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Your First Research Paper

Somebody told you your project might be publishable. It’s a nice thing to hear and a strange place to be left, with a result, a busy supervisor and no idea what happens next. This book takes you from a finished project to a submitted manuscript, through peer review and out the other side.

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Front cover of Your First Research Paper by Gaurav Tiwari: manuscript pages, a chart and a scatter plot pinned together with red thread on a dark desk.
Price
Free
Inside
21 chapters, 6 toolkit appendices
Format
2 PDFs: A4 and 6 × 9

Where are you with the paper?

The book in numbers

21
chapters in 5 parts, from the first claim to the published paper
6
toolkit appendices you can photocopy and fill in
12
figures for the parts of the process that are easier to see
1
worked study followed from first abstract to response letter
130
pages in the 6 × 9 edition, or 98 in A4

What This Book Helps You Do

The hard part isn’t the prose. It’s knowing that a paper is one claim rather than everything you did, that the venue is chosen before the writing starts, that the figures come first, and that the referee is a tired volunteer looking for a reason to stop reading.

  1. Chapter 3

    The four tests that tell you whether you have a paper yet

    A claim, something new, evidence that supports it and a reader who would use it. Failing any one of them is fixable, and the chapter says how.

  2. Chapter 4

    Picking a venue from your own reference list, and spotting predatory ones

    Your shortlist starts with the journals you already cite, sorted into three tiers, with the checks to run before you commit.

  3. Chapters 7 and 8

    The five-sentence abstract and the five-paragraph introduction

    Two shapes that do most of the work, because the editor reads the title, the abstract and the introduction before anything else.

  4. Chapter 9

    Related work as a map of the field, not a list of papers

    A three-column table you write first, so the section groups the literature into families and shows where your work sits.

  5. Chapters 13 to 15

    Authorship, data, and the honesty rules nobody spells out

    How to have the author-order conversation, what a shareable repository holds and where the line sits on reuse and AI tools.

  6. Chapters 18 to 20

    What referees mean, and how to answer them without losing the argument

    Every comment sorted into green, amber or red, then answered point by point in a letter the editor can check.

One invented study runs through the whole book: a lithium-ion cell cycling study whose Arrhenius fit fails above 35 °C. You see its abstract, introduction, related work, cover letter and response letter at each stage, so the advice always lands on the same paper.

Look Inside

These pages come from the 6 × 9 edition. You can open any of them at full size.

  • Book page: Chapter 1, Who Reads a Paper, and Why, with Figure 1.1 showing the editor, the referee, the skimmer and the user and what each one reads.
    Chapter 1. The four people who will meet your paper, and how much of it each one actually reads.
  • Book page: Chapter 3, Is This Publishable?, with Figure 3.1 showing the four tests: a claim, newness, support and whether anyone would use it.
    Chapter 3. The four tests for whether you have a paper yet, drawn as one decision path.
  • Book page: an abstract before and after revision, followed by the rules that hold for abstracts nearly everywhere.
    Chapter 7. One abstract before and after: five sentences with nothing in them, then five that carry a claim.
  • Book page: the three-column table for related work, listing each paper, what it did and why your work differs.
    Chapter 9. The three-column table that turns related work into a map before you write a sentence.
  • Book page: Figure 19.1, sorting referee comments into green, amber and red before planning the revision.
    Chapter 19. Sorting every referee comment into green, amber or red before you plan the revision.
  • Book page: Appendix C, the response-to-referees template, starting with the opening letter to the editor.
    Appendix C. The response-to-referees template, opening letter first, ready to fill in.

Swipe for more pages.

What Each Part Leaves You Holding

The book follows the order a paper actually moves in. Each part leaves you with something you can show your supervisor or send to an editor.

  1. Parts I and II

    Decide you have a paper

    Find out who reads a paper and how, run the four tests, choose the venue from your own reference list and plan the paper on one page.

    You leave with: a yes or a not-yet on the four tests, a shortlist of venues and a one-page plan with the figures drawn first.

  2. Part III

    Write it

    Write each section to its one job, from the title and abstract through the introduction, related work, method, results and discussion.

    You leave with: a five-sentence abstract, a five-paragraph introduction, a related-work map and figures that pass the five-minute audit.

  3. Part IV

    Authorship, data and honesty

    Settle who is an author and in what order, share data and code properly and know where the lines sit on reuse, ethics and AI tools.

    You leave with: an agreed author order, a repository someone else can use and clear answers on reuse and AI tools.

  4. Part V and the toolkit

    Submit and survive review

    Decide on a preprint, build the submission package, wait well, read the decision letter properly and answer every referee.

    You leave with: a cover letter, a pre-submission checklist and a point-by-point response letter.

Table of Contents

The parts follow the order a paper moves in. Each part opens to its chapters, and the filter finds a topic across all of them.

Part IWhat a Paper Is3 chapters

What a paper is for, who reads it and how to tell whether you have one yet.

  1. 1Who Reads a Paper, and WhyThe four readers, what the referee is actually asking and field differences stated once.
  2. 2The Anatomy of a PaperEach section and its one question, the four moves and converting a thesis chapter.
  3. 3Is This Publishable?The four tests, what each failure looks like and what to do when the answer is not yet.
Part IIBefore You Write3 chapters

The decisions that come before the first sentence.

