WRITING SHORT PHYSIOLOGY REPORTS

GENERAL PRESENTATION

The purpose of scientific writing is the effective communication of information, and reports must be clearly organized, logically presented and as brief as possible. Short reports are more economical to read and to publish so you should only include data directly relevant to the topic, their interpretation, and a discussion of their relevance in the context of what is already known.

Lead the reader through the work by expressing yourself logically and clearly and avoiding ambiguities and redundancies.

English expression should be simple, yet lucid and concise; spelling and grammar must be correct. Be consistent over spelling: use the Oxford Dictionary for reference. Do not use colloquial language but employ the correct scientific terms where necessary. Remember to underline or type in italics the Latin names of genera and species.

Good first draft writing is rare, you should aim for good rewriting so critically read and reread your work. Replace long words with short ones. Convert the passive voice to the active. Check spelling and arithmetic. Check grammar, syntax and usage but do not be too pedantic. Finally, ask a friend or colleague to proof-read your final draft.

TITLE OF REPORT AND NAME

The title is normally printed in upper case letters and centred at the top of the page. The author's full name is written in lower case letters and centred a few lines below the title. The author's department and institution are written beneath his/her name. In your case, write your practical group and demonstrator's name beneath your name.

ABSTRACT (Centre heading in upper case letters)

The abstract should state concisely the scope of the work and give the principal findings. It should not contain introductory or background material, nor should it contain material that can only be understood by reference to the main body of the paper. Word limit (100 words).

INTRODUCTION (Centre heading in upper case letters)

The research topic is introduced usually by providing a short background to the current knowledge of that topic. This background relies on the use of your practical notes and other references which must be cited in the text and included in the REFERENCES section of the report. The INTRODUCTION gives the reasons why a particular practicum was chosen, e.g. to demonstrate certain physiological principals and to develop certain experimental skills. The INTRODUCTION concludes with a precise statement of the aims of the investigation. Word limit (500 words)

MATERIALS AND METHODS. You may refer the reader to the practical notes for a description of materials and methods.

RESULTS (Centre heading in upper case letters)

It is important to quantify your results (both your group’s results and the class results) as much as possible in order to make them more forceful and convincing. Hence, the evidence should be summarized in the form of tables, graphs and other plots. These tables and figures must be serially numbered and have captions that tell the reader what the table or graph is about and how to read it. Every table and figure must be referred to individually in the text at the appropriate place. A graph is a figure and so is a diagram. The statistical analyses of your experiments are reported here. You must report the type of test, the derived statistic and probability value; often all this is placed in the brackets after a statement on the significance of this or that experiment. For the purpose of this exercise you should include a table with the raw data and a detailed working of your statistics in an APPENDIX.

The results should not consist merely of tables and figures, but should contain text which leads the reader systematically through the evidence provided. Use headings if necessary, e.g. Experiment I.

Do not attempt to discuss what your results mean here; do that in the DISCUSSION that follows.

Please do not simply cut out and paste in the print-out from any computer analysis. These tables are not easy to follow, so create new ones.

Word limit (There is no word limit here – description of results should be very concise.)

DISCUSSION (Centre heading in upper case letters)

The task here is to interpret your group’s findings and then to compare them with the class results and with other results in the literature. Start with your own results and decide what they mean. Are they conclusive? Is the sample sufficient? How do your findings compare with those in the literature? Explain the significance of any departure.

Word limit (600 words).

REFERENCES

The works of others are usually cited in the INTRODUCTION, METHODS and DISCUSSION sections only. All parts of the report are presumed to be your own original work except for those parts where you cite other authors and those parts where you have had the acknowledged help of others. All statements must be supported by acceptable evidence except statements that are self evident or universally accepted. Only two types of evidence are permissible - your own results and a citation to a publication; both can be verified by a sceptical reader.

Scientific Report Assessment criteria – mark breakdown