EASC. 103 Assignment #1 Dinosaur Hunters /1.

EASC 103 – Dinosaur Hunters assignment – What do writers need to thinkabout when writing for a newspaper article?

1. Title: In a nutshell - what is it about? No guessing.

2. Topic. What is the most important information and topic? (X) is a world famousdinosaur hunter and they are coming to town to give a talk about a particular topic, ata specific place, and time.

3. Purpose: What is the purpose of the writing? To persuade people to come to a lectureby the world-famous dinosaur hunter – tell them why this is significant. Brieflysummarize past dinosaur discoveries, forecast details about their lecture, “a not-to-be-missed-once-in-a-life-time event because……”

4. Significance: The “so what?” factor. Persuasion - It’s a significant public event forboth the general public and specialists interested in dinosaurs, history of paleontology,etc. Provide relevant background information that is significant and intriguing, don’tgive it all away, but give them enough so they will be interested.

5. Style and Audience: What is the style of the writing? How formal or informal.Readability, can most readers get necessary information quickly; concise or wordy?How much detail is enough and how much is too much? If someone were only goingto read the first paragraph, what information would you put there. Word limit onarticle, you have a grouchy, lazy and impatient copy-editor.

What is says:Show features West Coast potters

B C. potter Mick Henry, photographed in his studio, in 1972,was part of a major pottery movement that shook the'60s and '70s. His work is included in the exhibitionThrown, opening at Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery,Jan. 29.

The show features 700 works from the era by West Coastpotters, who were heavily influenced by the studio potterymovement of Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada.

Established in 1920, the Leach Pottery in Cornwall, England,apprenticed more than 100 potters from around the world andhas had a significant influence on 21st-century pottery. In adesire to move away from mass-produced products ofthe post-war West, artists began to create humble,beautifully crafted, hand-made objects for every dayuse.

As well as Mick Henry, three other B.C. artists Glenn Lewis,John Reeve, and Ian Steele apprenticed at the Leach Pottery;their works are also included in the show.

(excerpt from The Vancouver Sun, Thurs. Jan. 22, 2004)

What it does:Title with event information: noguessing “What is it about?”

“The “so what” factor. What isthe most important informationhere: What is significant; who arethey, why does it matter, where isit happening and when it takesplace.

More specific informationBackground information thatmakes this significant andinteresting to the general public,collectors, potters and students ofart.

More specific information, couldbe deleted if the copy editorwanted fewer words.

EASC. 103 Assignment #1 Dinosaur Hunters /2.

Analysing differences between styles of newspaper article and scientificwriting: Format, style, purpose, audience, and situation.

The most important thing to learn about the expectations of different forms of writing is tofollow the format guidelines provided by the journal, newspaper, and in the case of yourassignment, your instructor. In most formal contexts of writing, style is meaningful and thecorrect format is as important as the written content.

Scientific article

Conventional Organization: IMRADIntroduction, Methods, Results, Discussion(with relevant variations). This format is stableand signifies it is scientific writing.

Topic: Of interest to a specific scientificcommunity who is familiar with topic,advances, current, cutting edge findings.

Purpose: Make a contribution to scientificknowledge, relatively long-term life cycle, ofarticle – unless in a new emerging field wheregoal is about establishing as much newinformation as possible.

Audience: Specialist, scientific, academic,peers and experts in field.

Significance: knowledge makes a relevantcontribution to the scientific community.Article goes through rigorous peer reviewbefore publication.

Style: Specialist unless in a more popularscience journal; concise but readable, clarity,persuasive of significance and results, formaland complex terms but not permitted to useobviously ideological words. Objective stylehas an important scientific value – accuracyand validity is based on a correct description ofmethods, findings and balanced reporting ofsignificance. Not too many adjectives, butaccurate description is important.

What aspects or features of science writingpersuade readers that it is objective?

Newspaper Article

Conventional Organization: JournalismPentad: Who, why, what , where, when inthe order of most significance to the event orissue. Style is more important than format, butformat is stable.

Topic: information for the general public whomay not be familiar with topic about specificevents, facts, issues.

Purpose: Inform, persuade, provoke interestabout current events, buy newspapers, short-term life of article (1 day – week).

Audience: General readers (with some specialinterest group sections)

Significance: Commodity – ranges from trivialto serious journalism – what is newsworthy/orwhat sells news. Fast turnover, copy editorsreview final text.

