Writing the Paper

Writing a Paper in the Format of a Scientific Journal Article

(Download a Word template for your journal article here.)  

The best way to learn to write a scientific paper is to read scientific papers, so the more papers you read, the better writer you’ll become.

Your papers should include each of the following:

1. Title

   • • First word is capitalized; only abbreviations (e.g. HPLC) and the first word following a colon are capitalized thereafter.

2. Author(s)

   • • Give first and last name of each author, separated by commas (unless there are only two of you, then just use "and").

     • Include authors’ institutional affiliation (i.e. Concordia College) and address.

3. Abstract

   • • 3-4 sentences that describe the overall project and summarize the results.

4.  Introduction

To the extent possible, the introduction of your paper should answer the following questions, although don't feel you must limit yourself to these questions. Make sure everything is well-referenced!

• • 1. 1. • • Why is the project important? Why do we care about the amount of this particular species in this particular matrix?

            • What purpose(s) does the analyte(s) play in the matrix? 

            • What analyte levels are considered normal/acceptable?

            • What are the various factors that determine the concentration of your target in this particular matrix?

            • What are the most common methods used for determining the concentration of your analyte(s) in both your matrix and other matrices?

            • What method did you use to determine the concentration of your target?

5. Experimental

   • • Describe how you conducted your experiments.  Be detailed in your description, but not too detailed.  The goal is that another person with similar training could repeat your experiments.  For instance, don't write out steps in common calculations, like standard concentrations.  It is assumed that an interested reader could do this.

     • Give the make/model of any major instrument you used, along with enough of the operating conditions to give the reader enough information to repeat the experiment on  a similar instrument.

     • If you are performing chromatographic separations, be sure to give the make/model of the column you are using, as well as some of the column features (dimensions, particle size, etc).

     • Name the chemicals you used in your analysis, along with their manufacturer.  The names of chemicals are not capitalized, unless it is a brand name (tetrafluoroethylene vs Teflon).

     • Don’t start a sentence with a number:

Bad:  0.25 g of caffeine was used to create the caffeine standard.

Better:  The caffeine standard was created using 0.25 g of caffeine.

6. Results and Discussion

• Here is where you present and discuss your data.

• Make sure all final results include uncertainties. Graphs should include error bars where appropriate. (Error bars in Excel are tricky. See me about this.)

• Don’t expect the reader to see things in your data you feel are clear.  Make sure you lead the reader through what he/she should be seeing in the data.

• Tables are a nice way to summarize large amounts of data.

• Be sure all figures are clear.  Graphs and figures don’t have titles, but all axes must be clearly labeled.  Be sure that each figure has a caption.

• Know the difference between a figure and a table.  

• All figures and tables must have a caption.  Table captions are usually at the top of the table, and figure captions are usually at the bottom of the figure.

• Never simply place a figure or table in the paper without discussing it in the text of the paper.  Make sure to point the reader toward what you want him/her to see in the figure or table. 

7. Conclusions

   • • Summarize the entire project once again, and add any closing comments you feel are appropriate.

8. Acknowledgments (optional)

   • • This is where you can thank/recognize someone not affiliated with the project who provided valuable assistance.

9. References

• Use superscripts for your in-text citations, being sure to put the superscript outside of any punctuation mark.1  The first reference listed is 1, the second 2, as so on.

• We will use the ACS style.  The following table gives some examples of formatting for various types of references.  This was taken from the website:  http://library.williams.edu/citing/styles/acs.php. Use this website for other reference types not listed below.

Other points of emphasis:

• The final version of your paper should be single-spaced with the proper headings.  We won’t use the two-column format found in most journals.  Figures should be placed after the paragraph in which they are first discussed.

• Typically stay away from personal references like I, we, our, my, etc…

• DO NOT copy images directly from other sources.  Any pictures/figures should be your own creation, but you can use other sources as a guide.

• Know when to use a dash between a number and a unit.  Put a dash between the number and the unit only when they combine to create a modifier that defines something else.  The sentence below shows an example of each:

Ex:  The caffeine standard was created by dissolving 0.25 g of caffeine in a 100-mL volumetric flask.

• Pay attention to SIGNIFICANT FIGURES!!

• Don't get lazy with superscripts and subscripts.  Use them both whenever needed.  (H2PO4- vs H2PO4-)

• Use proper abbreviations:  mL, L, oC, min, h, s, etc.