Formatting Science Reports
This section describes an organizational structure commonly used to report experimental
research in many scientific disciplines, the IMRAD format: Introduction, Methods, Results,
and Discussion.
Although the main headings are standard for many scientific fields, details may vary; check
with your instructor, or, if submitting an article to a journal, refer to the instructions to
authors.
When and when not to use the IMRAD format
Although most scientific reports use the IMRAD format, there are some exceptions.
This format is usually not used in reports describing other kinds of research, such as field
or case studies, in which headings are more likely to differ according to discipline. Although
the main headings are standard for many scientific fields, details may vary; check with your
instructor, or, if submitting an article to a journal, refer to the instructions to authors.
Developing a Title
Titles should
1. Describe contents clearly and precisely, so that readers can decide whether
to read the report
2. Provide key words for indexing
Titles should NOT
1. Include wasted words such as "studies on," "an investigation of"
2. Use abbreviations and jargon
3. Use "cute" language
Good Titles
The Relationship of Luteinizing Hormone to Obesity in the Zucker Rat
Poor Titles
An Investigation of Hormone Secretion and Weight in Rats
Fat Rats: Are Their Hormones Different?
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The Abstract
The guidelines below address issues to consider when writing an abstract.
What is the report about, in miniature and without specific details?
1.
2.
3.
4.
State main objectives. (What did you investigate? Why?)
Describe methods. (What did you do?)
Summarize the most important results. (What did you find out?)
State major conclusions and significance. (What do your results mean? So
what?)
What to Avoid:
1. Do not include references to figures, tables, or sources.
2. Do not include information not in report.
Additional Tips
1. Find out maximum length (may vary from 50 to 300+ words).
2. Process: Extract key points from each section. Condense in successive
revisions.
The Introduction
Guidelines for effective scientific report introductions.
What is the problem?
1. Describe the problem investigated.
2. Summarize relevant research to provide context, key terms, and concepts so
your reader can understand the experiment.
Why is it important?
Review relevant research to provide rationale. (What conflict or unanswered
question, untested population, untried method in existing research does your
experiment address? What findings of others are you challenging or extending?)
What solution (or step toward a solution) do you propose?
Briefly describe your experiment: hypothesis(es), research question(s); general
experimental design or method; justification of method if alternatives exist.
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Additional Tips
Move from general to specific: problem in real world/research literature --> your
experiment.
Engage your reader: answer the questions, "What did you do?" "Why should I care?"
Make clear the links between problem and solution, question asked and research
design, prior research and your experiment.
Be selective, not exhaustive, in choosing studies to cite and amount of detail to
include. (In general, the more relevant an article is to your study, the more space it
deserves and the later in the Introduction it appears.)
Ask your instructor whether to summarize results and/or conclusions in the
Introduction.
Methods Section
Below are some questions to consider for effective methods sections in scientific
reports.
How did you study the problem?
Briefly explain the general type of scientific procedure you used.
What did you use?
(May be subheaded as Materials)
Describe what materials, subjects, and equipment (chemicals, experimental
animals, apparatus, etc.) you used. (These may be subheaded Animals, Reagents,
etc.)
How did you proceed?
(May be subheaded as Methods or Procedures)
Explain the steps you took in your experiment. (These may be subheaded by
experiment, types of assay, etc.)
Additional tips:
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1. Provide enough detail for replication. For a journal article, include, for
example, genus, species, strain of organisms; their source, living conditions,
and care; and sources (manufacturer, location) of chemicals and apparatus.
2. Order procedures chronologically or by type of procedure (subheaded) and
chronologically within type.
3. Use past tense to describe what you did.
4. Quantify when possible: concentrations, measurements, amounts (all
metric); times (24-hour clock); temperatures (centigrade)
What to avoid:
1. Don't include details of common statistical procedures.
2. Don't mix results with procedures.
Results Section
The section below offers some questions asked for effective results sections in
scientific reports.
What did you observe?
For each experiment or procedure:
1. Briefly describe experiment without detail of Methods section (a sentence or
two).
2. Report main result(s), supported by selected data:
a. Representative: most common
b. Best Case: best example of ideal or exception
Additional tips:
1. Order multiple results logically:
a. from most to least important
b. from simple to complex
c. organ by organ; chemical class by chemical class
2. Use past tense to describe what happened.
What to avoid:
1. Don't simply repeat table data; select.
2. Don't interpret results.
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3. Avoid extra words: "It is shown in Table 1 that X induced Y" --> "X induced Y
(Table 1)."
Discussion Section
The table below offers some questions effective discussion sections in scientific
reports address.
What do your observations mean?
Summarize the most important findings at the beginning.
What conclusions can you draw?
For each major result:
1. Describe the patterns, principles, relationships your results show.
2. Explain how your results relate to expectations and to literature cited in your
Introduction. Do they agree, contradict, or are they exceptions to the rule?
3. Explain plausibly any agreements, contradictions, or exceptions.
4. Describe what additional research might resolve contradictions or explain
exceptions.
How do your results fit into a broader context?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Suggest the theoretical implications of your results.
Suggest practical applications of your results?
Extend your findings to other situations or other species.
Give the big picture: do your findings help us understand a broader topic?
Additional tips:
1. Move from specific to general: your finding(s) --> literature, theory, practice.
2. Don't ignore or bury the major issue. Did the study achieve the goal (resolve
the problem, answer the question, support the hypothesis) presented in the
Introduction?
3. Make explanations complete.
a. Give evidence for each conclusion.
b. Discuss possible reasons for expected and unexpected findings.
What to avoid:
1. Don't overgeneralize.
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2. Don't ignore deviations in your data.
3. Avoid speculation that cannot be tested in the foreseeable future.
This guide is from the Writing Center at The University of Wisconsin-Madison. This
guide was part of their Writers Guidebook and this is their entry on Writing
Scientific Reports
URL:
[Link]
Updated:
29 August 2014
Citing:
MLA:
"Academic and Professional Writing: Scientific Reports." The Writing Center. The
University of Wisconsin-Madison, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
<[Link]
APA:
Academic and professional writing: scientific reports. (2014, August 29). Retrieved
January 18, 2016, from [Link]
Chicago:
"Academic and Professional Writing: Scientific Reports." The Writing Center. August
29, 2014. Accessed January 18, 2016.
[Link]
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this
license, visit [Link]
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