The structure of scientific and engineering papers: a historical perspective

Many technical style guides and handbooks recommend the use of a `topical structure´ for reporting original results from experimental research. This structure typically follows the sequence: heading, abstract, introduction, experimental details, results, discussion of results, conclusions, acknowledgements, and references. Slight variations in this basic structure are also employed in reporting the development of a novel device, material, method, or theory. An overview on how each element of the topical structure evolved to its present state is presented