All students are required to complete a final paper by the due
date. Future SFP applications, recommendations, or acknowledgement of a SURF
award on Caltech transcripts will be jeopardized by not completing this requirement
in a timely fashion. Direct questions to sfp@caltech.edu or
call 626.395.2885. Please read all instructions below!
Expectations | Reports |
Communications Program
Final Report Writing Requirements
Instructions for Uploading Final Paper
Marcella and Joel Bonsall Prize for Technical Writing
Submissions to CURJ
Final Report Writing Requirements
Final reports should be clear, concise, and written for a broad scientific audience. Papers should be written in the style and format of the journal Nature. It is suggested that you find a Nature article from your field after which to model your paper.
As in a Nature article, reports should place all technical information in the 'Methods' section at the end of the paper while making the main text accessible to a nonspecialist audience. Use clear, significant words when writing your paper and avoid using jargon or specialized terms whenever possible. The main text of your article (excluding 'Methods', 'References', and 'Appendices') should not exceed 2,000 words. Use fewer words if you can; a concise paper is always better than a wordy one. It is often useful for authors to have students in other disciplines read their papers to improve clarity. Mentors are also encouraged to edit their students' papers.
If you are submitting an article for publication or if your mentor requests that your paper be written in a different fashion, please check with the SFP office. Such requests will usually be acceptable.
The Final Report Format:
- Title
- Author
- Faculty Mentor (and Co-Mentor if applicable)
Abstract. The abstract is a succinct outline of the research project. For experimental projects, it presents the principal objective and scope of the project, describes the methodology, summarizes the results, and states the principal conclusions. For a theoretical paper, it describes the issue and analysis, and states implications for further research. The abstract should stand alone and be intelligible without the paper.
Text. The paper should begin by providing background, presenting the nature and scope of the problem being investigated, and giving rationale for the work. The main conclusions should be stated briefly in this section. This section should be accessible to readers in any discipline (including non-science fields) and readers for whom English is not a first language.
Following this introductory section, the findings should be described concisely with brief descriptions of the methodology when necessary. The text should finish with a discussion of the results. The implications of the research, relation to other work in the author's lab, and future research directions should be included in this section. Even though this section may be technical, it should not be obtuse.
Methods. As noted above, materials and methods may be described briefly in the text. However, as in a Nature article, lengthier descriptions belong in a 'Methods' section at the end of the paper. This section should be subdivided by short headings referring to the technique being used or the experiment being explained. This section is directed toward scientists in the author's field.
Figures. Include figures whenever possible to illustrate your points. Explanatory diagrams may help explain background information (pictures from textbooks are fine). Carefully choose your image size, font size, line widths, and labels to ensure that your figures are clear. Plot theory and experiment on the same graph and redraw screen photos. All figures should be accompanied by explanatory captions.
References. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references. References should be numbered sequentially as they appear in the text and should be listed at the end of the paper. Reference numbers should be in superscript when cited in the text. References should follow the style used by the journal Nature.
Acknowledgments. Acknowledge your mentor and all other individuals who provided technical assistance, and the individuals, organizations, grants, or contracts from whom you received financial support. Named SURF students should be sure to include the names of their financial sponsors.
Appendices. Large data files, catalogs, tables, diagrams, and archival information may be included in 'Appendices' at the end of the paper.
Additional Suggestions. News and Views articles often accompany important Nature papers to provide additional background and discussion of the work's implications. A paper will be more accessible if these additions are incorporated into the paper itself. Authors are encouraged to use examples, stories, and analogies where appropriate. These additions are highly recommended for students submitting their papers to the Caltech Undergraduate Research Journal and will greatly increase the odds of acceptance.
Adapted from the Nature Guide to Authors by Robb Rutledge (BS '02; SURF '98, '00, '01).
Instructions for Uploading Final Paper
The process for uploading the final paper and securing mentor
approval is described below. The important dates are:
Students must upload a draft of the final paper no later
than 5 PM on the fourth Friday in September.
Mentors must finally approve the paper no later than
November 1.
Students must upload their final technical paper into the SFP
Online system no later than the fourth Friday in September. The paper must
be in Microsoft Word or PDF format, and must not exceed 10MB. (If you absolutely
can't make your paper smaller than 10MB, please contact sfp@caltech.edu for
instructions.) Once the paper is uploaded it will be locked in the system,
and your mentor will be sent a message containing instructions for accessing
your paper online. Your mentor then has two options:
1. Approve your paper as is. You will receive confirmation of
this action via e-mail.
2. Disapprove your paper and give suggestions for improvements.
You will receive confirmation of this action via e-mail as well as your mentor's
comments. When your paper is disapproved, it is unlocked in the system. This
allows you to incorporate your mentor's suggestions, go online to delete your
previous paper, and then upload the new version. Your mentor will again receive
instructions for accessing your paper and the whole process starts again. This
can continue as many times as necessary until your mentor gives final approval
of your paper.
Once your paper is approved, your paper will remain locked. If
you would like to submit a revised version of your paper after a previous version
has been approved, e-mail your revised paper to sfp@caltech.edu and
we will replace your old paper with the new version.
Marcella and Joel Bonsall Prize for Technical Writing
Mentors of students in the SURF and Axline SURF programs will
also be given the opportunity to use the online system to nominate a student's
paper for the Bonsall Technical Writing
Prize. If
your mentor nominates your paper, you will receive e-mail confirmation of this.
Bonsall nominations must also be received no later than November 1.
Submissions to CURJ
Students may submit any paper that follows the SFP final report guidelines to the Caltech
Undergraduate Research Journal (CURJ). Accepted articles will require the addition of subtitles and 'Further Reading' and the removal of the abstract, 'References', 'Methods', and 'Appendices'. CURJ editors will work with authors to prepare their articles for publication.
A publication release signed by the head of the laboratory (not a graduate student or postdoc) will also be required. This document is legally binding. You and your advisor are advised to consult with the appropriate journals and must resolve any copyright issues before submission. Once your paper is accepted, it cannot be withdrawn.
