Writing Up an Investigation
Science: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 11.5.1
Writing Up an Investigation
There are aspects of scientific writing that make it special because of how it is written and what's included.
Peer-reviewed journals
- Scientists write up their work and publish it as articles in peer-reviewed journals.
- Peer review means scientists reviewing other scientists' work to keep a high standard in research.
Rules of scientific writing (1)
- Be brief.
- Be impersonal.
- Stick to what happened in the investigation.
- Do not include feelings or irrelevant stories.
Rules of scientific writing (2)
- Use formal language.
- Do not use contractions.
- Example: 'didn't' instead of 'did not'.
- Use subtitles to separate sections.
Test yourself on Writing Up an Investigation
Why is it important to avoid contractions in scientific writing?
Which of these is an example of a contraction?
What is the term for when scientists review each other's work?