The structure of scientific and engineering papers: a historical perspective

Abstract

Many technical style guides and handbooks recommend the use of a 'topical structure' for reporting original results from experimental research. This structure typically follows the sequence: heading, abstract, introduction, experimental details, results, discussion of results, conclusions, acknowledgements, and references. Slight variations in this basic structure are also employed in reporting the development of a novel device, material, method, or theory. An overview on how each element of the topical structure evolved to its present state is presented.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>