SCIENTIFIC

PAPER
Theory
HND-603
Research Planning and Scientific Writing
3(3-0)
Semester 7th

Aqsa Farooq
M.Sc (Hons.) HND
 CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Format of the paper
• Title
• Authors
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials and methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgement
• References
• Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION
• Scientific research articles provide a method for scientists to
communicate with other scientists about the results of their
research
• The true value of any research is only realized when the
results are subject to peer review and then published in
journals
 FORMAT OF THE PAPER
• A standard format is used for these articles, in which the
author presents the research in an orderly and logical manner
• This format is
o Title
o Authors
o Introduction
o Materials and methods
o Results
o Discussions
o Acknowledgments
o References
ABSTARCT
 TITLE
• Should be specific enough to describe the contents,
not so technical that only specialist will understand
• Should be appropriate for the intend audience
• The title usually describes the subject matter of the
article
• Sometimes a title that summarizes the results is more
effective
• Should be eye catching
 AUTHORS
• The person who did the work and wrote the paper is
generally listed as the first author of the research
paper
• For published articles, other people who made
substantial contributions to the work are also listed as
co-authors
 ABSTRACT
• An abstract or summary is published together with a research
article, giving the reader a ‘preview’ of what’s to come
• Allow other scientists to quickly scan the large scientific
literature, and decide which article they want to read in depth
• Should be a less technical than the article itself
• Should be one paragraph of 100-250 words, which
summarizes the purpose, methods, results and conclusion of
the paper
• No abbreviations or citations in the abstract
 INTRODUCTION
• Summarizes the relevant literature so that the reader will understand
why researcher was interested in the question he/she asked
• One to four paragraphs should be enough
• End with a sentence explaining the scientific question researcher
asked in the experiment
MATERIALS AND METHODS
• There should be enough information here to allow another
scientist to repeat the experiment.
• Look at other papers that have been published in the field to
get some idea of what is included in this section
• It may helpful to include a diagram, table or flowchart to
explain the methods used
• Include preliminary results that were used to design the main
experiment that is reporting on.
• Mention relevant ethical consideration.
 RESULTS
• Use paragraphs and tables if appropriate, but also summarize
main finding in the text.
• Do not discuss the results as to why something happened; that
goes in discussion.
• Not necessarily have to include all the data gotten during the
semester
• Use appropriate methods of showing data.
• No need to manipulate the data
WHEN TO USE TABLES
WHEN TO USE LINE GRAPHS
WHEN TO USE BAR CHARTS
WHEN TO USE PIE CHARTS
 WHEN TO USE
DRAWINGS/PHOTOGRAPHS
 DISCUSSION
• Highlight the most significant results, but don’t just repeat
what have written in Results section.
• How do these results relate to original question? do the data
support the hypothesis? Are the results consistent with what
other investigators have reported?
• If the results were unexpected, try to explain why. Is there
another way to interpret your results? What further research
would be necessary to answer the question raised by the
results?
Conclusion
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• This section is optional to thank those who either helped with
the experiments, or made other important contributions, such
as discussing the protocol or commenting on the manuscript
 REFERENCES
• There are several possible ways to organize this section. Here
is one common used way:
1. In the text, cite the literature in the appropriate places:
Scarlet (1990) thought that gene was only present in yeast, but it
has since been identified in the platypus and wombat ( Magents,
et al., 1995)
 REFERENCES
2. In the reference section list citation in alphabetical order:
• Hatting, M., C.D. Tavares, K. Sharabi, A.K. Rines and P.
Puigserver. 2018. Insulin regulation of
gluconeogenesis. Annals of the New York Academy of
Sciences. 1411: 21-35.
• Missoun, F., M. Slinani and A. Aoues. 2010. Toxic effect of
lead on kidney function in rat. African Journal of Biochemistry
Research. 4: 21-27.
• Montgomery, D.C. 2017. Design and Analysis of Experiment.
9th Ed. John Wiley and Sons. Inc. Hoboken, NJ, U.S.A. 135-
171.
 EDITING PAPER
• A major part of any writing assignment consist of re-writing
o Write clearly
o Write accurately
o Write succinctly
o Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation
 WRITE CLEARLY
• Write at a level that’s appropriate for the audience.
• Use the active voice. Its clearer and more concise than the
passive voice.
• Use the first person.
• Avoid dangling participles.
 WRITE ACCURATELY
• Scientific writing must be accurate.
• Make sure you say what you mean.
Instead of: The rats were injected with drug.
Write: I injected the drugs into the rats.
• Be careful with commonly confused words:
Temperature has an effect on the reaction
Temperature affects the reaction
 WRITE SUCCINCTLY
• Use verbs instead of abstract nouns.
• Use strong verbs.
• Use short words.
• Use concise terms.
• Use short sentences.
 CHECK GRAMMAR SPELLING AND
PUNCTUATION
• Use a spellchecker, but be aware that they don’t catch all
mistakes.
• Don’t use, unnecessary commas.
• Proofread carefully to see if any words out.
 CONCLUSION
• Writing a good paper starts with good preparation. The pivotal
point is identifying the question that is going to form the basis
for the research.
• A good research paper represents a good researcher, so
researchers should be very careful to prepare their paper
 Every time I have prepared a
battle, I’ve been forced to admit
that the plan is useless…..but
planning is crucial ( Dwight D.
Eisenhower)

Thank you