Since science research reports use IMRD organizational format, your report must include the following sections:1) Abstract:an outline/brief summary of your paper and your whole...

Since science research reports use IMRD organizational format, your report must include the following sections:

1) Abstract:





an outline/brief summary of your paper and your whole project.

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  Requirements:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • This should be a paragraph in which you preview each section of your paper -- the introduction, methods, results, and discussion.
  
  
  
  
  • This will likely be at least 4 sentences.
  
  
  
  
  • 100-150 words but no longer than ~150.
  
  
  
  
  • This should be on its own separate page immediately after the title page. (Note:despite the abstract being presented at the beginning, it will actually be the very last thing you write.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

2) Introduction:








contextualizes your research by reviewing previous scholarship and connecting it to your current research project, identifying the research question(s), and providing the hypothesis.You will need to perform secondary research like you did for the Literature Review.

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  Requirements:
  
  
  
  
  
  








• 1 paragraph in which you contextualize your topic, tell your reader why it is an important subject of study, present the purpose of your experiment (research question), and state your hypothesis (a.k.a. the Intro from your Observational Logbook).




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  3) Methods:
  
  
  a highly detailed description of the proposed research procedures, methods, and materials. Remember, communicating scientific research contributes to the scientific standard of replicability, making details important in this section.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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    Requirements:
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    • Go throughevery steptaken to complete your experiment, from beginning to end. (Ex: If doing food decay, you do not need to explain how to buy fruit; however, start at the moment you begin your experiment. Do you wash the foods? How do you set up the process?)
    
    
    
    
    • Include any additional materials needed to complete the assignment. Did you put your fruit on a paper plate? What kind of pots were your plants in? Stateeverything.
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
    • I, and any other reader, should be able to follow the steps of your methods and completethe same experiment.
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
    • Likely, this will need 1-2 paragraphs.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  4) Results:
  
  
  outline the major findings of the study. The paragraphs will be focused on a particular result or group of results, usually in response to each aspect of the research question. You will also include visualizations of the data, either in labeled graphs, tables, or photos.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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    Requirements:
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    • Explain, with clear detail, what changes occurred in your object of study.
    
    
    
    
    • Do not go day-by-day, like in your Logbook. The Results section is more like a holistic summary of what you’ve found. Give a sense of how quickly the changes took place. Did things happen smoothly over the course of the five days? Was there a sudden increase or decrease in rate of change on one day?
    
    
    
    
    • Make sure that there are graphs, charts, and/or other graphics to visualize your data alongside the text. You can also use your photographic evidence from the Logbook. I don’t suggest that you include each day’s photos, especially if a significant change didn’t occur each day. Most students will show Day 1 vs. Day 5 photos.
    
    
    
    
    • If there were any unexpected events in your experiment, briefly state them here.
    
    
    
    
    • Emphasize the results that are directly related to your research question. For example, let’s say that I want to research whether salt water will help plants grow. My results are that the salt-watered plant died, but the normal-watered plants had a lot more pests. I may spend a full paragraph talking about how the salt-watered plant died much faster than the normal-watered one, but only 1-2 sentences on the pest difference and speculation on why the difference manifested.
    
    
    
    
    • The length of this section will depend on the complexity and length of your experiment.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  5) Discussion:
  
  
  an overview of the implications of major findings in light of previous scholarship, addressing the research question. The discussion section also indicates limitations, summarizes the outcome of your research, and provides suggestions for future research based on the unfilled gaps among previous and your own research.

  
  
  
  








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• Begin with a brief statement summarizing your findings. Address your research question stated in the beginning. Reflect on whether your hypothesis was correct, incorrect, or partially correct, and why. Bring back in your outside sources to answer this. Do they all have similar findings? Does your experiment contrast them in any way? This may be 2-3 paragraphs, maybe more.




• State the importance of this research topic. What is the relevance outside of the “laboratory”? Why is it important to know how to best store food or to water plants? Keep incorporating outside sources. This may take 1-2 paragraphs.




• Discuss the limitations of your study. How could you do this experiment better? Do any of your sources do the same experiment, but with laboratory access? Also, theorize on any unexpected events or complications (did the weather change drastically halfway through? Did your home lose power for any amount of time? Was one of your specimens disturbed by a roommate or other force? End with suggestions for future research on this same research topic based on the gaps in your experimentandin the existing research that you use in this report. This may take 1-2 paragraphs.