How to modify the structure of an article to meet the requirements of a journal?
Structural modification is feasible and essential to align an article with specific journal requirements. Adherence to a target journal's prescribed structure significantly increases the likelihood of acceptance by meeting editorial expectations.
The primary principle involves thoroughly consulting the journal's 'Instructions for Authors' guide, which explicitly details structural norms such as required sections (e.g., IMRaD), subsections, length restrictions, and reference formatting. Authors must ensure the core IMRaD structure is logically sequenced and internally coherent. Key considerations include the clarity of the introduction's problem statement and objectives, the methodological rigor and reproducibility, a results section focused solely on findings, and a discussion that interprets results within the existing literature while acknowledging study limitations. Unnecessary redundancies between sections should be eliminated, and the overall flow from question to conclusion must be seamless.
To implement modifications: first, acquire and meticulously study the target journal's guidelines. Second, critically assess the manuscript's existing structure against these requirements, identifying necessary additions (e.g., structured abstracts, specific headings), deletions, or reorganizations. Third, systematically reorganize sections to match the guide, refining subsection headings. Fourth, enhance paragraph transitions, signposting, and overall narrative flow to reinforce logical progression. Finally, perform a comprehensive final review focusing solely on structural compliance and coherence prior to resubmission.
