ScientificpaperstructureWhyaScientificFormat?Thescientificformatmayseemconfusingforthebeginningsciencewriterduetoitsrigidstructurewhichissodifferentfromwritinginthehumanities.Onereasonforusingthisformatisthatitisameansofefficientlycommunicatingscientificfindingstothebroadcommunityofscientistsinauniformmanner.Anotherreason,perhapsmoreimportantthanthefirst,isthatthisformatallowsthepapertobereadatseveraldifferentlevels.Forexample,manypeopleskimTitlestofindoutwhatinformationisavailableonasubject.OthersmayreadonlytitlesandAbstracts.ThosewantingtogodeepermaylookattheTablesandFiguresintheResults,andsoon.Thetakehomepointhereisthatthescientificformathelpstoinsurethatatwhateverlevelapersonreadsyourpaper(beyondtitleskimming),theywilllikelygetthekeyresultsandconclusions.TopofpageTheSectionsofthePaperMostjournal-stylescientificpapersaresubspanidedintothefollowingsections:Title,AuthorsandAffiliation,Abstract,Introduction,Methods,Results,Discussion,Acknowledgments,andLiteratureCited,whichparalleltheexperimentalprocess.Thisisthesystemwewilluse.Thiswebsitedescribesthestyle,content,andformatassociatedwitheachsection.Thesectionsappearinajournalstylepaperinthefollowingprescribedorder:ExperimentalprocessSectionofPaperWhatdidIdoinanutshell?AbstractWhatistheproblem?IntroductionHowdidIsolvetheproblem?MaterialsandMethodsWhatdidIfindout?ResultsWhatdoesitmean?DiscussionWhohelpedmeout?Acknowledgments(optional)WhoseworkdidIreferto?LiteratureCitedExtraInformationAppendices(optional)SectionHeadings:MainSectionHeadings:Eachmainsectionofthepaperbeginswithaheadingwhichshouldbecapitalized,centeredatthebeginningofthesection,anddoublespacedfromthelinesaboveandbelow.DonotunderlinethesectionheadingORputacolonattheend.Exampleofamainsectionheading:INTRODUCTIONSubheadings:Whenyourpaperreportsonmorethanoneexperiment,usesubheadingstohelporganizethepresentation.Subheadingsshouldbecapitalized(firstletterineachword),leftjustified,andeitherbolditalicsORunderlined.Exampleofasubheading:EffectsofLightIntensityontheRateofElectronTransportTopofpageTitle,Authors'Names,andInstitutionalAffiliations1.Function:YourpapershouldbeginwithaTitlethatsuccinctlydescribesthecontentsofthepaper.Usedescriptivewordsthatyouwouldassociatestronglywiththecontentofyourpaper:themoleculestudied,theorganismusedorstudied,thetreatment,thelocationofafieldsite,theresponsemeasured,etc.Amajorityofreaderswillfindyourpaperviaelectronicdatabasesearchesandthosesearchengineskeyonwordsfoundinthetitle.2.TitleFAQs3.Format:Thetitleshouldbecenteredatthetopofpage1(DONOTuseatitlepage-itisawasteofpaperforourpurposes);thetitleisNOTunderlinedoritalicized.theauthors'names(PIorprimaryauthorfirst)andinstitutionalaffiliationaredouble-spacedfromandcenteredbelowthetitle.Whenmorethentwoauthors,thenamesareseparatedbycommasexceptforthelastwhichisseparatedfromthepreviousnamebytheword"and".Forexample:DucksOver-WinterinColoradoBarleyFieldsinResponsetoIncreasedDailyMeanTemperatureImaMallard,UraDrake,andWoodruffDucqueDepartmentofWildlifeBiology,UniversityofColorado-BoulderTopofpageThetitleisnotasection,butitisnecessaryandimportant.Thetitleshouldbeshortandunambiguous,yetbeanadequatedescriptionofthework.Ageneralrule-of-thumbisthatthetitleshouldcontainthekeywordsdescribingtheworkpresented.Rememberthatthetitlebecomesthebasisformoston-linecomputersearches-ifyourtitleisinsufficient,fewpe...
