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Scientific Papers
Scientific papers are for sharing your own original research work with other scientists or for
reviewing the research conducted by others. As such, they are critical to the evolution of
modern science, in which the work of one scientist builds upon that of others. To reach
their goal, papers must aim to inform, not impress. They must be highly readable — that is,
clear, accurate, and concise. They are more likely to be cited by other scientists if they are
helpful rather than cryptic or self-centered.
Scientific papers typically have two audiences: first, the referees, who help the journal
editor decide whether a paper is suitable for publication; and second, the journal readers
themselves, who may be more or less knowledgeable about the topic addressed in the
paper. To be accepted by referees and cited by readers, papers must do more than simply
present a chronological account of the research work. Rather, they must convince their
audience that the research presented is important, valid, and relevant to other scientists in
the same field. To this end, they must emphasize both the motivation for the work and the
outcome of it, and they must include just enough evidence to establish the validity of this
outcome.
Papers that report experimental work are often structured chronologically in five sections:
first, Introduction; then Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion (together, these three sections
make up the paper's body); and finally, Conclusion.
The Introduction section clarifies the motivation for the work presented and
prepares readers for the structure of the paper.
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The Materials and Methods section provides sufficient detail for other scientists to
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information is placed in an appendix, because it is not what most readers want to
or all optional cookies you give consent to the processing of your personal data, including transfer to third parties,
some know first. outside of the European Economic Area that do not offer the same data protection standards as
in countries
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readers . seldom make sense of results alone without accompanying
interpretation — they need to be told what the results mean.
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The Conclusion section presents the outcome of the work by interpreting the
findings at a higher level of abstraction than the Discussion and by relating these
findings to the motivation stated in the Introduction.
(Papers reporting something other than experiments, such as a new method or technology,
typically have different sections in their body, but they include the same Introduction and
Conclusion sections as described above.)
Although the above structure reflects the progression of most research projects, effective
papers typically break the chronology in at least three ways to present their content in the
order in which the audience will most likely want to read it. First and foremost, they
summarize the motivation for, and the outcome of, the work in an abstract, located before
the Introduction. In a sense, they reveal the beginning and end of the story — briefly — before
providing the full story. Second, they move the more detailed, less important parts of the
body to the end of the paper in one or more appendices so that these parts do not stand in
the readers' way. Finally, they structure the content in the body in theorem-proof fashion,
stating first what readers must remember (for example, as the first sentence of a
paragraph) and then presenting evidence to support this statement.
The introduction
In the Introduction section, state the
motivation for the work presented in
your paper and prepare readers for the
structure of the paper. Write four
components, probably (but not
necessarily) in four paragraphs: context,
need, task, and object of the document.
First, provide some context to
orient those readers who are less
familiar with your topic and to
establish the importance of your
work.
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Second, state the need for your An effective introduction for a paper
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four components
content and the
advertising, provide that readers find useful as they begin to read a paper.
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what scientific community
or all optional cookies you give consent to the processing of your personal data, including transfer to third parties,
currently has and what it wants.
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preview the. remainder of the paper to mentally prepare readers for its
structure, in the object of the document.
Context and need
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At the beginning of the Introduction section, the context and need work together as a funnel:
They start broad and progressively narrow down to the issue addressed in the paper. To
spark interest among your audience — referees and journal readers alike — provide a
compelling motivation for the work presented in your paper: The fact that a phenomenon
has never been studied before is not, in and of itself, a reason to study that phenomenon.
Write the context in a way that appeals to a broad range of readers and leads into the
need. Do not include context for the sake of including context: Rather, provide only what
will help readers better understand the need and, especially, its importance. Consider
anchoring the context in time, using phrases such as recently, in the past 10 years, or since the early
1990s. You may also want to anchor your context in space (either geographically or within a
given research field).
Convey the need for the work as an opposition between actual and desired situations.
Start by stating the actual situation (what we have) as a direct continuation of the context.
If you feel you must explain recent achievements in much detail — say, in more than one
or two paragraphs — consider moving the details to a section titled State of the art (or
something similar) after the Introduction, but do provide a brief idea of the actual situation in
the Introduction. Next, state the desired situation (what we want). Emphasize the contrast
between the actual and desired situations with such words as but, however, or unfortunately.
One elegant way to express the desired part of the need is to combine it with the task in a
single sentence. This sentence expresses first the objective, then the action undertaken to
reach this objective, thus creating a strong and elegant connection between need and
task. Here are three examples of such a combination:
To confirm this assumption, we studied the effects of a range of inhibitors of
connexin channels . . . on . . .
To assess whether such multiple-coil sensors perform better than single-signal
ones, we tested two of them — the DuoPXK and the GEMM3 — in a field where .
..
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To form a better view of the global distribution and infectiousness of this
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Task and object
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An country
the Introduction is usually clearer and more logical when it separates what the authors have
where you live. You can decide which optional cookies to accept by clicking on "Manage preferences",
done (the
where task)
you can from
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more information about attempts or covers
how your personal data(the object of the
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task. clarifies your contribution as a scientist, whereas the object of the
document prepares readers for the structure of the paper, thus allowing focused or
selective reading.
