Concise use of words is essential in all academic essay writing, but in the sciences this is even more important. Here are some top tips for writing a great science essay.
Science essay writing style
The purpose of a science essay is to collect and analyse evidence that supports your hypothesis. Your writing is based on research and measurement, not opinion. As with any academic essay, you must cut out waffle. Your first task is to clearly express the problem. Then observe the results and record your findings.
Science essay – correct procedure
It must be possible for other researchers to reproduce your results. To this end, you must follow correct scientific procedure and be able to demonstrate that you have done this. If you deviate from established methods you need to have a very good reason for this and be able to explain this. However, this is probably inadvisable as an undergraduate essay writer.
Best essay tips – Latest research
Make sure you are aware of the latest research on the topic you have chosen for the essay. Do you know which academic journals are the most important in your field? Check these for relevant recent research.
Essay structure for science
A scientific essay should follow a particular structure. Make yourself familiar with this structure before you start your essay.
Introduction. In the introduction, give a brief overview of your subject area, place the essay question within the field and state your hypothesis.
The body of the text will cover the methodology you have used to design or run your experiment and the equipment that you needed. This must be very precise so that your reader could run the experiment for themselves and – crucially – get exactly the same results. Measurements must be accurate – particularly in the medical arena, where an error in measurements could have serious consequences.
Results – You may find it easier to display your results in bar charts, pie charts or graphs. Many science courses will offer statistical modules or workshops. There is no point collating accurate results and then displaying them incorrectly due to your misunderstanding of statistical calculations. Attending a statistics workshop can be really helpful if you think you have problems in this area.
The Discussion and Conclusion discuss the relevance and meaning of the results. Do your results help to further research in this field? Have you uncovered any anomalies? Did you prove or disprove the hypothesis?
Are you struggling with your science essays? Have you found a good source of science essay examples? Let us know by posting a comment below.