Scientific Paper Structure

Scientific Paper Structure

The Sections of the Paper

Most journal-style scientific papers are subdivided into the following sections: Title, Authors and Affiliation, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, and Literature Cited, which parallel the experimental process.

Section of PaperExperimental process
AbstractWhat did I do in a nutshell?
IntroductionWhat is the problem?
Materials and MethodsHow did I solve the problem?
ResultsWhat did I find out?
DiscussionWhat does it mean?
Acknowledgements (optional)Who helped me out?
Literature CitedWhose work did I refer to?
Appendices (optional)Extra Information

Styles

Main section headings

  • should be capitalized, centered at the beginning of the section
  • Should be double spaced from the lines above and below
  • Do NOT underline the section heading OR put a colon at the end.

Subheadings

  • Should be capitalized (first letter in each word), left justified, and either bold italics OR underlined.
Example of a subheading

Effects of Light Intensity on the Rate of Electron Transport

Acknowledgements

  • If, in your experiment, you received any significant help in thinking up, designing, or carrying out the work, or received materials from someone who did you a favor by supplying them, you must acknowledge their assistance and the service or material provided.

  • Authors always acknowledge outside reviewers of their drafts

  • Place the Acknowledgments between the Discussion and the Literature Cited.

Appendices

Function

  • Contains information that is

    • non-essential to understanding of the paper
    • but may present information that further clarifies a point without burdening the body of the presentation
  • Optional part of the paper, and is only rarely found in published papers.

Style

Headings

  • Each Appendix should be identified by a Roman numeral in sequence, e.g., Appendix I, Appendix II, etc.
  • Each appendix should contain different material.

What could be put in appendix? (not an exhaustive list)

  • raw data
  • maps (foldout type especially)
  • extra photographs
  • explanation of formulas, either already known ones, or especially if you have “invented” some statistical or other mathematical procedures for data analysis.
  • specialized computer programs for a particular procedure

Reference