Style: ranges across newspapers, but typicallyaccessible, light bites, short articles, mostinformation in first paragraph or two; grabsattention and is meaningful or it won’t get read.Not too many fancy words, not too manyadjectives, but accurate description is importantbecause of “objectivity” in reporting. Editorialsand columnists have to take positions aboutcurrent events.

What aspects or features of news writingpersuade readers that it is objective?

Assignment 1Writer's Name:                                      Date: January 30, 2004 

Topic -         /10Formatting - /10References - /5Organization -        /5

Final Mark -  /30

TOPIC                                                YES     NO      COMMENTS1. An appropriate topic choice?2. Catchy/accurate title3. Good hook intro paragraph4. Significance vs. trivial5. Completeness of information (too much vs. too little6. Readability7. Plagiarism (cut and paste) or in own words8. Overall Structure Pentad9. Creative/persuasive10. Accuracy/factual   

FORMATTING                                      YES     NO      COMMENTSTitle Page                     Length of Body                 Spacing                Font                   Margins                Pagination                     Photos captioned?                       REFERENCES                                      YES     NO      COMMENTSIncluded?                      

3 primary sources?                     Acceptable format              Citations               ORGANIZATION                            YES     NO      COMMENTSImprovement needed in:1. Grammar2. Spelling3. Punctuation4. Paper sections appropriate?5. Achieved purpose     

How You Can Improve Future Assignments

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EASC 103 Explanation of Assignment 2 Journal Search and Abstract Analysis

I’m going to explain how to do Assignment 2, again, to make sure you understand myexpectations for this assignment compared to those that I had for Assignment 1 (newspaperarticle on dinosaur hunter). Each assignment you do has changing requirements for topic,purpose, content and audience. This means that my expectations for the end products ofassignments are quite different.

In Assignment 1 you were introduced to historical geology characters and stories and termsthat are associated with dinosaur paleontology. You were allowed to be creative in order toproduce a persuasive article about a dinosaur hunter. You were allowed to use colloquial,everyday language because your target audience was the general reading public.

This assignment has a more scientific bent. Your target audience is not the general public,but your instructor, who just happens to be a scientist. For this reason, I expect your language tobe concise, clear and understandable without flowery language or lengthy descriptions that youused in your first assignment.

Let’s analyze the assignment sheet and marking scheme to see what I’m asking you to do.

Purpose: This assignment will teach you how to decide if an abstract is a good or bad abstract.Why do you want to know this? In various disciplines, you will need to do library work to findinformation (for a discussion paper, lit review, term paper). The most economical way toaccomplish this is to do an on-line journal search using the library’s website. Instead ofwandering up and down the aisles looking at old journals and books, you have the most recentresearch at your fingertips. You can find out what books and journals are in the library and ifthey don’t have it in print copies, you can print your own copy of journal articles in the comfortof your own home. On-line searching saves you time and money. This is where abstracts comein handy.

For example, I have a research paper due in 2 weeks on feathered dinosaurs in Mongolia. Imight start by searching journals like Paleobiology, the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences,Canadian Zoology, etc. for Dinosaurs. How many hits? In CJES there are 27 full matching and0 partially matching

Then I might narrow it down to feathered dinosaurs. Hits? 4 full and 23 partially matching.

Then I might try Mongolian feathered dinosaurs. 1 full and 31 partially matching.

This is how I found the paper by Xing Xu and Xiao-Chun Wu.

Now I have amassed a list of 59 papers that have something to do with my topic! Help!

Rather than printing out all of the papers, which can be up to 50 pages long, you simply read theabstract to decide if you want to read further or whether the article is too general, too specific, orreally has nothing to do with your topic whatsoever.

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How do you know if the abstract is a good one or not? A good abstract summarizes theimportant points in the journal article and it does so in the IMRAD style. This is the scientificwriting style in which the article has sections that cover Introduction, Methods, Results andDiscussion. A good abstract will pull material from each of these article sections. It should beable to stand-alone and be understandable. You should be able to read the abstract anddetermine whether the article suits your needs.

This assignment will help you recognize the IMRAD features or structures in a scientific articleand then relate these sections to the abstract that was written about the article. In this way, youwill see if the abstract has done a good job of summarizing all of the important points in thearticle of if it has missed some sections.

Assignment: How to start? Log on to www.sfu.ca and go to the library site. The earth scienceswebsite on the library page is on your assignment sheet …..Go through online example……

So once you find an article that strikes your fancy, and meets the criteria of being from anacceptable journal, not Canadian geographic magazine, etc., and longer than 2 pages you canstart by downloading and printing out the article. The reason that I want you to use an articlelonger than 2 pages is that some short articles are like a summary of research that may be printedalong with all of the other articles. It’s a “work in progress” type paper that describes currentresearch and wouldn’t suit our goal for this assignment.

