A scientific paper is a way how one can tell about his research and, especially, about its results. This type of writing has a standard form, which should correspond to academic requirements, and, what is more, the logical and methodical manner. The scientific style obliges you to compose the paper in a specific format. Here are the components of it:
- 1. Title:
- Note that your title should describe your specific content but at the same time be understandable prepared audience and not-specialists in the area.
- Sometimes the title sums up the results of the research.
- 2. Abstract:
- Is a preview for the scientific article.
- Takes one paragraph, in which it condenses the aim, methods, results and conclusive part.
- Remove all unnecessary words, brevity is important.
- Avoid citations and abbreviations. The abstract should be clear even without reading the paper.
- 3. Introduction:
- The approximate size of the introduction is from one to four paragraphs.
- Explains the question you tried to answer in your research and why it is worth attention.
- Sums up the relevant sources about the issue.
- 4. Methods and materials.
- Make the description of your research detailed. You can arrange the diagrams or charts in order to explain your experiment.
- This section is not for results but for the ways how you reached them.
- 5. Results:
- Summarize your main achievements in texts, but for figures it is a good idea to use tables or graphs.
- It is not obligatory to mention all the data you used and received. Pick out only the most significant one.
- The graphs and tables should have names that correspond to their content.
- 6. Discussion:
- Point out the most valuable results and try not to repeat the things that were already said in the previous parts.
- Give the explanation of whether your results were expected or not. Indicate the reasons for it.
- Tell if the further research is necessary and which aspects it can reveal.
- Highlight the connection of your results and original topic or question. Make sure you have completed the task you had from the very beginning.
- Explicate how the results of your investigation fit into the general picture of the issue.
- 7. Acknowledgements:
- This part is facultative. You may express here your gratitude to those who made some contribution into your research.
- 8. References and citations.
- Check the instructor’s requirements for designing your reference page. The most often used styles are APA, MLA, Harvard referencing and Chicago/ Turabian style
- 9. Editing stage:
- Check if your data and other writing patterns are accurate. This is exceptionally important for the scientific paper.
- Write clearly. Here it is better to use active voice for verbs and first person for narration.
- Use verbs instead of nouns:
Write explain rather than give an explanation
- Put your thoughts into short and concise words and sentences.
- Make sure your spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct.
These are the main steps in the scientific writing strategy, following of which will let you complete a high level paper.
Keywords: scientific paper, scientific article, writing, research, steps, parts.