A Framework For Scientific Papers

Welcome to A Framework for Scientific Papers. 

The principles discussed in the Reasoned Writing section are very general, and apply to many different types of argumentative writing. "A Framework for Scientific Papers" seeks to apply the Reasoned Writing approach to the specific case of hypothesis-based scientific papers in the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) format. We will first discuss how creating strong hypotheses can be very helpful for structuring and writing a scientific paper. We will then think about some of the particulars about writing each section of an IMRaD paper, from general considerations to practical advice.

To continue, follow the links to each area, or use the pop-up navigation sidebar at the upper-left of the screen, or the text-based table of contents below.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (text version)

A FRAMEWORK FOR SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

• HYPOTHESES

  • WHAT ARE HYPOTHESES?

    • SCIENTIFIC MODELS ("GENERAL" HYPOTHESES)

    • PREDICTIONS ("MEASURABLE" HYPOTHESES)

  • HOW CAN WE TEST HYPOTHESES?

    • USING DEDUCTIVE REASONING

      • MODUS TOLLENS

      • STRONG INFERENCE

    • USING INDUCTIVE REASONING

      • INDUCTIVE FRAMEWORKS

    • LIMITATIONS TO HYPOTHESIS TESTING

• STRUCTURING SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

  • SUMMARY OF A FRAMEWORK FOR SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

  • THE INTRODUCTION

    • IMPORTANCE

    • IDENTIFYING A "GAP" IN UNDERSTANDING

    • OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES

  • THE METHODS

  • THE RESULTS

    • EXPLAINING DATA

    • MAKING COMPARISONS

    • SUPPORTING OR REJECTING PREDICTIONS

  • THE DISCUSSION

    • EXPERIMENTAL LIMITATIONS

    • CONCLUSIONS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC MODELS

      • SUPPORTING GENERAL HYPOTHESES

      • REVISING GENERAL HYPOTHESES

    • HOW TO ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING

• INCREASING THE IMPACT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

  • THE TITLE AND ABSTRACT

  • NARRATIVE WRITING

  • SPOKEN COMMUNICATION

SOME ACTIVITIES FOR A FRAMEWORK FOR SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

Reasoned Writing / A Framework for Scientific Papers

A free website for scientific writing.

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