l written Experimental Procedures section allows a competent scientist to duplicate your results. Present specific information about your materials. The suppliers and purity of reagents can be useful bits of information. Present methods in chronological order but related methodologies can be grouped as a section. Be succinct when describing the protocols. Strive for the minimum of information that would allow another competent scientist to duplicate your results but be careful that essential information is included. The use of subheadings is recommended and should be coordinated with the results section. When a method is used that has been well described in another article, reference the specific article describing a method but outline the basic premise while stating the reference.

       • Ask yourself this question: Could someone else follow my words in this section and perform the same experiment with the same results?

       Results

       • Open the Results section by presenting the "big picture" or overview of the experiments.

       Focus on the theoretical question at hand and do not repeat the experimental details described in the Experimental Procedures. Orient and prepare the reader for the data that follows.

       • The data must direct the reader toward the solution to the problem.

       Organize the data in logical steps that describe the trail of investigation you followed in order to reach your conclusions. If your logic is sound, the reader will easily understand why you performed certain measurements and will be interested in the actual data obtained.

       • Data is presented in text, tables or graphs depending on the material and the emphasis that you desire.

       Look at published examples of graph and table presentation and mimic that style. Each figure or graph must be able to "stand alone" with its figure legend. A descriptive title includes why the figure is important (NOT merely "SDS Gel"). Present information in the figure and legend as if this were all the reader would see for this point.Discriminate what data you present by using only the data relevant to the conclusions drawn from the study. (The preceding statement is made to keep the study focused NOT to intentionally disregard conflicting data. Please maintain high ethical standards in your scientific endeavors.) Present only representative data not endless repetitions of the same data. Keep the presentations concise and make the reading of your data as pleasant as possible. Interest fades quickly if the reader has to work hard to figure out what is being presented or why.

       • Choosing a method for clear presentation of your data depends on the type of information.

       If one or only a few determinations or differences are presented it is best to use only text. Repetitive measurements may be presented in tables or graphs. Always consider describing the results in text and ifthe text version is too complex or cumbersome then a table or graph may be warranted. Avoid redundancy when stating summary of data in text that is presented in tabular form.

Be certain that any numbers that you present are statistically valid. Specifically, pay close attention to significant figures.

       • Clarity in the Results is paramount.

       This is the new information that you are presenting to the scientific community. All the other components of the paper are judged by the Results. The Introduction and the Materials and Methods section tell why and how you got the results and the Discussion tells what the results mean.

       Discussion

       The Discussion is likely the most difficult section to write and define. Many papers submitted for publication are rejected based on problems with the Discussion. There is no ruler for how long a discussion should be. State your interpretation of the results clearly to lead the reader through your conclusions, then end the paper with a summary of the significance of the study.

       • Do NOT simply restate the Results.

       • Compare your results and conclusions with published materials. Clearly contrast and compare your interpretations with previous studies and findings.

   &n

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