(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,

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