Week 9. Structure of A Scientific Paper PDF

1.1.6.
Structure of a scientific paper

* General structure
i. Abstract
ii. Introduction
iii. Methodology
Main
iv. Results and discussions contents
v. Conclusion
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1.1.6. Structure of a scientific paper
* Classification
Scientific writing includes experimental research and associated
documentation, as well as the scholarly publications that emerge from
that work.
Being
emerged
I am here
Speed of publication versus authority of content

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for a variety of technical writing types. 2
* Shape of a scientific paper
Characteristics of this shape:

1. Abstract needs to have independent
validity; Symmetric
2. It is symmetrical;
3. It narrows towards the central report
section, and widens after it.
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
* Let’s ask three questions?
1) How do writers normally start the

Introduction?
2) What type of information should be in my

Three
questions Introduction, and in what order?
3) How do writers normally end the

10/19/2022 Introduction? 4
(ii. INTRODUCTION)
* Grammar and writing skills
➢ TENSE PAIRS
➢ SIGNALLING LANGUAGE
➢ PASSIVE/ACTIVE USE
➢ PARAGRAPHING
➢ TENSE PAIRS:
Sentence sample Tense Description

(a) I live in Hanoi Present Simple Permanent situation
(b) I’m living in Hanoi Present Continuous Temporary situation
The Present Simple tense is used in science writing to

state accepted facts and truths
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
➢ TENSE PAIRS:
Sentence sample Tense Description

(a) I lived in Hanoi for Past Simple but I don’t live there anymore.
five years
(b) I have lived in Hanoi Present Perfect and I still live there NOW
for five years
(c) I broke my glasses Past Simple but it doesn’t matter/I repaired
them
(d) I have broken my Present Perfect and so I can’t see properly NOW
glasses
Difference: ‘Time’ of the verb: event in (d) is considered more relevant to the
situation now than the event in (c)
so don’t change tense randomly and make sure you

remember to change tense when you should.
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
➢ SIGNALLING LANGUAGE:
One of the most common errors in writing is failing to connect one

sentence or idea to the next.
How to solve it?
1. Overlap, meaning to repeat something from the previous sentence:

E.g. One way to toughen polymers is to incorporate a layer of rubber particles. As a
result, there has been extensive research regarding the rubber modification of PLA.
2. Use a pronoun (it, they) or pro-form (this method, these systems) to glue the
sentences together
E.g. Many researchers have suggested ways of reducing cost without affecting the
quality of the image. These methods rely on data structures built during a
preprocessing step.
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
➢ SIGNALLING LANGUAGE:
3. Join sentence to the next once with a semicolon or a relative clause (a

‘which’ clause)
E.g. It has received much attention over the past few decades due to its biodegradable
properties, which offer important economic benefits..
4. Use a signaling sentence connector: Therefore, or However
CAUSE RESULT CONTRAST/ UNEXPECTED ADDITION

DIFFERENCE NESS
• Due to (the • Therefore • However • Although • In addition
fact that) • Consequently • Whereas • Despite • Moreover
• As • Hence • But • Regardless of • Furthermore
• Because • As a result • On the other • However • Apart from
• Since • Which is why hand • Nevertheless • Also
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
➢ PASSIVE/ACTIVE USE:
It is common to use the passive instead of active in a research article
E.g. It is known/ thought that… rather than We know/think that…
Dummy subject
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
* FOUR basic components
10/19/2022 10
(ii. INTRODUCTION)
* An example on Biomicrofluidic
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
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(ii. INTRODUCTION)
10/19/2022 15
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
* Let’s ask three questions
+ Various Names: Materials and Methods,
Procedure, Experiments, Experimental setups,
Simulation, Numerical Method or Model → look
at the Guide for Authors of the journals
+ It should contain sufficient detail for readers to
replicate the work done and obtain similar results.
Three questions
1) How do I start the Methodology section?
What type of sentence should I begin with?
2) What type of information should be in this

section, and in what order?
3) How do I end this section?

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(iii. METHODOLOGY)
* Grammar and Writing Skills
➢ PASSIVES AND TENSE PAIRS:
E.g. ➢ PASSIVES AND TENSE PAIRS

➢ USE OF ‘A’ AND ‘THE’
➢ ADVERBS AND ADVERB
LOCATION
In most cases, you will find that in papers and thesis, the
passive form is used, either in the Present Simple passive (is
collected) or in the Past Simple passive (was collected).
Present Simple passive Past Simple passive
for what is normally done indicate what you did yourself
E.g. A Standard procedure → need E.g. In this study/ In our experiments, the
research reference samples were collected using a suction tube
10/19/2022 17
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
➢ USE OF ‘A’ AND ‘THE’:
Confusing rule 1:
which one can also be used in the plural, i.e. countably?
a countable meaning appear in italics

10/19/2022 18
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
➢ USE OF ‘A’ AND ‘THE’ (continued):
Confusing rule 2: “a” for General thing; “the” for Specific thing
The specific/general criterion doesn’t help you to select

“a” or “the”, what does?
New rule
USE THE IF THERE IS

ONLY ONE POSSIBLE
REFERENT
USE A IF IT DOESN’T MATTER or YOU DON’T KNOW or YOUR READER DOESN’T KNOW
WHICH THING/ PERSON YOU ARE REFERRING TO.
10/19/2022 19
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
➢ ADVERBS AND ADVERB LOCATION:
Communicating complex ideas in another language

Problem arisen
An invisible/hidden error is where the sentence is grammatically correct but the choice
of which verb tense to use is inappropriate or does not represent the intention of the writer.
One of the hidden error
Adverb location errors are easy to make and hard to detect.

