Use a consistent naming scheme. For plant names, most publications prefer the standard of "binomial nomenclature," which means each plant is referred to by first its genus and then its species. Genus names should be capitalized and species names should be lowercase; for example, Rosa bracteata. Both names should be spelled out the first time the plant is mentioned, but subsequently the genus can be abbreviated to a first initial (R. bracteata). Common names are capitalized only if they contain proper nouns, for example, California poppy. The common convention for cultivars is to include the genus and species name followed by the cultivar name in single quotes: Asparagus officinalis 'Violetto d'Albenga.' Genus and species names should be italicized, while common and cultivar names should not.
Follow an appropriate style guide for references and citations. Your professor or target publication may have a preferred style. Common formats include Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), Council of Science Editors (CSE), and Chicago Manual of Style. If you are not told what format to use, the most common format for natural and earth science publications is CSE style.
Spend time crafting an abstract. Your abstract will be the most read section of your paper, so it is essential that it communicates your research succinctly. At a minimum, it should include your research objectives, the methods you used, the results you obtained, and the importance of those results to the larger scientific community. Many abstract aggregation services offer abstracts to other scientists and publishers for free, so your paper could show up in search results on related subjects. By crafting a concise yet comprehensive summary of your paper, you increase the likelihood of readers requesting it. Even though the abstract goes at the beginning of your paper, you should write it last, after you have compiled and organized all of your data.