HOW TO WRITE A SCIENTIFIC REPORT

written by Diana K. Latta

A good scientific report is broken into several distinct components: An abstract, objectives, methods, results, discussion and conclusion. For your assignment, we would like you to follow the general outline below. Because your report should only be 4-7 pages of text (plus your figures), you need to write in a clear, straightforward manner (i.e. get to the point!). Tell us what you did, how you did it, what you found out and what you think it means. We are looking for quality, not quantity!

An abstract is a brief summary of the entire report, and is the very first part of any paper. An abstract should be able to stand on its own (i.e. If I read your abstract, I will know where the research was done, how it was done and what your conclusions are). You should not write the abstract until the rest of your report has been completed. The abstract should be about 100-150 words long, and is not counted as part of the 4-7 pages that the rest of your report should cover.

The objectives is simply an explanation of why this scientific study is important. So, in your own words, briefly explain the significance of streams and why we should study them. (~1 paragraph)

The methods section of your report explains how you carried out your experiment and what you studied. For instance, you should briefly explain how the stream profile was measured and what equipment was used. You should also discuss how many sites along the river were studied and show where they are located on your map. (~2 paragraphs)

The results section of your report is where you explain what the results of your experiments were. Just state the facts! This is where you plot up your data into graphs, and elaborate on the observations made about the stream and its surroundings at each site (i.e. were there houses, farms, forests, etc.). The data we want you to include is listed in section III of your lab handout. You should also discuss the size of the basin and plot the horizontal stream profile that you worked on in lab. (~1 page + figures)

The discussion is where you interpret your data. Why do you think the data changes (or doesn’t change) from site to site? What do you think the causal factors are? Does this stream display normal characteristics or has it been modified by man? You should focus on that data which you feel is most relevant. *This section is where you show us that you understand the importance of the study and that you can link the data to the factors which impact streams.. With the data set, we have included guidelines to aid in understanding the importance of each of the variables measured. This should help you interpret the data you derived in the field. You should also refer to your figures where appropriate. (~2 pages)

The conclusion (~1 paragraph) is a brief summary of the key findings you discussed. Many authors write a conclusion by using a simple numeric list. For example:

1. This stream had a high pH because…….

2. This stream flowed faster at the top and slower at the bottom because…..