Frequently Asked Questions About Writing Journal Style Papers.....Just the FAQs [ Table of Contents ] | General | Title | Abstract | Introduction | Methods | Results | Tables and Figures | Discussion |
| In-text references and Literature Cited | Appendices | Latin Names
- How do I write species names (i.e., Latin names - binomial nomenclature)?
- How do I write and place the main section headings? Subheadings?
- How do I write numbers in the text?
- What if I start a sentence with a number?
- Where is the Title placed?
- What should be capitalized in a the Title?
- What key words are used in Titles?
- Should the Title be underlined?
- What is the structure of the Abstract?
- Should I give detailed Methods in the Abstract?
- What results should be reported in the Abstract?
- How do I know when I have enough information in my Abstract?
- How long should my Abstract be?
- When should the Abstract be written?
- What is the general structure of the Introduction?
- With what level of information should I begin my Introduction?
- Where should I state the purpose of my research?
- How do I cite outside references in the text?
- Do I have to say where and when I did my research?
- How should the Methods be organized?
- When should I use subheadings?
- What should be the style of my presentation?
- What kinds of Methods details should I include?
- What are the quantitative details of the Methods that should be included?
- How do I identify treatments and controls?
- What kinds of information should I include to describe my data analysis?
- What are key results?
- Should I use both Tables and Figures to present the same data?
- What data should I report in the text?
- How do I write numbers in the text?
- Should I report negative results?
- When should I use a Figure vs a Table to show a result?
- How do I number Tables and Figures?
- When should I abbreviate the the word Figure?
- How do I format Tables and Figures?
- Where does the Table legend go? Figure legend?
- What information should appear in my legends?
- Should I include a title with my figures?
- Where should I place my Tables and Figures in the manuscript?
- How do I refer to Tables and Figures from the text?
- How do I decide on symbols, lines and bar fills to represent different variables?
- What is the function of the Discussion?
- What is the writing style I should use in the Discussion?
- How should I approach organizing the Discussion?
- How much of the Results should be reiterated in the Discussion?
- Should any new results be given in the Discussion?
- How does the Discussion connect to the Introduction?
- How is the work of others used in my Discussion?
- How do I cite outside references in the Discussion?
REFERENCES AND LITERATURE CITED SECTION FAQs
- How do I cite literature in the body of the paper (Intro/Discussion) for:
- general examples in context
- single author articles
- two author articles
- 3 or more author articles
- unknown author
- a reference found only as a citation in another article
- WWW sources
- several articles are cited together in a sentence
- HELP! This guide doesn't show the citation format I need!
- Information derived via personal communication
- Where does the period go - before or after the reference?
- How do I do complete citations in the Literature Cited for:
- Do I indent the citation?
- How do I sequence the citations in the Literature Cited list?
- What about multiple authors - do I list all of them in the full citation?
- What if I have two or more papers by the same author - how do I sequence them in the Literature Cited?
- What if I cite the same author(s) for two or more papers published in the same year?
- What if my source does not name an author?
- What kinds of information belongs in an Appendix?
- How do I number the Figures and Tables in the Appendix?
- How do I label appendices?
- Who must I acknowledge in my paper?
- Where do the acknowledgments go in my paper?
Writing Numbers: Whether to enter numerals or words for a number is often confusing. In different situations, this will vary, but probably a fair generality is that a numeral is shorter than a word, so use a numeral, with the following exceptions:
- You cannot begin a sentence with a numeral. The number "1,256,781" must be entered at the beginning of a sentence as "One million, two hundred fifty-six thousand, seven hundred and eighty-one," as ridiculous as it seems. Work the sentence so you don't have to begin it with the number!
- When not speaking of data or experimental groupings, use words instead of numerals for small numbers: "two centuries ago," "For well over fifty years..", "Of the many millions of fish released..."
- Numbers are generally written as numerals when a specific value is named, and always when associated with a unit of measure: "270 centuries ago," "59 people...", "...47.8 g dry weight...".
Modified 9-25-08
Department of Biology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240