HOW TO WRITE A SCIENTIFIC PAPER
Judges will read your research paper. Your paper
SHOULD have eight sections: Title page, Table of
Contents, Summary, Introduction, Methodology,
Discussion, Conclusions, Credits and References.
YOU START WITH A TITLE. Use the same title for
your paper that you used for your project. Center the title near
the middle of the page. Towards the lower right corner, place
your name, the name of your school and your grade level.
THE TABLE OF CONTENTS is written after your paper
is complete and after you have numbered all the pages.
AN ABSTRACT IS AN OVERVIEW. The first part of
your paper is the part that you write last. Your abstract is a
short section, approximately 250 words. It contains clear but
brief summary statements. You summarize: (a) the problem or
question(s) you are studying, (b) the action that you took in
your investigation, (c) the results of your experiment(s) and (d)
your most important conclusions based on your results. Display
a copy on your project.
THE INTRODUCTION TELLS WHAT YOU ARE
GOING TO DO. This sets the scene for your report. The
introduction explains what prompted your research and what
you hoped to achieve. The first part of the introduction tells the
reader your understanding of the subject when you started
your project. Next tell how you became interested in your
project. Then describe some information that you found when
you studied your subject, for example: historical and scientific
background, similar experiments; done by others, and any
contradictions or unanswered questions you may have found.
Finish the section with statements that; (1) describe exactly
what you want to prove or disprove, (2) tell why this proof
should be done, (3) detail the information that you want to
obtain from your project and (4) tell how this information could
be used. The time to write the initial version of the introduction
is while you are planning and starting your project!
METHODOLOGY TELLS HOW YOU DID YOUR
EXPERIMENT. This section gives all the details about how
you conducted the experiment. Describe in detail how you
derived your data and observations. It is so precise that
another person could repeat your work just by following your
instructions. List all materials that you used. Any apparatus you
constructed should be photographed or drawn and discussed.
Photographs, sketches and diagrams help to make your ideas
clear.
Answer questions that apply to your project, such as: What and
how was it measured? What variables did you collect data for!
How did you run the control experiment? What subjects did you
use? How or where were your supplies mixed, made or grown?
THE DISCUSSION TALKS ABOUT YOUR DATA.
The discussion of your project is the heart of the paper. It will
usually contain several subsections. A good way to begin is to
present all of your observations and data, in both as-collected
and processed forms. Discuss how and why you processed
your data. Explain anything you assumed to process the data.
Tables, charts and graphs are very helpful. Place all graphics
in the paper near the paragraphs in which they are discussed.
Clearly label and identify all columns, axes and data. Each item
must have its own title.
A complete paper will include a discussion of possible errors.
How did the data vary between repeated observations of
similar events? How were your results affected by uncontrolled
events? What are the sources of possible error? How large are
these errors? What would you do differently if you were to
repeat this project? What other experiments still need to be
conducted?
THE CONCLUSION IS A SUMMARY OF YOUR
RESULTS. The conclusion restates briefly the findings and
results detailed in your discussions. Do not mention new topics
or speculations unless you referred to them in the discussion.
Conclusions are based on your work and experiments. They do
not come from news articles and textbooks. Make a
comparison with theories, commonly held beliefs and/or
expected results. Your conclusions and implications should
flow smoothly and logically from your data. Be thorough. Let
your readers know exactly what you did. Let them follow your
train of thought.
GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. The last
section of your paper gives credit to other people for their work
and assistance. First, a list of credits recognizes the aid given
to you by people, business and institutions. Second, list the
references you used. This is called a bibliography. This
recognizes the information taken from the works and writings of
other people. There are standard bibliography forms. See your
English teacher.
A FIRST-CLASS LOOK REQUIRES EXTRA
CARE. Carefully review your first draft. Check for correct
spelling. Since you are very familiar with your project it is easy
to leave out important details. Let an adult who is not familiar
with your project read your
paper. If they have trouble The Deadline!
understanding your paper,
maybe you left something
out. Have your paper
proofread a final time, then
type the final draft with
double spaced lines. If you
can’t type, get help from
someone who can.