appendix scientific paper format ‘A lab report should follow the general format of a re- ‘search paper published in a scientific journal. Although editorial requirements vary from journal to journal, most scientific papers follow the same basic pattern of organi zation Title: The title should be short and informative and accirately portray the scope of the paper. Abstract: The abstract isa short passage at the be- sinning of the report that summarizes the major ele- ments: objectives, methods, results, and conclusions, This is the part of the paper that scieatists look at to decide if they are interested in reading the rest ofthe paper Introduction, Th introduction sets the stage for your scieatific argument. It should provide the background of the paper and explain the general problem investigated and how this led to your hypothesis. In this section, you should orient the reader by summarizing and citing per- tinent literature in the field. Be sure to keep track of where you get this information so that you can present your rel. erences accurately at the end of the paper. Materials and Methods: This section should include a concise description of the equipment, materials, and procedures you used. There should be enough information so that the reader could repeat your work, but do not dwell on the obvious. Note: this section should not be written in the present or future tenses, because you are describing the work that war done. Also, do not list the procedures as a series of instructions as they are presented in the lab manual. Results: Present your results in a logical and un- biaséd way: Make sure that you give the results you found and not what you think you should have found. One ofthe ‘most informative ways to report results isin the form of tables, graphs, or diagrams. If they ae clearly labeled and organized (see Appendix C), the text describing them ean be minimal Discussion: The discussion deals with the interpre- ‘atid of the results end relates them tothe original ques- tion you asked in the introduction. Ths i aso the place to explain any results that came out in a way you did not ‘expect. You may wish to form a new hypothesis or you may be able to trace the unusual results to some error in technique. Did the results answer your question? Do they 70 support or refute your hypothesis? What are the main principles demonstrated by your results? What further experiments could be done ta clear up discrepancies of ambiguities in your results? End with a brief section stating the conclusions that you reached from the exper- iment. Literature Cited: You must acknowledge the source of alf material that is not your own, A thorough paper Contains literature citations of published studies within the text, For example: 1, The most recent study of antagonistic behavior in this species (Newman 1989) suggests. 2. In Tyler's (1990) model of predator-prey relationships. . The lteratre cited setion includes al! he literature you have cite but itis noe a bibliography. List only sao that have Been mentioned in te text. 1. Example for a book: Lewis, R. 1992. Life. Wm. C. Brown Publishers, Dubuque, 1A. 2. Example for a research paper: Able, K. 1987. “Geomagnetic Disturbance and Migratory Bird Orientation: Is There an Effect?” Animal Behavior 35 (2):599-601. Your report must be typed and no more than four or five pages of text (exclusive of figures or tables). Your writing style must be clear, concise, and grammatical While it is true that this is not an English composition ‘course, any paper is worthless if the reader cannot un- derstand what the author is saying. No experiment, how- ever brilliant, can contribute to the existing fund of Scientific knowledge unless it has been clearly and aceu- rately described. Also, in the scientific community (as weil as elsewhere), the merit of the work will be judged atleast partially on how it is presented. Typographical errors, ‘misspelled words, missing periods, irregular spacing, and ‘ther minor errors distract the reader and undermine your authority as a writer and as a scientific investigator. For example, there is a tendency not to trust data if they are Surrounded by careless misspellings. The aim of proof- feading is to eliminate such mistakes so that you can, resent a persuasive final manuscript. €