Purpose: Report the conclusions of a scientific study in a way that will be of most value to other scientists.
*The report should be written in the third person. Do not use I, we, or you.
The major parts of any scientific paper are:
I. TITLE II. ABSTRACT
III. INTRODUCTION
V. RESULTS
VI. DISCUSSION
VII. CONCLUSION
VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY
-To be determined after the the investigation has been finished.Return to Index
-Short summary of the investigation of approximately 200 words-no more than a paragraph.-Constructed after the investigation has been performed and analyzed.
*The Abstract should be written in the third person. Do not use I, we, or you.
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In the paper's Introduction you should clearly state:a. SUBJECT of the paper.
b. HYPOTHESIS or QUESTION examined.
c. PREVIOUS WORK of others which is related to the topic.
*The Introduction should be written in the third person. Do not use I, we, or you.
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The Methods and Materials section serves to enable other researchers to evaluate your work and duplicate that work. This section of the paper should include:a. Materials used. (Listed)
b. Procedures that you carried out listed as they would be on a box of cake mix. Assume nothing about your peers.
*Give your readers enough information to allow them to know exactly WHAT you did and HOW you did it.
*Avoid unnecessary details.
*The Methods and Materials should be written in the third person. Do not use I, we, or you.
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-Present RESULTS (data) in a logical fashion to support or argue against the original hypothesis.-Present only data that relates directly to the subject. Pertinent data.
-Use tables or graphs-don't clutter graphs and charts.
-Include all pertinent data even if it does not support your hypothesis.
-Do not present the same data in a chart and a graph. Do one or the other.
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1. Tables should be numbered with arabic numbers (1,2, etc.)2. Graphs and drawings, pictures, and diagrams are called figures.
3. Give all figures and tables a title. (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.)
4. The figure number and title are placed below the figure, the table number and title are placed above the table.
5. Label the graph axes and put headings on the tables.
YOUR RESULTS SECTION SHOULD ALLOW YOUR READER TO EXAMINE THE DATA QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY
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-Interpret the data presented in the results section.-A good discussion section should contain:
a. An ANALYSIS of how the results help (or do not help) answer the question, or support (or not support) the hypothesis.
b. An EXAMINATION of how adequate your results are in forming the conclusion.
c. COMPARISONS with the results of previous similar studies.
*The Discussion should be written in the third person. Do not use I, we, or you.
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-You present your conclusions based on your analysis of the results.-You should also briefly state the importance of your findings.
*TheConclusion should be written in the third person. Do not use I, we, or you.
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-Acknowledge previous work.-Citing using the name and year system.
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