What is the IMRaD Format?

The IMRaD (often pronounced “im-rad”) format is a scientific writing structure

that includes four or five major sections: introduction (I); research methods (M);
results (R); analysis (a); and discussion (D). The IMRaD format is the most
commonly used format in scientific article and journal writing and is used widely
across most scientific and research fields.

When Do I Use the IMRaD Format?

If you are writing a paper where you are conducting objective research in order
answer a specific question, the IMRaD format will most likely serve your
purposes best. The IMRaD format is especially useful if you are conducting
primary research (such as experimentation, questionnaires, focus groups,
observations, interviews, and so forth), but it can be applied even if you only
conduct secondary research (which is research you gather from reading sources
like books, magazines, journal articles, and so forth.)

The goal of using the IMRaD format is to present facts objectively,

demonstrating a genuine interest and care in developing new understanding
about a topic; when using this format, you don’t explicitly state an argument or
opinion, but rather, you rely on collected data and previously researched
information in order to make a claim.

While there are nuances and adjustments that would be made to the following
document types, the IMRaD format is the foundational structure many research-
driven documents:

 Grants
 Proposals
 Recommendation reports
 Plans (such as an integrated marketing plan or project management plan)
How Does the IMRaD Format Work?
As mentioned above, the IMRaD format includes four or five major sections. The
little “a” has had multiple interpretations over the years; some would suggest it
means nothing other than “and,” as in “Introduction, Methods, Results, and
Discussion,” but others have argued that the “a” should be viewed as “Analysis”
in papers where the “Results” section may not be immediately clear and a
section that analyzes the results is important for reader comprehension. Either
way, the “a” often remains in lower-case to indicate that, while it’s often
important, it isn’t always necessary. Below, we’ll review the five major sections,
with “a” given equal weight to the other sections.

Note that these five sections should always go in the order listed below:
1. Introduction: The introduction states the research problem or the
question(s) you intend to address through research. Your introduction would
typically include some variation of the following:
1. Statement of the topic you are about to address
 2. Current state of the field of understanding (often, we call this a
literature review and it may even merit having its own section)
3. Problem or gap in knowledge (what don’t we know yet or need to
know? what does the field still need to understand? what’s been left out of
previous research? is this a new issue that needs some direction?)
4. Forecast statement that explains, very briefly, what the rest of the
paper will entail, including a possible quick explanation of the type of research
that needs to be conducted
2. Methods: The research methods section can go any number of different
directions, depending on the type of research you conducted. Regardless of
what you did for your research, though, this section needs to be very clear, very
specific, very detailed, and only focused on research. Avoid explaining what
the research means–this is for the next sections, Analysis and Discussion.While
the research section is often considered the most boring section for someone to
read, it is also considered the most important section to build your credibility. If
your research methods are sound, your paper holds a lot more weight. A few
tips to make your methods section work well:
1. Separate each type of research you conducted (interviews, focus
groups, experiments, etc.) into sub-sections and only discuss one research
method in each sub-section (for clarity and organization, it’s important to not
talk about multiple methods at once)
2. Be very detailed about your process. If you interviewed people, for
example, we need to know how many people you interviewed, what you asked
them, what you hoped to learn by interviewing them, why chose to interview
over other methods, why you interviewed those people specifically (including
providing they demographic information if it’s relevant), and so forth. For other
types of data collection, we need to know what your methods were–how long
you observed; how frequently you tested; how you coded qualitative data; and
so forth.
3. Don’t discuss what the research means. You’ll use the next two
sections–Analysis and Discussion–to talk about what the research means. To
stay organized, simply discuss your research methods. This is the single
biggest mistake when writing research papers, so don’t fall into that trap.
3. Results: The results section is critical for your audience to understand
what the research showed. Use this section to show tables, charts, graphs,
quotes, etc. from your research. At this point, you are building your reader
towards drawn conclusions, but you are not yet providing a full analysis. You’re
simply showing what the data says. Follow the same order as the Methods
section–if you put interviews first, then focus groups second, do the same in this
section. Be sure, when you include graphics and images, that you label and title
every table or graphic (“Table 3: Interview Results“) and that you introduce
them in the body of your text (“As you can see in Figure 1, seventy-nine
percent of respondents…”)
4. Analysis: The analysis section details what you and others may learn
from the data. While some researchers like to combine this section with the
Discussion section, many writers and researchers find it useful to analyze the
data separately. In the analysis section, spend time connecting the dots for the
reader. What do the interviews say about the way employers think about their
 employees? What do the observations say about how employees respond to
workplace criticism? Can any connections be made between the two research
types? It’s important in the Analysis section that you don’t draw conclusions that
the research findings don’t suggest. Always stick to what the research says.
5. Discussion: Finally, you conclude this paper by suggesting what new
knowledge this provides to the field. You’ll often want to note the limitations of
your study and what further research still needs to be done. If something
alarming or important was discovered, this is where you highlight that
information. If you use the IMRaD format to write other types of papers (like a
recommendation report or a plan), this is where you put the recommendations
or the detailed plan.

