How can I find out about a scientific discovery?

All the details are published as a paper in a  scientific journal.

Of course, a really exciting breakthrough in science might be publicly announced on television and other media too, but the full details are available for other scientists to read in books called journals.  Most journals are published in a paper form, but there are also many excellent web-based journals too.

These hold the details that scientists will pore over in delight to discover the AIM of the research, how it was done in the METHODS section, with RESULTS and DISCUSSION leading to the CONCLUSION.

Why  are there so many sections in a scientific paper?

Each section is necessary so that another scientist in any part of the world could repeat the experiment and verify the results (get the same ones!)

This is a crucial step in the Scientific Method - without verification by other scientists, the conclusion will not stand for long... and neither will the reputation of the scientist whose name is on the paper!

Can anyone write a scientific paper?

Yes, of course - in fact many people learn how to do this at school.  But sadly, the conclusion is unlikely to be of such great importance to the scientific community that the paper will get past the process of peer review and be published.

Peer review means that another scientist working in the same field will be sent the paper and asked to make a report... ultimately leading to the paper's acceptance or rejection.

So, have patience, keep studying and experimenting, and good luck for your first publication some time in the not too distant future!

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