Science IA writing guide Mr.
Ramy
Title Page
- Research Question (RQ) as title
- Personal Code
- Page count
Background
- Provide context for your RQ (disturbance, climate change,
infections, treatment, etc.) [E2.2]
- The reader should understand why you are doing this study, why
it’s important – it should clearly convey personal interest and try
to include local issues (if possible) [P2.2] + [P2.3]
- Explain any scientific theory/information relevant to your study of
which the reader should be made aware. [E2.4]
- Explain and justify your study species – why is this species being
used? Could include picture of species to give more context
Figure 1 Structure of human
pancreatic lipase (HPL) (Mukherjee,
2014)
Aim of Investigation
- Provide a brief explanation of what you are going to do in your investigation, i.e. what is your goal?
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Science IA writing guide Mr. Ramy
Research Question
- One-sentence research question. Should be specific and concise. Should contain the IV and DV and
species name (if applicable). The reader should know very clearly what you are investigating [E1.1] +
[E1.2]
Ex: To what extent does the concentration of salt water alter the growth of Allium tuberosum in terms of plant
height and mass?
- The research question needs be able to be answered by a clear hypothesis [E1.3]
Hypotheses
- Hypothesis: Provide a clear, concise, measurable
hypothesis i.e. what do you think will happen? [E2.7] This
could be supported with a general sketch graph of what
you think the relationship will be [E2.8]
- Justification: Provide reasons why you think this will
occur. This should be supported by scientific papers and
Figure 2 Graphical representation of
prior studies [E2.7] hypothesis. Predictive production of crude
biodiesel for each experimental group
If statistical tests are used (ANOVA, t-test, chi squared, etc.):
- Null Hypothesis (H0): No significant differences between your independent variables (used in your
statistical analyses). The likelihood of this statement being true is tested in order to decide whether to
accept or reject your alternative hypotheses [A2.4]
- Alternative Hypothesis (Ha): A different significant result than your hypothesis. [A2.4]
Independent Variable
- Describe what it is (including units if applicable)
Ex: concentration (mol/L), pH, temperature (°C), reaction time(s), surface area (cm2), ratio x:y…
- Justify why this was chosen (why this range, quantity, etc.). Can be adapted from prior studies [E3.1]
- How will this be manipulated? [E3.6]
Dependent Variable
- Describe what it is (including units) [E3.2]
Ex: pH, change in temperature (°C)/ mass (g)/ height (cm), gas produced (mL), absorbance (Au), yield (g),
conductivity (Amp), voltage (V), heart/respiratory rate (BPM), area of growth (mm2), concentration (mol/mL)…
- How it will be measured [E3.2]
- Justify why this was chosen (why this measurement, quantity, etc.). Can be adapted from prior studies.
* Strong justifications for your variables provide the reader with confidence as to the methodological design.
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Science IA writing guide Mr. Ramy
Control Variables
- Include this as a table: [E3.3]
Variable Impact Method of Control
What is the potential/likely impact this
Name of the variable could have on results, i.e. why is it How will this be controlled /
important to control? You should provide kept constant [E3.9]
reference if appropriate [E3.4] + [E3.5]
Risk Management
- Describe what the potential risks/hazards are in your method and how you will prevent these.
Can be presented as a table: [E4.1]
Hazard Nature of the Hazard Control
Name of the hazard. Can be The potential harm or risk How will this be controlled so as
chemical, microorganism, hazardous this hazard poses to the to minimize/eliminate risk?
procedure or equipment investigator
Ethical/Environmental Considerations
- Describe how your investigation may cause ethical (if living subjects are involved) or environmental
(such as disposal or disturbance) concerns and how these were minimized/mitigated or prevented (if
possible) [E4.2/4.3]
* Even if you think you don’t have any health/safety/ethical/environmental considerations, you still need to
discuss this and justify why
Materials and Apparatus
- Each material should be followed by an amount (with units) and
quantity (if relevant) [E3.8]
- Each apparatus/measuring instrument should be followed by the
unit in which it measures and an uncertainty (examples: 30cm ruler
± 0.1 cm, 2x 100mL glass beakers ±5mL, electronic balance (to
nearest 0.01g ± 0.005 g) [E3.8]
*A measure of the accuracy of an instrument is given by its uncertainty. As
a good rule of thumb, the uncertainty of a measuring device is 50% of the
smallest division. Figure 3 Experimental setup for
- Include a diagram of the experimental setup [E3.8] the heating process of agar
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Science IA writing guide Mr. Ramy
Method
- Step by step. Every single step should be included, including how data is collected–the more detailed
the better–as the goal is to write a clear enough method that it is easily repeatable. [E3.11]
- Include how you will keep controls constant [E3.9]
- Your method should include how data is collected, potentially including diagrams or pictures of how
data is collected (this makes it more personal and can even provide evidence) [E3.7]
- In your method, when you mention measuring tools, include how data should be collected and the
units and uncertainties of those tools [E3.11]
- If your method is based on an established protocol (like preparing agar), cite this [E3.12]. If your
method of collecting is an already-known protocol, adapt it for your needs [P3.2]
* If your method involves multiple parts, these can be separated into separate sections for clarity
Data Presentation and Analysis
- Short introduction on what was collected in order to answer RQ and how it is presented [A1.1]
- Justification of data manipulation and statistical tests carried out [A1.1]
Raw Data, Qualitative
- Observations should be briefly included
(perhaps in a table form if it is
observational data over time) [A1.4]
- Should be accompanied by pictures
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Science IA writing guide Mr. Ramy
Raw Data, Quantitative
- Tables of raw collected data.
