Eli Quinn
Section 105
February 27, 2007
Scientific Report Compared to IMRAD Concept
In the article “Ontogeny of Swim Performance and Mechanics in Bottlenose
Dolphins,” published in the Journal of Experimental Biology
, authors Shawn R. Noren et.
al discuss their results from an experiment done on the swim performance and effort of
independently swimming bottle nosed dolphins. The article begins with a summary that
explains the reasons for conducting their experiment; which was to find mean and
maximum swim speeds of young and mature dolphins. After the summary in the
beginning follows four sections which the information documented is given to readers.
These four sections include the Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and the
Discussion at the end to conclude the experiment. The way Noren et. al wrote their report
is much like the IMRAD concept introduced in Judy Kirscht and Mark Schlenz’s book
Engaging Inquiry
, but with minor differences. Although this report seems to follow the
IMRAD concept generally, there are slight differences in the way the authors decided to
approach their report.
In analyzing the text of the report from Noren et. al and comparing it to the
IMRAD concept, there are definite similarities between way the authors decided to
organize their results and the standard setup of IMRAD. The IMRAD concept’s setup
shows that the beginning of the report should begin with a title that is, “descriptive rather
than rhetorical, that is, they are designed to give information, not attract attention” (K&S
33). The article from Noren et. al begins with a title that is formal and straight to the
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point. The title, “Ontogeny of Swim Performance and Mechanics in Bottlenose

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- Winter '08
- Cornett
- Science, Bottlenose dolphin, Shawn R. Noren, imrad concept
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