Southwest Asia

Outline

1. Regional Characteristics
o Regional Extent
o Population
o Physical Environment
o Culture
o Development
2. Demographic Analysis (USE POPULATION DATA SHEET)
o Population Growth
o Under 15 / Over 65
o Infant Mortality
o Percent Urban
o GNI PPP
3. Middle East Countries
o Iraq
o Syria
o Jordan
o Lebanon
o Israel
4. Arabian Peninsula
o Saudi Arabia
o Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar
o United Arab Emirates and Oman
o Yemen
o Oil Production
5. The Empire States
o Turkey
o Iran
 o Afghanistan
6. References
7. Review Questions

Regional Characteristics

Most of the population in Southwest Asia is located where there is water: along the Asian eastern
and northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin, in far-flung
desert oases, and along the lower mountain slopes of Iran south of the Caspian Sea. The land
between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is called Mesopotamia. This land is very fertile. The
agricultural development influences villages far away from Mesopotamia. As well as rich in
agriculture, Mesopotamia is also rich in culture. The cultural ideas of the Mesopotamian lands
spread to other lands and were used as precedents for other cultures. The Mesopotamians
produce wheat, rye, barley, vegetables, fruits, and domesticate animals as well. The different
agricultural products of Mesopotamia aid other countries and areas in their economy.

Deserts, steppes, and mountains dominate the physical environment in Southwest Asia. Except
for the Mediterranean coasts, this is a realm of very low and highly variable annual precipitation,
searing daytime heat and chilling nighttime cold, and strong winds and dust-laden air. Soils are
thin and mountain slopes carry little vegetation. Water brings exceptions to these conditions
along the coasts, rivers, and in oases and qanats. Qanats are tunnels dug into water bearing rock
strata at an angle, so that the water drains to the surface. Southwest Asia can best be summed up
as a B climate, desert and steppe, with the Arabian Peninsula being the driest with an average
rain fall of four inches a year.

Southwest Asia is known as the "Arab World" and "Islamic World." These are the realm's two
biggest cultural links. The Arabic language is the most common spoken language throughout the
realm, although in many areas of the realm it is not used by most of the people. Turkey, Iran and
Israel do not speak Arabic and they each have their own language.

Southwest Asia is dominated by the Islamic religion with the exception of Israel, which is
Jewish, and Lebanon, which is Christian. The prophet Muhammad, who was born in Arabia in
AD 571, brought the Islamic faith into Southwest Asia around AD 610. He was on a mission,
sent by God, to spread the new religion across the world. The religion continued after his death
in 632 and spread into Africa, Asia, and Europe. Today, the Islamic faith has reached more than
1 billion followers throughout the world and extends well beyond the limits of Southwest Asia.