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For the task,
use whoever did the work (normally, you and your colleagues) as the subject of
the sentence: we or perhaps the authors;
use a verb expressing a research action: measured, calculated, etc.;
set that verb in the past tense.
The three examples below are well-formed tasks.
To confirm this assumption, we studied the effects of a range of inhibitors of
connexin channels, such as the connexin mimetic peptides Gap26 and Gap27
and anti-peptide antibodies, on calcium signaling in cardiac cells and HeLa cells
expressing connexins.
During controlled experiments, we investigated the influence of the HMP
boundary conditions on liver flows.
To tackle this problem, we developed a new software verification technique called
oblivious hashing, which calculates the hash values based on the actual
execution of the program.
The list below provides examples of verbs that express research actions:
apply We applied Laklöter's principle to . . .
assess We assessed the effects of larger doses of . . .
calculate We calculated the photoluminescence spectrum of . . .
compare We compared the effects of . . . to those of . . .
compute We computed the velocity predicted by . . .
derive We derived a new set of rules for . . .
design We designed a series of experiments to . . .
determine We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of . . .
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develop We developed a new algorithm to . . .
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evaluate to make sure that
evaluated our website
the efficacy andworks properly, asofwell
biocompatibility . . .as some optional cookies to personalise
content and advertising, provide social media features and analyse how people use our site. By accepting some
orexplore We explored
all optional cookies you givetheconsent
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investigate
where you can We
alsoinvestigated the behavior
find more information about ofhow
. . . your personal data is processed. Further information can be
found
measurein our privacy policy. the concentration of cadmium in . . .
We measured
model We modeled the diffraction behavior of . . .
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For the object of the document,
use the document itself as the subject of the sentence: this paper, this letter, etc.;
use a verb expressing a communication action: presents, summarizes, etc.;
set the verb in the present tense.
The three examples below are suitable objects of the document for the three tasks shown
above, respectively.
This paper clarifies the role of CxHc on calcium oscillations in neonatal cardiac
myocytes and calcium transients induced by ATP in HL-cells originated from
cardiac atrium and in HeLa cells expressing connexin 43 or 26.
This paper presents the flow effects induced by increasing the hepatic-artery
pressure and by obstructing the vena cava inferior.
This paper discusses the theory behind oblivious hashing and shows how this
approach can be applied for local software tamper resistance and remote code
authentication.
The list below provides examples of verbs that express communication actions:
clarify This paper clarifies the role of soils in . . .
describe This paper describes the mechanism by which . . .
detail This paper details the algorithm used for . . .
discuss This paper discusses the influence of acidity on . . .
explain This paper explains how the new encoding scheme . . .
offer This paper offers four recommendations for . . .
present This paper presents the results of . . .
proposes This paper proposes a set of guidelines for . . .
provide This paper provides the complete framework and . . .
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report This paper reports on our progress so far . . .
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summarize This paper summarizes our results for 27 patients with . . .
content and advertising, provide social media features and analyse how people use our site. By accepting some
The
or body cookies you give consent to the processing of your personal data, including transfer to third parties,
all optional
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the country where you live. You can decide which optional cookies to accept by clicking
they progress through a paper. Thus, as you organize the body of your paper into sections on "Manage preferences",
where you can also find more information about how your personal data is processed. Further information can be
and perhaps subsections, remember to prepare your readers for the structure ahead at all
found in our privacy policy.
levels. You already do so for the overall structure of the body (the sections) in the object of
the document at the end of the Introduction. You can similarly prepare your readers for an
upcoming division into subsections by introducing a global paragraph between the heading
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of a section and the heading of its first subsection. This paragraph can contain any
information relating to the section as a whole rather than particular subsections, but it
should at least announce the subsections, whether explicitly or implicitly. An explicit
preview would be phrased much like the object of the document: "This section first . . . ,
then . . . , and finally . . . "
Although papers can be organized into sections in many ways, those reporting
experimental work typically include Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion in their body. In
any case, the paragraphs in these sections should begin with a topic sentence to prepare
readers for their contents, allow selective reading, and — ideally — get a message across.
Materials and methods
Most Materials and Methods sections are
boring to read, yet they need not be. To
make this section interesting, explain the
choices you made in your experimental
procedure: What justifies using a given
compound, concentration, or
dimension? What is special,
unexpected, or different in your
approach? Mention these things early in
your paragraph, ideally in the first
sentence. If you use a standard or usual
procedure, mention that upfront, too. Do
not make readers guess: Make sure the
A paragraph of materials and methods
paragraph's first sentence gives them a
This paragraph of materials and methods expresses the main
clear idea of what the entire paragraph idea first, in a topic sentence, so readers immediately know
is about. If you feel you cannot or need what it is about.
not do more than list items, consider
using a table or perhaps a schematic diagram rather than a paragraph of text.
