Scientific Writing

How to Write a Summary

Review: In your paper, your audience wants to know:

 

What you did. Why you did it.

 

Nature Scope

  

How you did it (IN GREAT DETAIL). What you found. What it means.

In a summary, your audience needs to know



What you did

 

Nature Scope

 

How you did it (BRIEFLY!) What you found

The process
 

(Diagram your study) Start from your diagram:

 

Identify the CORE of the experiment Find simple summary of methods

My summary, step 1: the core

d(T/dt = f(U, U, mass, species)
dU (G) dU

Results from the Convection study

60

Energy loss [Wm-C-1]

45

30

15 2.2 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 0.4

4.0

Wind Speed [ms-1]

Mass [g]

Step 1: Scope (What I did)



In this study, I measured how the rate of convective heat exchange in grasshoppers was affected by wind speed and the mass of the insect, and whether this was affected by the insects species and orientation to the wind.

Step 2: Methods summary



Live insects were mounted in a wind stream of known speed and temperature. The difference between body temperature and air temperature was monitored and its rate of change was analyzed to determine the effects of insect mass, wind speed, species and orientation to the wind. Analyses compensated for energy exchange by greybody reradiation.

Step 3: Results


The rate of convective heat loss (H) in W/(mC) with decreased insect mass and increased with wind speed (U) in ms-1: H = 14.57Mass-0.38(U+0.1)0.57 H was not affected by the insects species or orientation to the wind.

Summary (First Version)

In this study, I measured how the rate of convective heat exchange in grasshoppers was affected by wind speed and the mass of the insect, and whether this was affected by the insects species and orientation to the wind. Live insects were mounted in a wind stream of known speed and temperature. The difference between body temperature and air temperature was monitored and its rate of change was analyzed to determine the effects of insect mass, wind speed, species and orientation to the wind. Analyses compensated for energy exchange by greybody reradiation. The rate of convective heat loss (H) in W/(mC) decreased with insect mass and increased with wind speed: H = 14.57Mass-0.38(U+0.1)0.57 H was not affected by the insects species or orientation to the wind

Not necessary

Errors in First Version

> 2 authors, so use we

In this study, I measured how the rate of convective heat exchange in grasshoppers was affected by wind speed and the mass of the insect, and whether this was affected by the insects species and orientation to the wind. Live insects were mounted in a wind stream of known speed and temperature. The difference between body temperature and air temperature was monitored and its rate of change was analyzed to determine the effects of insect mass, wind speed, species and orientation to the wind. Analyses compensated for Active energy exchange by greybody reradiation. Passive The rate of convective heat loss (H) in W/(mC) decreased with insect mass and increased with wind speed: Active H = 14.57Mass-0.38(U+0.1)0.57 H was not affected by the insects species or orientation to the wind

Not defined; No units

No Units (124 words)

Final Version

Variables defined (Italics)

We measured how the rate of convective heat exchange h (Wm-C-1) in grasshoppers was affected by the mass m (g) of the insect, wind speed U (ms-1), the insects species S and its orientation U () to the wind. Units We mounted live insects in a wind stream of known U and temperature, then monitored the change in the difference between body temperature and air temperature to determine the effects of m, U, S and U Analysis compensated for energy exchange by greybody radiation. The value of h decreased with insect mass and increased with wind speed: h = 14.57m-0.38(U+0.1)0.57, but was not affected by S or U

Active

(105 words)

Assignment:
1. Write a summary of your study:
1. ~3 paragraphs
1. scope 2. methods 3. results