Take the University Challenge:

Writing in the Sciences

The Academic Skills Centre

So you want to be a scientist?

• Be curious

• Think critically

• Follow convention

• Present your findings

Scientific Writing

• Answer the question(s)• Be clear and concise

– Creativity in thought rather than writing style• Follow conventions of discipline

– Read the instructions!• Demonstrate your understanding of the topic

Assignments

• Problem sets

• Lab reports

• Essays and research papers

Lab Reports

Why?• Prepare to become a

scientist– Report findings to the

scientific community– Contribute to body of

research– Follow style of journal

articles• Demonstrate

understanding– How does the practical

relate to the theory? www.icts.uiowa.edu

How?Scientific Method

QUESTIONWhat is the problem or observation?

HYPOTHESISWhat do you think will happen?

EXPERIMENT or STUDYCollect data to test your hypothesis

ANALYSISSummarize the results of your experiment or study

INTERPRETDo your results support the hypothesis?

COMPAREHow do your results compare to those of other studies?

WHAT’S NEXT?What’s the next question to be answered?

RESEARCHLearn about the topic – what have others found out?

Sections of Lab Reports

IntroductionMethodsResultsDiscussion

TitleAbstractConclusionsAppendicesReferences

Basic sections “IMRAD”

Additional and optional sections

Sections of a Lab Report

REASEARCHLearn about the topic – what have others found out?

QUESTIONWhat is the problem or observation?

HYPOTHESISWhat do you think will happen?

EXPERIMENT or STUDYCollect data to test your hypothesis

ANALYSISSummarize the results of your experiment or study

INTERPRETDo your results support the hypothesis?

COMPAREHow do your results compare to those of other studies?

WHAT’S NEXT?What’s the next question to be answered?

Introduction

MethodsResults

Discussion

Sections of Lab Reports

• Frame research within broad context

• Present relevant background information

• State hypotheses, predictions, and rationale

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Sections of Lab Reports

• Describe how you conducted the experiment or study – Materials, procedure,

subjects, location, analysis and statistics, etc.

• Provide enough detail to allow a reader to repeat what you did

• Use full sentences!

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Sections of Lab Reports

• Summarize collected data– Report, don’t interpret!– Raw data in appendix

only• Present data in tables

and/or figures– Refer to in text

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Sections of Lab Reports

• Interpret results– Did the data support your

hypothesis and predictions?– Remember – you cannot prove,

only support or reject• Compare to other studies

– Are your results in line with previous findings? If not, why?

• Implications of your research• How could you improve your

study and/or what would you study next?

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Writing Style

Writing Style

• Essay format– Complete paragraphs and sentences– No point form!

• Be clear, concise, and direct– Use the active voice whenever possible– Use appropriate and consistent tense– Avoid unnecessary words, phrases, and jargon– Put the main verb early in the sentence and

keep it close to its subject– Use modifiers judiciously!

Writing StyleClear and Correct

• Have you avoided the errors that you have made in previous writing?– Review your reports from last term!

• Have you used language which is clear and easy to understand?

• Have you avoided colloquialisms and jargon?• Is your language as concise as possible?• Have you maintained a formal tone?• Are any sentences awkward, too elaborate, or difficult to

follow?• Have you avoided common grammatical errors?• Is your report properly punctuated?

Writing StyleVoice

Passive Voice Active Voice

Objective Subjective

Obscures who/what is doing the action

Highlights who/what is doing the action

Indirect and cumbersome Direct and clear

Object – Verb – Subject Subject – Verb – Object

E.g., “The plants were measured by me…”

E.g., “I measured the plants…”

Use the active voice whenever possible!

Writing StyleTense

• Past Tense: reporting methods and results– “My group measured the…”– “There was an increase in…”

• Present Tense: discussing your results (rather than when referring to them), current state of knowledge, etc.– “My results indicate that…”

• Historical Present Tense: reviewing literature– “The findings by Lee et al. (2012)

indicate…”– “Stewart and Johnson (2010) discuss…”

Writing StyleAvoid Unnecessary Words

Write as simply as possible without compromising meaning – Eliminate unnecessary words

Instead of… Use…

Due to the fact that Because

Have an effect on Effect

Utilize Use

A majority of Most

A number of Many

Are of the same opinion Agree

Less frequently occurring Rare

All three of the The three

Give rise to Cause

Tips For Better Reports

Tips For Better ReportsPlan Ahead - Lab

• Read the lab manual BEFORE the lab– Make sure you fully understand what you’re doing

and why – if you don’t, ask!• Prepare tables for recording data• Write out hypothesis and predictions BEFORE

beginning the experiment/study• Take notes during your lab

– Note any changes in the methods and any new details• Plan time to write your report as soon as possible

after your lab

Tips For Better ReportsPlan Ahead - Writing

• Begin with an outline• Suggested order of writing:

– Methods– Results– Discussion– Introduction– References– Abstract (if required)– Title

Tips For Better Reports Remember! Scientific Method

REASEARCHLearn about the topic – what have others found out?

QUESTIONWhat is the problem or observation?

HYPOTHESISWhat do you think will happen?

EXPERIMENT or STUDYCollect data to test your hypothesis

ANALYSISSummarize the results of your experiment or study

INTERPRETDo your results support the hypothesis?

COMPAREHow do your results compare to those of other studies?

WHAT’S NEXT?What’s the next question to be answered?

Tips For Better Reports The Hourglass Analogy

• Structure your report like an hourglass

• Begin with the big picture, narrow to your hypothesis, experiment, and results, then expand throughout your discussion

Tips For Better ReportsFollow Instructions

• This is REALLY IMPORTANT!• Formatting

– Spacing, fonts, margins, pages• Sections

– Title page, abstract, conclusions, appendix required?

• Tables and figures– Embedded or separate?

• Referencing style– Often follows a peer-reviewed journal

Tips For Better ReportsTables and Figures

• Must stand alone – titles must be fully descriptive• Tables

– Title above– Don’t use vertical lines– Display units– Define abbreviations

• Figures– Title below– Ensure details visible in black and white– Label axes

Tips For Better ReportsReferencing

• When should you reference?– Whenever you write something that is not your

original thought or general knowledge• It may be difficult to know if something is considered

general knowledge – if in doubt, reference!• This includes the methods from your lab manual

– Most sentences should therefore be referenced• What sources should you use?

– Lab manual, textbook, peer-reviewed literature– NEVER cite Wikipedia or other questionable

sources

Tips For Better ReportsReferencing

• How should you reference?– Paraphrase almost always; avoid direct quotations

• The purpose is to include what was said, not how something was said

– In-text citations and reference list• Abbreviated in-text citation directly follows each

paraphrase• Reference list provides full reference information and

follows report

– Follow instructions in lab manual – very carefully!!– Try referencing software

• E.g., RefWorks – free from library

Tips For Better Reports

REVISION

Come Talk to Us!• Do you want to ask questions about something you heard today?• Do you want an instructor to look at work you did during these sessions (sample

thesis, lecture notes, paraphrase)?

Come see us at the Academic Skills Centre!

• We have booked and online appointments Monday-Friday.• You can book an appointment online through our NEW Online Appointment

Booking System at www.trentu.ca/sep• You can also call us at 705-748-1720 during office hours.

Academic Skills CentreChamplain College 206

www.trentu.ca/academicskills705-748-1720