How to Write a Scientific Paper
If you have done the necessary amount of digging around in the books but still don't know how to write a scientific research paper, you should consider reading this article. In it, you will find exhaustive answers to all your questions concerning the structure and organization of an academic paper.
The main purpose of writing a scientific paper is to share data and impress the reader. However, it is not as easy as some people might think because a scientific research paper should be extremely easy to read, namely accurate, precise, and succinct. But it doesn't necessarily mean that only experienced authors are up to the task. Everyone properly motivated can succeed in writing a scientific paper.
So, let's learn how a scientific paper is structured and organized.
Structuring Tips
Structured information is easier to read and to understand, so separating your paper into paragraphs is as wise of a thought as it is convenient for you and the reader. Let's get down to what parts of a scientific paper are considered common in the academic circles:
- The Introduction
The first paragraph that tells your readers what you are discussing, researching, and analyzing. - The Method
Your theory, experiment, and model to which you adhered while working on your paper. - Results and Discussion
The section where you present the results of the conducted research and ponder on what those results can mean for your research in particular and the field your paper belongs to in general. - The Conclusion
The last section, in which you sum up the research, and provide the information about the further application and use of the fruits of your labor.
This is the most common scientific research paper format. Let's elaborate on what each of the abovementioned parts should include.
Scientific paper introduction
If you want people to read your work all the way through, you should learn how to write an introduction for a scientific paper in a captivating and enticing manner. It is one of the most essential and responsible parts because it should persuade the reader to proceed with reading and explain to them what the article is about. Also, the first paragraph should contain a question which the author is going to answer. However, you may encounter some pitfalls along the way, such as:
- Giving unnecessary info, e.g., expounding on how difficult it was to do the research.
- Overstating the importance of the work.
- Posing vague questions.
Try omitting these mistakes and remember that writing a short clearcut but compelling introduction is one of the main tasks every researcher should accomplish.
Materials and Methods
The next part is Materials and Methods. Mostly, it is the most boring paragraph to read. However, it is necessary to know how to write materials and methods for a scientific paper. Here you should describe in detail the process of generating the results. To make it more interesting, you can answer such questions: What is unique in your approach? Why isn't it similar to other researches? Consider mentioning it at the beginning of the paragraph because the reader begins judging it from the very first sentence. Don't forget to include the part where you talk about all the books you've gone through - the evaluators love to see the researchers pay tribute to previous explorations on the topic.
The results section
In this section, you need to present your findings. You can demonstrate them with the help of tables, graphs, etc. All your discoveries should be distinctly and plainly stated because the information you're trying to share needs to be accessible even to people with an average level of education. However, there are some "don'ts":
- Don't lose the connection between the problems or questions raised in the introduction and results.
- Don't repeat the data shown in the tables.
- Don't emphasize the methods. Concentrate on the results instead.
The discussion section
While writing a scientific paper discussion, you should discuss the methods that have been employed. Also, you should compare other scholars' findings with your own, thus generalizing your work and accomplishments. However, you should remember that you can 'spoil' your discussion part by:
- Being way too vague and unclear. It can create the impression of you not being fluent in the topic of your own research.
- Overestimating the significance of your research. If you're not a prodigy that discovered a panacea, don't oversell it. People have done the same research before.
- Underestimating the significance of your work. You've done a lot of work, and you deserve to get credit and recognition!
Scientific paper conclusion
You may not be bothered by the "how to write a scientific paper conclusion" question, but the problem is that it differs from other essays' summaries. So, what is the difference? It is not only about showing the consequences but also about explaining the significance of the work, putting forward claims supported by the evidence and providing a future perspective on the research.
Let's look at the things you should avoid while writing a scientific paper conclusion.
- Using "I" and "we." You have to emphasize the result, not the process.
- Introducing a new argument that was not mentioned before.
- Repeating statements mentioned in results and discussion.
References
Every scholar attempting to tackle such a complex type of academic piece of writing should know how to cite references in a scientific paper. It goes without saying that the information taken from other papers should be written in quotation marks and the source should always be acknowledged. Failure to do so may result in the information being considered as plagiarism.
While citing references, you can use one of these formats:
- Write down the author's last name and then mention the year of publication in parentheses.
- Write the author's idea, their last name and the date of publication in parentheses
- If you want to quote the writer directly, you should use quotation marks, mentioning the author, date and page number in parentheses.
If you are going to cite a quotation comprising more than 4 lines, make sure it stands out from the rest of the text by using single-spaced lines and narrower margins.
When citing two authors, you should mention both of them, separating their last names with the "and" conjunction.
If you want to quote more than two authors, you can write the last name of the first writer followed by the Latin abbreviation "et al." that stands for "and others."
If you use more than one source written by one author and published in the same year, you should make them distinguishable by adding 'a,' 'b,' 'c,' etc. to the year.
Reference list.
At the end of every paper, the author should provide the reference list which includes all the references cited in the paper. It should be written in the alphabetic order or based on a number of the publication. This list should contain the author's name, date of publication, the title of the book or journal, volume and page numbers.
Scientific paper abstract - Writing tips
First, we should define what a scientific paper abstract is. It is a summary of the whole research project, which includes the aim of the experiment, method, findings, and results. However, it should simultaneously be brief and not exceed 200 words.
Why is it necessary to write an abstract? Because it will help the readers to understand whether this research is interesting for them or not. It will also be easier for them to figure out the author's main purpose and accomplishments.
Here are tips that will explain how to write an abstract for a scientific paper:
- You should first write a paper and then the abstract.
- Avoid using such phrases as "I examined..." or "We found that...". Replace them with phrases like "It was observed..." using the third person singular.
- All the facts in the abstract should be explained in the body paragraphs of the paper.
- Check the number of words in the abstract. It should not exceed 200 words.
- Use keywords. It will make the readers' navigation easier helping them find the necessary data faster.
- Don't forget to proofread the abstract several times and, if possible, improve it.
It's not necessary for you to be an experienced author to write a scientific paper. All you need is motivation and a great desire to do research. It isn't complicated to write this type of article if you know the structure and necessary requirements. A scientific paper should contain the abstract, the introduction paragraph, the method, results and discussion, and the conclusion. The whole work should be succinct and to the point. If you want to succeed in reporting the research, remember that you should not overstate and underestimate your work. You should also avoid posing vague questions and giving unnecessary background information. Your primary task is to be understandable and compelling.
And that's about it! It may seem intimidating, but trust us - writing a scientific paper is as easy as pie! And if baking it doesn't look that appealing to you - just order it from our service!