The two primary groups of Islam are the Shiites and the Sunni. They both follow the teachings of
Muhammad and the Quran. The Quran is compared to the Bible of the Christian religion. 85% of
the Muslims are followers of the Sunni. Shiites do not agree with the Sunni because they feel
every decision should be made on what the Quran says and they believe in following a blood
family member of the prophet Muhammad. The Sunni have a more governmental view and are
not as strict as the Shiites on the teachings of the Quran.

The Islamic faith requires all Muslims to follow the "Five Pillars:"
 1. Repeated expression of the basic creed
2. Daily prayer
3. Month of daytime fasting
4. Almsgiving
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca.

Mecca is a place where thousands of culturally different people meet and have something in
common: the Islamic faith. Islam set out to give the Arabian world a faith that was universal.
Islam wanted all of its followers to be unified. The Islamic religion's aim was to give the
followers a new goal and a sense of pride in their life. In the Islamic religion the followers could
feel good about themselves. Different actions were strongly discouraged, for example: drinking,
smoking, and gambling. Even though the Muslims discouraged drinking and other things,
polygamy was not forbidden. Monogamous couples were praised.

The Islamic faith continued to spread after Mohammed’s death. When Muhammad died the
successor title was given to his wife's father. After this occasion, the religion split into two
resulting into two subdivisions: Shiites and Sunni.

The development of Southwest Asia has been slowed by wars over territories, religion
differences, and by the lack of resources in some countries. Oil is the biggest resource in
Southwest Asia. Industry and manufacturing are the major part of the economy of Israel and
Turkey, because they have very little oil. Israel is the most prosperous nation with the least
amount of resources. Some of the smaller countries, located along the Persian Gulf, have become
very rich from the exportations of oil.

Middle East Countries

Iraq has a population of 22 million, comprises nearly 60 percent of the total area of the Middle
East and has 40 percent of the region's population. Iraq is endowed with natural resources and
has major oil reserves and large areas of irrigated farmland. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run
through Iraq and join to form the Shatt al Arab, Iraq’s water outlet to the Persian Gulf.

Iraq is bounded by as many as six neighbors, and has recently had adversarial relationships with
most of them. The heart of Iraq is the area centered on the capital, Baghdad, situated on the
Tigris River amid the productive farmlands of the Tigris-Euphrates Plain.

There are a great majority of Sunni Muslims in this area who dominate the core area and the
country's political machine. Iraq's infrastructure and economy were shattered during the Gulf
War, but Iraq had wasted a lot of potential on the earlier conflict with Iran, mismanagement,
corruption, and inefficiency. With its good agricultural land and its enormous oil income, Iraq
should be one of the economic success stories of the entire realm. Instead, its failed leadership
has made it one of the world's tragedies.

Syria has a population around 16 million with 75 percent of them Sunni Muslim. Syria is not a
democracy. Since 1963 it has been a republic under a military regime. Syria has a Mediterranean
coastline where nonirrigated agriculture is possible. Damascus, the capital of Syria, is considered
to be the world's oldest continuously inhabited city. Its population exceeds 2 million.

Syria has good cotton and wheat growing areas in the northwest around the Orontes River, which
is the main source of irrigation water. In the eastern part of the country, the Euphrates River
valley is the crucial lifeline. Syria earns substantial revenue from its cotton exports, but oil earns
most of the income.

Jordan has a population of about 4.5 million. It has suffered heavily since the creation of Israel in
1948. Jordan received more than half a million Arab refugees, more than the total number of
Jordan's original population of 400 thousand. Soon after, Jordan found itself responsible for
another half million Palestinians who were forced to leave Israel. Jordan has survived by help
from the U.S. and Great Britain. The 1967 war with Israel was disastrous for Jordan, which lost
the West Bank as well as its sector of Jerusalem. Amman is the capital city of Jordan, and it
reflects the limitations and poverty of the country. Jordan has no oil, very little farmland and
very little unity and strength.