When you’ve printed the paper out, read it in an active way. That means that you don’tnecessarily have to understand all of the scientific jargon, but you should be attempting torecognize where the IMRAD features are. Mark up the paper with comments as you read or usea highlighter to mark significant sentences. Use different coloured highlighters to colour codeyour abstract sentences and the sections of the article that they come from.

Analyze the abstract by using the Abstract Question sheet to help you determine whether it is agood abstract or not. Read each abstract sentence and identify which part of the IMRAD it isfrom, then tell me why you think it is part of the Introduction, for example. Read the handout“how to read a scientific paper” to help you with this. Don’t just “tell me, but tell me about”. Sowhile saying “the 3rd sentence comes from the Methods section” is technically correct, a studentwho says “the 3rd sentence comes from the Methods section and yet it is inadequate because itfails to include a description of their newly developed testing method” would get a better mark.So read to understand. Why is this a good abstract or a poor abstract. Does it contain all of theIMRAD sections, is it long enough or too long, is it poorly written and confusing? Abstractsmust stand alone in Abstract Indexes so they must summarize the article and be clear andconcise.

Refer to mark sheet and where marks come from: There are two levels that I will be looking arewhen I mark your assignments:

Level 1 – 50% of total mark - Can you follow instructions?1. Fulfilling format requirements

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2. Listing article sections3. Citing the article using CJES format4. Writing without plagiarizing

Level 2 – 50% of mark – analysis1. Deconstruct the formal structures of scientific writing – find IMRAD2. Critically analyze a piece of scientific writing – is it any good, are there IMRAD

pieces missing, why are they missing3. Adapt your writing style to different writing assignments – write about something.

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EASC 103 Assignment 3 Argument Essay:A Meteorite Did/Did Not Cause The Dinosaurs To Go Extinct

Purpose: In this assignment you will research and locate journal articles or books (notthe Internet this time) dealing with the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction. You will need todemonstrate an awareness of the scientific terminology/vocabulary used in thesearticles and books, and show that you can summarize other people’s ideas withoutplagiarizing. After reading the information you have found you will argue for oragainst a meteorite causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. There is no right answer tothis question. I want to see you pick a side of the argument and back up your choicewith evidence from the scientific literature. The Library web page that will help youstart your search is:http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/subjectguides/easc/easc.htmAssignment Topic: Find information about the events that happened at theCretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Read the articles and books, summarize theirinformation and decide whether you think a meteorite did or did not cause theextinction of the dinosaurs. Write your essay explaining your stance on this issue andsupport your ideas with evidence from the scientific literature. Cite your referencescorrectly.Genre (form of the writing): Literature search presented in the form of an argumentessay.Intended Audience: Your instructor or your scientific peers (use scientific language, noflowery, creative writing).Assignment Format: The assignment should adhere to the following requirements:Title Page: include course name and number, assignment title, student name and

number and date.Body Text Length: 5 pages maximum.Spacing: double-spaced.Font: Times Roman, 12 point.Margins: 1 inch left, right, top and bottom.Pagination: upper right corner on all pages, first page is not numbered.References: use more than 3 scientific articles or books and list them on a separate page

from Body Text, double-spaced, cited using the style of the CanadianJournal of Earth Sciences. Please don’t use the Internet for this assignment.

Assignment Dates: Handed out: Mar. 8Hand in draft: Mar. 22Receive draft back and revise assignment: Mar. 29Hand in: Apr. 5

Graded – 2%

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Dinosaur Assignment 3 – Argument Essay

Writer’s Name: Date:

ComprehensionUnderstanding of scientific terms/vocabularyScientific ideas or concepts are clearly expressed

OrganizationThere is a thesisSupporting evidence is adequately developedEach paragraph contains relevant details

MechanicsFormattingSpelling and punctuationGrammar and usageHanded in all writingReferences and citations

Final Mark – /80

LOW HIGHComprehensionUnderstanding of scientific terms andvocabulary 2 4 6 8 10Scientific ideas/concepts clearlyexpressed 2 4 6 8 10OrganizationThere is a thesis 2 4 6 8 10Supporting evidence is adequatelydeveloped 2 4 6 8 10Each paragraph contains relevant details 2 4 6 8 10MechanicsFormatting 2 4 6 8 10Spelling and punctuation 1 2 3 4 5Grammar and usage 1 2 3 4 5Handed in all writing 1 2 3 4 5References and citations 1 2 3 4 5

Total Score

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How You Can Improve Future Assignments

Easc 103 Assignment #3 The Argument Essay

Thinking about organization and structure in an argument paperfor readers and writers

1. The titleI use the title to help me anticipate what to look for and then try to remember thatimportant information about the topic and/or sources as I read.

