Science Papers, How Science Researchers Write

Writing Scientific Research Papers Is Important to Funded Research

Jun 8, 2009

Scientific Computing, Pacific Northwest National Lab

Experiments that are unpublished, unpromoted and unknown are wasted efforts. The goal of all good research is to get it published in a reputable, first class journal.

Science research is a great learning and exploratory adventure. Scientific research can yield simple data, or earth-shaking new findings. On a daily basis, thousands of experiments are done by scientists throughout the world, and data are constantly accumulated and recorded. Eventually, a time arrives when all of the accumulated data must be analyzed, assembled and written for publication. Research grant reports and renewal deadlines must be completed.

Since research is expensive, foundations and granting agencies expect fruits of the investment to be quality publications. For scientists there is also the "publish or perish" syndrome which is real in university settings. Universities are geared for national and international notoriety and research publications provide that for them.

First Steps from Research to Publication, Rough and First Drafts

The researchers assemble all their relevant experimental data.
Data is organized in table, chart, pictorial forms. Statistical methods are used to understand and validate the data and experiments.
Staff discussions and meetings are held to discuss the results and compare them to all previous, related work and historical information. Typically, meetings like this have occurred throughout the research months and this is the final summary meeting.
The title is selected that best suits the nature of the research. Multiple titles are evaluated and discussed.
The data are summarized and placed into a succinct Abstract of a few hundred words.
The Introduction is written to relate previous, relevant studies to the premises and hypotheses for this research paper.
Materials and Methods section is prepared to clearly explain all materials and methodology used. This section is very important for it enables other scientists to repeat the experiments and verify them, if necessary.
Results usually are easy to assemble because the researchers have discussed and organized meetings around all the data presented in the second and third bullets above.
Discussion as it is written up is a condensed version of all the results.
Literature Cited contains all the relevant and secondary papers important in any manner to the research.

Scientific Papers from Rough Drafts to Finished Product

Upon completion of the rough draft the paper is distributed to all researchers listed on the paper for review. Seldom do today's research papers have a single author. In some cases there are two or three authors, and in others there may be a dozen or more. It is not uncommon in modern research to have two or three institutions involved in a cooperative research project that uses the skills and talents of teams that are complementary to each other on a single huge grant. Such is the nature of modern science. No science researcher is, or can afford to be, an island.
Each co-author reads, comments, and submits suggestions. The senior author, or authors, then revise and re-submit the paper again to all.
A few, final suggestions are received, revisions are completed and the final copy is now ready.
Multiple copies are prepared for mailing to the journal and for personal reference filing by each co-author. In some cases, electronic transmissions of the paper are submitted to the journal of choice.
The science journal's editorial process then occurs.

Sources

Moriarity, M.F. 1997. Writing Science through Critical Thinking. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Boston. 263 pp

The copyright of the article Science Papers, How Science Researchers Write in Scientific Inquiry is owned by Donald Reinhardt. Permission to republish Science Papers, How Science Researchers Write in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.