When studying science, you perform research and conduct experiments to test hypotheses. Sooner or later, you will be asked to prepare a scientific report. In addition to exhibiting the knowledge and skills needed to perform field work, all scientists, including scientists-in-training, must be able to produce concise and informative scientific reports that are complete, accurate, properly formatted and understandable to their intended audience of otther scientists. Writing a Scientific Report provides expert advice and step-by-step guidance to help a new or inexperienced scientific writer prepare and publish an effective report. With a how-to focus, this academic outline presents an easy-to-follow set of scientific writing guidelines in one convenient guide. This Study Brief examines the standard components of a formal scientific report, including each integral part of the IMRAD structure: Introduction, Methods and Materials, and Results and Discussion. Essential report components, such as proposals, abstracts, outlines, titles, literature reviews, acknowledgements, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, conclusions, recommendations, references, appendices and attachments are covered. Useful sections on planning a report, managing time needed to write, researching and compiling data, note taking, creating an outline and formatting the report are features. A quick review of the writing process breaks down what is involved in the prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and editing tasks involved. Helpful tips and methods to improve scientific writing style are emphasized. Guidelines for footnotes, citations, and references are provided. Medical writing and science writing fields are briefly discussed.
