Organizing these facts, from lectures and from readings, is an important first step to understanding. Using these facts to support an argument in an essay, term paper, lab report, or scientific paper leads to greater understanding. You write to inform and persuade an audience. All writers , including biology students and biologists, convey a message through their writing. The message is designed for a specific audience such as the instructor, other students in a class, peers, or a general audience.
Most scientific evidence gives rise to multiple interpretations.
A poignant example is the current tobacco controversy. The tobacco industry has consistently won legal battles over the harmful effects of smoking. Follow the links below for information about specific writing genres used in biology.