Unit 10 Blog Response:

Keeping It Scientific: Tips on Writing a Scientific Paper.

In many ways, writing a scientific paper can be quite a bit easier than writing a general essay or an informative paper. This is because you can quite intentionally have some distance between yourself and your chosen subject material. This allows you to be both more critical and more objective. It can also really help to focus on the most plausible, verifiable and justifiable answer to your research question, or to firm up your ideas about your hypothesis. In this way, writing a scientific paper is much more of a prescriptive task. Here are a few general tips:

* Leave writing your introduction and conclusion until last. In many ways, your conclusion should mirror your introduction, to an extent. Remember, a conclusion is a summary of all the points and material that have been written up until that point. So, you shouldn't try and include new information in a conclusion. Rather, your conclusion should re-iterate your main points, and also re-link them back to your original thesis.

* Use peer-reviewed journals and periodicals that deal specifically with the precise and pertinent aspects of your topic. These are usually self-evident through their title. Also, try and stay with current articles as much as possible. Less than a year old, and no more than 10 years old-unless you are providing some historical background. Given the fast-paced nature of certain fields, it's also better to use the latest editions of certain, well-recognized 'standard' texts, too-such as Mosby's. They may not look that different, at first gloss, but many have been significantly updated, abridged (shortened) or revised.

* An Abstract is a first impression, snapshot of your paper. Some abstracts use the intro, method, discussion, conclusion format, while others are a little more broad. An abstract should be written in a neutral tone, too.

* If you have any doubts about the origins of any of your sources-leave them out entirely. They should be able to be easily located by any reader.

* Developing your research questions is a good start towards writing a thesis statement.

* Avoid collaborative electronic sources or websites, like Wikipedia, Ask.com, About.com. If you can, talk with the Information specialists or Help Desk at your Library. They often have very helpful tips about locating secondary sources, electronically, and some even offer this as a service to students. This can save a lot of time, and really help you to focus on exactly what you're interested in most.

* Finished your draft and find that you've written too much or too little content?. Try writing it over again, by hand. Or, print off a copy. Sometimes, it's clearer to visualize and edit, when the content is directly on the page in front of you and not on the screen. It can give you a better sense of and feel for where there are gaps, or where you have focussed on too much of one aspect, versus another. Quantity does not always equate to quality. Conversely, if you've written too little, look for ways that you can use topic sentences and transitions to expand your paragraphs. Including illustrative examples can also sometimes help. While quotes should be used sparingly and shouldn't be used as 'filler'-if you have a good quote-use it!.