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Scientific Papers: Writing suggestions
Both content and presentation will be considered in evaluating your
papers.
Please consider the following good writing habits:
1. Make no grammatical or style errors. Particularly watch for the
following problem areas:
Use correct verb tense.
Make sure the subject and
verb of the sentence agree in number, for example, "It is, They are"... not
"It are, They is". This is tricky with complex subjects.
Use of first person (I,
We) is acceptable, avoid lengthy substitutes. If you use "We", be sure you have
already let the reader know who is "We".
Avoid the passive voice,
for example, not "The samples were counted." but "I counted the
samples."
Avoid vague statements.
Avoid redundant phrases.
Write complete sentences.
2. Type on good quality paper.
3. Use 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins on all sides.
4. Use metric units of measure in the body of the paper.
5. Do not abbreviate words except units of measure.
6. Make no spelling or typographical errors.
7. Number all pages starting with page 2.
8. Number all figures and tables consecutively as they appear in the
text.
9. Place the caption for a table above the table and give enough
information so that the table can stand on its own without reference to the text.
10. Place captions for Figures below each figure.
11. Cite references where appropriate as author and year of
publication (e.g., Levin 1989). See journals such as Evolution, Ecology, or American
Journal of Botany for other examples. Be consistent in form.
12. Give complete citation for each reference in the
"Literature Cited" section of your paper. List only those references actually
cited in the text. Use the format of journals such as those listed above.
13. Give the scientific name (where possible) of the organisms
studied along with an acceptable common name (if available).
14. Capitalize the genus name (plural = genera) but the specific
epithet is all in lower case. Underline or italicize both parts of the name but not the space between
them, e.g., Homo sapiens, Lupinus texensis, Delphinium
carolinianum ssp. vimineum.
15. Have someone else proofread your paper. They may see
inconsistencies of form or typographical error that you don't.
16. Choose each word in your title carefully. Attract the reader and
give key words for abstraction retrieval later. Your words are becoming
timeless, perhaps
this is your immortality, to be considered the wisdom of the ages. Work carefully.
17. Do not make special cover pages for your paper. Do not bind them
in plastic covers.
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