Format:
Table 1 – short description of table
Independent Dependent variable (unit & uncertainty)
variable (unit &
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5
uncertainty)
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X = anomaly
* Tables need to include title, caption, units and uncertainties in headings, and do not span multiple pages
[A1.5] + [C2.2] + [C2.3] + [C2.4] + [C2.5] + [C4.6]
* Raw data should not include calculated values (mean, st. dev, etc.)
Processed Data
- Include a short description of what tests were conducted
- Tables of processed data (data that has been calculated), such as mean/average, [Link]. (Standard
Deviation), S.E. (Standard error), p value, df (degrees of freedom) [A2.1] + [A2.2] + [C4.6]
- For each type of calculation, you may include a formula and a worked example (not necessary) [A2.6]
- Ensure decimal points are consistent (mean same decimal place as raw data) [C4.4]
** Data requirements for valid analysis and statistical analyses:
- IV: min. 5 increments over a suitable range [A1.2]
- DV: min. 5 repeats/samples (if less than 5 you cannot calculate [Link]. and must use range) [A1.3]
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Science IA writing guide Mr. Ramy
Graphs
- Graphs clearly and effectively represent data – need to be legible and neat and be the correct type;
this will depend on whether your data is continuous or discontinuous [C4.7]
Line graph – change over time Scatter plot – correlation of variables Bar chart – comparing groups
(independent x, dep. y)
Histogram – distribution of data Pie chart – parts of a whole
* Graphs need to include title, caption, axis labels (with units), legend (if applicable), error bars (from SD or
SE) , trendline (if applicable) and be scaled appropriately [A3.4] + [A3.5] + [C2.2] + [C2.6] + [C4.8] + [C4.9]
Analysis
- Interpret the patterns and trends in the data, refer to tables and graphs when reporting
numbers/trends [A4.1]. How do these relate to RQ? [A4.4]
- Discuss the variation (SD) in the data and possible anomalies [A4.2] + [A4.3]
- Discuss the uncertainty of your data (p value, critical value for stats tests do you accept or reject
null/alternative hypothesis?). Was enough data collected to make a valid conclusion? [A3.3] Do you
need to remove data, and if so, does this impact your findings? [A3.1]
- Discuss qualitative data [EV1.1]
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Science IA writing guide Mr. Ramy
Conclusion
- Do the trends/patterns have problems making it difficult to be certain ([Link]., p value, t-test)? [EV3.1]
- What scientific explanation are there for your observed results? [EV2.1] Provide scientific references
for this [EV2.2]
- How do your results compare to those of previously conducted investigations/research data? [EV2.3]
- What does this mean for your context? [EV2.4]
- Provide a conclusion based on your data and analysis. Was your hypothesis correct? Does it answer
your RQ? [EV1.2] Is this conclusion strong – why or why not? [EV1.3]
Evaluation of Method
- Strengths: Details about your method and how it helped to provide reliable data to answer your
research question. Can also discuss how your method was novel or unique.
- Weaknesses and limitations: Be honest here!
Factors to consider:
o Was your method appropriate/adequate at obtaining a valid conclusion to your RQ (was there
enough range of IV) (was there is enough repeats of DV)? [EV3.2] [EV3.3]
o Were control variables adequately controlled? [EV3.4]
o Limitations in your study (things you could have done but didn’t)
o Appropriateness of measuring apparatus
o Potential sources of error in your study (this can link to outliers) [EV4.4]
- Can include this as a table for ease and clarity:
Weaknesses/limitations Improvement
Future Directions/Extension
- Provide future directions for the context of the study: What should be looked at further to better
tackle this problem? [EV4.5]
- Connect the research study to possible real-world applications
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Science IA writing guide Mr. Ramy
Bibliography
- Include all referenced material in a consistent format (MLA/APA/Scientific/Oxford) and in alphabetical
order.
Example:
Mukherjee, A. K. (2014). Hydrophobic-hydrophilic interaction in lipase catalytic triad and possibility of a
cofactor mediated catalysis. International Journal of Agricultural and Food Science, 84-89.
Appendices
- Not necessary, avoid if possible
- Include any supporting material (like stats) or images that do not need to be in the main body of the
report but can be referred to. These should be annotated as well. [C4.10]
Reminders:
- Page length: 6-12 pages [C3.5]
*Note: Does not include title page, bibliography, or appendices (if included)
- Try to write in third person/passive voice whenever possible
- Double-check all spelling and grammar throughout the report. If complex scientific, content-specific
language needs to be used, ensure you understand its meaning and outline it in the report for the
reader [C4.11] + [C4.12] + [C4.13]
- Double-check formatting: headings, subheadings, page numbers, margins, tables, captions, etc.
- Double-check you have included all in-text citations where appropriate
- Double-check your IA with rubric to ensure it meets all the criteria