Lesson Plan: Introductions in Scientific Research Papers
Biology
Objective
To help students understand the traditional structure of an introduction to a scientific paper. This exercise can focus on reading skills and comprehension, writing a research paper for a lab class or incorporate both aspects.
Estimated Time
35-50 minutes
Work Completed Before Class
Ideally, students should read a well-written introduction to a scientific paper, and complete a reverse outline (one or two sentences of summary per paragraph). If this is not possible, allocate 15-20 minutes of class time for this step. It is often helpful to use an introduction to a paper that has already been read for content.
In Class
- First, discuss the function of this kind of introduction. It needs to give enough background material for the reader to understand the experiment and provide a narrative that explains why the experiment is important. (5 minutes)
- If students have not completed a reverse outline before class, they should do so now. (15 minutes)
- Next, ask students to share their reverse outlines. This is best done one paragraph at a time to analyze the structure of the introduction and the order and form in which information is presented. This step is a good moment to talk about the narrative summary ("this paragraph explains how the research is related to curing common diseases") vs. the technical content. (10-15 minutes)
- The second part of this discussion focuses on reading. What was it like to read this way, rather than reading for technical detail? Which is easier? Have students learned this method of reading before? If they read this way for content, would they go back again and read the technical detail and citations? Brainstorm reasons to read a technical paper, and think about the information needed for each purpose: for general information on the state of the field, to reproduce the experiment, to present in class or in a meeting, to challenge its findings, etc. (10-15 minutes)
Jessie Stickgold-Sarah
Developed at Brandeis University through a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation