How to Write a Scientific Paper

8 min read

How to Write a Scientific Paper?

Writing scientific papers is important for scholars, scientists, engineers. It’s a part of their career. However, those who have never done it often feel confused and worried. The good news is that even with poor writing skills, one may easily publish articles. You only need to have relevant information to contribute to the scientific conversation and follow the scientific paper guidelines we provide. Keep reading to find out everything there is no know about such papers.

What is a Scientific Paper?

A scientific paper is a type of written work that is published in a periodical (journal). It contains a report that describes research results. That’s how scientists share the results of their research with colleagues in the field. Do you plan on writing such a paper? Use our scientific paper tips to achieve the best outcomes.

Before that, you’d better define why you wish to be published. Discovering the true motif will motivate you to go through with the writing process. There are two kinds of motivation, altruism & self-interest, or it can be a combination of both.

Another significant moment one shouldn’t ignore is the work one has to do after writing this text. For instance, choosing the right journal, writing a cover letter, etc.

Types of scientific papers

Original articles, case reports, technical notes, reviews, commentaries, editorials – these are all scientific papers. There are many options that differ in nature, purpose, etc. They are also assessed using different criteria.

Scientific Paper Outline

In case it’s your first time writing such texts, you must cover the basics and learn how to write a discussion for a scientific paper, how & where to add hooks, how to organize content. Let’s start from scratch and discuss how to begin this paper first.

Like all academic papers, one must make the title page. Pick a title that fully covers the paper’s content. Keep in mind that too technical titles are hard to comprehend. So, account for your targeted audience.

Another key element all readers see at once is an abstract. It’s like a summary that gives readers a preview of what they will discover when reading this article. The abstract is published with the article.

Scientific paper outline example

That’s why if you look for outline examples, you won’t find much information. Published articles don’t have any. However, one should create a scheme to help organize the information. Using this plan, writers will add every detail they need without forgetting anything.

How to Start a Scientific Paper

To make things more straightforward for you, it’s better to make a draft displaying all information you wish to include. Such an approach allows seeing everything from the top and adjusting the text beforehand. You might be surprised, but scholars often end up telling different stories than originally intended. That’s why gather everything you plan to use before you can start arranging content in proper order.

After covering the basics and adding the title, abstract, and outline, you can start writing the article itself. Start with adding an introduction. There is a whole set of rules on how it must look like, what should be included, etc. Stick to the structure lest you forget something.

Scientific paper introduction

The introduction must reveal what question you’ll answer in this paper and why it’s interesting to the scientific world. Depending on the topic/subject, the introduction could be up to four paragraphs long. Finish it with a specific question that will be answered later in the text.

How to Structure a Scientific Paper

Most papers one can see published in scientific journals follow the traditional IMRaD structure. It implies that the content consists of the following elements:

  • Introduction;
  • Method;
  • Results & Discussion;

Once you introduce a problem/question/topic, the main body focuses on it by including topical materials & methods. It could be an experiment, theory, design, etc. Then the content reviews results and discussion.

Scientific paper body

Writers start writing the main section by explaining where the data came from. Add sufficient detail but avoid including results just yet. By the way, it’s the most common pitfall. Results do not belong to the methods section!

However, once you cover methods, move on to results. It’s important to remember that evidence doesn’t explain itself. Interpreting results is your job. While doing it, remember about your future readers. Present the information in an easy-to-understand manner.

How to End a Scientific Paper

In the end, writers usually highlight the most significant facts, results, and their impact on the topic. They belong to the discussion part and help scholars interpret the results of the experiment, research, study, etc.

Aside from that, each paper requires acknowledgments and references. These are significant elements one can’t ignore. They show which sources you relied on for readers to discover more about the covered theme. Moreover, it acknowledges other scientists who researched the topic.

Scientific paper conclusion

Conclusion as we know it consists of one sentence only. It contains the summary of all smaller conclusions made throughout the article. Readers must understand here the main idea behind this article, its significance, impact on the scientific world.

How to Write a Scientific Paper Step by Step

Writing the paper gets easier as soon as you get a plan. Use the following guide as a simple path through the writing process.

Step 1 – Formulate your vision

Does your paper have a goal? Put it down. You must figure out what message you wish to transmit to the world using this article. In case you work on research and stumbled upon a breakthrough, you can simply share it. If you require publishing as a part of your job description, brainstorm the ideas. Review different types of scientific papers mentioned above.

Step 2 – Start from the end

Most people, especially scientists, prefer logical outlay. So, starting from abstract & introduction makes sense to them. But don’t waste your time on it. The text is likely to end up with a totally different story than the one you planned to go with. You’ll end up rewriting these parts.

Step 3 – Follow the structure

Begin with other parts from the IMRaD structure. Cover the methods, results, conclusions. Follow the tips above and smoothly transition to conclusions. Emphasize the most significant points and summarize important findings.

Step 4 – Finish with the introduction

After you have all the facts at your disposal, you may efficiently create an abstract and introduction that fully reflects the goal of the paper and its main idea. You’ll also add precise references here.

Step 5 – Get references

It’s a crucial part many beginners fail at. Pick a good electronic reference manager because it performs two main functions. First of all, your audience may discover more information regarding this theme. Secondly, it supports the provided theory/opinion/thesis statement.

Aside from that, using references recognizes the work of other scholars

7 Amazing Scientific Paper Tips

While the five-step system might appear simple at first sight, there are other significant tips on how to write a scientific research paper. Use the following pieces of advice to succeed with this task.

Keep your message clear

Think about the main idea you wish people remembered from your paper. Focus on it and maintain this message throughout all paragraphs. Using irrelevant facts or less important ideas will distract the audience from getting the main idea.

The paper should have a logical framework

Scientific texts are complicated as they are. However, preserving specific structures makes them more comprehensive and easier to understand. Follow the structure like context-content-conclusion to present clear facts, their meaning, and their role in your paper.

Be confident

Confidence in the science world is a relevant term. The question of what if drives it and seems far from confidence. However, when it comes to writing scientific papers, confidence is crucial. You must convince readers in your point of view, research achievement, etc. Present compelling facts to support your idea.

Write accurately

Keep in mind that such articles are citable. Other authors can refer to the publication. So, make sure you say what you mean and avoid confusing words. When writing fast, scholars often confuse words like effect & affect, amount & number, etc.

Use short sentences

When covering complicated issues, the content is difficult enough as it is. There is no need to make things even more confusing by adding numerous clauses. Try following a 40-word rule which means that if a sentence is over 40 words long, it should be divided into two sentences.

Use trustworthy resources

In the scientific world, the choice of research/books/articles you rely on plays an important part in how the paper is received. Make sure to use the latest information from reputable sources. Besides, add properly formatted citations lest you get accused of plagiarism.

Hire Professional Scientific Paper Writers on FreePaperWriter.com

Now you know everything about how to write a scientific review paper. Seems too much, doesn’t it? Well, in case you still have to submit it, you can always hire professional help. Order scientific papers from top paper writers and receive unique texts on time.