Take the University Challenge:
Writing in the
Sciences
The Academic Skills Centre
So you want to be a scientist?
• Be curious
• Think critically
• Follow convention
• Present your findings
Scientific Writing
• Answer the question(s)
• Be clear and concise
– Creativity in thought rather than writing style
• Follow conventions of discipline
– Read the instructions!
• Demonstrate your understanding of the topic
Assignments
• Problem sets
• Lab reports
• Essays and research papers
Lab Reports
Why?
• Prepare to become a
scientist
– Report findings to the
scientific community
– Contribute to body of
research
– Follow style of journal
articles
• Demonstrate
understanding
– How does the practical
relate to the theory?
www.icts.uiowa.edu
How?
Scientific Method
QUESTION
What is the problem or observation?
RESEARCH
Learn about the topic – what have others found out?
HYPOTHESIS
What do you think will happen?
EXPERIMENT or STUDY
Collect data to test your hypothesis
ANALYSIS
Summarize the results of your experiment or study
INTERPRET
Do your results support the hypothesis?
COMPARE
How do your results compare to those of other studies?
WHAT’S NEXT?
What’s the next question to be answered?
Sections of Lab Reports
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Basic sections
“IMRAD”
Title
Abstract
Conclusions
Appendices
References
Additional and
optional sections
Sections of a Lab Report
QUESTION
What is the problem or observation?
Introduction
REASEARCH
Learn about the topic – what have others found out?
HYPOTHESIS
What do you think will happen?
Methods
Results
EXPERIMENT or STUDY
Collect data to test your hypothesis
ANALYSIS
Summarize the results of your experiment or study
INTERPRET
Do your results support the hypothesis?
Discussion
COMPARE
How do your results compare to those of other studies?
WHAT’S NEXT?
What’s the next question to be answered?
Sections of Lab Reports
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
• Frame research within
broad context
• Present relevant
background information
• State hypotheses,
predictions, and
rationale
Sections of Lab Reports
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
• Describe how you
conducted the experiment
or study
– Materials, procedure,
subjects, location, analysis
and statistics, etc.
• Provide enough detail to
allow a reader to repeat
what you did
• Use full sentences!
Sections of Lab Reports
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
• Summarize collected
data
– Report, don’t interpret!
– Raw data in appendix
only
• Present data in tables
and/or figures
– Refer to in text
Sections of Lab Reports
Introduction
Methods
• Interpret results
– Did the data support your
hypothesis and predictions?
– Remember – you cannot
prove, only support or reject
• Compare to other studies
Results
Discussion
– Are your results in line with
previous findings? If not, why?
• Implications of your research
• How could you improve your
study and/or what would you
study next?
Writing Style
Writing Style
• Essay format
– Complete paragraphs and sentences
– No point form!
• Be clear, concise, and direct
–
–
–
–
Use the active voice whenever possible
Use appropriate and consistent tense
Avoid unnecessary words, phrases, and jargon
Put the main verb early in the sentence and keep it
close to its subject
– Use modifiers judiciously!
Writing Style
Clear and Correct
• Have you avoided the errors that you have made in
previous writing?
– Review your reports from last term!
• Have you used language which is clear and easy to
understand?
• Have you avoided colloquialisms and jargon?
• Is your language as concise as possible?
• Have you maintained a formal tone?
• Are any sentences awkward, too elaborate, or difficult to
follow?
• Have you avoided common grammatical errors?
• Is your report properly punctuated?
Writing Style
Voice
Use the active voice whenever possible!
Passive Voice
Active Voice
Objective
Subjective
Obscures who/what is
doing the action
Highlights who/what is doing
the action
Indirect and cumbersome
Direct and clear
Object – Verb – Subject
Subject – Verb – Object
E.g., “The plants were
measured by me…”
E.g., “I measured the
plants…”
Writing Style
Tense
• Past Tense: reporting methods and
results
– “My group measured the…”
– “There was an increase in…”
• Present Tense: discussing your results
(rather than when referring to them),
current state of knowledge, etc.