Lebanon with a population of about 4 million, has a strong Christian religion in the country, with
1/4 of the population as its followers, the rest of the population follow the religion of Islam.
Lebanon must import much of its staple food, wheat. The coastal belt below the mountains,
though intensively cultivated, cannot produce enough grain to feed the population. The country
began to fall apart in 1975 when a civil war broke out between the Muslims and the Christians.
Beirut, the capital city, has had a very hard time surviving. It approached total destruction during
the late 1980s. Today, Beirut has embarked on a long rebuilding process and its population, now
at 2.1 million, is rising once again.

Israel, created in 1948, lies at the very heart of the Arab world. The population is about 5 million
with the Jewish religion dominating the country. With the help of foreign aid, large remittances
by Jews living in other parts of the world, and the energies of its settlers, Israel has become a
high-income society in the midst of comparative poverty. The core area, including Tel Aviv,
Haifa, and the coastal zone between them, contains over three-quarters of the country's
population.

Israel has many conflicts with its surrounding neighbors and is working on peace agreements.
The conflict Israel has to deal with is religion. Israel and its Islamic neighbors are constantly at a
conflict. Israel's future depends on a satisfactory settlement with its Palestinian minority, as well
as normalized relations with moderate and secular Arab states.

Arabian Peninsula

As a region, the Arabian Peninsula is environmentally dominated by a desert habitat and

politically dominated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a population of 20
million and is dominated by the Islamic religion, as is the rest of the peninsula. Saudi Arabia
possesses as much as 1/4 of the entire world's remaining oil. Most of the country is desert, with
an annual rainfall of 4 inches. The rainfall is slightly higher in the mountains near the Red Sea.
Here are some forms of agriculture with coffee as the cash crop. These mountains also contain
deposits of gold, silver and metals which the Saudis hope to add to their large amounts of oil in
the east, to diversify their exports. Saudi Arabia is also the home to Mecca and Medina, the two
major religious cities of Islam.

Many countries on the Arabian Peninsula are very small and located on the Persian Gulf and are
also very prosperous due to large amounts of oil. Kuwait has a population of 2 million with 13%
of the world's oil. This makes it one of the richest nations in the world with a GNP of 24,000
dollars. It is located at the head of the Persian Gulf. It is a small country with all its income
coming from oil. Bahrain is an island state with dwindling oil reserves. Their population is
approximately 630 thousand people, with 50% of them Shiite and only 35% Sunni. Qatar has a
population of 700 thousand on a peninsula jutting out into the Persian Gulf. It is a sandy
wasteland made habitable by oil and natural gas.

The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven emirates, faces the Persian Gulf between Qatar
and Oman. The sheik is an absolute monarch in each of the emirates. Two of the emirates
dominate the oil supply, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The total population of the UAE is about 2
million. Oman is also an absolute monarchy centered on the capital city of Muscat. Oman
consists of two parts, the large eastern corner of the peninsula and a small but critical cape to the
north, the Musandam Peninsula. This protrudes into the Persian Gulf to form the Hormuz Strait.
Oman has a population of 2.3 million.

Yemen's population of about 15 million is second only to Saudi Arabia. Yemen was recently
formed from North and South Yemen to form a multiparty, secular, democratic state, the only
one in the region. Its economy is by far the weakest, with very limited oil production. Its ongoing
conflict with Saudi Arabia and their disagreements in territorial boarders spells trouble for
Yemen in the future.

Oil Production

As you can see above, oil plays a large part in the economy and well being of the Arabian
Peninsula. The countries of the Arabian Peninsula have high incomes and high standards of
living. The industrialization and modernization are both due to the oil industry. Arabia is able to
modernize its capitals and other religious and precious monuments.

The Empire States

Turkey is a mountainous country of generally moderate relief and considerable environmental

diversity ranging from steppe to highland. Coastal plains are limited in size, but they are
productive and densely populated. Turkey's population is just over 60 million and is dominated
by the Islamic religion. Despite Turkey's religious ties with Southwest Asia, they have very close
ties with Western Europe and are very westernized. Turkey has very little oil and depends on its
industry for economic wealth, by manufacturing electronics, textiles, and steel.