2. The introductory paragraph• Here I’m expecting to see how the topic is related to the assignment• Statement of your position for the argument.• Foregrounding as to what will be the main sources of your evidence. “in support

of my thesis I will be looking at the ideas of Alexander et al. on “…..”; Dunlop etal. on “Scottish millipedes” and Burk and Wilkie on “ drainage basins. ”

• A summary sentence showing the road-map the paper will take.

3. The discussion/argument (middle section)• Now in each paragraph I need reminders of your position and each point that

develops your position in the argument to guide my interpretation of materialfrom the various sources.

i. I’m looking for detail (low-level material, specific details and examples)that convinces me of the reasonableness of the writer’s claims

ii. I’m expecting the writer to tell me how this supporting detail contributesto some aspect of the argument

• I’m relying on logical connections – so will look for signal words: however,although, because, since, despite, while, one way, but another…etc.

• (Optional )– a strong argument strategy not only brings in sources that supportyour point of view, but also brings up opposing sources and dismisses themerits of their arguments through logic. This is good for establishing a morebalanced scientific perspective. I.e. “Of course Santos et al. disputes this point,but they based their chronological estimations before we knew ……”

4. The conclusion• I need some restatement of the main points of the argument in fresh language, not

a repeat of the body paragraphs.

• I’m expecting the writer to relate main ideas to larger issues – the “so whatfactor.”

• Don’t introduce any new ideas here.

Name: Student #:

Dino Write 3

Please write in full sentences, but don’t worry about grammar, spelling or sentence structure.This will only count for participation marks and will not be formally graded.

You’ve just been given 2 million dollars by a philanthropist (someone who gives away money toworthy causes) and now have a chance to design a dinosaur field expedition to anywhere in theworld this summer. Where would you go, what equipment would you buy to take with you, whatdinosaurs would you go in search of?

EASC 103: Learning from instructor feedback for improving your final assignment

Instructors spend a great deal of time marking written work because they think thatstudents learn by reading from their feedback and comments. Research shows thatstudents rarely look at written comments as a teaching tool. Typically, students believethe learning has finished because they have finished writing the paper. Therefore oncestudents get their graded assignments they largely ignore the written commentary becauseit is too late to change the assignment. As a result, students do not improve their writingstrategies and instructors become frustrated because they assume that students are “notlistening” to instructor’s comments.

Your task is to learn how to read instructors comments and use them to improve yourfinal paper. The purpose of this task is to assist you in making the connections betweenthe instructor feedback as a way to improve your learning and writing. The other purposeof the task is to ensure that you have understood the feedback and comments on the paperand can identify concrete areas for improvement in the next assignment

Look over your assignment and read the comments and the feedback guidelines providedby your instructor.

1. Make notes of where you can see the paper has been successful (check marks andcomments) and or where the paper received positive feedback. Describe in a fewsentences the strengths of the paper according to your interpretation of thecommentary.

2. Make notes where the paper needs improvement. Try to make the connectionsbetween the sections and the commentary - describe the areas of the paper thatneed improvement and what you can do to change them.

3. Finally, make notes if you don’t understand what a comment means – or how itrelates to the essay. This is where you might identify an area that needs attentionin a class workshop or in consultation with the instructor.

4. Write a half page to a page and mention anything that you have observed in yourpaper, and what kind of concrete steps you will take for revising the final paper.

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What is Scientific Writing?

Scientific writing is the culmination or end product of scientific research. Scientists posequestions and then perform experiments to answer their questions. The results that come fromexperimentation must finally be presented to the rest of the scientific community in the form of apublished paper in a primary journal before the research is considered finished.

If the scientific paper that showcases the research results is garbled with overly technical orflowery writing, it is unintelligible to those people it is designed to enlighten. One of the firstrequirements of scientific writing is clarity. Budding science students will appreciate clearresearch results just as much as seasoned scientists. Neither have the time to reread papers tryingto figure out the significance of the research.

