Scientific Writing and

Presentation
Evida Kartini
[email protected]
081298807707
Format of Scientific Paper
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• References
• Acknowledgments
Writing in Social Science
1. Introduction
2. Review of Literature
3. Methodology
4. Findings (also called Results)
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
7. References
8. Appendices (if needed)
Title Page
• The title page is the first page of the paper and should contain the
following:
1. An informative title
2. Your full name or, if a group report, the full names of all group
members
3. Course number
4. Instructor’s name
5. Your lab day and time
6. Due date for the paper
Abstract
• states the question investigated and the principal objectives of the
investigation,
• specifies the scientific context of your experiment,
• summarizes what you did,
• summarizes your results, and
• states your major conclusions.
Introduction
• include a clear statement of the problem or question addressed in the
experiment,
• state the hypothesis or hypotheses that you tested in the study,
• put the question into some context by stating why this is an important question
to be answered and/or why you found this to be a particularly interesting
question,
• state the objectives of the research,
• address how the research helps to fill holes in our knowledge,
• include any background material that is particularly relevant to the question,
• give a brief overview of the method of the investigation. If deemed necessary, the
reasons for the choice of a particular method should be stated, and
• state the principle results and conclusions of the investigation. Do not keep the
reader in suspense. Let the reader follow the development of the evidence.
Review of Literature

• This is an expanded discussion of what the discipline (your audience)

already knows. This may include more developed discussions of
definitions, histories, and/or theories. It may also make connections
between similar research and display any contradictions that you
found. It establishes for your reader that you understand the topic
and that your contribution is valuable. The object of this portion of
the paper is to explain the research thoroughly enough to allow your
audience to understand the material without having to do any
additional reading
Methodology
• The methodology section should explain what you did in your
research so that anyone who reads it can replicate your exact process.
Preciseness and detail are essential. You must describe your methods
for choosing subjects, collecting data or measurements, and
conducting analysis as specifically as possible. Consider all of the
following in detail and address any of these that are appropriate for
your study:
• What type of study did you choose and why?
• Who or what did you study and why?
Findings/Results

• These are the answers that your research produced. This is not a
presentation of raw data, but a presentation of the numbers or facts
determined from the analysis. If you are using a hypothesis, this is
where you state whether you accept or reject that hypothesis.
Properly formatted tables and charts can make this a very short but
very effective section. It is not always necessary to repeat in
paragraphs what you show in a chart. Text should lead the reader to
the chart or table, not repeat what can already be seen.
Discussion
• In this section, you should avoid repeating what you showed in the
“Findings” section. Essentially, this section answers the question
“What do these findings mean?” Offer generalizations, principles, or
relationships. Develop paragraphs based on critical themes and
trends revealed in the findings. Identify points that lack correlation or
offer exceptions. Show how your research agrees or disagrees with
similar or prior studies.
Conclusion

• Some disciplines forego the conclusion (especially life sciences).

Discussion serves as their closing argument instead. Ask your
professor before you begin a conclusion section, as it is not always
required. A good conclusion should restate your answer to your
research question, hypothesis, or primary claim based on your
findings. It should also make recommendations for further studies or
changes that should be made in practice.
Citing Journal and Magazine Articles
• Format
Author(s). Publication year. Article title. Journal title volume: pages.

• Examples

Smith, D.C. and J. Van Buskirk. 1995. Phenotypic design, plasticity and
ecological performance in two tadpole species. American Naturalist 145:
211-233.

Ahlberg, P.E. 1990. Glimpsing the hidden majority. Nature 344: 23.

Epel, D. and R. Steinhardt. 1974. Activation of sea urchin eggs by a calcium

ionophore. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 71: 1915-1919.
Citing Journal and Magazine Articles with no
Identifiable Author
• Format
Anonymous. Publication year. Article title. Journal title volume:
pages
• Example
Anonymous. 1976. Epidemiology for primary health care. International
Journal of Epidemiology 5: 224-225.
Citing Books

• Format
Author(s). Publication year. Book Title, edition if known. Publisher,
Place of publication, number of pages.

• Example
Purves, W.K., G.H. Orians and H.C. Heller. 1995. Life: The Science of
Biology, 4th edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA, 1195
pps.
Citing Book Chapters

• Format
Author(s). Publication year. Chapter title. In: Book title
(Author(s)/editors, first name first) Place of publication, pages.
• Example
Jones, C.G. and J.S. Coleman. 1991. Plant stress and insect herbivory:
Toward an integrated perspective. In: Responses of Plants to Multiple
Stresses (H.A. Mooney,W.E. Winner & E.J. Pell, editors), Academic Press,
San Diego, pp. 249-280.
Citing Newspaper Articles

• Format
Author(s). Date (Year/Month/Day). Article title. Newspaper title
Section: Page: Column.

• Examples
Bishop, J. E. 1982 November 4. Do flies spread ills or is that claim
merely a bugaboo? The Wall Street Journal 1: 1: 4.
Williams, M. 1997 January 5. Teaching the net. Seattle Times C: 1: 2.
Citing Newspaper Articles with no Identifiable
Author
• Format
Anonymous. Date (Year/Month/Day). Article title. Newspaper title
Section: page: column.

• Example
Anonymous. 1977 September 6. Puffin, a rare seabird, returns to where
many were killed. The New York Times 3:28:1.
Citing Sites on the Internet
• The complete web address should be presented so that anyone else could easily visit the same
website. Attempt to include the following elements (not all elements appear on all Web pages):
1. author(s) (last name, first initial)
2. date created or updated
3. title of the page
4. title of the complete web site (if different from the page)
5. URL (full web address)
6. the date accessed.
• Format
Author's last name, First initial. (date created or updated). Title of the page. Title of the complete
site. [Online]. Available: http://full.web.address. [Date accessed].
• Example
Hammett, P. (1997). Evaluating web resources. Ruben Salazar Library, Sonoma State University.
[Online]. Available: http://libweb.sonoma.edu/Resources/eval.html. [March 29, 1997].
Citing a Lecture

• Format
Lecturer’s last name, First initial. Lecture Location of Lecture, Date,
Room number.

• Example
Greengrove, C. Lecture. UW-Tacoma, 8 January 1997, TLS490sc.
Citing a Video

• Format
Title of video (videocassette). editor or director. Producer’s name,
producer. [Location of Production]: Organization responsible for
production, Year.
• Example
New horizons in esthetic dentistry (videocassette). Wood, R. M., editor.
Visualeyes Productions, producer. [Chicago] : Chicago Dental Society,
1989.
Citing a Thesis or Dissertation

• Format
Author. Publication year. Title [dissertation]. Publisher: Place of
publication, number of pages.

• Example
Ritzmann RE. 1974. The snapping mechanism of Alpheid shrimp
[dissertation]. University of Virginia: Charlottesville (VA). 59pp.
Government report

• Format
Author/Agency (if no author). Publication year. Title. Publisher, Place of
publication, number of pages.

• Example
Mitchell, R.G., N.E. Johnson and K.H. Wright. 1974. Susceptibility of 10
spruce species and hybrids to the white pine weevil (= Sitka spruce
weevil) in the Pacific Northwest. PNW-225. U.S. Department of
Agriculture Forest Service, Washington, D.C., 8 pp.
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References
• http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/mcvay/B100/general_format_
for_writing_a_sci.htm
• https://www.una.edu/writingcenter/docs/Writing-
Resources/Writing%20in%20the%20Social%20Science%20Format.pdf
• https://www.elsevier.com/connect/11-steps-to-structuring-a-science-
paper-editors-will-take-seriously