Preface

Welcome!

Many undergraduate biology courses require lab reports and other types of scientific writing. This genre is different from the technical writing in instruction manuals for cars, computers, or other machines and tools. Scientific writing is what scientists do every day when they create articles for publication, write reports summarizing their for their employer, apply for grant funding for their research, and even (less formally) when they write up observations in a lab notebook. Scientific writing is very closely connected with other kinds of scientific communication like oral presentations and scientific posters because the thinking and methods we use to share information are very similar.

Scientific communication is very different from what you probably have done in the past. It is organized in a specific way and follows particular rules and conventions. Our goal in this Guide is to help you master this skill. We focus on how to build a lab report that models a journal article because the same parts appear in other kinds of scientific communication. For example, once you learn how to organize the Introduction to a lab report, you pretty much know how to organize the background section of an oral presentation or a poster. The same is true for data figures; you make figures for an oral presentation or scientific poster the same way you would for a lab report.

How This Guide Is Organized

This Resource Guide tries to put scientific writing in a larger context. We think that, when you understand the WHY behind scientific writing, and WHERE it sits in relation to other parts of science, it is easier to understand HOW to write effectively.

Part 1 shows you what makes scientific writing different, and how it is organized to meet its goals. It explains how to read scientific literature, because that is the fastest way to understand the standards and conventions authors follow in a field.

Part 2 explains how hypotheses and experimental design are connected to scientific writing. It shows you how to turn questions about the world around us into hypotheses, then design an experiment that provides reliable data to test those hypotheses.

Part 3 dives into the details of writing biology lab reports. It shows you what goes in each section, points out where our own students struggle, and suggests ways to avoid common pitfalls. Your own instructors will add their insights and suggestions too.

Part 4 shows how to summarize, analyze, and present the data collected during experiments. This part includes a basic guide to statistical analysis, with links to more in-depth resources.

Part 5 explains how to use outside sources to support arguments, and how to cite sources accurately.

Part 6 shows you how to build sound arguments, and use them to assess writing, thinking, and logic more critically.

Part 7 has Resources for Instructors. It may not be part of your version of the Guide.

The Appendices contain practice cases with examples of lab reports written by other students like you.

Why Did We Create This Guide?

There are plenty of guide books available already that explain how to organize and format scientific writing. Why write another one?

As teaching faculty in large introductory biology courses we have watched a LOT of students go through the process of learning to communicate like scientists. We’ve seen certain things come up again and again. One student frustration we hear all of the time is “why do we have to do it this way? Why can’t I do it the way I learned before in (put any course you like here)?” We’ve found that, when we explain the logic behind elements of scientific writing, the format and rules make more sense and are easier for our students to follow. We wrote this Guide to do just that; go beyond a “what is needed” and “how to do X” Guide to writing, and explain some of the “why.”

In the end, we want you as a scientific writer to feel confident that you know WHAT your goals are, WHY those goals are important, and HOW to get there. Who knows? You may find that you have a hidden talent for it, on which you can build a career. Yet even if you never come to enjoy scientific writing, learning to do it well now will pay off regardless of where your professional path takes you.