(TOPIC NAME)

Scientific Writing

Importance

Scientists communicate their findings to the scientific community by publishing their experimental results in peer reviewed scientific journals

Importance (cont.)

When communicating their results to the scientific community researchers follow a specific writing format…

This helps to: Ensure clarity

Provide a description of the research methods used

Promote and stimulate further research

Importance (cont.)

Published research promotes further research and also allows for replication of experiments

Science advances by building upon previous works

Once the foundation has been laid, we can ask more and more detailed questions, and generate a more comprehensive understanding.

Formatting

Scientific articles consist of four major sections…

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Scientific writing parallels the scientific method

Formatting (cont.)

The four major sections in a scientific article reflect the four major steps of the scientific method…

*Schulte, B. A. (2003). Scientific Writing & the Scientific Method: Parallel “Hourglass” Structure in Form & Content. The American Biology Teacher, 65 591-594.

Formatting (cont.)

Observation / Introduction

Observations lead to hypothesis development

In writing, scientists couch their study in the broader context in the introduction section.

The introduction relates current objectives to other published findings

*from Schulte 2003

Formatting (cont.)

Hypotheses / Objectives

Typically at the end of the introduction the writer states the research objectives

The objectives provide a clear description of the hypotheses to be tested.

*from Schulte 2003

Formatting (cont.)

Experimentation / Methods

The methods section of an article provides enough information so that the study is understandable and repeatable

It is a concise description of the experiment

*from Schulte 2003

Formatting (cont.)

Experimentation / Results

The results provide the data that should answer the hypothesis being tested

*from Schulte 2003

Formatting (cont.)

Conclusion / Discussion

The discussion provides conclusions related to the hypotheses and relates those conclusions to other research.

This provides a big picture significance of the study

*from Schulte 2003

Summary

Scientific writing mirrors the scientific method

Scientific articles allow for scientists to…

Explain their experimental methods

Communicate their findings

Discuss the contextual meaning of their results

Stimulate further study