Results and discussion
The traditional
Your PrivacyResults and Discussion
sections are best combined because
We use cookies to make sure that our website works properly, as well as some optional cookies to personalise
results make little sense to most readers
content and advertising, provide social media features and analyse how people use our site. By accepting some
without
or interpretation.
all optional cookies you give consent to the processing of your personal data, including transfer to third parties,
some in countries outside of the European Economic Area that do not offer the same data protection standards as
When reporting and discussing your
the country where you live. You can decide which optional cookies to accept by clicking on "Manage preferences",
results,
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force
findyour
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information about how your personal data is processed. Further information can be
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in our you .went through in
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chronological order. Instead, state the
message of each paragraph upfront:
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Convey in the first sentence what you
want readers to remember from the
paragraph as a whole. Focus on what
happened, not on the fact that you
observed it. Then develop your
message in the remainder of the
paragraph, including only that
information you think you need to
convince your audience.
A paragraph of results and discussion
This paragraph of results and discussion (above) can easily be
rewritten (below) to convey the message first, not last.
The conclusion
In the Conclusion section, state the most
important outcome of your work. Do not
simply summarize the points already
made in the body — instead, interpret
your findings at a higher level of
abstraction. Show whether, or to what
extent, you have succeeded in
addressing the need stated in the
Introduction. At the same time, do not
focus on yourself (for example, by
restating everything you did). Rather,
show what your findings mean to
readers. Make the Conclusion interesting
An effective conclusion from a paper
and memorable for them.
Your Privacy This paragraph of results and discussion (above) can easily be
rewritten (below) to convey the message first, not last.
At the end of your Conclusion, consider
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including
content andperspectives — thatsocial
advertising, provide is, an ideafeatures and analyse how people use our site. By accepting some
media
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you give be done to in
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colleagues ("In the coming months, we will . . . ") or to an invitation to readers ("One
where you can also find more information about how your personal data is processed. Further information can be
remaining question is . . . ").
found in our privacy policy.
If your paper includes a well-structured Introduction and an effective abstract, you need not
repeat any of the Introduction in the Conclusion. In particular, do not restate what you have done
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or what the paper does. Instead, focus on what you have found and, especially, on what
your findings mean. Do not be afraid to write a short Conclusion section: If you can conclude
in just a few sentences given the rich discussion in the body of the paper, then do so. (In
other words, resist the temptation to repeat material from the Introduction just to make the
Conclusion longer under the false belief that a longer Conclusion will seem more impressive.)
The abstract
The readers of a scientific paper read
the abstract for two purposes: to decide
whether they want to (acquire and) read
the full paper, and to prepare
themselves for the details presented in
that paper. An effective abstract helps
readers achieve these two purposes. In
particular, because it is typically read
before the full paper, the abstract should
present what the readers are primarily
interested in; that is, what they want to
know first of all and most of all.
Typically, readers are primarily An effective abstract
interested in the information presented In just under 200 words, the abstract reproduced here conveys
the motivation for and the outcome of the work with some
in a paper's Introduction and Conclusion accuracy but without intimidating readers by its length.
sections. Primarily, they want to know
the motivation for the work presented
and the outcome of this work. Then (and only then) the most specialized among them
might want to know the details of the work. Thus, an effective abstract focuses on
motivation and outcome; in doing so, it parallels the paper's Introduction and Conclusion.
Accordingly, you can think of an abstract as having two distinct parts — motivation and
outcome — even if it is typeset as a single paragraph. For the first part, follow the same
structure as the Introduction section of the paper: State the context, the need, the task, and
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the object of the document. For the second part, mention your findings (the what) and,
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make sure that(theoursowebsite works
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the Conclusion section how
of people use our site. By accepting some
your paper.
or all optional cookies you give consent to the processing of your personal data, including transfer to third parties,
some in countries
Although outside of
the structure of the
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the Introduction offer
and the same data protection standards as
Conclusion sections, it differs
the country where you live. You can decide which optional cookies to accept by clicking on "Manage preferences",
from these sections in the audience it addresses. The abstract is read by many different
where you can also find more information about how your personal data is processed. Further information can be
readers,
found from
in our the most
privacy policy.specialized to the least specialized among the target audience. In a
sense, it should be the least specialized part of the paper. Any scientist reading it should
be able to understand why the work was carried out and why it is important (context and
need), what the authors did (task) and what the paper reports about this work (object of the
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document), what the authors found (findings), what these findings mean (the conclusion),
and possibly what the next steps are (perspectives). In contrast, the full paper is typically
read by specialists only; its Introduction and Conclusion are more detailed (that is, longer and
more specialized) than the abstract.
An effective abstract stands on its own — it can be understood fully even when made
available without the full paper. To this end, avoid referring to figures or the bibliography in
the abstract. Also, introduce any acronyms the first time you use them in the abstract (if
needed), and do so again in the full paper (see Mechanics: Using abbreviations).
eBooks
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English Communication for Scientists, Unit 2.1
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content and advertising, provide social media features and analyse how people use our site. By accepting some
or all optional cookies you give consent to the processing of your personal data, including transfer to third parties,
some in countries outside of the European Economic Area that do not offer the same data protection standards as
the country where you live. You can decide which optional cookies to accept by clicking on "Manage preferences",
where you can also find more information about how your personal data is processed. Further information can be
found in our privacy policy.
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