How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

How to handle numbers
How to write the results
Preparing the text

If one determination or only a few determinations are to be presented, the determination(s) should be reported in the text. Repetitive determinations should be given in tables or graphs.

Any determinations, repetitive or otherwise, should be meaningful. Suppose that in a particular group of experiments, a number of variables were tested (one at a time, of course). Those variables that affect the reaction become determinations or data, and if extensive, they are tabulated or graphed. Those variables that do not seem to affect the reaction need not be tabulated or presented; however, it is often important to note even the negative aspects of your experiments. Knowing what did not occur can be as important as knowing what did.

If statistics are used to describe the results, they should be meaningful. A prominent journal editor told of a paper that reputedly read: “33 1/3% of the mice used in this experiment were cured by the test drug; 33 1/3% of the test population were unaffected by the drug and remained in a moribund condition; the third mouse got away.”

Beware of including overly many decimal places when reporting percentages. If 17 of 59 squirrels showed a given response, it is not meaningful to say that 28.8136% percent of squirrels did so; saying 29% would be more appropriate. Just because your calculator can show it doesn’t mean you should say it.