10 Tips How to Research and Structure Your Scientific Paper

If writing a scientific paper is the task you have been asked by your professor, and it is the first time that you do it, you might be wondering what is exactly that you are expected to deliver.

The title itself (“scientific paper”) sound daunting, and you might be in doubt why he or she didn’t call it a research paper, or simply an essay. 

I will guess here that you are in college or university now. And that you are attending a class with some kind of scientific background as a topic, at least. Having it clear, let’s see what you must know about doing research and structuring your scientific paper – so you can get that so expected A.

# 1 – Understand the instructions

The first thing that you need to ensure is that you understand the instructions very well. You will want to know if the topic is up to you if there is any mandatory bibliography, and when you must deliver it. But, above all, you have to understand what your professor means by “scientific paper”.

In most of the cases, the term refers to a paper in which you will present a case study or an experiment. But it can either be something that has been done before, and you will evaluate it and present your ideas about it, or you will be requested to conduct your own experiment and write about your results.

If you can’t figure out yourself what you should do, then just ask your professor for clarification. It is must better than you get it right from the very beginning, so to avoid delivering a paper that isn’t what is expected.

# 2 - Choose a topic that you enjoy and understand

Now that you know what you are doing, it is time for you to define your topic (if it hasn’t been given to you). Even if you have got the main idea of what to write, you still should be free to decide which angle you will pursue, for instance.

But, no matter how much you want to impress your professor, make sure that you pick something that you enjoy and understand. If you choose a topic that you don’t feel like dealing with or that you can’t grab, chances are that you will write a very poor paper – something that you want to avoid at all cost.

# 3 -   Do some outstanding research

Even if your paper will be based on an experiment, you probably have been asked to give some context to your thesis. You also don’t want to be repeating common ideas – or worse, assuming that you just had a breakthrough when it is all old news.

In comparison to a research paper, a scientific paper will probably have research more as background. But it doesn’t mean that you can just add a few quotes to it. You still will need to mention the latest trends or studies related to your topic, if nothing else – in case you are unsure about it, talk to your professor.

# 4 - Get prepared to work

If you have been requested to conduct an experiment, get it done as soon as possible. As you know, so much can happen before, during, and after it. Meaning that you shouldn’t leave it to the last minute, no matter how simple the procedure is.

And, maybe you will have to do it more than once, so you can ensure if it is valid, that you have got your notes right, and if it can be repeated by another student – as you know, this is a mandatory requirement. So don’t waste any time, and start preparing what you need for your case study or experiment.

# 5 – Be aware of the correct format

Now let’s get back to the instructions. Depending on which year of your degree you are, you might need to prepare different styles of scientific papers in terms of format.

You will also need to consider if your paper will be evaluated so to be published by and academic publication – and, in this case, you might want to count on online writing service like this site, to double check your work for you.

Generally speaking, a scientific paper should have the following structure:

     1.Title

It must be appealing and clearly enough and refer to the content of your paper in a way that anyone with basic knowledge in your area of expertise can understand it – but still appropriate to your target audience.

2. Author

Your name and of your groupmates, if there are any. Add your titles if you already have a degree of importance.

3. Abstract

A summary of what will be presented and discussed in your paper. It has the goal to let people know what will be covered, so they can decide if they want or not to read it in deep.

It is recommended not to be too technical in this section, so to encourage a less educated audience. You should mention, in around 250 words, the goal, methods, results, and conclusion of your paper.

4. Introduction

Here is where you will tell about the research you did and the literature you found relevant and that can be related to your paper.

But don’t reveal too much yet: write just maybe four paragraphs, as people are more interested in your experiment or case study itself and in detail, hopefully.

Still, explain, in your introduction, why your background and context research was relevant to your study, and introduce your readers to the problem of your paper.

5.  Materials and Methods

Now, you will get your notes and write a step-by-step guide explaining how you did your experiment in practical terms and what materials you needed to make it happen.

It should be detailed enough so anyone can repeat your experiment in the future – if you require adding any visual resources to achieve it, do it. You can also mention what you found on every step, but don’t give your results away just yet.

6.  Results

Now you will present your results in the best and most straightforward way you can. But don’t go any further than it and start discussing why something happened or not – it will go in the Discussion section.

7. Tables and Graphs

In this section, you can add extra tables or graphs if necessary.

8. Discussion

And now it is time for the juicy part of your paper. It is in the Discussion that you will prove that you understand what you are saying in your paper.

You will let your professor know how you interpret your results, and if they relate to the current literature, for instance. You can also point out the need for further research if it is the case. And remember to end it with a strong sentence that will reveal the impact of your findings.

9. Acknowledgments

Optional section, in case you want to thank someone for their support or help to your work.

10. References

Organised bibliography of the literature you used in your paper, including those sources which weren’t directly cited in the previous sections of your paper.

The bottom line

As you can see, there is a distinct structure expected from you when you are preparing a scientific paper. But the good thing about it is that you won’t need to be wondering a bit about it – you know exactly what you have to do.

So get your work started and, again, if you need any help along the way, talk to your professor. He or she is the most qualified person to support you in the process. And, if you do a good job, you might even see your paper published in a scientific journal.