Report Format and Scientific Writing

What is Scientific Writing?

• Clear, simple, well ordered

• No embellishments, not an English paper

• Written for appropriate audience

• Communicates scientific findings

• Use third person

Format for Reports of Empirical Studies

• Title Page• Abstract• Introduction• Materials and Methods• Results• Discussion• References• Appendices• Acknowledgments

Title Page• Title – concise statement of main topic &

identifies variables involved, no waste words

• Avoid assertive sentence titles, do not use abbreviations, formulas (mathematical or chemical), proprietary names or jargon

• Author’s name

• Institutional affiliation

• Running head and page 1

Abstract – General Info

• Dense with info, but readable, brief, well organized, and self-contained, 1 paragraph

• Provide a brief summary of each of the main sections

• Should not exceed 120 – 250 words

• Written in past tense

• Wait until body of paper to introduce unique terms, abbreviations & acronyms

• Paraphrase rather than quote, cite any references

Abstract - Format• Describe problem

• Describe materials and methods: participants/subjects, include number, type, age, sex, genus & species, experimental method, including apparatus, data gathering procedures, complete test names

• Summarize results, including statistical significance levels if appropriate

• Describe the conclusions and the implications or applications

Introduction

• Purpose: presents the problem & describes the research strategy, provides reader with sufficient background

• No heading, written in present tense• Consider the following when writing:• Why is this problem important?• How do the hypothesis and the experimental

design relate to the problem?• What are the theoretical implications, and how

does the study relate to previous work?

Introduction

• Begin with a clear presentation of the problem

• Develop the background through literature review

• Do not go overboard on history

• Cite the work of others, but only if pertinent

• Focus on the relevant findings, methods, major conclusions

• Demonstrate continuity

Introduction

• Explain your approach in the closing paragraph(s)

• Define variables being manipulated

• Formal statement of hypothesis What results did you expect? Why did you expect the results?

• State principle results and conclusions.

Materials and Methods

• Describes in full detail how study was conducted

• Identify subsections – usually include: participants or subjects, the apparatus (or materials), & the procedure. Depending on research, additional subsections may be necessary.

• Participants or subjects – should be adequately described & representative

Materials and Methods

• Humans – procedures for selection, assignments, agreements, demographics

• Animals – genus & species, strain number, or other specific ID, such as name & location of supplier, number of animals, sex, age, weight, physiological condition, all essential details of their treatment and handling.

• Microbes – genus species, source, strain number if available

Materials and Methods

• Apparatus – standard lab equipment can be mentioned without detail

• Specialized equipment – model number, supplier’s name & location

• Complex or custom made equipment – may be illustrated with a drawing or photo, detailed description can be in appendix

Materials and Methods

• Procedure – what you did and how you did it so that procedure may be replicated

• Summarizes each step• Include exact technical specifications &

quantities and source or method of preparation• Any instructions given to participants, include

questionnaire or test in appendix• Formation of groups• Specific experimental manipulations

Results• Most important section, but usually the shortest• Give some kind of overall description of experiments

without repeating the experimental details from the Materials and Methods Section

• Summarizes data collected and the statistical treatment used.

• Written in past tense• Report with sufficient detail to justify conclusions.• Mention all relevant results, including those that run

counter to the hypothesis.• Do not include individual scores or raw data. These

can be put in an appendix.

Results• Tables and figures – must refer reader to them

in text

• Tables may enhance readability of complex sets of analysis of variance.

• Do not repeat the same info in several places.

• Do not use tables for data that can be easily presented in a few sentences in the test

• Stats usually presented in an appropriate table

• Figures are graphs, pictures & drawings

Discussion

• Try to present the principles, relationships and generalizations shown by the results, explain significance

• Point out any exceptions or lack of correlation and define unsettled points

• Show how your results and interpretations agree or contrast with previously published work

• Discuss theoretical implications and/or practical applications

• State your conclusions as clearly as possible• Summarize evidence for each conclusion