---
title: "Writing Science: the Figure, the Error Bar and the Claim"
description: "A result reaches other people as a figure that carries the claim, an uncertainty honest about both of its parts, and a sentence that says no more than the data supports. The method section exists so t"
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---

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# Writing Science: the Figure, the Error Bar and the Claim

A result reaches other people as a figure that carries the claim, an uncertainty honest about both of its parts, and a sentence that says no more than the data supports. The method section exists so that someone else can repeat the work and disagree with it.

Subject: Science · Area: Scientific Inquiry · Ages 23 to 24
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/writing-science-the-figure-the-error-bar-and-the-claim-mt_uUQ4gKXTN0

## Ready when they can

- Drafts a figure whose caption states the claim it supports
- Reports a result with statistical and systematic uncertainties kept separate
- Writes a method description detailed enough for another group to repeat

## Lesson: Writing a result others can check

A result is a number plus its uncertainty, never a bare number. Accuracy says how close you are to the truth, precision says how tightly your repeats cluster, and significant figures advertise how much you actually know. Every digit you write is a promise, so trailing digits beyond your error bar are fiction.

Keep statistical and systematic uncertainties separate in the report, and never mix them. One shrinks with more data while the other does not, and mixing hides what a repeat experiment would really check. That split tells readers which part of the error bar effort can shrink.

**Example.** A figure should stand alone: labeled axes with units, a legend, visible error bars, and a caption stating the claim the figure supports. Round the result to the precision you earned and state the rule you used. Keep axes honest with no exaggerated zoom that turns noise into a trend.

**Tip.** A method section must let another group repeat the work: instruments, settings, calibrations, sample sizes, and exact analysis steps. Define every symbol, give every unit, and say where each caption number came from. If a reader cannot redo the measurement from your description, the description is not finished.

**Recap.** Number plus honest uncertainty, a figure that stands alone, and a method another group can rerun.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Writing Science Reports](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/writing-science-reports-mt_ThTbUuNb3p)
- [Reading a Paper: the Claim, the Evidence and the Assumption](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/reading-a-paper-the-claim-the-evidence-and-the-assumption-mt_YFgMvbohC0)