A Template and Guide to Writing Academic Papers

Abstract

This is a template for designing a scholarly manuscript in the context of business and management related research. I use the example of a literature review for illustration, as over-viewing what we know about a specific topic is a challenge that many new to academic writing will face at some point. Instead of writing a classic “How to”-guide this paper provides readers with a template designed in an instant “guide-while-you-write”-format. The text addresses typical barriers that prevent the dissemination of new knowledge and is presented and formatted as a practical template. The paragraph structure provides an implicit checklist of typical components of academic papers and gives hands-on advice for future or current PhD students and early career academics - or academics who generally struggle to get their ideas on paper independent of their stage in the academic career. Readers will learn about how they can structure their work, construct an abstract, hook the reader in their own introductions, illustrate their methods, report their findings and close the loop in their conclusion chapters. The paper contains examples on making good use of the scholarly apparatus and shares observations on typical flaws in submissions I received in various roles associated with doctoral supervision, reviewing academic work and organizing larger scale review processes. This paper provides a helpful basis for drafting academic papers. It might be seen as a helpful starting point for your own academic writing.