1. Writing a Scientific Paper
your first formal lab report

2. TITLE
Descriptive
Tells what the experiment was about
Should NOT include the words experiment or lab report in the title

3. AUTHOR Name(s) of researchers/authors Institution
Institutional address
10 or 12 pt type
Joe Biology
Arrowhead High School
700 North Avenue
Hartland, Wisconsin

4. ABSTRACT A summary of the paper Should flow (read) well
2-3 sentences on the Introduction
2-3 sentences on the Methods
2-3 sentences on the Results
2-4 sentences on the Discussion
Should flow (read) well

5. INTRODUCTION
2 parts
background information
purpose

6. INTRODUCTION Background information open to create interest
species history & medical importance
describe life cycle
life cycle diagram
niche at each stage
reactions to light (other studies)
in-text citations! (APA)

7. example
…which would be expected to increase the primary productivity of the system (Jones, 1987; Smith, 1990; Artscheider & Limin, 2001; Nielsen, et al, 2010). Additionally, a synergistic effect would be expected to occur in situations where phytoplankton interact with surface waters…

8. INTRODUCTION
Purpose
Separate paragraph; what was the purpose of the experiment
(if you did this well, should be similar to the title)

9. METHODS Paragraph form 1st or 3rd person Past tense
Tell what you did in the experiment
A person unfamiliar with the experiment should be able to replicate the experiment accurately based upon YOUR description

10. RESULTS
Paragraph (written) description of results—NOT of your interpretation of the results
Data table (if appropriate)
Graph (if appropriate)
Drawings, photos, etc. (if appropriate)
Looking for BEST way of presenting data

11. DISCUSSION
USING THE DATA (results), give an interpretation/analysis of what they mean. What did you learn from the data?
Substantial
Where the REAL work is done
Compare with
What you knew going in
Other studies, etc.

12. LITERATURE CITED
=bibliography (but we do not use the term bibliography for a science paper…EVER!)
Give credit for your sources
APA