The second requirement of clear scientific writing is to keep the language scientific but notoverly technical. There are many large scientific words that can be used to impress readers, butshorter words will do just as well. If there is a need to use technical terms, they should bedefined when they are first used.

Scientific writing has no place for the embellishments of classical writing. Similies, metaphors,etc. belong in classical English literature and not in scientific writing. That is not to say thatscientists should only read scientific journals. The person who best understands how to write ina concise, clear manner is the one who has been exposed to writing in their specialized field aswell as examples from classical literature. How would you recognize a flowery phrase if youhad never been exposed to one?

In scientific writing the message may be lost if the language is not kept short and simple. That isnot to say that a writer cannot use expression in scientific writing. Part of writing a goodresearch paper is showing your audience how exciting your subject matter is. After all, youembarked on your research because something caught your attention and interested you.

Most scientific journals ask scientists to submit papers in the IMRAD format. This acronymstands for Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. It is a logical organizational systemthat writers can follow and each section is designed as a question. For example, “What question(problem) was studied?” The answer to this question can be found in the Introduction. “Howwas the problem studied?” is answered in the Methods section. The Results section answers thequestion “What were the findings?” The Discussion section answers the question “What dothese findings mean or why are they important (the so what section)?” (1).

Depending on what science you are studying in, your paper organization will be a little different.For example, in organic Chemistry the Methods section would be extremely important. Thereader must know all of the procedures associated with the experiment if he/she is to reproducethe experiment and test the results. In Earth Sciences papers may be more descriptive in nature.If a geologist is proposing a stratigraphic section location as a type section for a new formationor time period, the Methods section may turn into a Location and Regional Geology section.This may be followed in the Results by Lithostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy sections. But,Earth Science is a very diverse science and a Groundwater or Geophysics paper may be quite

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similar to the organic Chemistry paper. Likewise a dinosaur Paleontology paper would have itsown style because in it, a paleontologist must not only give a field location of his find, but asection is devoted to Etymology (derivation of the name or historical classification of thedinosaur). A large portion of the paper is devoted to drawings of the bones found in the fieldlocation. So, each area of Earth Sciences produces papers that are a little different from the otherfields. The best way to figure out what style of paper you should produce, is to do some libraryresearch and see how authors in a similar field do it.

Components of a Scientific Paper

Title:

The title of a scientific paper is the most important part of the article. Why? Because it is thefirst introduction the reader has to the material contained in the paper. Many readers skim titlesand abstracts looking for suitable articles to read. If your title doesn’t adequately reflect thecontents of your paper, it will mislead the reader and they may not continue reading. It shouldgrab their attention and make them want to continue reading.

Titles should be neither too short, nor too long. They should be specific, not general andshouldn’t contain “waste words” (1). Waste words can be deleted without affecting theunderstanding of the title. For example, “Modern Volcanic Arcs” is short but as a title is toogeneral. It doesn’t tell you where the arcs are located or what aspect of volcanic arcs the writeris examining (volcanic gas composition, location relative to plate margins, etc.). A longer titlesuch as “Investigations on Modern Volcanic Arcs With Respect to Lava Composition” hasseveral things wrong with it. There is no location given and although we now know that thewriter was interested in Lava Composition, the words “Investigations on” are far too general anddon’t specify what properties were investigated. “Investigations on” is a waste word phrase.

Perhaps a better title would be “Ferromagnesian Content Variations In Lavas of ModernVolcanic Arcs In The Western Pacific Margin”. From this title we know that the author wasinvestigating specific chemical variations in modern lavas from western Pacific Margin volcanicarcs. The author has also included key words in the title that may be used by readers whensearching for appropriate articles to read.

Abstract:

Second in importance to the paper title is the abstract. Here, in a maximum of 250 words(usually), the author summarizes the content of the paper so readers know whether they want tocontinue reading or leave the article altogether. Each section (Introduction, Methods, Resultsand Discussion) should be summarized and written in the past tense because the work hasalready been completed.

An abstract may be in the primary journal preceding the original paper or it may stand alone in apublication designed specifically for abstracts such as Chemical Abstracts. Because it needs tostand alone, it must clearly identify the problem posed and the methods employed, summarizethe results and state the significance of the conclusions.

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An abstract precedes the main body of a scientific paper, but it is written after the paper has beencompleted. It is written as a single paragraph and must be clear and concise enough to attract thereviewer’s attention. Many authors spend considerable time constructing a good abstract. Theyrealize the importance of the abstract as a vehicle for communicating not only with theirscientific peers but also with the general public. Sometimes the journal, in the Instructions toAuthors, will specify the target audience for the writer. If the instructions specify the article isfor scientific peers, then it can be more technical than if the audience contains the general public.

