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18 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Title: The Birth of Venus
Artist: Sandro Botticelli
Scientific Paper
-communicates results of scientific inquiry
-present info so its easily retrieved
-present enough info so reader can duplicate study
-write paper as if it will be read by person who knows
about field in general, but not what you actually did
-read journal articles in field to become proficient in
this language
Standard Format of Paper
-title
-abstract (summary, want conclusions included)
-introduction
-methods
-results
-discussion
Title Section
-limited & specific
-pithy (to-the-point) summary of exp's main focus
Introduction Section
-describe question tested by exp. described in paper
-explain why it's interesting/important question
-describe approach used in sufficient detail so all
reading will know what was done (but not methods!)
-briefly mention conclusion of paper
-open w/ 2-3 sentences places study's subject in
context
Materials & Methods Section
-succinctly describe what was actually done
-include description of techniques used - someone
could figure out what was actually done
-details of published protocol don't need to be
reproduced in text, but appropriate reference cited
-describe any changes from protocol
-not appropriate to indicate vol. of solutions added;
only need relevant info
Results Section
-statistical analysis (p-value)
-presents facts - what was found
-detailed data: measurements, counts, %'s, patterns -findings usually appear in tables, figures, graphs
-3 rules of thumb:
1. present results clearly & logically
2. avoid excess verbiage
3. consider providing 1-sent. summary at beg. of
each paragraph
-use table & figures effectively; don't let stand alone
Tables & Figures
-all should be put into contextual framework in
corresponding text
-table of strains used should be mentioned in
materials & methods, table of results should be
summarized in results, figure showing biosynthetic
pathway described in discussion, etc.
Discussion Section
-do not restate results - explain conclusions &
interpretations of results
-how did results compare w/expected results
-what further predictions can be made from results
Abstract Section
-succinct (50-100 words) summary of entire paper
-describe question posed by paper
-describe methods used to answer question: list
parameters of study
-describe results obtained & conclusions
-should be able to determine major points of paper
Achieving Scientific Voice: Flow
-readers interpret prose better if flows smoothly
-don't force reader to figure out your logic; clearly
state the rational
-easier on reader is you explicitly state logic behind
any transitions from on idea to another
Achieving Scientific Voice: Abbreviations
-use standard abbrev. instead of complete words
-define other abbrev. first time, then subsequently
use after
-as general rule, do not use an abbrev. unless term
will be used at least 3 times
-in general, abbrev. not written in plural form
Achieving Scientific Voice: Past, Present & Future Tense
-results described in paper in past tense
-results from published papers in present tense
-only exp. planned for future should be in future
tense
Achieving Scientific Voice: Third person vs. First person
-use sparingly
-most should be written in third person
-better to say 'it is possible to'...then 'one could...'
-using impersonal pronouns = noncommittal & dry
-inanimate objects described in third person, not w/
possessive terms
Achieving Scientific Voice: Empty Phrases
-avoid using phrases the don't contribute to
understanding
-'the fact that'....delete
-'in order to'...shorten to 'to'
-title of a table of results does not need 'results of'
-don't use more words than needed
Achieving Scientific Voice: Specify
-several expressions modify same word, should be
arranged so it's explicit which word they modify
-common to use pronoun such as 'it' or 'they' to refer
to concept from previous sentence
-ok as long as there's only one concept that 'it'
or 'they' mean
-better to repeat concept in subsequent sentences
than to take chance of confusing reader
-watch participles!
Achieving Scientific Voice
-avoid double parentheses
-define terms and assumptions
-be honest about limitations of knowledge or
research
-include all info reader needs to interpret data
-key to all scientific discourse = reproducible
-spellcheck & proofread
Achieving Scientific Voice: Citations
-essential to credit published papers for work
mentioned in paper
-variety of ways of citing references in text
-in text citations should refer to reference list
-references should be arranged first alphabetically
then further sorted