Your Research Paper Was Rejected? Don’t Worry—You Weren’t

Rejection stings—but here’s something important to remember:
Your research paper was rejected, not you.
And guess what? That just means it’s time for a better draft—not a new identity.

Let me share with you an old, powerful, and still-effective 40-step research writing framework I learned from a brilliant mentor. This system has helped thousands of researchers write clearer, stronger, and more impactful articles—and it can help you too.

Phase 1: MAKE YOUR DRAFT

Take the idea from your mind to the page. Here’s how:

STEP 1: Create a clear, working title
STEP 2: Introduce the topic and define key terms
STEP 3: Highlight the importance of the topic
STEP 4: Relate to existing knowledge
STEP 5: Identify the gap: what needs to be addressed?
STEP 6: Formulate research questions
STEP 7: State purpose and objectives
STEP 8: Outline methodological steps
STEP 9: Describe the theory behind the methodology / Data Collection
STEP 10: Explain the experimental setup / Survey tool
STEP 11: Detail the study object (technical specifics)
STEP 12: Summarize results
STEP 13: Compare findings with others and your results
STEP 14: Highlight main discoveries
STEP 15: Answer research questions (conclusions)
STEP 16: Support and justify answers
STEP 17: Discuss conflicting results and unexpected findings
STEP 18: Acknowledge study limitations
STEP 19: State significance of findings
STEP 20: Highlight originality
STEP 21: Suggest future research
STEP 22: ABSTRACT: summarize what was done, found, and main conclusions

Phase 2: REVISE THOUGHTFULLY

Now that your draft is done, step back and sharpen it:

STEP 23: Is the title clear and reflective of the content?
STEP 24: Are key terms understandable?
STEP 25: Are objectives clear and relevant?
STEP 26: Are all variables and methods explained and linked to existing knowledge?
STEP 27: Are all results related to the research questions?
STEP 28: Are there any repetitive statements or findings?
STEP 29: Do conclusions align with posed questions?
STEP 30: Will findings be acceptable to the scientific community?
STEP 31: Is the text clear and focused on a specific topic?
STEP 32: Is the abstract clear on its own?

Phase 3: POLISH UNTIL IT SHINES

Finally, make your article clean, professional, and submission-ready:

STEP 33: Are appropriate tenses and voices used?
STEP 34: Are all equations correct and explained?
STEP 35: Are all abbreviations defined?
STEP 36: Avoid words like “very,” “better,” “may,” “appears,” “more,” “convinced,” “impression.”
STEP 37: Are all terms recognized internationally?
STEP 38: Are figures and tables relevant and high quality?
STEP 39: Are figures, tables, and equations referenced in the text?
STEP 40: Are references relevant, current, and accessible?

Source:

Hengl, T. and Gould, M. (2002)
Rules of Thumb for Writing Research Articles – ResearchGate

Conclusion

Writing a strong research article isn’t magic—it’s structure. Follow these 40 steps and your next submission will be miles ahead of your last. Don’t just write more—write better.