There is another reason for eliminating waste words in an abstract and paper. Lengthy articlescost more to publish. So the more waste words that are eliminated, the cheaper the paper.

Introduction

Once the reader has been interested by the title and abstract, they must be introduced to yourtopic. This occurs in the Introduction. It is here that the writer clearly states the nature andscope of the problem investigated (1). The reader wants to know why this problem wasinvestigated? What significance does it have to your science? Why should I keep reading?

The writer reviews previously written background information that will help the readerunderstand the subject matter. The choice of method of investigation is explained in this sectionas well as the results of these investigations. It is here that conclusions suggested by these resultsare first stated. Although there is a section at the end of the document that more fully discussesthe significance of these conclusions, the reader must have the conclusions here. If the paper ispoorly written and boring, the reader will never get to the conclusions at the end.

Materials and Methods

The importance of this section is tied into the Scientific Method. For your research andexperiments to be considered relevant in the scientific community, they need to be reproducible.To be reproducible, you must be meticulous in your description of the methods and materials youused. It doesn’t matter that most readers will not try to reproduce your experiments. The factremains you must provide them with the means for reproducing your results. Most readers willskip this section or skim it for essential details.

Precision is important when describing materials, measurements and analyses. Those interestedin reproducing your experiment must have accurate information. If the method is long andinvolved, subheadings may be used to guide readers through the procedure. If these subheadingsmirror those of the Results section, the reader can more quickly relate the methods used to theresulting findings.

Failure to fully describe your scientific method is one of the prime reasons for rejection byreviewers. If you are lazy in this section, it signals that your research may be flawed. Most ofthis section should be written in past tense.

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If your research deals with a new stratigraphic section that is being proposed as a type locationfor a formation, this section will give the reader a description of the exact location (latitude andlongitude coordinates, GPS coordinates, etc.) and how to get there. Readers need thisinformation if they are to travel to your field area to check your research or just to view theproposed type section.

Other Earth Science papers may need to describe Location and Regional Geology in this section.If the paper deals with a mapping project, this section would describe the mapping procedure(scale, whether field notes were taken using a paper copy or digitally, the length of time spent inthe field, logistical problems, etc.).

Results

The data collected in your research is presented in this section and can be presented asdescriptions, tables or graphs. This will depend on the type of research you carried out. Achemical experiment may have many numbers, chemicals, reagents, etc. associated with it. Awell-done table or graph can showcase the results nicely.

In Earth Sciences, this section may be more descriptive. For example in your proposed typesection, each bed would need to be described as to lithology, structures present, mineralogy,faunal assemblages, etc. They would be described from oldest to youngest, but interpretation ofthe information is left for the Discussion section. [In your field notebook, these are the day’sdescriptive notes and the Discussion section equates to your Traverse Summary where you tie allof the day’s information together in a believable interpretation of the data].

Discussion

This section concludes your paper. In it you should interpret your Results with reference to thequestion or problem posed in your Introduction. It may turn out that you don’t fully answer thequestion. In this case, honesty is extremely importance. There should be no attempt to falsifydata to make it fit your model. Summarize the evidence for each conclusion you make. This iswhere you tie the whole story together.

The Discussion should clearly state the “so what” of your research. Why is this researchsignificant? How does this research contribute to your science? What questions have beenraised by this research? Where can further research be concentrated? Does this research havepractical applications? Does it challenge long-held views of the majority of scientists in yourfield?

Tense in Scientific Writing:

When you are referring to your own work done for the purpose of producing a research paper,use the past tense. This is because your work has not been published yet. When you refer to thepublished work of others, use the present tense. This is a mark of respect and treats their work asaccepted knowledge. There are exceptions to this, but overall, these two rules should suffice.

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In a scientific paper the writer will use both tenses. The Abstract is done in past tense becauseyou are summarizing your completed, but unpublished work. The Introduction would normallyhave both tenses. When you are summarizing published work that has already been done on thissubject, the present tense would be used. When explaining what is contained in your paper, thepresent may be used (“A new type section is proposed for the Dunlop Formation in this paper.”).

Normally, the past tense is used in the Methods, Results and Discussion sections.

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References

1. Day, Robert A. 1988. How to write and publish a scientific paper. 3rd ed. Phoenix, AZ: TheOryx Press.