How to Write Objectives for a Health Science Research Article

You can write objectives for a health science article by understanding the research aim, identifying research questions, and proposing measurable specific goals. Many other steps in-between makes it easy to form objectives for health science research from scratch.

Proper writing of objectives for your health science article adds value to your research and guarantees other benefits. Let’s see how you can write objectives for your health science article, common mistakes to avoid while writing, and other vital information.

How to Write Objectives for a Health Science Research Article

Understand the study purpose

You should understand the main aim of your research before writing any objective. All objectives of your research are specific goals designed to fulfil the main aim of your health science article. Understanding the study purpose also helps you create a logical progression of ideas in your research.

Identify potential research questions

You cannot define all the research questions in your article without writing down specific objectives. Form your research questions to align with objectives the study plans to answer.

Use a SMART-based framework

You should adopt the SMART template while writing objectives for your health science article. The SMART framework helps you write research objectives that are:

-       S – Specific

-       M – Measurable

-       A – Achievable

-       R – Relevant, and

-       T – Time-bound

Following this template gives your research objectives more relevance. It also makes it easy to achieve the main aim of your health science article.

Consider perspectives of research stakeholders

Your objectives should align with the perspectives of your stakeholders. Multiple stakeholders involved in your research will give information to help you discover findings. It is only fair to align their interests while writing your objectives. Common stakeholders in health science research include industry professionals, policymakers, clinicians, and patients.

Link objectives to your study design and materials & methods

Your research objectives should be measurable through a study design and materials & methods available. You should establish a link between your objectives, the study design and available methods well before completing your research.

Structure according to priority

You should arrange the objectives of your health science article to directly address goals according to their relevance. Your objectives should follow a logical sequence from the goals most related to your research aim to descending order.

Revise and refine

You can make changes to your objectives after structuring, writing revised goals to reflect new information during research.

Common Mistakes to Avoid While Writing Objectives for a Health Science Article

Vagueness or ambiguity in objectives

Some authors fail to make their objectives specific enough to clearly reflect the aim of their research. You should avoid using vague or ambiguous language while writing your objectives. Your objectives should leave no room for alternate interpretation. It should also engage conciseness and precision while writing your objectives.

Poor measurability of objectives

Objectives of a research should be assessable through qualitative or quantitative techniques. Your objectives should be measurable with these techniques and a valid result should be available after your analysis.

Avoid writing objectives for a health science article that you cannot clearly evaluate. You should clearly measure the metrics and criteria used to assess the validity of your objectives before completing your research.

Unrelated or irrelevant objectives

You should make sure that your objectives, research questions, and study design have a meaningful relation while writing. Objectives of superficial relevance should not be a part of your health science research.

All objectives should also share a close link with the main aim of your study. Every objective in your research should help answer at least one research question. Objectives in your research should also add relevance to your main subject and help readers understand the article.

Unrealistic or unachievable objectives

Set attainable objectives within your research scope. Objectives of your research should also be within limitations of your research.

You must avoid setting unrealistic or overambitious objectives while writing specific goals for your research. You should consider your resources, feasibility, timeframe, and other valid elements while putting your research together. Your objectives should be interesting and challenging while being realizable and achievable at the same time.

Poor alignment with stakeholder perspectives

You should consider the interests and perspectives of stakeholders in health sciences while putting your objectives together. Your objectives must incorporate stakeholder perspectives to boost its impact and relevance.

You should engage stakeholders in your research like policymakers, patients, and clinicians while writing objectives. Aligning your stakeholder perspectives with your research objectives will help produce meaningful results while addressing their concerns simultaneously.

Poor structuring of objectives

Some authors fail to structure their objectives properly and in a logical sequence. Poorly-structured objectives usually look disorganized and can easily confuse readers. Haphazard arrangement of objectives may also poorly conflate the goals of your research.

You should use a hierarchical format to structure the objectives. The format presents specific objectives by their order of relevance to the research. You can also create a link between all objectives by presenting each goal in a logical sequence.

Poor clarity and precision

You need to communicate all objectives precisely in your health science article. Clarity makes it easy for all readers to understand your objectives and know what to expect from the research.

You should avoid using jargon or language that may have two or more meanings. Poor clarity in language used to present objectives may also confuse reviewers and hamper the peer review process.

Your language should be direct and contain valid information while remaining simple and easy to understand.

Failure to revise and refine objectives

Structured objectives may need revision and refining at all stages of your research. You may need to update your research objectives multiple times to reflect the main aim of your research. New insights may arise as your research progresses; hence, it is essential to modify your objectives.

Proper modification and refining of your objectives makes it easy to ensure continuous relevance of your findings.

Final Word

Proper writing of objectives for a health science article ensures correct communication of specific goals to readers. Correct writing of your research objectives also helps form a solid basis for your health science article to make valid findings.

Arranging your article objectives in a logical sequence also promotes easier understanding and reviews of your research. Follow the steps in this guide to maximize the reach of your research objectives. Correctly writing your research objectives adds value to your research while contributing valid points to existing knowledge.