How to Write a Scientific Paper

A well-written scientific paper explains a scientist's motivation in conducting a specific experiment, the experimental design executed, the results and outcome of the experiment, and the meaning of the results. The style used to compose a scientific paper is generally extremely clear and concise. While different publications employ different guidelines regarding the papers they will accept, there are a few elements that should be included in all scientific papers. Following these guidelines as a foundation for writing a scientific paper will ensure that individuals have a sound foundation regardless of the individual style preferences a specific publication calls for.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Write an abstract. Abstracts are a shortened version of the paper that touches on the objectives of the study, how the study was done, what the results were and how the results were significant. Many readers of scientific journals only read the abstracts of articles, choosing to read the full length only of those of specific interest. For this reason, an abstract may very well be the most important part of the scientific paper. While it appears at the beginning of the paper, most scientists write it last.

2. Do a literature review and compose an introduction. The introduction section of the scientific paper discusses results and a conclusion of other published papers on this topic and discusses why the particular experiment of explored in this paper is of importance to the scientific community. Organizationally, the introduction moves from the general to the specific.Do a literature review and compose and Introduction. The introduction section of the scientific paper discusses results and a conclusion of other published papers on this topic and discusses why the particular experiment of explored in this paper is of importance to the scientific community. Organizationally, the introduction moves from the general to the specific.

3. Create a methods section. This section should provide all of the methodological details required for other scientists to replicate your experiment. It should be in narrative form.

4. Discuss the results in the discussion section. Refer readers to data that is summarized in the tables and figures that are in the results section. Discuss how data differs from or is similar to previous studies executed on the topic the experiment explores. Suggest future research topics and note any problems encountered.

5. Cite literature quotes in the "literature cited" or bibliography section. Only include literature you actually used in the paper. Organize this section alphabetically by the author’s last name.

Resources

• Locate style guides for scientific papers here.