Background: Research is one of the necessities for graduate students and plays an important role in ranking universities and promoting the country's science. Conducting quality research while saving time and money requires a comprehensive study of the influencing factors and their consequences according to the context of each country. However, each Iranian study addressed a number of factors and consequences separately, not comprehensively.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate and identify factors affecting research and its consequences in Iranian studies.

Method: This systematic review study was in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The keywords included "research", "article", "article writing", "academic writing", "thesis", "dissertation", "proposal", "advanced education", "master's degree", "doctorate", and "knowledge production". These were searched in Magiran, SID, and the Comprehensive Humanities Portal between April 2011 and April 2026. Based on the criteria, 40 articles were finally included in the present study.

Findings: The findings showed that, in general, the factors affecting research can be classified into five categories: individual and psychological factors; educational and skill factors; interactive and supervisory factors; technology, resources and facilities; and cultural, social and structural factors. These factors also have an impact on research, leading to consequences, the most important of which are the choice of topic, writing the proposal and chapters of the thesis, choosing a supervisor and advisor, shadowing, using essay and thesis writing institutions, compliance or non-compliance with ethics, plagiarism, and extension of the maximum period of study.

Conclusion: Based on the study's findings, the effective factors and consequences are closely related and can influence and be influenced by one another. In addition, the results showed that in carrying out any activity, including research, a comprehensive view should be taken and the person, his environment and his activity should be examined together. Conducting a systematic review of studies abroad, developing educational programs to apply these findings in practice and in accordance with technologies, as well as reviewing the evaluation criteria of universities and employment centers in attracting students, which only emphasize the quantity of articles, and also emphasizing more on the quality and accuracy of articles, are suggested.