construction usually occurs after a literature search (including the taking of detailed notes) has been conducted; the
experimental, observational, or theoretical results have been obtained; and an analysis of the results is nearly complete.
The main ideas, or results from the work can then be listed in outline form and then grouped, regrouped and edited to
achieve the desired information flow. The main ideas can then be placed in the relevant structures of the lab report or
paper (i.e., introduction, main body of the work, conclusions) to become topic sentences of various paragraphs in those
sections.
The result of expanding an outline is a rough first draft. This will be the first of multiple redrafts. Many new to scientific
writing are not aware of the level of scrutiny that scientific writing receives. Because of its concise nature, the density of
relevant ideas is high. Therefore, careful attention must be given to virtually every sentence.
As a result, many drafts are often required to “get it right.” Adjustments are usually needed not only to correct spelling
and grammar errors, but also to adjust the scientific content and logical flow. These adjustments are often due to the fact
that during the writing, new ideas and questions needing resolution can occur. Sometimes this requires
minor rewriting while in other cases major structural revisions are needed. In theory, once a paper nears completion, an
abstract can be formulated. Like the paper, the abstract will most likely evolve as the paper reaches its final form.