In my last editorial, I addressed the different forms that a scholarly paper might take
(Rushby, 2021); in this issue I want to take a more over-arching view of the research
process and the integral role of the papers that come out of that process. In doing so I will
revisit (without apology because it is important) a tool that I described in an editorial four
years ago (Rushby, 2017). A research paper needs to address three questions:
• What is already known about this subject?
• What does my research add to what is known?
• What do I want people to do differently as a result of my research?