Iran is an Islamic Republic and has a majority Shiite population. Their population is also over 60
million. Iran controls the entire corridor between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. Iran is a
country of mountains and deserts. The Iranian Plateau is the heart of the country that is
surrounded by the Zagros Mountains. The capital city, Tehran, lies in the southern slopes of the
Elburz Mountains. In 1979 an exiled Ayatollah (holy man) named Khomeini returned to Iran
from exile in France and a revolution exploded which ran the leader, Shah Muhammad Reza
Pahlave, out of the country. Ayatollah Khomeini reinstated the Shiite religious actions back into
the government. The ten-year war with Iraq, which ended in 1990, left Iran very poor and with a
tough road ahead.

Afghanistan has little to unite its people and much to divide them. Sunni Islam is the dominant
religion, but the faith has not been an intercultural bond. Afghanistan remains one of the realm's
weakest and poorest countries. Urbanization is below 20 percent, circulation is minimal,
agricultural and pastoral subsistence remains the dominant livelihoods. Fruits and carpets are the
main exports. Its population of 18 million does not have any unity and Afghanistan's weakness
may attract intervention by neighbors that already have stakes in the country.

Review Questions

1. Which of the following people look across their border to Iran because they share a common
Shiite Muslim faith?
A. Georgians
B. Armenians
C. The people of Azerbaijan
D. Nagorno-Karabakhians
E. Russians

2. Which country in the North Africa / Middle East region has the greatest oil reserves?
A. United Arab Emirates
B. Kuwait
C. Saudi Arabia
D. Qatar
E. Yemen

3. Mecca, a city with great religious significance to the Islamic religion, is located in:
A. Saudi Arabia
B. Jordan
C. Egypt
D. Israel
E. Syria

4. Which countries in the North Africa/ Middle East region have populations in excess of 60
million?
A. Iraq and Iran
 B. Egypt and Iran
C. Saudi Arabia and Iran
D. Syria and Iraq
E. Egypt and Jordan

5. Which country in the North Africa / Middle East region is least typical in terms of religion and
level of industrialization?
A. Lebanon
B. Israel
C. Jordan
D. Syria
E. Saudi Arabia

6. The Ottoman Empire was headquartered in the city of:

A. Constantinople (Istanbul)
B. Mecca
C. Jerusalem
D. Berlin
E. Vienna

7. Which of the following oil producers does not border the Persian Gulf?
A. Iran
B. Libya
C. Kuwait
D. United Arab Emirates
E. Saudi Arabia

8. Man-made underground irrigation channels originating with mountain streams are called
A. Fellaheen
B. Aqueducts
C. Riverines
D. Negevs
E. Qanats

9. Shiite Moslems make up a great majority of the population of:

A. Egypt
B. Saudi Arabia
 C. Turkey
D. Iran
E. Libya

10. Jubail and Dhahrain are two burgeoning urban centers located:
A. In the southern part of Iran on the Persian Gulf
B. In the part of Iraq that borders on the Persian Gulf
C. In the United Arab Emirates
D. Within the Saudi Arabian oil-boom area that borders the Persian Gulf
E. In Jordan

11. All of the following are true about North Africa/SW Asia, except:
A. The people of this region have uniformly benefited from the export of petroleum.
B. The realm is almost exclusively Islamic. This faith pervades cultures from Morocco in the
west to Afghanistan in the east.
C. The population is widely dispersed in discontinuous clusters. Population concentrations
occur where the water supply is adequate to marginal.
D. The realm is a source region of several world religions, including Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam.
E. Enormous reserves of petroleum, about 50% of the world's proven reserves, lie beneath
certain portions of the realm.

