Science Engagement Project

ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY

Biology 113: The Nature of Science

Basic Requirements for the Science Engagement Project Report

The project report is a scientific paper that tells the story of your project. It should follow

the conventions of science writing, and present data in a clear and concise manner.

I. Layout

All lab reports must have the standard format of a scientific report, including the

following sections:

Title Page

Abstract (250 words max, suggested, but not required)

Introduction

Materials and methods

Results

Discussion

Acknowledgements (if any)

Literature cited

II. Format

The report must be typed and contain double-spaced text of 11 or 12 point size. Margins

should be at least 1” on each side and pages should be numbered consecutively for the

entire document. The introduction, results and discussion section should run

approximately three pages each.

Do not use footnotes. Instead, use the CSE citation style explained in the Library Guide

section of the course website. You must cite references in both the introduction and in

the discussion. There should be at least three references in your report, with at least three

of these from primary sources. Be ready to turn in printed copies of your references –

books, journals, online articles – if asked.

III. Sections

The Title page should include a descriptive title of the report, the author’s name,

institution, class and date of submission.

The Abstract should be written last, it is a one to two paragraph summary of the entire

paper. Briefly state the results and significance of the study.

The Introduction must include 1) the experimental question being asked; 2) the rationale

for asking the question (“real world” application, etc.), 3) the hypothesis, 4) background

information 5) expected results and outcomes. Don’t report specific results here, or

analyze your data.

The Materials and Methods must be written in narrative form, with complete sentences

and paragraphs. It should contain enough detail so that another researcher could repeat

your experiments. Don’t just include a list of supplies and materials.

The Results section is the “story” of your experience in the lab. It should contain all of

your data and statistical tests, along with a narrative description of your experiments and

their outcomes. All summary data tables, graphs and statistics will be in this section.

Raw data tables may be included in an appendix, but not in the results section itself. All

tables and figures should be completely labeled and have figure legends. Place tables and

figures in the order results are described in the text; you may embed them along with the

text or print separate sheets of paper.

The Discussion is the final part of the narrative. It includes a brief summary of the results

and the interpretation of the work based on observations made in the lab and on scientific

literature. Compare your results with similar experiments done by others if possible.

Finally, propose what you think the next step would be for the research your conducted.

(Possible points for discussion: How much confidence do you have in your results based

on statistical tests, number of replications, etc.? What are the possible implications of

your work for the “real world” applications you mentioned in the introduction? Do your

results challenge an existing view, open up a new area of investigation, or support

previous results?)

The Acknowledgements section is where you thank anyone one helped make this study

possible.

The Literature Cited is where you report all published work that has been used in your

paper. You must report other people’s work or it is considered plagiarism. See page the

Library Guide for proper citing.