How to Write a Research Commentary

A research commentary highlights by discussing the importance of research topics such as scientific or economic research work that is undertaken to prove, clarify or improve an idea or a theory in an area of study. Research commentaries are written in three parts that includes the question the research work is addressing, the evidence and the findings which forms the body of the research and a conclusion showing how to implement or improve the research work.

Gather relevant articles to support your references, because a commentary is an opinion that needs backing up using authoritative facts. For instance, a research evolution might need evidence from Charles Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection or any other relevant and credible expert on the subject.

Create a title page and write the title and the rest of the commentary using Times New Roman font and the right format such as APA (American Psychological Association style, used within the social sciences) when writing classroom research commentaries. Some academic research commentaries come with specific writing and format guidelines a person can follow.

Write a brief abstract at the start of your commentary providing a summary of the main topics in the research paper. Include important words from the research paper in your commentary to help people find the topics they might be looking for in the commentary quickly. Key words also help the commentaries intended for online publication with search engine rating and online visibility by making your commentary easy to find on the Internet.

Structure the body of the commentary by noting how the ideological insights in the research paper present new knowledge in the field of study. For example, a commentary on a medical research paper should give clinical proof to elaborate why the research findings can move to the implementation stage by writing how the findings will be beneficial to patients, medical practitioners and policy makers. Avoid following the research paper word for word and pay attention to language use by choosing words that give prominence to specific points.

Divide the body of the commentary using subheadings. This makes it easy to read and clarifies your ideas.

Write the conclusion in a simple, precise and catchy language because commentaries are meant to encourage people to read the actual research paper. Close the commentary using the references gathered earlier.