E.g. He gave a lecture Blinding Was the lecture in the hospital — or the cancer?
about liver cancer at the Did the lecture refer to cancer cases occurring in
hospital last January. point January or did the lecture itself occur in January?
✓ Last January, he gave a lecture about liver cancer at the hospital

✓ Last January, he gave a lecture at the hospital; his subject was liver cancer
10/19/2022 20
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
10/19/2022 21
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
10/19/2022 22
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
10/19/2022 23
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
10/19/2022 24
(iii. METHODOLOGY)
End of 10th-1 week

10/19/2022 25
(iv. RESULTS)
* Names and two questions
Look at the Guide for Authors of the journals
1) Why, then, should you bother to write a

Results section?
Two
questions 2) Why not simply provide good, clear graphs
or tables with good, clear titles and perhaps a
10/19/2022 few notes underneath each? 26
(iv. RESULTS)
* Reasons for writing a Results section
1. To communicate interesting or significant results in a table or graph
2. To relate your results to the aim(s) of the research
3. To offer background information to explain why a particular result
occurred, or to compare your results with those of other researchers.
4. To suggest possible reasons for problematic results
5. Must communicate your own understanding and interpretation of
the results to your readers.
Notes:
1. Results do not speak for themselves;
2. This section contains some comments on what you found or observed rather
than just a description of your findings and observations
10/19/2022 27
(iv. RESULTS)
* Grammar and Writing Skills ➢ SEQUENCE
➢ FREQUENCY
➢ SEQUENCE: ➢ QUANTITY
➢ CAUSALITY
A clear understanding of the time sequence will help
your reader to picture it and repeat it for themselves.
10/19/2022
28
(iv. RESULTS)
➢ FREQUENCY:
It is important to communicate clearly how often a
particular event or result occurred → For a very reliable
result;.
Note: frequency language is often used in a subjective way
each/every time;
without exception;
Sometimes; hardly ever; barely
on each/every Frequently;
1 4 7 on some occasions; 10 ever; almost never;
occasion; often; commonly
at times scarcely ever
always;
invariably
Habitually; as a rule; Occasionally; on no occasion;
more often;
2 generally; normally; 5 8 now and then; 11 not once;
than not
usually from time to time at no time; never
as often as not Rarely;
3 Regularly; repeatedly 6 (neutral 9 seldom;
frequency) infrequently
10/19/2022 29
(iv. RESULTS)
➢ QUANTITY:
Very similar OR
Considerably different ?
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(iv. RESULTS)
➢ QUANTITY:
10/19/2022 31
(iv. RESULTS)
➢ QUANTITY:
10/19/2022 32
(iv. RESULTS)
➢ CAUSALITY:
Understanding the relationships between the events

you observed.
10/19/2022 33
(iv. RESULTS)
➢ CAUSALITY:
‘Softening’ a causal statement:
OR Add a frequency/quantity
qualifier, or a modal verb:
10/19/2022 34
(iv. RESULTS)
10/19/2022 35
(iv. RESULTS)
* An example of my paper on Biomicrofluidic
10/19/2022 36
(v. CONCLUSIONS)
* Let’s ask three questions
The Discussion looks back at the points made

in the Introduction on the basis of the
information in the central report section.
Three questions
1) How do I start the Discussion/Conclusion section?
What type of sentence should I begin with?
2) What type of information should be in this section,

and in what order?
3) How do I end this section?
10/19/2022 37
(v. CONCLUSIONS)
Writing about the reasons, interpretations and implications of your results → often need
to communicate that something is a possible reason, or an obvious interpretation or a
probable implication.
MODAL VERBS are

commonly used in science
writing are may, might,
could, can, should, ought to,
need to, have to and must.
10/19/2022 38
(v. CONCLUSIONS)
* Why should I begin the Conclusion by
revisiting previous research?
Offering an overview of the section by previewing the content of that subsection

with some general statements and referring back to something from the previous
sections to link it with the new one.
10/19/2022 39
(v. CONCLUSIONS)
10/19/2022 40
(v. CONCLUSIONS)
* An example of my paper on Biomicrofluidic
10/19/2022 41

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1.1.6.

Structure of a scientific paper

Speed of publication versus authority of content

Characteristics of this shape:

1) How do writers normally start the

2) What type of information should be in my

3) How do writers normally end the

Sentence sample Tense Description

The Present Simple tense is used in science writing to

Sentence sample Tense Description

so don’t change tense randomly and make sure you

One of the most common errors in writing is failing to connect one

1. Overlap, meaning to repeat something from the previous sentence:

3. Join sentence to the next once with a semicolon or a relative clause (a

CAUSE RESULT CONTRAST/ UNEXPECTED ADDITION

It is common to use the passive instead of active in a research article

E.g. It is known/ thought that… rather than We know/think that…

2) What type of information should be in this

3) How do I end this section?

E.g. ➢ PASSIVES AND TENSE PAIRS

Present Simple passive Past Simple passive

for what is normally done indicate what you did yourself

which one can also be used in the plural, i.e. countably?

a countable meaning appear in italics

The specific/general criterion doesn’t help you to select

USE THE IF THERE IS

Communicating complex ideas in another language

Adverb location errors are easy to make and hard to detect.

✓ Last January, he gave a lecture about liver cancer at the hospital

End of 10th-1 week

Look at the Guide for Authors of the journals

1) Why, then, should you bother to write a

Understanding the relationships between the events

The Discussion looks back at the points made

2) What type of information should be in this section,

3) How do I end this section?

MODAL VERBS are

Offering an overview of the section by previewing the content of that subsection

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