  1. 4Choosing the VenueA shortlist from your own references, three tiers and predatory venues.
  2. 5Reading the Conversation You're JoiningThe three-pass search, search terms and finding your result already published.
  3. 6Planning the Paper Before You WriteThe one-page plan, figures first and a realistic schedule.
Part IIIWriting It6 chapters

Each section written to its one job.

  1. 7The Title and the AbstractThe five-sentence abstract, before and after, and keywords.
  2. 8The IntroductionThe five-paragraph introduction and a gap that has to be real.
  3. 9Related Work Without the Laundry ListThe list versus the map and the three-column table.
  4. 10The Method SectionCould a competent stranger repeat it, and the reconciliation check.
  5. 11Results, Figures, and TablesReport before you interpret, captions and the five-minute figure audit.
  6. 12Discussion, Limitations, and ConclusionThe four jobs of a discussion and limitations written honestly.
Part IVAuthorship, Data, and Honesty3 chapters

The rules nobody spells out until something goes wrong.

  1. 13Authorship, and the Conversation Nobody HasWho is an author, author order and how to raise it.
  2. 14Data, Code, and ReproducibilityWhat a shareable repository contains and where to put it.
  3. 15Honesty: Plagiarism, Ethics, and AI ToolsSelf-plagiarism, data honesty, ethics approvals and where the AI line is.
Part VSubmission, Review, and After6 chapters

From pressing submit to the published paper and the next one.

  1. 16PreprintsWhat you gain, what you risk and how field norms differ.
  2. 17The Submission PackageFormatting, suggesting referees, the cover letter and the pre-submission check.
  3. 18What Actually Happens in Peer ReviewThe pipeline, who your referees are and what the decisions mean.
  4. 19Reading the Decision LetterThe three-day rule and sorting every comment into green, amber or red.
  5. 20Responding to RefereesThe structure that works, language for each bin and contradictory referees.
  6. 21Rejection, Resubmission, and After PublicationWhich rejection it was, resubmitting elsewhere, proofs and what comes next.
ToolkitToolkit6 tools

Six working tools, formatted so you can photocopy and fill them in.

  1. ACover Letter TemplatesJournal, conference, resubmission, extension and status enquiry letters.
  2. BThe Submission ChecklistThe claim, structure, numbers, figures, references and statements.
  3. CResponse-to-Referees TemplateThe opening, the point-by-point body and the checks before it goes.
  4. DReferee Phrases, TranslatedWhat referees and editors mean, and two rules for reading any of it.
  5. EAn Eight-Week PlanWeek 0 to submission, and where the eight weeks actually go wrong.
  6. FGlossaryThe process, versions, identifiers and integrity terms in one place.

Who This Book Is For

It is written for a first paper from a finished project. If you need something else, these are better places to start.

A good fit if you are

  • a final-year undergraduate whose project result might be publishable
  • a master's student turning a thesis chapter into a paper
  • a first-year PhD student writing a first manuscript
  • in mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering or the life sciences, where the book flags how conventions differ
  • a supervisor who wants to hand a student one book instead of explaining the process again

Look elsewhere if you need

  • a sentence-level style manual; this book works at the level of the manuscript
  • help running a whole dissertation project; From Question to Submission covers that
  • your target journal's exact rules; always read its author guidelines
  • grant or fellowship writing
  • a promise of acceptance; the book shows you the process, and the referees still decide

Get the Book Free

The whole book is free, including the toolkit. Checkout only asks for your name and email so the download links stay in your account.

Both editions contain the same complete book. Pick the layout that matches how you read, or keep both.

Front cover of Your First Research Paper by Gaurav Tiwari.

Your First Research Paper

From Project to Submission, Peer Review, and Publication

FreeInstant download · DRM-free PDFs

  • A4 screen edition, 98 pages, for laptops and home printing
  • 6 × 9 print edition, 130 pages, in paperback proportions
  • 21 chapters in 5 parts, with 12 figures
  • The toolkit: cover letters, a submission checklist, a response template, referee phrases, an eight-week plan and a glossary
Get the free book

Download links appear right after checkout and stay in your account.

FAQs on Your First Research Paper

Still unsure? Open a few pages in the gallery above, or ask me through the contact page.

Is it really free?

Yes. Both PDFs and the toolkit cost nothing. Checkout asks for your name and email, and the download links stay in your account so you can come back for them.

Why do I go through checkout for a free book?

Checkout puts the files in your account, so the links don't expire and you can download them again on another device. It takes a name and an email address, and no payment details.

Which PDF should I read?

You get both, and they contain the same book:

  • The A4 screen edition has a larger page and suits a laptop or a home printer.
  • The 6 × 9 print edition uses paperback proportions and suits a compact printout or a reading app.
Does it cover my field?

Chapter 1 sets out the main differences once, and later chapters flag where mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering and the life sciences part ways, such as author order, preprints and conference papers. Your target venue's author guidelines still have the final word.

Will it get my paper accepted?

No book can promise that, because the referees and the editor decide. What it can do is stop the avoidable rejections: a paper with no clear claim, the wrong venue, a missing gap or a response letter that argues instead of answering.

Can I print it or share it?

You can print it for your own use as often as you like, and the toolkit pages may be photocopied for personal and classroom use. If a friend needs it, send them this page.

Run the Four Tests on Your Project Tonight

Chapter 3 takes an evening and tells you whether you have a paper yet. The whole book, with the toolkit, is free.

Get the free book Look inside first

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