Scientific Paper Format – Writing the Title and Abstract of Scientific Papers

A scientific paper format will differ from a humanities paper format. The structure of scientific papers is relatively different from other academic papers, largely due to its rigidity and compactness.

This is because scientific paper writing focuses on communicating accurate finding and results in a consistent style, which should be read and understood at all levels. The Ideal structure of the title and abstract of scientific paper writing is as follows:

• Title – The scientific paper title should clearly explain the contents of the paper. The choice of words should be descriptive enough to indicate the topic of study. Use relevant keywords in the title of scientific papers. Centre align the title, and write it on the top most section of the page.

1. Do not write in uppercase
2. Do not italicized
3. Do not underline.

Below the title, write the name/s of the author followed by the name of the institution. Names of two or more authors should be separated with commas and ‘and’. 

• Abstract – This is a summary of the major points of the scientific paper and clearly states the purpose of investigation, the research methods used and the major findings of the scientific research. The scientific paper abstract of should not be very long, about 200 to 300 words, and must include all the important keywords so that search engines easily detect it.
• Some things you should avoid in your abstract are - background information details, the use of references, abbreviations and figures, tables and illustrations.

Briefly, the scientific paper abstract should convey all relevant information to the reader in few important words. It should be in past tense with no paragraph breaks. The scientific paper abstract should be in plain text format, preferably using passive voice.