Structure, format, content, and style of a scientific paper

Why scientific format

Research	Section of Paper
What did I do in a nutshell?	Abstract
What is the problem?	Introduction
How did I solve the problem?	Materials and methods
What did I find out?	Results
What does it mean?	Discussion
Who helped me out?	Acknowledgments
Whose work did I refer to?	Literature cited
Extra Information	Appendices (optional)

The scientific format may seem confusing for the beginning science writer due to its rigid structure which is so different from writing in the humanities. One reason for using this format is that it is a means of efficiently communicating scientific findings to the broad community of scientists in a uniform manner. Another reason, perhaps more import ant than the first, is that this format allows the paper to be read at several different levels. For example, many people skim Titles to find out what information is available on a subject. Others may read only Titles, Abstracts and Conclusions. Those wanting to go deeper may look at the Tables and Figures in the Results, and so on. The take home point here is that the scientific format helps to insure that at whatever level a person reads your paper (beyond title skimming), they will likely get the key results and conclusions.

Examples

• Physical Review Letters example
• Physical Review B example

What to put into different sections

Title

*informative, catchy, concise
*semicolons? why not, if it helps, though some consider them bad taste

Abstract

*concise, direct, informative
*passive voice is preferable, although in longer abstracts an occasional active assertion may be enlivening

Abstracts are now more important than ever due to the increasing number of articles. One cannot read all the papers in each issue of a journal, not even in ones own field. Abstracts should state major findings, even some specifics (numbers, formulas showing basic trends).