areas and the
commercial sector. Possible application areas should be mentioned along with a gist of how they can be applied.

28. References/Citations
Concern #1
Are the references listed complying with the particular referencing style?
How to Deal?
The listed references should comply with the rules and patterns of the particular referencing style.

29. References/Citations
Concern #2
Do references originate from non-reliable sources (Wikipedia, Quora, blogs, etc.)?
How to Deal?
The references should not originate from sources like Wikipedia, Quora (or any other Q/A site), or unknown blog
posts. Blogs maintained by reputed organizations, such as Google, Airbnb, and Uber are an exception.

30. Bonus Content
The checklist is also available in a tabular, concise format for you to quickly skim through. Some piece of
information might differ from that written in the slides. The tabular checklist can be found here:
https://tinyurl.com/chklist101

31. Queries?
Rafey Iqbal Rahman
rafey.iqbal16@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/rafeyirahman