12. During the colonial period, the French dominated trade and commerce in all of the following
countries in North Africa and SW Asia, except:
A. Morocco
B. Algeria
C. Tunisia
D. Lebanon
E. Egypt

13. This country borders the Mediterranean Sea is one of the richest in the North African / SW Asian
region. However, it has no oil or coal and few resources:
A. Tunisia
B. Turkey
C. Israel
D. Syria
E. Libya
14. This desert Kingdom received over 1 million Palestinian refugees after the formation of Israel:
A. Egypt
B. Syria
C. Lebanon
D. Turkey
E. Jordan

15. This country does not receive more than 4 inches of rainfall anywhere in the country but has
24% of the world's supply of oil:
A. Kuwait
B. Iraq
C. Syria
D. Saudi Arabia
E. Iran

16. This SW Asian country on the Mediterranean, and having a population over 60 million, has the
closest economic ties to Europe:
A. Turkey
B. Lebanon
C. Syria
D. Iraq
E. Iran

17. The religion most closely associated with Southwest Asia is:
A. Islam
B. Roman Catholicism
C. Fellaheen
D. Shi'ism
E. Coptic Christianity

18. Which of the following statements is incorrect?

A. The precepts of Islam, in many ways, constitute a revision of the embellishment of
Judaic and Christian beliefs and traditions
B. Muslims believe in daily prayer
C. The Islamic faith holds that Jesus was a "false" prophet
D. The primary prophet in Islam is Muhammad
E. Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca
19. Shiite Muslims constitute the great majority of the population of:
A. Egypt
B. Israel
C. Saudi Arabia
D. Turkey
E. Iran

20. The Empire that ruled over much of Southwest Asia prior to World War I was:
A. Ottoman
B. Persian
C. Byzantine
D. French
E. German

21. Which of the following countries has little, if any oil reserves?
A. Kuwait
B. Azerbaijan
C. Iraq
D. Iran
E. Turkey

22. The impact of the oil industry has been greatest:

A. In the countries with the largest supplies
B. In the countries with large supplies and small populations
C. In places like Saudi Arabia and Libya
D. Only where domestic governments exist
E. In countries with small populations and other important minerals industrial base

23. A region of recent famine is the:

A. Fellaheen
B. Sahel
C. Sunni
D. Shiite
E. Maghreb

24. In 1990, Iraq invaded which of its neighbors?

A. Jordan
 B. Kuwait
C. Iran
D. Saudi Arabia
E. Turkey

25. A minority group in Northern Iraq that has expressed its desire for an independent state is:
A. Kurds
B. Iranians
C. Shiites
D. Armenians
E. Azeris

26. Jordan has absorbed large groups of:

A. Lebanese
B. Iraqis
C. Kurds
D. South Syrians
E. Palestinians

27. Which of the following does not share a common border with Israel?
A. Iran
B. Egypt
C. Jordan
D. Lebanon
E. Syria

28. The country that controlled the West Bank of the Jordan River at the beginning of the 1990s:
A. Israel
B. Jordan
C. The PLO
D. Lebanon
E. Iraq

29. Two countries that recently united to form one are:

A. Oman and Muscat
B. North and South Arabia
C. North and South Yemen
 D. Lebanon and Syria
E. Israel and Palestine

30. Iran differs from most of the North Africa/Southwest Asia:

A. It is non-Islamic
B. Its population is nearly 100 percent Arabic
C. It is dominantly Shiite
D. It is ruled by a monarchy
E. As a nation it is very young

31. The three largest countries in terms of population in North Africa/Southwest Asia are:
A. Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon
B. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran
C. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen
D. Egypt, Kazakh, and Uzbek
E. Egypt, Iran, and Turkey

32. How many inches of rain does the Arabian Peninsula get per year on average?
A. 1"
B. 4"
C. 3"
D. 356"

33. Who was born in 571 AD?

A. Elvis
B. Dr. Peterson
C. Muhammad
D. Jesus

34. What are the two major subdivisions of Islam?

A. Atheist and Satanism
B. Sunni and Shiites
C. Lutheran and Judaism