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Whatever you are writing, you should always follow these steps:
- Think
- Plan
- Write
- Revise
Think
Consider your title.
Define the purpose and scope of your composition.
Make notes of relevant information and ideas.
Plan
Prepare a topic outline.
- Organise the main points into headings and sub-headings and arrange
them in a logical and effective order.
- Decide on the topics for each paragraph under the individual headings
and sub-headings. Remember that each paragraph should deal with one aspect
only.
- Decide upon an effective introduction and an effective ending.
Write
Use the topic outline as your guide.
Revise
Put your manuscript aside for at least a day or two and then revise it carefully.
Make corrections and other improvements.
It is a good idea to get other people to read the corrected draft of your composition. |
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The structure of scientific papers and reports varies, but the conventional
format is Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion – the
so-called IMRAD structure. These sections are preceded by the Title and
Abstract, and sometimes followed by Conclusions and a summary. Acknowledgements
and References terminate the paper.
Title
The title is a very important part of the paper. It should be concise, specific
and reflect the contents of the article so that readers can immediately decide
whether the article is of interest to them.
The names and addresses of the
authors appear below the title.
Abstract
The abstract is a summary of the paper and should include the purpose of the
paper, materials and methods used and a brief summary of the results and
conclusions. Any new information obtained should be mentioned. Abstracts
do not usually exceed 200 words.
Introduction
In the introduction the authors motivate their study and indicate briefly and
concisely the aim and scope of the paper and its relation to previous work
done on the same subject.
Materials and methods
In this section the authors describe exactly how their experiments were conducted,
so that others can conduct the research.
Results
The results should answer the questions posed in the introduction. Include
negative and positive results. In most cases, use is made of figures (graphs,
drawings etc.) and tables. Highlight in the text important data contained
in the tables and figures, but do not tediously repeat all the data.
Discussion
In the discussion, the validity of the results is assessed; conclusions are
drawn and comments made about the significance and relation to previous work.
Practical implications should be mentioned and an indication given of desirable
future work on the subject. In some journals, results and discussion are
combined.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledge assistance received from colleagues and others who have helped
you in your research or in the writing of the paper. Also acknowledge financial
assistance from institutions.
References
All papers contain references to other publications on related work. A full
list must be supplied of the papers and books referred to in the article.
The way in which you write your references will be dictated by the journal
to which you would like to submit your paper.
Below are examples of how to reference articles and books:
- Article:
- van der Waals, J.E., Korsten, L., Aveling, T.A.S., 2001. A review of
early blight of potato. African Plant Prot. 7, 91-102.
- Book:
- Madden, L.V., Ellis, M.A., 1988. How to develop plant disease forecasters.
In: Kranz, J., Rotem, J. (Eds.), Experimental Techniques in Plant Disease
Epidemiology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 191-208.
- Rotem, J. 1994. The genus Alternaria: Biology, epidemiology and pathogenicity.
APS Press, St Paul, Minnesota.
- Web site:
- Hinchliffe, Lisa. 1998. Cut-and-Paste Plagiarism: Preventing,
Detecting and Tracking Online Plagiarism.
Online at: http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~janicke/plagiary.htm
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