Anatomy of a Scientific Paper

1. Start by looking in the introduction section of this article. What is the central question of this
study?

The influence of cols stratification of seeds and plants development in a north American terrestrial
temperate orchid.

a. Is the central question of the study found toward the beginning or end of the introduction?

The central question was found towards the end of the introduction.

b. Find the hypothesis and prediction using the annotated notes made in the margins. Did you
find the hypothesis and prediction statement at the beginning or end of the introduction
section?

Hypothesis: We hypothesized that non-cold-moist stratified seeds of P. chapmanii will exhibit a

lower germination percentage in comparison to cold-moist stratified seeds. Furthermore, we

Prediction: expected that seeds stratified for 8wk at 5C will yield similar germination and plant
development as those stratified for 12 wk at 5C.

The hypothesis and prediction were located at the end of the introduction.

2. Is there a list of materials used in the methods section of this study?

No, there is not a specific list.

b. If not, how did the authors present the materials used within the study?

The authors presented the materials as the proceeding of the experiment were conducted.

3. How do the authors incorporate figure and table references into the text of the results
section?
The authors incorporate the title and caption of the tables and illustrations presented.

4. How do the authors start this section? Does it begin with the information they have collected
during this study, or does it begin with information others have previously collected?

a. The authors start the discussion section by reintroducing the background information, which
includes dormancy and terrestrial orchids' characteristics. The authors also include the
results of the experiment.
b. The study concluded with a description that the study provided effective scientific
experimentation and observations for the experiment's advance, and there is also the last
paragraph that acknowledged the departments, including the people that contributed in the
experiment.
5. In which sections of the paper are the references cited? How do the authors incorporate the
in-text citations? Do they write “in an experiment by Baskin et al…” or do they convey the
findings of Baskin followed by (Baskin ,et al, 1998)?

The references are cited in the Literature Cited section at the end of the scientific paper. The
authors incorporate in-text citations by addressing the authors last name in parentheses at the end
of a statement.