– “My results indicate that…”
• Historical Present Tense: reviewing
literature
– “The findings by Lee et al. (2012)
indicate…”
– “Stewart and Johnson (2010) discuss…”
Writing Style
Avoid Unnecessary Words
Write as simply as possible without compromising meaning –
Eliminate unnecessary words
Instead of…
Use…
Due to the fact that
Because
Have an effect on
Effect
Utilize
Use
A majority of
Most
A number of
Many
Are of the same opinion
Agree
Less frequently occurring
Rare
All three of the
The three
Give rise to
Cause
Tips For Better Reports
Tips For Better Reports
Plan Ahead - Lab
• Read the lab manual BEFORE the lab
– Make sure you fully understand what you’re doing and
why – if you don’t, ask!
• Prepare tables for recording data
• Write out hypothesis and predictions BEFORE
beginning the experiment/study
• Take notes during your lab
– Note any changes in the methods and any new details
• Plan time to write your report as soon as possible
after your lab
Tips For Better Reports
Plan Ahead - Writing
• Begin with an outline
• Suggested order of writing:
– Methods
– Results
– Discussion
– Introduction
– References
– Abstract (if required)
– Title
Tips For Better Reports
Remember! Scientific Method
QUESTION
What is the problem or observation?
REASEARCH
Learn about the topic – what have others found out?
HYPOTHESIS
What do you think will happen?
EXPERIMENT or STUDY
Collect data to test your hypothesis
ANALYSIS
Summarize the results of your experiment or study
INTERPRET
Do your results support the hypothesis?
COMPARE
How do your results compare to those of other studies?
WHAT’S NEXT?
What’s the next question to be answered?
Tips For Better Reports
The Hourglass Analogy
• Structure your report like
an hourglass
• Begin with the big
picture, narrow to your
hypothesis, experiment,
and results, then expand
throughout your
discussion
Tips For Better Reports
Follow Instructions
• This is REALLY IMPORTANT!
• Formatting
– Spacing, fonts, margins, pages
• Sections
– Title page, abstract, conclusions, appendix
required?
• Tables and figures
– Embedded or separate?
• Referencing style
– Often follows a peer-reviewed journal
Tips For Better Reports
Tables and Figures
• Must stand alone – titles must be fully descriptive
• Tables
–
–
–
–
Title above
Don’t use vertical lines
Display units
Define abbreviations
• Figures
– Title below
– Ensure details visible in black and white
– Label axes
Tips For Better Reports
Referencing
• When should you reference?
– Whenever you write something that is not your
original thought or general knowledge
• It may be difficult to know if something is considered
general knowledge – if in doubt, reference!
• This includes the methods from your lab manual
– Most sentences should therefore be referenced
• What sources should you use?
– Lab manual, textbook, peer-reviewed literature
– NEVER cite Wikipedia or other questionable
sources
Tips For Better Reports
Referencing
• How should you reference?
– Paraphrase almost always; avoid direct quotations
• The purpose is to include what was said, not how
something was said
– In-text citations and reference list
• Abbreviated in-text citation directly follows each
paraphrase
• Reference list provides full reference information and
follows report
– Follow instructions in lab manual – very carefully!!
– Try referencing software
• E.g., RefWorks – free from library
Tips For Better Reports
REVISION
Come Talk to Us!
•
•
Do you want to ask questions about something you heard today?
Do you want an instructor to look at work you did during these sessions (sample
thesis, lecture notes, paraphrase)?
Come see us at the Academic Skills Centre!
•
•
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We have booked and online appointments Monday-Friday.
You can book an appointment online through our NEW Online Appointment
Booking System at www.trentu.ca/sep
You can also call us at 705-748-1720 during office hours.
Academic Skills Centre
Champlain College 206
www.trentu.ca/academicskills
705-748-1720