Plan section lengths for a research paper.
Section proportions differ substantially by paper type, which is exactly why budgeting them in advance is worthwhile. An empirical study splits fairly evenly across literature, method, results and discussion, with the discussion typically largest at around a quarter. A systematic review inverts this — the literature is the contribution, taking close to half the budget, while the method section merely documents the search protocol. Theoretical papers push weight into literature and discussion because there are no results in the conventional sense. Allocating words before drafting prevents the common failure of a bloated introduction and a rushed discussion.
Section budget
Section words = total budget x section share for the paper type
Empirical study shares
12% introduction, 20% literature, 20% method, 22% results, 26% discussion
Because in a review the literature is the data. The contribution is the synthesis itself, so what would be the results section of an empirical paper is distributed through the literature treatment. The method section only documents the search strategy and inclusion criteria.
Treat them as a starting allocation, not a rule. Their value is catching gross imbalance early — a 40 percent introduction or a 10 percent discussion signals a structural problem. Adjust the split to your argument, but do it deliberately rather than by drift.