Cómo escribir un artículo científico por primera vez

The ultimate aim of researchers is to disseminate their findings to the scientific community by publishing them in a scientific or peer-reviewed journal in the field. Scientific writing has its complexities and peculiarities -it is not an innate ability, and requires time and effort-. However, these skills can be developed by learning the general structure of a scientific article. The aim of this article is to serve as a guide for those starting their journey in mental health research in the preparation of a scientific manuscript for the first time. A scientific paper has a specific format known as IMRaD system (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion). General recommendations are proposed that may vary according to discipline and the requirements of each journal/publisher. Focus is made on the structure of a scientific paper, highlighting some common errors in the manuscripts of new researchers, and emphasising the style of scientific writing. Other aspects of writing such as, syntax, grammar, or spelling will not be addressed. The ultimate objective of this article is to increase the likelihood of publication via the rigorous writing up of results in the format of a scientific article.