Journals and Scientific Documents

Discuss the purpose of journals and professional papers.

The purpose of journals and professional papers is to explain new research, methods, inventions, technologies, and discoveries. Recent findings and advancements can be found in these journals and professional papers. Professional papers can be technical scientific, science, or academic (undergraduate term papers, graduate theses, and dissertations). Technical scientific papers are professional papers written by researchers that include primary (research you do yourself) and secondary (research others have done) research. The language for technical scientific papers is purely objective, describing events and data exactly as they are and analyzing them later on (such as in the conclusion or discussion section). Scientific papers are meant to be viewed by other specialists in the same fields of study. Science papers explain scientific developments to a general audience (non-specialists and laypeople) and as such the language is far more expressive, explaining and analyzing the data as you read through the paper. Finally, academic papers are technical papers that are written while in school and their degree of technical detail depends on your level of schooling and the directions of your professor. Undergraduate work will generally be reporting on class lab assignments and secondary research. Graduate papers will include primary research as well as secondary. Both levels of writing not only help you in an academic way, but can also increase your likelihood of advancement in your chosen field.

Discuss the organization of a technical scientific paper.

The organization of a technical scientific paper includes the subsequent elements: title (must be an accurate depiction of the research), the problem the paper addresses, review of the literature, methods and materials, results, discussion, conclusion, and documentation. Titles should explain the focus of the paper in detail. Some journals will ask for two titles one long and one short. When defining the problem you not only lay out the problem but you also explain past research in this field, the weaknesses and shortcomings of that research, and what led you to develop your investigation of the problem. When reviewing the literature be sure to review the findings of other literature on the subject. By summarizing this material you provide the context of for your discourse on the subject. Your methods and materials is the written form of your procedure and should be done accurately. It should be written such that someone can recreate your method and get the same results you did. After your