Format for a Scientific Term Paper
ABSTRACT
A short (1/2 page) description of the paper. Summarize the issue or problem that you are
researching, and explain why it is important and/or interesting, and briefly review your findings.
INTRODUCTION
Describe the issue or problem that you are researching.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Conduct a literature search using PubMed, Ovid Medline, Google Scholar, or a related database.
All databases are available from the UB Libraries. The literature search will enable you to
determine the current thinking, and research being conducted on the topic, and the
significance of the problem.
METHODS
Your literature search is the first step in preparing the methods section of the paper. The
search functions as the roadmap for finding information and/or data on your topic. Save your
search strategy as you are required to submit a copy of it to the instructors.
The second step in your methods section is to conduct a critical appraisal of the literature that
you found. Please appraise the articles for the relevance, validity, reliability, and applicability of
the data you collected to the research paper you are writing.
RESULTS
In this section you will describe your findings. For example, did you identify a substantial
amount of information to effectively answer the questions posed in the introduction?
DISCUSSION and CONCLUSIONS
Summarize the most important findings from your research. What conclusions can you draw?
How do your results fit into a broader context?