The Ins and Outs of Scientific Writing

For many scientists, writing up their studies is one of the most daunting parts. However, scientific writing is one of the most important parts of research, because it is how you can share your work and results with others. Without being able to read studies that others have written, it would be very hard to make progress in the scientific world. We are typically people who tend to thrive with structure and rules, and when it comes to writing, there is a lot of freedom. However, there are some basics that can help you with knowing where to start, formatting you papers, finding sources, and making things flow. Writing does not have to be intimidating, and sometimes you just need to get started to see that it will eventually all come together.

1. Where to Start: Getting the Basics Right

• Understand the Purpose:

  Once you get to the point of your project where it is time to write, you often are so focused on the results that you forget where you started. It helps to go back to the beginning and remember the purpose and objectives of your study. Depending on the scope of the study and intended audience, the end result you want could be different as well. For example, a lab report will look different than, a research paper intended for publication or a poster for a symposium/conference.

  
  

• Know Your Audience:

  When deciding how you will present you work, it is important to consider who will read your it—whether it's a professor, peer, or the general public—and adjusting your tone and complexity accordingly.

  
  

• Start with an Outline:

  It always helps me to begin by organizing my thoughts and ideas in a general order that I believe they will best in. I often start with the general sections of a research paper such as the Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and then putting some subheadings and ideas within each category. Creating an outline can keep your writing focused and logical. It also gives you a good springboard to just start putting things down on the paper.

  
  

• Craft a Clear Thesis or Hypothesis:

  A thesis or hypothesis is the main idea or question of your research. It is often mentioned in the introduction, and then explained in the discussion of the results. This is the idea that you are trying to convince the reader of, and/or the main thing you discovered from your research. A strong thesis statement will be concise, direct, and convincing. For a poster, a thesis could be phrased as a research question, for a research paper it will most likely be outlined in the objectives section of an introduction, and for a school report it could be a statement at the end of the introductory paragraph. This will guides the entire paper by giving a basis of what you are trying to prove.

2. Formatting: Getting the Structure Right

• Follow Formatting Guidelines:

  The audience and type of report will dictate what specific type of formatting you should follow. Once you have a guideline, make sure you stick to the specific formatting rules (APA, MLA, etc.). Common elements that are consistent with many papers include font style (usually Times New Roman), font size (12 pt), line spacing (double), and margin size (1 inch).

  
  

• How to Structure a Scientific Paper:

  • Title: Short, clear, and to the point.

  • Abstract: A brief summary of the main points of your paper.

  • Introduction: Introduce your topic and state your research question or hypothesis.

  • Methods: Explain how you did your research or experiment.

  • Results: Present your findings, often with tables or figures.

  • Discussion: Explain what your results mean and how they fit into the bigger picture.

  • Conclusion: Summarize the findings and suggest next steps or future research.

    
    

• Use of Headings and Subheadings:

  Clear headings help readers follow the structure of your paper. When used in the correct way, they naturally lead from one topic to the next and build off of each other to create one common story. However, make sure you do not too carried away. Too many subheadings will be distracting and could take away from the main purpose of the paper. Keep consistent formatting for headings to make your paper easy to navigate.

  
  

• Figures and Tables:

  Visuals such as graphs, charts, tables can make complex data easier to understand. Again though, make sure they are not overused or too complex. If you do not have experience creating or using figures, it is helpful to find an advisor to help you decide what would be relevant or necessary. Sometimes it also helps to have a friend read you paper who has no affiliation with your research. They can tell you what might be easier to understand with a picture or graph. Label each figure and table clearly with descriptive captions, and make sure to cite them if you used figures from other studies.

Examples of a well-labeled figure from a lab report I wrote in my "Earth Materials" class at Eckerd College.

3. Finding Sources: Gathering Reliable Information

• Where to Look for Reliable Sources:

  To look for peer-reviewed scientific journals, I usually start with an easily accessible online databases like Google Scholar. From there, you can search for just about anything that could relate to your topic. If you come across something which is not an open source paper (meaning not freely available), there are often resources available for help in accessing them. For example, most students have access to a variety of journals and books through their school library accounts. Public libraries also contain a surprising amount of accessible research knowledge.

  
  

• How to Search Effectively:

  When searching for articles, it can be helpful to know what to type in to the search bar to get the papers you are looking for. Instead of typing in a whole question or phrase, use key words related to what you are trying to find. You can also usually apply filters to narrow down search results by date, publication type, or subject.

  
  

  

  Example of an effective search in Google Scholar, with key words and filters applied.

  
  
  
  

• Evaluating Sources:

  Once you have found a source in the topic you need, it is important to check its credibility. Check the author’s credentials, affiliations, background on journal published in, and the amount of times it has been cited by others.

  
  

• Citing Sources Properly:

  Sources then need to be cited properly to show a clear path of where you are finding you data Refer back to the format style that you are using and how in-text and bibliography type citations should be ordered and formatted in that style. Nearly everyone has some mistakes in their citations the first time around, so it is important to have another knowledgable person check to make sure everything is cited that needs to be, and everything is formatted correctly.

  
  

• Staying Up-to-Date:

  From the time you start writing to the time you are getting ready to turn-in/publish your writing, there will most likely be new studies that come out on the topic. Make sure that throughout the whole process you are keeping up with recent research in your field by checking relevant journals or doing new searches periodically.

Scientific writing can be scary at first, but it usually flows naturally with some help once you get started. Like anything, it gets easier with practice. If you are feeling overwhelmed you can refer back to this post for tips on where to start, how to organize, and how to find sources. The writing process will have its challenges, so take your time, ask for feedback, and don't be afraid to rewrite certain elements if they don't work out the first time.