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The basic structure of a typical research paper includes Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Each section addresses a different objective.

1. the problem they intend to address -- in other words, the research question -- in the Introduction;
2. what they did to answer the question in Methodology;
3. what they observed in Results; and
4. what they think the results mean in Discussion.

A substantial study will sometimes include a literature review section which discusses previous works on the topic. The basic structure is outlined below:

• Author and author's professional affiliation is identified
• Introduction
• Literature review section (a discussion about what other scholars have written on the topic)
• Methodology section (methods of data gathering are explained)
• Results
• Discussion section
• Conclusions
• Reference list with citations (sources of information used in the article)

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