The main purpose of most scientific writing is to inform and educate other people about research that has been performed. A scientific report should explain clearly how the research was performed and what results were observed. “Good science” must be repeatable – other scientists should be able to repeat the experiment in order to see if they come up with the same results or not. And lastly, an argument or opinion might be proposed based on the results obtained.
Typically students are introduced to scientific experimenting by way of the hypothesis model. Researchers formulate a hypothesis that they would like to test and design an experiment that will either prove or disprove the hypothesis. Scientific writing is a means of presenting the results of a particular experiment – what hypothesis was tested, how it was tested, what the results of the testing were, and what the results prove or disprove.
Scientific writing should be:
- Clear
- Objective
- Accurate
- Concise
As a researcher, it is essential to keep in mind that you are trying to persuade your audience of the importance and validity of your experiment. After all, it is only after a hypothesis has been proven or disproved numerous times by many different researchers that the information gained will become part of the scientific dogma. This is only possible if experimental results are written up in such a way that the information is comprehensible and convincing.