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Tips on Writing Results
for a Scientific Paper
Kevin Cummins, Senior Statistician, university of California, San Diego
A
t some point, most statis- minted applied statisticians from
tics students must learn their academic training into their
illustration by Bret Alexander
how to communicate sci- professional activities.
entific findings. It is hoped that The results section is the core
they are already comfortable with of a scientific paper. It should
the formulaic structure of a scien- present new data that will be
tific article: introduction, meth- used to render a judgment about
Kevin Cummins is a
ods, results, and conclusion. The
senior statistician at
the issues raised in the introduc-
the Department of
scientific community dictates this tion. The textual component
Psychiatry, School of
gross structure because it allows of the results summarizes the
Medicine, university of
readers to immediately begin general patterns and describes California, San Diego.
understanding the content, with- important statistical details, tell-
Part of his job is to
out first having to understand the ing the reader what was found in
advise undergraduate
and graduate students
paper’s organization. Little flexi- the particular study. Implications
on how to analyze and
bility is allowed in the organiza- of the findings are not presented
report their findings.
tion; however, there are fewer in the results—those are saved for Over the years, he has
conventions below the structural the conclusion.
put together a long list
outline, and students should rec-
of helpful hints that he
ognize they have some latitude Lean Heavily on
references when review-
ing students’ drafts.
and adopt a style that improves Statistical Graphics
the quality of their manuscripts.
The use of statistical graph-
When collaborating on a
ics often provides the strongest
manuscript (in an applied field),
means for conveying the pat-
statisticians’ contributions are
terns in data. You should not
most direct in the methods and
be reluctant to lean heavily on
results sections, and they are
statistical graphics. Indeed, this
most likely to draft the results.
may be the only way to present
I hope the following comments
more than a few parameter esti-
will ease the transition of newly
mates without bogging down the
SEPTEMbER 2009 AMSTAT NEwS 39
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